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Jan 21
2009
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Garden Coach Helps Others Reach Full Gardening PotentialPosted by Gardens n Gardening in Obama, gardens, gardening  |
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Gardens 'n' Gardening guest blogger Helen Yoest's herb garden in Raleigh, NC.
There's a coach for everything else - sports, business, life - it would only follow there would be a coach for gardening. ...
GARDENING COACH
By Helen Yoest of Gardening With Confidence
As a new administration moves into Washington ...
Yea, you just took that job you longed for. Not only are you now working in a new city, you realize you will also be gardening with a new challenge - a whole zone difference. Back home, in your zone 7 garden, you were happy as a lark, comfortable with your knowledge of what to do when, what will do well, what wont. You may have hated that clay you had to work with, but at least you knew what to do with it. Now, faced with learning to garden in a new garden, you wonder where to begin. Now what? Can I grow Crepe Myrtles? What? sandy soil, no clay? What’s that worm eating my lettuce?
The concept of working with a gardening coach has been around for a very long time, it’s the term that’s new. A gardening coach will work with people at any level and for many reasons. From an initial consultation offering design suggestions to a full design with installation and everything in between, a gardening coach can help you become a better gardener.
It is still recommend involving yourself with your local community, to learn and to connect. That much remains the same. Visit local botanical gardens or arboreta and read the local garden column in the newspaper and regional publications and blogs. But to kick start your journey, and to save from making costly mistakes, working with a local gardening coach will get you up to speed fast.
Susan Harris has made this process easier with her blog The Gardening Coach Blog, the resource for and about gardening coaches. Here, she lists Worldwide Directory of Gardening Coaches (If you are a gardening coach and not listed, check out this blog and get in touch with Susan, so she can list you in the directory.) Check out this listing, the coverage of the gardening coaches is inspiring.
As with working with most gardening coaches, a relationship is formed. From here, you can gauge what level you want to take on yourself and how much you want to rely on your gardening coach.
Over the years, many of my clients started out wanting me to do it all. But I find that when you’re talking about building a garden, as opposed to a landscape, the conversation changes. Most anyone can care for your landscape, but your garden has special needs. To this end, a gardening coach shines. They become part of your team creating your garden.
My desire when I started my business in 2001, was to have my client’s involvement. I believed they would “own” their garden if they participated in the care of it. This has proven true. Some took longer than others for this buy-in, but in the end, all are more active than they ever thought they would be or what they thought possible.
Below are some of the many reasons gardening coaches are called upon:
• To seek “permission” to do what they want to do. A second opinion – someone to bounce ideas off of
• Suggestions on how to reduce lawn size and where
• Understanding the garden that came with their new home
• Tidying up the garden to put the home on the market
• Adding seasonal interest such as planting spring bulbs in the fall, summer longevity, fabulous fallscapes, and winter blooming flowers
• New to the area and unfamiliar with the plants that will do well in the new zone
• To add a patio, water feature, paths, children’s play ground
• To draw a full plan to scale
• To draw a concept plan
• To share resources
• To buy plants with
There’s no reason to go it alone. Contact a gardening coach near you.
About the Guest Blogger:
Helen Yoest is a garden coach, writer, stylist, and field editor for Better Homes and Gardens and their special interest media such as Country Gardens and Nature's Garden. She is the owner of Gardening With Confidence and sits on the board of the JC Raulston Arboretum. Helen also represents Raleigh in the Garden Conservancy's Open Days tour; her garden will be open for the GC September 19/20, 2009.
Click HERE to become a guest blogger.
Subscribe to this comment's feedwritten by denise , February 06, 2009
The idea of a gardening coach is excellent. With the economy as strained as it is many may turn back to gardening and a "caoch" to help with gardening advice would be an excellent idea.
written by landscape photos in Florida , January 26, 2009
I am about to move to our new house next week and I will be leaving behind my beloved fruit trees. I'm really sad but I feel like it's the best thing to do since I don't want to replant them. It's really hard but then life has to go on...at least there will be a new garden to work on.
written by Helen @ Gardening With Confidence , January 24, 2009
As we like to say in the south, President Obama has bigger fish to fry than to garden! But there are thousands of new people moving into town. Gardening will be a wonderful release after an day of doing our nation's important work that
written by Susan Harris , January 23, 2009
For all garden coaches, of course, but especially for the ones in our directory, which you kindly linked.
But Helen, when you say "back home in your Zone 7 garden," you know DC is Zone 7, too. The big adjustment will be for Obama-ites moving here from Chicago, I imagine. Though they'll probably NEVER have time to garden, anyway, if their work schedules are anything like most top workers in the federal government.
written by Helen @ Gardening With Confidence , January 22, 2009
Yes, Kathy I lead that tour. It is Saturday September 19th from 9 - 5 and Sunday September 20th from noon - 5. I'm putting together the press kit now. We will open 6 gardens - 2 in Raleigh, 2 in Cary and 2 in Wake Forest. We also benefit the JC Raulston Arboretum. I'm still working with the local Garden Writers committee, of which I am on, to somehow include these gardens and get folks writing about the great works of the Garden Conservancy. Montrose, a GC project garden, will be one of the story tours. I'll send you a link with a photo and write up for each garden. Thanks for your interest.
written by Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener , January 22, 2009
Yes indeed I'll be there for GWA - can't wait! Did not know about that coinciding Raleigh area Garden Conservancy's Open Days tour - can you send me a link on that when you get a chance -- wgardenermag ( at ) aol.com.
written by Helen @ Gardening With Confidence , January 22, 2009
Yes, Kathy, I agree we are the tween of cottage industry, a cottage industry, if you will. It's a nice place to be.
Are you coming to Raleigh for Garden Writers in September? Also don't forget the Raleigh area Garden Conservancy's Open Days tour also benefiting the JC Raulston Arboretum is the weekend before.
written by Kathy Jentz, Washington Gardener Magazine , January 22, 2009
I think of garden coaches as the step between you garden mentor friend or family member who gives you great advice and shares their garden divisions with you and hiring a full blown landscape designer to chart things out for you. Maybe people need that intermediate hand holding to get them through a challenge.
written by Nikki Smith , January 22, 2009
Hi KK,
I moved from So. Cal to DC, too! What were we thinking?
I'm gearing up to grow my very first DC garden. Do you have a garden in town?
Nikki
written by kk , January 22, 2009
These are great ideas for the transplanted gardener. I relocated from So. Cal. to D.C. area(what was I thinking?), and learned a whole new vernacular of plants and gardening. It can be exciting to garden in a new "zone" but you will lose a whole lot fewer plants, time and money with the help of a seasoned local guide.
written by Helen @ Gardening With Confidence , January 22, 2009
Hey Nikki, Here's a useful resource for you: US National Arboretum www.usna.usda.gov
