House Calls and Online Consults
Just a few generations ago, nearly every family had a garden, and neighbors shared knowledge and resources. Not so anymore.
And while information is online, it’s almost overwhelming. There’s no substitute for having a knowledgeable guide help you understand your garden’s specific needs.
This service is meant to hit a sweet spot between spending thousands of dollars on a landscaper, and watching endless YouTube videos on your own, trying to sort out what your specific garden needs to thrive.
I work with clients in the Freeport/Brunswick/Topsham/Harpswell areas, but can also travel anywhere in the Greater Portland, Maine area.
Rates start at $120 hourly, with a one-hour minimum. You will receive one-on-one guidance, as well as a video recap of my recommendations.
For house calls, there is a $40-75 travel fee depending on your location (more for locations south or west of Portland) to cover my time.
To book me, please reach out here. Be sure to include any specific information you’re looking for, as well as some ideal times. Also happy to chat over FaceTime or Zoom!
MY METHODS
My focus is ornamental gardens, specifically dahlias and perennials in New England, USDA Zone 6a. If your goal is a thriving vegetable garden, I am not your person. If you want a formal, symmetrical design, again, I am not your person. I teach you how to build a sustainable micro-climate that can more easily tolerate increasingly challenging swings in weather.
I’m happy to offer ideas on how to manage pests without chemicals, and I welcome any chance to repurpose or reposition existing materials on the property. We can talk through budget, native or deer-resistant choices, growing conditions (light, moisture, soil nutrients), accessibility, children and pet considerations, your time for upkeep, and your wishes for community or solitude.
You will receive a video summary of our visit so you don’t have to worry about writing everything down.
I can work with clients season after season, or just once. I focus on the education and design portion of planning, and clients then either do the work themselves in manageable stages that I help prioritize, or they hire help.
Please reach out to book time with me!
I was an apartment kid, and never had a garden growing up.
I’ve been growing dahlias now for seven seasons, and bought my tiny acre in Freeport in 2021.
If I can do it, so can you!
What Customers Say…
“I cannot say enough good things about Callie. We bought a house with a lovely garden in the backyard that we inherited from the previous owner. I didn’t know what was planted or what was a weed, and I was beating myself up for not maintaining what was once beautiful. I didn’t want to hire a landscape artist, I wanted to learn how to do things myself, and Callie was the perfect bridge. We walked through the garden, and finally I understood what I was looking at.
Even better, the following week Callie followed up with a diagram of where the new plants I was considering should go for the best sun and drainage conditions. That diagram is something I reference every spring and it has been so helpful. It sketched out where the new plants should go and when to plant them. Knowing that I don’t have the greenest of thumbs, we were sticking to things that were hardy and beautiful. I have so much more confidence now, every time anything sprouts up in my garden I feel like I’ve won the lottery. Having an expert who is so kind, approachable, funny, and non-judgmental has made all the difference.”
I accept all major credit cards, Venmo, ApplePay, and Paypal.
Payment is required in order to book my time, and I will coordinate with you how to do that!
