Gardening Services

I have added gardening to the list of services I offer.  So now you can get an awesome gardener, a consultation, a conceptual design or a design to scale, all with one person!

I must say that I am quite happy being back out hands in the dirt.  Gardening is what actually got me into design in the first place.  Way, way back in college I did all sorts of jobs to pay my way, and one of them was gardening.  I had a long time job working for an older woman whose home was on the high side of a small intersection at the top of a hill.  I could watch people come and go, see the birds flying out over the bay, watch the weather come in and out and check out all the critters in the soil.  I loved it.

When her son retired and moved to the neighborhood, I started doing maintenance on his property.  By this time I had graduated, taught for a couple of years, worked customer service for a corporation and was quite disillusioned with it all.  I found myself thinking of what I really wanted to do and took the plunge to start my own landscape design, maintenance and installation company.

It was an immediate perfect fit.  I had found my passion and couldn't have been happier.

When I moved to Bend in 2006 I decided to focus on design only.  Design offers such a great balance of being outside in landscapes, talking with clients, quiet creative time at my desk, and the technical aspect of choosing the right plants for the specific site and the clients needs.

Now with the economy as it is, I had the opportunity to get back out into the dirt and garden again.  This helps me stay in touch with issues of having a garden and brings me much happiness.

My current job is at a beautiful property out near Sisters, rather close to the Crooked River Grasslands.  This garden will be on the Sisters Garden Tour and the owners needed quite a bit of help weeding.  Being in close proximity to the grasslands, there is quite a bit of grass in all the beds.  I should have counted but I'm sure I've come across seven different varieties of grass.  I tell the difference by the root structure since that is what I am focusing on, getting the grass and roots out.  I happen to actually like weeding, I find it quite satisfying and I do find the root structure to be impressive, especially the rhizomatous root systems.
There were some shrubs as well that hadn't been pruned in a few years, and I must that they look so much healthier and happier now that I gave them a good haircut.

I have also been helping them to make their veggie garden irrigation system more efficient.  They had a couple of large overhead rotors watering the area and I have converted it now to a drip and microspray system.  Besides being more efficient and helping them to save water, they are no longer watering the grass and weeds that wanted to dominate the plot.

The area is fairly rural and natural and I have enjoyed the drive out to their home.  Along their dirt road I have seen Sand Lily, Native Larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum, Prairie Rocket Erysimum asperum, and a pale yellow and white flower that I am so far been unable to identify.  I'm sure there is more to come as the season progresses.

Why should you hire a gardener versus someone who does maintenance?  A gardener knows the in's and out's of your plants, how best to prune and when (remember to prune your Lilac after if blooms), can recognize flowers from weeds, and most of all will love your garden.

If you need a little extra help in your garden remember that I now offer gardening services.  Send me an email at tanya@carlsengdesigns.com to get your garden in shape for the season and to give it the love it deserves.