Garden Coaching
Hands-on help and advice, just when you need it.
Paying for a full-blown garden design is not the only way to create a great outdoor space. A more modest approach is to get more involved yourself; work alongside an expert, helping you to achieve small but sustainable changes one step at a time. Why not let me mentor , guide and advise you for an hour or two and perhaps return through the seasons to encourage you: whether that be in gaining confidence in the craft and skills of gardening techniques or unleashing your own inner designer so you can move toward the garden you’ve always wanted.
Often, just talking through a problem area with an expert can unleash inspiration you had lurking all along or can help you get on and make decisions that have laid unresolved for years. See the images below for some possibilities from a coaching session.
Visits can be tailored totally to you needs; either very hands-on and practical where you have a go at various seasonal jobs with me or I can offer more of an advisory role discussing ideas and garden problems and offering advice. I might leave you with a sketched list of planting solutions or tasks to try. My style is informal, flexible and fun. Typically an initial 1.5 hour-long visit in the South Bath & Bristol - Wells and Frome areas costs £40. There are discounts for longer sessions and repeat visits through the year. A coaching session makes a great gift idea too. A visit might be one to one or I am happy to work with couples or to create interactive sessions for children too. I’ve worked with school gardening clubs and currently help on a community farm with people with additional needs. I believe anyone and everyone can benefit from a deeper understanding of gardening and the natural world . Please contact me below for any questions or for further details.
Testimonials
“Neil has been quite brilliant helping us with our garden. We are hands-on gardeners, with a certain amount of knowledge, wanting to learn more. We had a sunny bed that was ‘under performing’ and we didn’t have the knowledge to develop a new planting scheme. Neil came and suggested ideas that we hadn’t thought about, and helped us to source the plants. In another bed, Neil suggested plants that might be repositioned, pruned or removed. He demonstrated the best ways to do this. Learning about our garden and its plants, in a hands-on way, season by season, with an expert has been really rewarding. Our knowledge and confidence is developing, as is our enjoyment of our garden and gardening. We would wholeheartedly recommend Neil’s practical, expert and bespoke garden advice.”
“Neil has done a very professional job of maintaining and developing our extensive garden over the past 8 years. He has also been invaluable in advising on and assisting with the development of several projects - a wild flower meadow area and a natural pond which we converted from a trampoline pit now that our children are growing up and have become more interested in environmental issues. I worked alongside Neil and together we created a beach and effectively hid the pond liner with rocks and meadow turfs. It was a tricky job but Neil made it seem simple - we wouldn’t hesitate in recommending his services and advice.”
“Neil came to help show me how to prune my roses for an hour-long coaching session. He had already advised me beforehand by email about the best secateurs to buy so I was ready on the day. Neil showed me the three types of roses I have in the garden and the best way to prune each one. We got through quite a lot in the time and Neil gave me more confidence for the next time I have a go. My next challenge is getting rid of all the prunings!”
