Designing a small row house garden

[Anonymous]

We just put a patio in our small row house yard and we need to work on the plants. Some are ok, but there are some that are not doing well and we clearly need to replace. After having various gardeners suggest plants that did not work out well over the years I am thinking of getting a designer to give me some advice. I found one on the list serve and am trying to decide if it's really worth $700 design fee for the yard. It is not alot of space and I am not looking for anything fancy. I know I could call a company like Merrifield and get a consult for $75 I think. Would it be much cheaper to go with a company like that?

[Anonymous]

Try the cheaper option first. You can always hire the other designer if you’re not happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try the cheaper option first. You can always hire the other designer if you’re not happy.

Agree.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't get too discouraged. It's not uncommon to lose some plants, especially in their first year. Gardening is quite a bit of trial and error to find specimines that will grow well in your particular conditions. Don't spend a ton of money on landscaping advice -- if you can't find good information online, go with a service with a reasonable consultation fee (like merrifield). And be prepared to continue experiencing some plant loss over the years. It's just a fact of life with gardening.