Site Assessment
Getting the lay of the land.
A thorough site analysis allows us to make the best recommendations for the design and plants that will transform your space.
What we’re looking for
After our visit, we’ll deliver a full breakdown of your yard and its opportunities.
At the end of the day, those opportunities hinge on how light, wind, water, and people move through your space.
Here’s why they matter.
Sunlight
How the sun moves through your space will determine what plants go where. We don’t want shade garden flowers scorched in the blazing sun or heat-loving veggies deprived of well, the heat they love.
Water
We’re looking for where water pools and flows. Are there downspouts we can use to water a pollinator garden? Do we need to aerate soil that’s flooding every time it rains?
Wind
Airflow plays an important role in the architecture of any garden. Strong winds can knock down weaker stemmed plants and stagnant areas without good airflow can create nasty fungal issues.
People
Our goal is to design a space that fits how you live your life. As we walk your space, we might ask you what path you take to the backyard, the grill, or even the recycling bin. Everywhere you’re not, plants could be.
Soil Analysis
You can’t have a healthy garden without healthy soil.
As we’re walking the grounds, we’ll pay special attention to sites where the conditions seem right for an installation.
Then we’ll take a look under the hood as it were to get a picture of the state of your soil.
Soil sample
- We use a soil probe to gather multiple samples from areas you are hoping to grow plants.
- We send those samples to your local university extension to understand nutrient levels like Nitrogen and Phosphorous and nerdy metrics of healthy soil like the cation exchange capacity.
Soil therapy
- Depending on the results of the soil analysis, we may need to add amendments to get your soil pH in a healthy place.
- With issues like compaction, we’ll loosen it up with a broad fork or tiller and condition with compost and top soil.
Ready to get to work?
Let us know how we can help!