Ecological Gardens

I was first disappointed when I called to inquire and got no response for over a week, and none until I tried again. (She was reasonable out of the country, but her voice mail gave no indication that she was away and when she would be back.) When meeting with her to discuss the project, I could tell that her working style and mine would not be a good fit. I didn't feel like she was listening to what I wanted out of the project, nor was she responsive to my questions. I also was clear that I was interviewing three potential contractors, yet felt she expected me to sign a contract at the first meeting. While I think she could have done the work and gotten something I liked out of it, I think it would have been a very frustrating process for me. I like clear communications and a predictable process, and I don't have the sense that is how this firm works.

We love the design and things look good so far. It will take another season or two for the plantings to really fill out, but already you can see how the permaculture design will take hold. Paula was very good about educating us about the benefits of permaculture and responding to our questions throughout the process. Her crew was great to work with and did a terrific job on the installation. We have already enjoyed harvesting food and flowers out of the yard, and the birds already appear to be on it too. Pricing was a bit of a stretch for us (probably comparable to traditional landscaping for design and installation costs), but we believe it will be well worth it in the long run.

I was very impressed with Paula and her employees. They seem very knowledgeable about what kind of plants to use and how they can be used together. They prepared a site plan that can be executed in stages, which included detailed information regarding all the recommended plant species. I intend to start putting the plan to work next Spring, and will continue to work with Paula to finish the garden in accordance with their design.