Garden Coaching

Grow a thriving ecological garden with expert coaching every step of the way

There are many ways to love a garden. Perhaps you garden for beauty, food, creative fun, wildlife, or simply the joy of growing something with your own hands. I'll bring horticultural expertise, ecological care, and a listening ear to you and to all of nature. You bring your curiosity, vision, and goals. Together, we'll cultivate a garden that feels true.

The Virginica approach to garden coaching blends practical and professional knowledge with a deeper relationship to the living world. You'll gain confidence as a gardener while creating a space that nourishes plants, wildlife, and your own sense of belonging. Every garden has something to teach, and every gardener has something to discover.

Every garden has a living spirit. My role as a Garden Coach is to help you learn its language. Together we'll cultivate the vision, grow the connection, and tend to the space so both you and your garden can flourish.

Garden Coaching is for you if you...

Want to learn the basics of caring for your outdoor space yourself
Are starting your first garden and want to begin with ecological practices
Feel overwhelmed by gardening advice and want help actually applying techniques to your space

Have inherited a garden and want to learn to care for it.
Have a garden that's struggling and want to understand the root causes.
Want to grow more of your own food while caring for the environment.
Need help choosing plants that thrive in your local conditions.

Are looking for a new hobby that gets you outside connecting with nature
Love gardening and want to deepen your skill set
Learn best from one-on-one demonstration
Want to bounce your ideas off another experienced gardener

Clara Lambert Design Landscape Design Photos - Stacy Smith Evans

Garden Walk & Wisdom

An hour-long walk through of your garden

Together, we'll walk your landscape, discuss your goals, answer your questions, and uncover practical ways to help your garden thrive.

Some areas we could cover during your Walk & Wisdom:

~Diagnose struggling plants

~Develop a color palette for you to use in your planting schemes

~Discuss what plants would do well in your landscape

~Create a plan for the usage of your space (where to put a veggie garden, a dining area, etc.)

~Troubleshoot drainage issues

~Talk through the maintenance tasks and timing of caring for your garden

It's your time for an expert to weigh in on anything you've been wondering about your garden

$175

Purchase

Garden Together

Learn by doing, side by side

Learn with your hands in the soil. This two-to-three visit coaching experience begins with a walk through your garden to identify priorities and create a plan. During our second (and third depending on your needs and preferences) visit(s), we'll work side by side, building practical skills, and deepening your understanding of the garden.

While Gardening Together we can cover any topic from Walk & Wisdom and we could

~Have garden work days where you can learn the tasks of the garden by doing

~Enjoy time to integrate and take action on the last sessions info before coming back for more

~Integrated Pest Management implementation

$395

Purchase

Seasonal Garden Guide

5 hours of personalized training throughout the garden season

Gardens reveal themselves across the seasons. This coaching package offers five hours of support throughout the growing season, offering guidance as your garden grows and changes. As we plant, troubleshoot, perhaps visit a nursery together, and simply observe what the seasons teach, you will cultivate the confidence to care for your garden with knowledge and intention.

You will receive all the support of the other two packages, plus:

~Establish efficient gardening routines

~Have hands-on demonstrations of each season's unique tasks

~Walk thorough longer-term projects like composting from start to finish

~Leave our time together with the confidence to continue on your own

$795

Purchase

**Travel within 20 miles of Vienna, VA is included. Additional mileage will incur the following fee: 21–40 miles: $30,

41–60 miles: $60, Beyond 60 miles: Custom quote

What we can explore together

Every garden and every gardener is unique. Coaching sessions are tailored to your questions, goals, and the needs of your landscape. We might explore:

Garden design and planning
Plant selection and placement
Soil health and composting (not to brag, but I'm a certified Master Urban Composter)
Explanation and demonstration of gardening skills like pruning, deadheading, planting, dividing
Best practices for creating habitat for pollinators and wildlife
Growing vegetables, herbs, and flowers
Plant identification and troubleshooting
Seasonal garden tasks and timing
Sustainable and ecological gardening practices
Ways to deepen your relationship with your garden through observation and care
A trip to the garden center to learn how to navigate nurseries
Ecological best practices to support biodiversity

Meet Your Coach

Hey, I'm Clara

I am a lifelong gardener with nine years of professional experience as a landscape designer, garden consultant and garden manager.

I have several specialized certifications in my field including Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional, Ecological Garden Design, and Permaculture Design. Each of these programs have enriched my gardening knowledge, language and skills. But, I maintain that the majority of my gardening know-how comes from time spent in my grandmothers' and mother's gardens.

I am deeply passionate about the individual garden's role in creating a healthy, connected and beautiful world. I put a lot of thought and care into creating gardens that support the greater and tinier ecosystems. And, I believe this should all be approached with levity, practicality, and grace.

Would love to work with you soon!