Perennial Garden
Design Services
WildeWoods Design branched out in 2024 to begin offering garden design services -- specializing in low-maintenance perennial gardens that stand up to Maine & New Hampshire's tough conditions and will look great year-after-year without fuss.
A focus on hardy perennials
Drought-tolerant, deer-resistant, disease-resistant, and cold-hardy -- no-fuss gardens are our specialty.
Compared to annuals, which bloom only in-season and die completely each winter, at WildeWoods Design I specialize in creating long-lasting perennial gardens that come back bigger & better each year.
With a focus on only the most 'easy-going' perennial flowers and shrubs, my goal is to design you a garden popping with color throughout the Spring, Summer, and Autumn that'll make both people & pollinators happy.
Rooted in passion
When Hilary designed her first Airbnb, she knew nothing about gardening; making the mistake of picking pretty plants at the garden center and planting them in the wrong locations; most dying by year 2.
She then became fixated on the challenge of designing a low-maintenance garden that would thrive; creating a beautiful garden for guests to enjoy without wasting time + money on new plants each year.
This interest grew into a real passion and appreciation for gardening over the years, and her personal hobby eventually became an area of proficiency -- worthy to offer as a professional service.
Garden design process
I always start with an onsite consult where we discuss your needs and preferences, also allowing me to gain an understanding of the sunlight & soil, as well as take photos & measurements.
Back in the office; I create your custom garden design plan, including the layout & plant list.
If desired; we can source & purchase the plants for you -- arranging everything onsite to take the guesswork out of planting.
Installation services
WildeWoods Design offers independent garden design services, however we also offer supporting services for larger install projects.
Garden prep, and trees & shrub planting en-masse: Hilary's husband, Nick, owns & operates Gilman Driveway & Land Services; specializing in skid steer machine work. His compact tracked loader makes quick work of creating new garden areas, and is an efficient solution to planting trees & shrubs en-masse with an auger attachment.
Perennial garden planting: Hilary enjoys getting her hands dirty with the detailed process to properly plant each perennial plant. She's also a capable project manager with experience partnering with local landscapers to oversee the installation of large, complex gardens.
Playing the long game
After planting; most perennial flowers have a 3-year growth cycle before reaching mature size -- referred to as "sleep, creep, then leap" -- requiring patience from us. Shrubs & trees can take longer, depending on their growth rates.
Trying to keep the cost reasonable? Planting small, young perennials started by garden nurseries and allowing them to establish roots in-place will give you the best bang for your buck long-term.
During new construction projects or when your property's 'curb appeal' needs improving; we recommend prioritizing your perennial garden projects to get a jump on the 3-year growth period before your garden will be looking its best.
Q: Will my 'low maintenance' garden need watering?
We recommend using a drip hose with an automatic watering timer (set it + forget it!) for the first 1-2 years to allow your perennials to establish their roots. Our focus on drought-tolerant plants means that after year 2 you can skip watering all together if you choose. If you can water your garden weekly in the event of an extended Summertime drought, your flowers will of course be happier, but if that's not possible your plants may fade and wilt a bit during that drought, but won't die.
Q: Will I have to prune or deadhead my plants?
Not necessarily; there are many perennials that don't require any deadheading. For vacation rentals and those who want as little garden maintenance as possible, we can select plants that fit the bill.
For clients who don't mind taking a quick pass through their garden with scissors once every 1-2 weeks, we can design a garden to include a wider range of perennials that benefit from the occasional 'deadheading'.
The same goes for shrubs -- many shrubs won't require any pruning at all, but for those that benefit from a light pruning, a few minutes once per year is all that'd be needed.
Q: What timing should I plan for?
The garden design process should be scheduled for the Winter (for Spring planting) or Summer (for Fall planting). We don't recommend planting in July or August.
Although we can work with you over the Winter/early Spring to plan for Spring planting; for any redesign work on existing gardens we will still need to have done our initial consult by October so that we can see what we're working with.
The best time of year to plant in New Hampshire and Maine is late-Aug or early Sept; perennials have time to establish roots and go through their Winter dormancy cycle, then enjoy Spring rains, before encountering extreme Summer heat. Budget tip: garden centers also tend to start discounting plants in the Fall!
Reach out to get on our calendar for a consult this Summer so we can help you plan for Fall planting.