Bespoke Gardening

Christine came to us for a consultation after we saw her stunning work on her website. We had numerous issues with our yard, including the topography. She arrived early and familiarized herself with all issues we had identified to her. She spent a considerable amount of time with us, identifying the best time for implementing all of our wishes. Her knowledge is extensive and she is easy to work with. We are excited to begin to implement her excellent suggestions, some with her, some on our own. She has earned our highest recommendation.

We engaged Chris Reid of Bespoke Gardening to evaluate and enhance the appearance of our formal garden designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman, and a centerpiece of our mansion on the National Register of Historic Places. Chris is very knowledgeable and experienced in all aspects of garden maintenance. She provided a detailed and comprehensive approach, which we were able to prioritize and have her implement in accordance with our budget. We are so pleased with the impact and found her a delight to work with.

I can't say enough good things about Chris at Bespoke Gardening! She helped transform my tired landscape to us enjoying our new beautiful gardens and outdoor space. Using plants we already had and adding a few new ones - making the right pairings, and moving existing plants to different areas totally transformed our property. This project was done in Fall 2020 - was very exciting to see the results of all the plants growing in 2021 and enjoying seeing all the plantings coming to life this spring 2022! I have a new appreciation of gardening and seeing what a difference putting the right plants and bushes together makes. Highly professional, extremely knowledgeable master gardener, very creative with our small space, always on time, and affordable.

Christine was such a breath of fresh air in our world dominated ( it seems ) by “mow and blow” landscapers who fancy themselves “gardeners”! As soon as she got out of her car and walked across the driveway, it was clear she understood the nuances of my “landscape”. We walked around for several hours and she was a font of information. Clearly very well read on many landscape issues and offered several solutions for things that have been problem issues in my garden. She had several recommendations for books that have been most useful and she also recommended a “specialist” for one of my problem areas. Christine has a lovely personality and would be a welcome addition to my property but I am “out of range” for her gardening services. Would highly recommend her for consultation. She was extremely generous with her time and she also sent a comprehensive follow up email outlining the various things discussed and she has followed up periodically on issues and also generously answered continuing questions via email. Definitely more than most professionals who have passed through my garden gates and/or who have worked for me. Christine is the real deal for sure.

Chris has been helping us redesign our landscaping for two years now, with wonderful results. Most recently we wanted to replace a stand of tired and overgrown forsythias that stood on the border between our house and a neighbor's. She could have simply installed another row of something different, in her words "a row of soldiers." Instead she made a subtle change to the shape of the bed, curving it into the lawn, and planted a grouping of several different shrubs for a lovely woodsy effect. The shrubs were thoughtfully selected for color, bloom time, low maintenance, and of course, the light and soil conditions. She even drove an hour and a half to pick up one particular shrub that she couldn't source locally. She also researched and installed a new hydration system to make sure the new plantings survived the summer heat. We feel very fortunate to have found Chris and look forward to working with her on further improvements to our property.

Christine from Bespoke Gardening came to my home and right away it was obvious that she was a knowledgeable professional in addition to having a friendly demeanor and attitude. We spent 2 hours walking around my yard discussing all the plantings, their characteristics, their needs as to sun vs shade and how and when to trim them. She is a fountain of knowledge and was very helpful to me. She is exactly the person with whom working in the yard would become sheer pleasure. She also gave me excellent advice on tools to help me garden properly.

Christine (Bespoke Gardening) has a great eye, a deft hand when it comes to pruning and may be the most knowledgeable landscaper that has ever set foot on our property. Her pruning totally refreshed the areas she worked in (something I have always struggled with). She knows what she is doing...where to make cuts for the health AND beauty of the plant. Her simple suggestions on changes to the plantings were "ah ha" moments that a person often overlooks after years of looking at the same gardens. Sometimes an outside "eye," like Christine's can make all the difference in the world.

Chris helped us establish our vegetable garden and we had a lot of fun collaborating. She has great knowledge about vegetables and would always recommend new varieties to try. She was extremely responsible in maintaining the garden and would also recommend delicious recipes when we were overrun with tomatoes and squash! For complete neophytes, she was a wonderful teacher.

Over the past several months, Chris (Bespoke Gardening) has completely transformed our yard and the curb appeal of our house. She redesigned an existing perennial garden, carefully selecting new plants with varied blooming cycles to provide multi-season color and texture. She reconfigured several areas of foundation plantings, using shrubs and rocks already on the property, plus well-chosen additions. She created a small "secret garden" in a forgotten area, again recycling plants from other parts of the yard. She solved several drainage issues and even suggested a change in color for our house trim that enhanced the overall impact of the landscaping. Chris is a true professional. Her knowledge of plants is vast and her attention to detail is incredible. She doesn't just put in a few plants and walk away. The garden evolved like a watercolor painting as she tried out various arrangements until she was satisfied. We couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. Highly recommended!

Christine is far and away the real deal. I never met someone or worked with someone who knew more about lawn and garden care. I've gotten so many different opionons on how to improve my grass and plantings that has just been useless. Christine took the time to research my property, soil conditions and then made great recommendations. My house and garden have never looked better.