Fine Gardening Services for Bay Area Homes

Seasonal planting, expert pruning, and garden design tailored to the unique needs of Oakland, Berkeley, Castro Valley & beyond.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Yes, I accept. (2)

My approach to Fine Gardening is to slow down.

Traditional gardening is done quickly, without much thought – spot a place to dig, plop a plant, shear fast, hack, and work against nature to suppress growth. It’s fast, slap it together, unintentional and unconscious.

The magic is in the observation, awareness, the listening and understanding of the details. Art, science, spirituality — these are never quick, or forced, or unintentional. It’s about caring and nurturing life, pruning to allow nature to flourish in beauty, going deep into the roots, cultivating healthy, vital soil, and finding the right flow of water — it’s a combination of many elements that makes a Divine Garden heighten the senses.

Fine Gardening includes:

  1. Regular and intentional care for your garden to keep it in its divine natural state.
  2. Embracing eco-friendly and peaceful practices such as no noisy mechanical tools when possible. However, we do not use blowers or trimmers.
  3. Pruning, weeding, fertilizing and other horticultural best practices.
  4. Water management as needed to ensure the health, vitality, sustainability, and beauty of your plants. 
  5. Seasonal plant rotation of annuals.
  6. Maintaining lighting, making sure they’re clean, functioning and pointed in the right direction.
  7. Maintaining water features.
  8. Eco-sensitive pest management, using natural, organic solutions when possible.

All services are customized to support the Divine Order of nature and the clients goals.

If you’re looking for a ‘mow and blow’ service — this is not that.

This service is meant for residential and commercial gardens and landscapes that you want to be healthy and as beautiful as possible! Our services are focused on sustainability, centered around proper water management and conservation, and Bay-Friendly Landscape Practices. 

We constantly work toward beautification and perfection – Disneyland style! To do this properly, it’s all in the details of the garden, above the surface and below the surface. 

Our work begins with a free initial walk-thru, then an optional in-depth evaluation to observe in detail the site’s environment(s), micro-climate(s), eco-system, and general site conditions. 

CONTACT DIVINE GARDENS

What our clients are saying

Step 1: Free Initial walk-thru to estimate time and investment of fine gardening services

Conducted by one of our Fine Gardening Specialists, who will estimate the time and investment for basic services at the present time.

All services are customized to support the Divine Order of nature and the clients goals. 

Optional Step 2: Site Evaluation & Analysis

You may wish to add a more thorough Site Evaluation and Analysis for $195 for the first hour, and $125 for each additional hour.

The site analysis will be conducted by one of our Fine Gardening Specialists, who will documenting the following:

  • The current condition of plants, shrubs, trees, and turf. What’s working, what isn’t.
  • If applicable, order a laboratory soils analysis to determine: soil type, N-P-K ratios and other soils analysis for the health and vitality of the earth and plants.
  • Recommendations for hydrozoning for water conservation, plant health and soil conditions, in addition to the sun/shade relationship.
  • Establishing “the right plant in the right place,” noting improvements as needed, and noting irrigation issues.
  • Look at pests, pruning needs, and other recommended tests as needed (tests and products at an additional cost)

Once the Evaluation is complete, you will receive a detailed summary with proposed enhancements, routines and investment to transform your garden back into its Divine State.

Step 3: Ongoing care

  • A quarterly review and analysis of current irrigation systems, water efficiency, repairs, and reviewing watering time/days/frequency/duration for seasonal adjustments.
  • Quarterly or seasonal reviews of garden health and vitality and noted in the history log.
  • Pruning and cutting for plant health, vitality, aesthetics and artistry!
  • We do not use gasoline machine shearing. Shearing and pruning is by hand only!
  • Deadhead flowers and seasonal cutbacks as needed.
  • Detail plant materials – removing dead wood, or broken limbs, keeping plants fresh and healthy.
  • Heavy seasonal cutback of plant materials as needed or required.
  • Turf management:
  • Fertilizing
  • Top dressing and leveling
  • Checking irrigation system for proper coverage
  • Taking soil samples for analysis for evaluation of turf and soil health
  • Maintain edging around trees, shrubs and flower beds.
  • Soil management – composting – for better water retention which reduces water consumption, and amendments for soil nutrients and to achieve better soil structure which provides a healthier environment for plants and ecosystems.
  • Seasonal tasks may include garden clean ups, floral rotation, new plantings, garden renovations, etc.
  • Seasonal plantings such as bulbs, perennials, bareroot, etc.
  • Floral rotations for containers or flower beds
  • Composting for soil nutrients, ecology, and water conservation
  • Mulching and sheet mulching
  • Special occasion & holiday enhancements on request
  • Fertilizing services – ornamentals and turf
  • Weed control – mostly organic practices – methods are based on client preferences*
  • Horticultural pest control (if possible, IPM: integrated pest management best practices)
  • Raking and sweeping of site – No blowing!

*We use Japanese tools for weed control, pruning and trimming — they’re precise, efficient, quiet, and the right tools for the job. Many people don’t care how plants get trimmed, but if you shudder at the thought of your peaceful space being disrupted every week with loud power tools, you will love how we do our work.

Our Goals

Your divine garden should reflect your personal vision and provide a space for relaxation, contemplation, and connection with you, nature, and God. Your garden is continually evolving. Over time, as your garden grows and matures, it will become even more enchanting and spiritually fulfilling.  

Contact us for a free quote on Fine Gardening for your property

CONTACT