If you’re looking to re-design your garden, Abi Falcioni, the owner of Perrico Gardens, stopped by to give us some tips on creating your dream garden in your backyard.
>>> ARE YOU TRYING TO CREATE YOUR DREAM GARDEN BUT FIND YOURSELF GETTING STUCK IN THE WEEDS? HIRING A GARDEN DESIGNER MIGHT BE THE ANSWER. THE OWNER OF GARDENS, ABBY, DROPPED BY THE STUDIO. IT IS SO GREAT TO
SEE YOU. YOU ARE BRIGHTENING UP THIS WINTER DAY FOR US. >> WHAT EXACTLY IS GARDEN DESIGN ? THIS PAST SUMMER, I BOUGHT A FEW PLANTS HERE AND THERE. >> YOU CAN RUN TO THE GARDEN CENTER AND PLANT THINGS
YOURSELF BUT IF IT’S LACKING COHESION , OR IF YOU’RE GOING OUTSIDE AND YOU LOOK AT YOUR LANDSCAPE AND YOU JUST DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START , A GARDEN DESIGNER CAN HELP YOU COME UP WITH A PLAN TO MAKE YOUR ENTIRE
YARD LOOK LIKE YOU WANT WHILE TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION THE SUN AND THE SHADE . >> THERE ARE MANICURED YARDS AND THERE ARE YARDS YOU WALK INTO THEM AND YOU ARE WOWED. WE ARE LOOKING AT THE PROCESS
AND HOW YOU LAY EVERYTHING OUT. HOW DO YOU KNOW IT’S TIME TO DO THIS? >> ALL LANDSCAPING HAS AN EXPIRATION DATE. TREES AND SHRUBS DIE AFTER CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME. IF IT’S LOOKING OUTDATED, SCRAGGLY , THINGS ARE
RUNNING INTO EACH OTHER, NOW IS THE TIME TO HIRE A GARDEN DESIGNER AND DO THE THINGS TO MAKE IT LOOK HOW YOU WANT TO LOOK, NOT LIKE THE PREVIOUS OWNERS WANTED. >> HOW DOES THIS WORK?
>> WE’VE GOT A ONE HOUR GARDEN DESIGN . I WILL COME OVER, WALK THROUGH THE GARDEN AND YOU WILL GET A QUICK SKETCH IN A WRITTEN SUMMARY ABOUT WHAT PLANTS AND GARDENING IDEAS WE HAVE FOR THAT SPACE . THE FULL DESIGN
PROCESS, WHICH WE WILL WALK THROUGH IN A SECOND, IS MORE COMPREHENSIVE. YOU WILL GET A CONCEPTUAL DESIGN. I WALK YOU THROUGH EVERY SINGLE PLANT YOU WILL GET AND YOU WILL KNOW THE EXACT PLANT LIST, EXACTLY
WHERE TO PUT IT BECAUSE OF THE PLAN YOU WILL SEE, AND ALSO MAINTENANCE NOTES. YOU WILL HAVE THE FULL GAMUT OF EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO DO TO MAINTAIN YOUR GARDEN. >> ABBY, I AM SO EXCITED .
WE’VE GOT THE BEFORE PICTURE AND YOU WILL WALK US THROUGH THE WHOLE PROCESS. LET’S SEE THIS GARDEN. IT’S A TYPICAL YARD . YOU’VE GOT SHRUBS AND BUSHES . >> THIS IS ONE I DESIGNED THIS YEAR AND THE CURRENT OWNER —
THE PREVIOUS OWNER LET IT GET TOO BIG AND IT WASN’T THE CURRENT OWNER’S STYLE, SO THIS IS WHAT SHE WAS WORKING WITH WHEN SHE MOVED IN . >> THEN YOU COME IN AND YOU DEVELOPED THE CONCEPT?
>> WE HAD A CHIT CHAT AND SHE HAD A VERY SPECIFIC COLOR PALETTE SHE WANTED TO STICK TO WITH PURPLE, GREEN, AND WHITE. SHE WANTED THE EXTERIOR OF HER HOME PAINTED , SO I WORKED WITH THAT COMPANY AS WELL TO DESIGN
THIS. SHE WANTED BLOOMS AND SHE DIDN’T WANT IT TO BE PICTURE-PERFECT FORMAL. IT’S A LITTLE AIRY , A LITTLE FUN AND WHIMSICAL WITH BLOOMS THROUGHOUT THE SEASON. >> YOU REALLY MAPPED THIS OUT. IF IT’S SOMETHING THEY DON’T
LIKE OR YOU WANT TO MOVE A SHRUB, YOU CAN DO ALL OF THAT IN THE PROCESS. >> THIS WAS THE FINAL PRODUCT WE WENT THROUGH A COUPLE GENERATIONS TO GET THIS TO HOW THE CLIENT WANTED IT. THESE ARE
HAND DRAWN PLANT MAPS . EITHER IF YOU WANT TO GO OUT AND DIY IT, YOU WILL KNOW EXACTLY WHERE TO PLANT EVERYTHING. IN THIS CASE, SHE PASSED IT TO A LANDSCAPER WHO SOURCED ALL OF THE PLANTS FOR
HER AND LAID IT ALL OUT. THEY STUCK TRUE TO THE PLAN IN THIS CASE AND IT’S REALLY WONDERFUL. SHE REALLY LOVED IT . >> LOOK AT THAT AFTER PICTURE. YOU KNOW, IT’S SO FUNNY BECAUSE BEFORE IT WAS NICE, BUT
YOU CAN SEE THE HOME. >> THE SHRUBS ARE COVERING THE HOUSE. IT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL HOUSE . >> THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WILL GROW WITH THEM BECAUSE THESE PLANTS WILL GET BIGGER AND BLOOM AND COME INTO THEIR OWN
SEASON TOO. >> WE WENT HEAVY WITH THE EVERGREEN BUT WE’VE GOT BLOOMS IN THE SPRING, SUMMER, AND FALL . >> WE RECENTLY BOUGHT A HOUSE AND WE ARE FLIPPING A HOUSE AND WE LEARNED THE VALUE OF HAVING THAT CURB APPEAL .
>> NOT EVEN IF YOU ARE SELLING BUT IF YOU WANT TO COME HOME AND LOOK AT SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL EVERY DAY, A LITTLE BIT OF WORK CAN GO A LONG WAY . >> HOW DID YOU FALL IN LOVE WITH GARDENING? AND THE OTHER
THING, DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS TO PASS ALONG TO OUR VIEWERS AT HOME? >> I’VE BEEN GARDENING MY WHOLE LIFE WITH MY MOM AND ONCE I GOT INTO MY OWN HOME, MY ADULT HOME, I LEARNED I WANTED TO UPDATE MY TYPICAL LANDSCAPING
AND TURN IT INTO A TRUE GARDEN WITH CALLERS AND BLOOMS. I’M A CERTIFIED HORTICULTURIST AND IT TOOK HUNDREDS OF HOURS AT THE BOTANIC GARDEN TO REALLY LEARN THE DESIGN PRINCIPLE SO I CAN HELP CLIENTS , LIKE YOU
SAW, WALK THROUGH THAT PROCESS WITH THEM. MY BEST DESIGN TIP IS TO THINK ABOUT ACCESS . WHILE YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT YOUR GARDEN, MAYBE WANT TO PUT IN A DEEP GARDEN BED, BUT HOW WILL YOU MAINTAIN THAT WITH
YOUR PLANTS DOWN THE LINE? I WANT TO INCORPORATE A WHIMSICAL FLAGSTONE PATH THAT NOT ONLY LED TO MULCH , BUT IT’S A DESIGN FEATURE. MAYBE IT’S A PART OF YOUR YARD YOU
WOULDN’T GO IN NORMALLY. I LOVE TO LET PEOPLE EXPLORE, BOTH KIDS AND ADULTS . >> IT REALLY SOUNDS LIKE YOU ARE CREATING SOMETHING UNIQUE FOR EACH PERSON. IS THERE SOMETHING THAT IS TRENDING
RIGHT NOW , IF I WANTED TO PICK ONE THING TO DO TO MAYBE RUN TO HOME DEPOT AND GRAB SOMETHING? >> YEAH. IN THE LAST 5, 10 YEARS, NATIVE PLANTS HAVE BEEN A HUGE FOCUS TO SUPPORT THE
LOCAL ECOLOGY. IF YOU THINK OF THE NATIVE LANDSCAPE, IT’S A BIT WILD BUT YOU DON’T HAVE TO MAKE YOURS LOOK LIKE THAT. YOU CAN PICK AND CHOOSE NATIVE PLANTS THAT HAVE GREAT CHARACTER AND PLACE THEM IN A WAY THAT LOOKS PLACED, PLANNED,
AND TIDY, BUT YOU ARE SUPPORTING THE ENVIRONMENT AT THE SAME TIME. >> ABBY, THANK YOU