How We Work

  • All of our services are custom designed to suit your needs, and that of your unique property. See below for more information on how we structure our process, or contact us for guidance on where to start!

    Our work begins by listening to the land, and setting intentions for healing and resilience.  

    Our design approach aims to integrate the needs and wishes of the homeowner with the functioning ecosystem, and then to weave a symbiotic habitat for all, creating inspiration and beauty through native plantings and naturalistic hardscapes.

  • Reach out through our contact form to set up an initial meeting and land consultation. We will get to know each other, assess the current landscape, discuss possibilities, and decide how to move forward.

  • During our initial meeting, we will determine what the potential projects are and how they might be implemented.  To move forward, a $250 proposal fee is required, which will be put toward the cost of the project if accepted.

    Then, the designer will take measurements, photos, and meet with subcontractors if necessary to develop the details of the design plan.  For the design, deep consideration is given to the specifics of the site (i.e. sunlight, water availability, erosion issues, invasives, etc), the goals and budget of the client, and ecological functionality and lasting beauty.

    The proposal will be a written description of the design, including plant lists, materials, square footage, and pricing for each project, broken down as much as possible with clear phasing if required.  A thumbnail sketch and some images of proposed plants is included.  

  • Technical Drawings are proposed and estimated at $150 per hour, typically ranging from $500 - $2,500 depending on scope.

    This is a very useful tool to visualize and communicate the design to scale, especially on bigger projects and master plans. 

    This is especially useful for complex stonework and grade changes, and any project requiring precision. A scaled drawing is often necessary to share information with contractors or for permitting.

    It is also an excellent record of names and locations of trees/shrubs/perennials.

    The process includes close communication with clients and making revisions as necessary, and an  in-person presentation with a printed hard copy and shared digital copy for easy reference.

  • Once Proposed Projects are accepted, a 50% deposit is required to hold space in our schedule and to cover the initial plant and materials costs.  

    All plants are carefully chosen and sourced, with strong preference for Native and Ecotype (hyper-local) varieties.

    Wild Indigo represents custom, native plantings of high design, and this includes the process of installation.   Much experience and care is put in to planting, mulching, watering, etc to ensure proper establishment for a resilient garden

    Wild Indigo will supply all materials including soil, mulch, compost, grass seed, meadow seed, straw, erosion mats, and will always choose organic and local when available

    Wild Indigo may subcontract Stonemasons, Excavators, etc for large scale installation or earth moving needs, and will oversee and participate in their part of the installation to ensure graceful placement and grading, and protect the surrounding environment.

    The site will be left in a clean and tidy manner on a daily basis, with respect to all living creatures and plants in the immediate surroundings. Whenever possible, the project will be completed from start to finish in an efficient manner, or planned in phases with intention.

    We will work with you for after-care, including watering instructions and tutorial, deer management, and maintenance.

    Wild Indigo is fully insured.  A Certificate of Insurance is available upon request

  • Wild Indigo offers hourly professional gardening services that can be structured however you wish.  All maintenance is billed at $55/hr.

    This can include:

      • Spring and Fall Cleanup

      • Monthly maintenance  (highly recommended during establishment period of perennial gardens, typical first 3 years)

      • General property maintenance, such as weeding, transplanting, mulching, pruning

      • Annual flower planting, container planting, or bulb planting

      • Vegetable garden planting & maintenance 

      • Invasive removal


  • Though often overlooked, Project Management is an important role to ensure a large project with multiple vendors or contractors goes smoothly.

    • Expectations can range from 4 - 20 hours per week depending on status of project, and is billed at $85 / hr

    • Includes holding totality of project and communicating information between parties,  acting as a liaison between clients and contractors to achieve desired outcome, functionality, and aesthetics 

    • Identifying and addressing problems in a holistic manner

    • Conduct at least 1 - 2 site visits per week during installations in order to oversee and maintain quality control 

    • Project markouts and flagging 

    • Create and maintain a shared spreadsheet for budget and tracking purposes 

    • Managing & approving invoices from contractors for payment 

    • Assistance to the best of our ability with:

      • Identifying potential contractors and acquiring proposals 

      • Implement work orders (on site and via email/phone) 

      • Sourcing materials

      • preparing for or acquiring building permits