Coaches help gardeners grow, in more ways than one

If you're a do-it-yourself gardener who could sometimes use a dose of expertise or encouragement, consider hiring a garden coach — someone who can help you become a more accomplished and confident gardener.

"I think coaching fills a gap in the industry," says Robin Haglund of Garden Mentors. "We empower people in their own garden space." Haglund sees her mission as not simply to spruce up a garden but to concentrate on the skills, knowledge, time and interests of the gardeners she coaches.

Should that tree come down or does it just need a good pruning? You may be ready to get rid of your lawn, but how exactly should you go about it?

Garden coaches come with a wealth of referrals to find the right person for the job. They advise on what tasks make sense to tackle yourself, and when it's time to call in a consulting arborist, designer or landscaper.

Haglund is regularly hired by clients disenchanted with "mow and blow" garden services. Not that she does garden maintenance. "My goal is to get my clients active in their gardens, or find good people to do the work for them . . . I try to balance budget, lifestyle and goals." She identifies plants, recommends new tools, and visits monthly or quarterly to check on progress or help with new projects. She charges $75 an hour, with a two-hour minimum. "I help people figure out what to cut back, what to leave alone . . . it's all a learning experience," she says.

Amy Pennington of Go Go Green Garden is quite a different type of garden coach, coming to her profession through the food industry and her passion for fresh produce. "I worked my way up through 'Tom Douglasville,' " she explains. "If you can't eat it, I don't want to know about it."

Her new career puts her biology-major background and interest in sustainability to work planting organic, urban food gardens. "I source my own seeds, grow starts in a rented greenhouse, try to save water as much as I can," says Pennington. She maps out what her clients like to eat, how big their family is, pushing them to grow unusual lettuces and vegetables. For some clients, she draws up a planting plan they execute themselves. She simply checks in with them and answers questions as the season progresses. More often she visits gardens once a week to plant, tend, harvest and even preserve produce for her clients, leaving notes reminding them what is ready to be picked.

Jake Jacobsen hired Pennington to help him go organic. "I'd gardened before, but never in an organized way," he says. "Amy coaches and scolds me. She gives me my assignment each week and introduces me to new veggies." Jacobsen, whose job is managing a real-estate office, grew leeks for the first time this year. He also raised five kinds of lettuces and had a successful tomato harvest. "She taught me to string the tomatoes on a tripod," Jacobsen says. "I'm the envy of all my buddies who don't have a garden coach."

Valerie Easton is a Seattle freelance writer and author of "A Pattern Garden." Her e-mail address is valeaston@comcast.net. Susan Jouflas is The Seattle Times' assistant art director/features.