Garden & Landscape Consulting
Exquisite Gardens. Timeless Elegance. Your Sanctuary Shaped by Nature.
Garden & Landscape Consulting is the most direct way to begin when you want expert clarity before making decisions. Whether you are planning a full landscape transformation or refining an existing garden, consulting establishes priorities and a confident direction, including how planting and quietly integrated hardscaping work together as one coherent landscape.
Begin with a brief phone conversation. On-site consultations are scheduled when we’re aligned.
Explore Services
Garden & Landscape Consulting | Landscape Design and Master Planning | Planting Design and Ecological Plant Communities | Garden Coaching | Native Bee and Pollinator Support | Habitat Gardens and Ecological Integration | Rain Gardens and Stormwater Integration | Outdoor Hardscape and Garden Structure
What Consulting Is
Consulting is a focused, high-value engagement designed to bring immediate clarity. I walk your property with you and read the landscape in detail: light, soils, drainage, grades, existing vegetation, microclimates, and opportunities. We look at what is working, what wants to change, and what will create the strongest long-term outcome.
Consulting can be a single, decisive session, or it can become an ongoing relationship, where you retain me at my hourly rate for continued guidance, design direction, project support, and seasonal refinement.
Two Ways to Work Together
1) Initial On-Site Consultation
This is the best starting point when you want a clear plan before moving forward.
We begin with a complimentary phone conversation to explore your goals, your property, and mutual fit. When aligned, we schedule a paid on-site consultation where we walk the site together and establish direction.
What we do on site
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Read light, soils, moisture, drainage, grades, and microclimates
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Identify priorities: what to keep, what to remove, what to protect, what to change first
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Discuss circulation, outdoor rooms, edges, and the role of quietly integrated hardscaping
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Clarify planting character, privacy goals, and seasonal performance
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Outline sequencing and phasing so decisions feel organized and confident
What you leave with
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Clear next steps and priorities
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Practical recommendations you can act on immediately
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A path forward into master planning, planting design, rain garden strategy, coaching, or implementation
What You Receive
What You Receive
After the Initial On-Site Consultation, you receive a recommended path forward and the next steps best aligned with your goals and site conditions. You also receive a four-page studio brochure (photographic overview) and The Coan Method™ process diagram to clarify the full sequence from first conversation through long-term garden evolution.
If we proceed into contracted work under a signed agreement, you will also receive Stephen’s comprehensive written Design Questionnaire and his Coan Method™ client guide, a step-by-step client guide that outlines the full process, what you are responsible for, what to expect at each stage, and how to support long-term success, including plant care, watering guidance, and a practical progression checklist.
Included materials (quick list)
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Four-page studio brochure (photographic overview)
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The Coan Method™ process diagram (end-to-end sequence)
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Design Questionnaire (provided upon engagement)
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Coan Method™ Client Guide (provided upon engagement)
2) Ongoing Hourly Consulting
Some clients want expertise over time without committing to full design and installation. Others want a trusted professional retained through planning, contractor coordination, or seasonal evolution.
Hourly consulting is ideal when you want ongoing guidance for:
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Phased property improvements
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Contractor and trade coordination support
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Planting edits, refinements, and seasonal decisions
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Troubleshooting performance issues as conditions change
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Protecting design intent during construction and installation
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Building a garden that improves year after year
What hourly consulting can include
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Follow-up site visits and seasonal garden walks
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Plant selection guidance and planting refinements
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Bed re-composition, editing, and long-term structure decisions
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Drainage and stormwater direction, including rain garden integration
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Recommendations for materials, edges, paths, and subtle structure
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Written notes, prioritization lists, and next-step planning as needed
Who Consulting Is For
Consulting is a strong fit if you are
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Planning a renovation and want expert direction before investing further
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Trying to unify fragmented beds or improve the property’s overall coherence
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Managing runoff, wet areas, erosion, or chronic planting failure
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Seeking privacy and screening that feels natural and refined
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Wanting pollinator and habitat value without sacrificing elegance
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Reducing lawn in favor of layered, lower-maintenance planting
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Considering terraces, paths, steps, or garden structure, but want quietly integrated hardscaping that supports the garden
Consulting and The Coan Method™
Consulting is grounded in The Coan Method™, a plant-forward approach guided by ecology, craft, and quietly integrated hardscaping. Even when consulting is the only service you choose, the same principles apply: thoughtful observation, clear intent, and decisions made for long-term beauty and performance.
Investment Guidance
Planning ranges vary by scope, site conditions, and materials.
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Garden-only projects typically begin around $15,000 to $20,000
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Gardens incorporating light hardscape often begin near $35,000
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Many residential clients invest $30,000 to $80,000
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Larger estate properties are often developed in thoughtful phases beginning at $150,000 and beyond
Scope, sequencing, and overall investment are refined through a paid consultation and master plan prior to construction.
Service Area & Availability
Stephen accepts a limited number of new clients each season to ensure every project receives the highest level of attention, artistry, and horticultural care.
Service area includes Southern and Middle New Jersey and the Philadelphia tri-state region, including Philadelphia, the Main Line, and the Delaware Valley.
A limited number of destination commissions nationwide are accepted each year by invitation.
Begin With an Expert Conversation
Clarity, priorities, and a confident direction before you make major landscape decisions.
Apply for your complementary consultation to begin your journey toward a bespoke, nature-inspired landscape.
Share a few details about your project, and I’ll recommend the most appropriate path forward.
Limited seasonal availability. Inquiries reviewed once or twice per week.