Welcome to Nightshade Fine Gardening!

Gardening since I was a young girl contentedly weeding beside my Mom,  she was a rock garden enthusiast... to put it mildly and gave me 'the fever.'

Being close to the Earth, it's rich smells, textures, and colors calms my spirit. I love to be surrounded by flowers, butterflies, sun gold cherry tomatoes and warm sunlight.

I aspire to bring you and your loved ones a taste of this grace, whether as part of a grand estate or perhaps a simple design for the front entrance to your store.

I've spent a large portion of my life helping homeowners maximize the potential of their land.  Nightshade Fine Gardening has been in operation for 27 years.  I depend almost exclusively on word of mouth from our happy customers.

I am lucky to have a wonderful staff of skilled gardeners who these days (after having Lyme's Disease four times) have increasingly become my arms and healthy knees while I stick to the art part.

From Cottage gardens laden with heavenly blue morning glories to Asian themes, low maintenance ornamental grass gardens or vegetable gardens laden with greens, I'll take your dreams and turn them into reality while simultaneously respecting your financial boundaries.

We use organic methods whenever possible to have a low impact on the environment:  natural, organic fertilizers and bug deterrents, rich black dirt and mulching with straw that earthworms then digest becoming 'tiny cow factories.'  If you want help growing vegetables,  we employ 100% organic principles within the food growing area.

Avoidance of Plastic:

We select natural materials like cedar, wooden barrels, concrete containers when available.

Artful designs:

As my website makes evident, I am gratefully blessed to be known in this region for my art and music.  I feel my greatest asset to you as a landscape designer is my ability to bring my gifts for design and color to enrich your lives and bring additional joy to each day.

My dream?  You return to your home or place of business feeling lucky and blessed by the beauty of your surroundings.

Feng Shui:

In recent years, I have been applying principles of Feng Shui to every home I care for, including my own.  The entrance to one's home reflects and affects one's life.  I want to encourage the free flow of energy:  unimpeded traffic, or 'Chi'.  Feng Shui is used to increase health, prosperity, and happiness for you, your family and/or business.

We garden from Rosendale to Rhinebeck, Saugarties, Woodstock and Haines Falls and travel throughout Ulster,  Dutchess and Greene Counties of New York.

Recently,  Massachusetts is new home of a division of Nightshade Fine Gardening. We now cover Belchertown, Amherst, Hadley, Holyoke, Northampton, Greenfield and the entire Five College area of Hampshire County.

Nightshade Fine Gardening handles all your garden needs:

  • new designs for properties with relatively blank canvases
  • help improve gardens already in place developed
  • reclaim old, unruly gardens inherited or purchased
  • install organic vegetable gardens and get you out there picking lettuce and snap peas!
  • design and care for businesses and storefronts.
  • specialize in extraordinary planters... the dessert of the summer.
  • prepare for weddings and special events, helping 'kick up' what you have already, or create temporary promenades and arbors for grand entrances and ceremonies.
  • consultations about principles of Feng Shui
  • deer resistant gardening
  • consultations: let me help you save money or time and energy.  I know what works from years of experience with deer, drought and ground hogs.   After a consultation,  perhaps you'll choose to do the work yourself.  

If not, we can do the project for you.   Let's meet ....at your home or property site to discuss your unique garden and plan for enhancing your environment

Life is Short!....make every day of the growing season filled with wonder.

Consultations: $85 per hour.

Labor:  $36 per hour per person.
(My first consult is free if you eventually hire us to labor in your gardens....credit applied to your first invoice.)

And please check out my website... listen to a tune!      

I look forward to working with you soon.