I actually have two exciting things to share. It’s really scary for me to put myself out there like this (crazy for a blogger, I know!) but my first bit of exciting news is that I have started a container gardening business and I actually have a real client who isn’t related to me. You can check out the beginnings of my website here: One Pot at a Time.
Funnily enough, I started my first day on the job doing the exact opposite of container gardening. My client hired me to replant some large pots in her backyard patio, but during our initial consultation, she mentioned how much she disliked her front yard, and I offered to help her plant a few things and clean up her existing plants.
As you can see, my client’s front yard leaves something to be desired. She rents her home and I guess the landlord doesn’t really see much value in maintaining the exterior of the property. Since it is a rental, my client doesn’t want to spend a ton of money fixing up someone else’s home, so I am just planting a few things, rearranging others, and trimming the existing plants. Unfortunately only one of the “after” shots came out.
I think things will look even better once the hardenbergia starts growing up the trellis:
I’m going back this weekend to finish up a few things, so I’ll try and take more pics then. I think the bed under the window turned out the best, so I really want to show that. And of course, when I start on the pots in the backyard, I will definitely share photos. Remember those drawings I posted? Well, those were for this client’s project.
I learned a lot my first day on the job, mainly that I underestimated how long the work would take, and I should be more careful when checking prices of plants to include in my initial quote. Because of those two mistakes, I ended up paying myself waaaaaay less than minimum wage. Whoops! Live and learn.
This guy laughed at my newbie mistakes:
Okay, my second bit of exciting news is that in a couple of weeks, I am going to be publishing my own eBook about container gardening. I would love to write a “real” book, but in the meantime, I thought I would put some ideas down on paper.
I’ll share more details as the release date gets closer, but I hope you guys will enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Included in the book will be tons of useful info on container gardening, along with some container garden plans for you to recreate on your own balcony, patio or front porch. If you have an idea for the title of the book, please contact me, I would love to hear it! Also, I want to encourage you to send in your container gardening tips for the contest, as I will be including some of them in the eBook, with proper attribution (of course!) and your blog’s url, if you’d like.
