Planting and Garden Care Service
A thoughtfully designed garden that feels intentional from the very beginning.
We curate plantings that suit your space and the way you live in it. From the first season, your garden feels layered, cohesive, and complete — and with thoughtful early care, it matures gracefully into a calm, enduring landscape.
We transform overgrown, haphazardly planted beds into a refined garden that looks finished.
Instead of trial and error, you get a clear, thoughtful plan. Every design is guided by the land itself — its grade, sun exposure, soil, and the specific needs of each plant. We redesign the space, select plants suited to your property and install everything with intention — so the result feels calm, cohesive, and complete from day one.
For most projects, this means reshaping and redefining beds so they feel structured rather than crowded. You can clearly see where each plant belongs and how the garden will fill in over the coming seasons — without worrying about damaging something valuable.
Our approach centers on four essentials:
- Clear structure. Defined bed lines and thoughtful spacing create a balanced, intentional garden.
- Plants that thrive. Selections are tailored to your property’s light, soil, and natural conditions.
- Purposeful seasonality. Bulbs and rotating accents are designed as cohesive layers — not fleeting additions.
- Designed to Endure. Proper mulching supports lasting vitality and provides the rich, grounding layers that makes the planting feel complete.
If a low-maintenance landscape is your goal, we thoughtfully tailor the design to ensure long-term ease without sacrificing beauty. The result is a landscape that feels deliberately designed and offers beautiful seasonal interest. Available in Northwest DC, Bethesda, and Chevy Chase.
From first walkthrough to the final watered plant, every step is intentional.
The Experience
We walk you through each plant selection. You’ll understand not only how the garden will look immediately, but how it is designed to evolve and fill in over time. Before we leave, you’ll receive straightforward written guidance outlining realistic expectations for watering and care — so your garden remains healthy and beautiful without becoming another responsibility.
Clarity in what remains — and what makes way
Guided landscape walkthrough & curated keep/remove plan
Inherited plantings can feel layered and uncertain — a space you didn’t design, but now feel responsible for. You may want to simplify and refine it, yet hesitate to remove something that still holds value.
Through a guided walkthrough, we assess what is thriving, what is struggling, and what may be overwhelming the space. From there, we develop a clear, thoughtful keep-and-remove plan that honors the garden’s strengths while creating room for improvement.
The result is confidence in every decision — and a landscape that transitions from cluttered to composed, with intention.
Way exceeded my expectations. My front yard had gotten so unruly I didn't know where to start, or what was a weed or a plant I should keep. The crew weeded and mulched so everything looks organized now and we even have some pretty flowers that were hiding under everything. I feel really proud of my yard after the work they've done, and the price was very reasonable.
Designed to look complete now — and composed years from now
Scaled planting layout and spacing preview
It can be difficult to imagine how small nursery plants will look once they mature. Too often, gardens are either overcrowded or spaced so widely that they feel sparse for years.
We design with the future in mind. We plan for the full life cycle of each plant, ensuring the garden remains balanced as it matures. Each perennial and shrub is placed according to its natural spread and long-term growth, creating a layout that feels finished from day one while allowing deliberate room to evolve. The result is a landscape that develops gracefully over time — structured, predictable, and beautifully composed rather than chaotic and overgrown.
We can provide a scaled 2D layout to help visualize placement, spacing, and long-term growth before installation begins.
They asked for my input, but also added what they thought, and why, which helped me understand why certain plants and trees were better than others and what to expect. My yards, front and back are beautiful, and cannot stop looking at them!
Care guidance aligned with your plants — and your life
Written care guide & realistic maintenance plan
A fresh planting can bring uncertainty — especially if you’re unsure how often to water. Generic advice from plant tags or online articles rarely reflects your property’s conditions or your actual schedule. So we make it simple.
You’ll receive clear, written guidance tailored to your specific plants — including a realistic watering plan with straightforward direction on frequency, timing, and what truly matters in the first weeks and months.
With a thoughtful plan in place, your garden establishes confidently — without becoming another responsibility.
They transplanted a Japanese maple tree early this spring, gave me care instructions, and it is budding as predicted. Thank you Tenleytown
Curated Plant Selections Guided by Your Landscape
Site specific plant selection for perennials and annuals
When plants are chosen for appearance alone, they often struggle or decline after a challenging season. Without understanding the conditions beneath the surface, repeating the purchase seldom solves the issue.
We make sure each plant is positioned where it can truly thrive — in full sun, shade, or somewhere in between. Each plant earns its place by supporting the overall structure, texture, and rhythm of the garden, creating a landscape that fills in beautifully and improves with time rather than needing to be replaced.
I asked them to dig out an old flower bed in my backyard and replace the old plants with new native plants. Now I have a lovely new bed that I, and the local birds and pollinators, can enjoy.
Built from the ground up.
Healthy growth starts below the surface.
Soil conditions, nutrients, moisture levels, and sun exposure all shape how a plant performs over time.When something is off, the signs are often visible — yellowing leaves, weak growth, scorched edges, standing water, or plants that simply fail to fill in as expected.
Rather than leaving you to guess what went wrong, we address the foundation. We loosen compacted soil, amend it with organic material, and prepare each planting area so roots can establish properly.
With the right preparation beneath the surface, your plants are given the best possible chance to thrive — resulting in stronger growth, greater resilience, and a landscape that performs as beautifully as it looks.
Their landscaping crew did a fantastic job last August. The popcorn drift rose bush bloomed beautifully later that fall and the popping purple azaleas started blooming about a week ago. Thank you Lisa and crew!
Clean Lines. Defined Borders.
Edging, mulching, and weed suppression
Clear definition is what makes a garden feel intentional. Without it, lawn and planting areas blur together, and even a well-designed space can look unfinished.
We cut a precise, physical edge to clearly separate turf from planting areas, creating sharp lines that frame the garden and highlight the design. A measured layer of organic mulch completes the look, protecting the soil while adding depth and contrast.
The result is a landscape that feels structured, finished, and thoughtfully maintained — where the borders hold their shape and the design reads clearly from every angle.
The attention to detail, from the clean lines of the edging to the thoughtful plant selection, really made everything come together beautifully.
Spring Color That Feels Intentional — Not Accidental
Bulb planning and seasonal color timing
Bloom times are planned with intention. Seasonal color should feel effortless — not rushed, mistimed, or fleeting.
We design bulb and annual plantings around carefully staggered bloom windows so early, mid, and late-season flowers flow naturally into one another. Plant pairings are thoughtfully considered.
The result is a garden that offers steady, uplifting color throughout the season — composed, reliable, and beautifully timed.
Tenleytown did an amazing job in transforming our front yard from a few flowers and plants to super "curb appeal." They did an equally wonderful job in the backyard too, putting down colorful plantings. Now it's so nice and manageable. It's got personality! Everything was left very clean and clear when they were done. Excellent.
Our Planting Service Process
A clear path to a beautiful garden.
From the first conversation to the final watering, we are beside you at every stage. Decisions are made together, expectations are aligned early, and each step is clearly communicated — so the finished landscape feels intentional. And when questions arise, we’re always just a call or text away!
Begin with a conversation to understand your goals, priorities, and how you want to live in the space
Develop and finalize a composed layout and curated plant selections, balancing height, foliage, color and structure prior to installation.
Install with intention, ensuring each plant is thoughtfully planted, positioned, spaced, and set to thrive.
Concluding with a clear understanding of ongoing care.
Everything included to create a low maintenance garden that looks intentional from day one
- A finished garden that looks intentional right away. Your front and back beds read as tidy and cohesive from the street and close up, without looking crowded or bare.
- Predictable, genuinely low maintenance upkeep. Plant choices, mulch, and edging are set up so normal care fits into short, periodic tasks rather than full weekend projects.
- Clarity on what stays, what goes, and why. A guided walkthrough and simple keep and remove plan protect valuable plants while clearing space for new, better placed additions.
- Plants chosen for your exact light, soil, and watering habits. Perennials, annuals, and bulbs are selected and placed to suit your conditions so more of them thrive and return.
- Deeply prepared, healthier garden beds. Soil is loosened and amended and beds are reshaped so roots establish quickly and you start with fewer issues around drainage and plant stress.
- Clean edging, mulch, and long term weed suppression. Defined borders and a measured layer of organic mulch help keep grass out, slow new weeds, and make any needed weeding faster and easier.
- Thoughtful layout and spacing that consider mature size. Plants are placed with their expected spread in mind so beds look finished now yet grow into a calm, controlled structure instead of a future tangle.
- Spring bulbs and seasonal color that feel planned. Bulbs plus coordinated annuals are installed with simple timing in mind so your color show is generous rather than hit or miss.
- Straightforward process from first inquiry through installation. You move through a clear sequence of assessment, plan, proposal, and planting so you always know what will happen next and when.
- Written care notes and access to ongoing support. At handoff you receive plain language instructions for the first weeks and first year and have the option to discuss seasonal check ins or maintenance with the same team.