Unique, productive ways to work with you
We schedule projects every season that we call "barn raisings"
and workshops called "Garden by Janet
& Steven."
Barn raisings
Barn raisings are for do-it-yourself people,
appropriate for those who have a design they've developed or had
drawn.
At a barn raising, you provide the labor (family and friends,
perhaps) and as many of the needed materials as you can assemble.
We provide the expert supervising laborer(s) who will instruct and
work with your "crew". We can also obtain and deliver needed tools
and materials to the site.
Many people who wish to learn how to do their own landscape work
opt for this method of planting, then continue on their own after
one concerted effort under our guidance.
Garden by Janet
and Steven
Garden by Janet & Steven sessions
are unique offerings, in which certain projects you want to have
done might be completed by Janet & Steven, at a lower cost, and
allow our readers a chance for hands-on learning.
They are similar to a barn raising in being group efforts, but
those who attend are volunteers who read our newsletter, want to
observe or learn a process and who may opt to observe or to pitch
in.
Many of our Garden by Janet and Steven sessions are
listed in our calendar (Where We're Appearing).
Some are conducted at our clients' gardens, others at gardens where
we are regular volunteers. People come to these sessions for the
fun of working in a group or to learn in the field and with their
own hands. Some become familiar with the process and then schedule
us for sessions in their own gardens.
We plan the work, and bill our on-site design/maintenance time
to you, but open the work to attendance by our students, who often
pitch in as we work, lowering the total time required and amount
billed. We work with you regarding the composition and size of the
group involved, and coordinate all arrangements with students such
as time, directions to the site, tools needed, etc.
Criteria that apply as we decided to schedule a Garden by
Janet and Steven session:
• We're either on a site where we volunteer regularly, or where
we have been hired to work.
• Our client has given us free rein, even to experiment.
• Our client has allowed visitors and trusts our supervision if
they pitch in.
• We know the site and plant history so we can explain how these
affect the work's "what" and "why."
• We've determined that the plants and site will serve as clear
examples.
• We know from questions we've received that the work is of common
interest.
• The site is visible from a public way so those who attend can
drive by in the future to see "what happens next."
If a barn raising or Garden by Janet and Steven
interests you, ask us more about it when we meet to plan your
garden project. Contact us by phone (248-681-7850) or email.
If you're looking for education for groups in more conventional
format (classes, hands-on workshops, lectures, etc.) then look at
our list of talks and classes on our page Invite Us to
Speak. Or you may garner ideas from the list of Where We're
Appearing, including barn raisings, Garden By Janet &
Steven sessions and conventional talks.
