Garden Design

Wild World Gardens sees each landscaping project as an opportunity to transform and improve the health of the land, your relationship to the local environment, and all of its interconnected ecological systems. Our process is highly collaborative as we work with you to co-create a garden that aligns your preferences and needs with those of the local ecology. From small city lots or 1/2-acre suburban yards to street parkways, office entryways, or school gardens, we will help rewild your outdoor space into a beautiful, bustling, and beneficial landscape. Here’s how:

Step 1: Site Assessment, Discussion, and Estimate

We start with an assessment of your space. We look at your landscape, analyze the soil, take stock of sunlight, shade, and wind, examine drainage and water issues, and talk about the existing plants and other landscape elements. We will discuss your goals, needs, and vision for your space. How much lawn would you like to maintain? Do you want to keep your grandmother’s heritage roses in a particular spot? Is there a color palette you prefer? What is your timeline? After that, we will create an estimate for the cost of your project based on your budget. We can talk about the estimate, make changes, and once approved, move on to the next step. Please note: If you would like hardscaping for your project, we can help with patios, retaining walls, concrete walkways, and simple pathways (stepping stones, flagstones, gravel, mulch) as well as trellises, arbors, and raised beds. For bigger projects such as decks and fences, we can provide recommendations for contractors.

Step 2: Drawing, Planning, and Feedback 

Inspired by your ideas, we will create a drawing of your finished space. The scaled drawing will include recommended plants along with information about each plant (height, width, color, bloom time, pollinator benefits, harvesting for edibles, companion plants, and other uses). We will also provide a timeline for installation as well as recommendations for soil amendments, weed control, mulching, watering, and maintenance for new and existing plants. We can still make adjustments to the design at this point, but once the design is approved, we will order plants for delivery. Please note: You are welcome to hire our services for only garden design and planning. We will give you the drawing plan and plant sources and you can order and install the plants yourself to save on costs. However, we always love seeing a project through to the finish and helping the plants adjust to their new home.

Step 3: Installation and Maintenance

We will order your plants and set up some dates to install your new garden. This is our favorite part of the process—dirt under the nails, soil and sweat on the brow, birds chirping and bees buzzing in anticipation. We prefer to get started early in the morning before the day heats up; it’s better for the people and the plants. And we highly encourage you to get your hands dirty with us, too. After installation, we will provide instructions on how to care for your plants until they are well established and we will do a checkup on your garden the next year. You can also retain our services for site maintenance. In the first year or two, weed control and tweaks to the design are often necessary to ensure the garden’s success. Please note: We are also available for weeding, mulching, tree pruning, and other general landscaping needs.

Front Yard Pollinator Garden in Old Irving Park designed by Wild World Gardens
Front Yard Pollinator Garden in Old Irving Park designed by Wild World Gardens
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