Paintbox Garden

I asked Charlotte to take six disconnected flowerbeds and turn them into something more intentional and organized. She immediately saw how what I was asking for wasn’t going to solve my design problems. She proposed connecting a new, sixteen foot long flowerbed to an existing one on a sunnier side of the yard. Her color sense and understanding of how to plant for maximum bloom time throughout the summer is fantastic. Somehow, she knew what was going to work better and be easier for me to manage. I couldn’t be happier with my new backyard.

Working with Charlotte and Paintbox Gardens on the expansion of my entryway garden this spring was easy and fun, with great results! Charlotte's discerning eye for design coupled with her love and knowledge of plants brought elements into the garden that I would not have thought of on my own. This included re purposing some things we already had in other places. The planning, planting, and tending of the garden from spring through late fall was a wonderful experience. I appreciate the variety of color, types of foliage, and succession of bloom times that Charlotte took into consideration in her design, and that met my goals for the project including increasing food and habitat for birds, bees, and other insects. I look forward to working with Charlotte again on future garden projects!

Charlotte was fun to work with taking my personal preferences into account. She helped me make a quiet contemplative garden in a space where we removed some big trees. We used native plants that provide food for birds. She communicates quickly and efficiently.

Charlotte was knowledgeable, professional, and personable. I live in a condo with small front and back yard areas. They had been neglected for years- my goal was to create beautiful spaces, with privacy around my back deck. Charlotte had creative ideas using native plants that give cover to birds, and when grown in, a private area for relaxing on the deck. She provided drawings and plant lists with several options, as well as recommendations for local nurseries. I was able to purchase and plant everything myself, however this was a service she offered as well. Highly recommended- easy to work with- prompt and responsive.

We needed help transforming our tired and overgrown landscape into garden spaces that flowed and complimented each other. Charlotte, from Paintbox Garden offered us a fresh perspective and thoughtful guidance as we developed an overall plan. She was also sensitive to our desire to create gardens that needed less maintenance. The highlight for us is the design she created for our main "white flower" entry garden. Charlotte was able to use many of our existing plants and she also incorporated many interesting pollinator friendly specimens in the design. Charlotte chose plants with complimentary textures and tones of green and white. She also combined plants with different heights and shapes in an artful way. The resulting entry garden gives us pleasure everyday. Charlotte is a great listener and with her wealth of knowledge she is also a great teacher. She's a pleasure to work with and we whole heartedly recommend using Paintbox Garden for any garden design work.

We worked with Charlotte at Paintbox Garden late this summer to help us plan for new landscaping and garden design following a major residing project on our home. Charlotte listened well to our needs and interests and took care to create a thoughtful design and plan for us that met our interests and needs: aesthetic, budgetary and desire for minimal maintenance. She is very knowledgeable and experienced, lovely to work with and was very responsive whenever we had additional questions.

This spring I met with Charlotte to help create a landscape plan for an underutilized area of our home. We also had some reclaimed marble we hoped to incorporate into the design. Charlotte did a great job of listening not only to what I said, but also what was not said. By picking up clues and using her experience and intuition, she was able to synthesize all of the input and elements involved, and came up with a plan that met my goals for scope and budget. I found her summary of my goals and objectives to be very accurate, and the plan includes things I can do immediately, and in the future. I'm very pleased with the selection of plants she recommended, and with her idea for use of the marble. It has been a pleasure working with Paintbox Gardens!

Charlotte is an artist and I love walking through my yard with her listening to her soft, meditative voice, guiding me with her wisdom about pruning, textures, colors, scents, and birds. We have a patio facing East and looking at a street. We wanted to create privacy and attract birds and butterflies. We absolutely love our patio and spend a lot of time on our patio eating, sitting, talking, practicing yoga and meditating. And, an unexpected gift from this redesign is that when we look out at the patio from inside the house, it feels as if the garden is part of the interior space. Charlotte is the BEST!!

I could not be more pleased with the garden that Charlotte planned for me and the instructions she provided me with to make sure the end product was as expected. My property is in an 8-year old neighborhood that sprouted from a previous corn field. It's a modern neighborhood with tiny (.14 acre) lots with common areas to be enjoyed by all. Not only do I have neighbors on both sides, but I also have a property diagonally behind me, as well as homes directly behind me. I liken my location to living in a "fishbowl". While I LOVE my neighborhood, I really did not enjoy my back yard at all because it was just grass (aside from a small garden right behind my house.) The only reason I would go out in my back yard was to mow or do what little gardening my small garden required. I really needed some boundaries and some privacy! I asked Charlotte to design a very natural garden - one that would be low maintenance, interesting during all four seasons, and a haven for birds. It was also very important that it provide privacy while not totally shutting out my neighbors. I could not be more thrilled with the end product! I now have arborvitaes to provide amazing privacy between my patio and the one next door. I now actually LIKE eating outside on my patio! There is a beautiful Kousa Dogwood anchoring the corner of the garden (an "L" shaped garden) that I am so excited to see next spring. Vibrant red berries delight me on the winterberry holly. There are ornamental grasses and tender perennials which will be blooming in the spring. And that's not all! I found that I just love to look out my windows to see my gardens and I LOVE to walk around the property to check on my new "babies" - to see the new growth, the blossoms, the berries and the beautiful fall foliage. My back yard now feels like a park - a lovely, peaceful place to enjoy. I cannot thank Charlotte enough for taking the time to really understand what I was hoping to do, and for helping to make my dream back yard a reality!

My husband and I were undertook the rather daunting task of turning an unsightly hillside into an attractive rock garden under that careful guidance of Charlotte Albers of Paintbox Garden. It was a layered and complicated project. Charlotte carefully laid out the design, materials, and steps in the process, and then followed our progress via home visits and emails. The rock garden is now a welcoming sight every time we approach our modern country home. We could never have accomplished such a grand task without Charlotte's expertise and assistance. Once the rock garden was established, I became overwhelmed with the unfinished perennial garden just above it. I had been struggling with this garden for three years but my do-it-yourself efforts were just not producing the results I was hoping for. Charlotte returned to rescue me. This time she took an entirely different approach - showing me the blank spaces in the garden that needed some "drama" and showing me plants that would bring color to my drab seasons. We actually went plant shopping together (so much fun) and dug and planted together. The results were amazing. Now the two gardens, though very different, flow beautifully together. I enjoy them every day from my living room window and as I drive up my driveway. My husband is a master gardener, so hiring a consultant was a big step for us. Now I wish we had done this years ago! We were both thrilled with our work with Charlotte and enjoy the results every day. I look forward to my next project with Paintbox Garden!

Charlotte at Paintbox Garden did a landscape design plan for our home. It consisted of four planting beds, blue stone hardscape and an extensive raised stone kitchen garden. She was wonderful to work with, providing us with detail plans and extensive plant lists. Charlotte listened to our desire to haven a casual and easily maintained overall design plan. She was always accessible and incredibly knowledgeable. Paintbox Garden changed the way we see and use our outdoors as well as how we see our landscape from the indoors.

As I put “Sally’s” garden to bed again this fall, I reflect on how it came to grace our front lawn. When my beloved black lab Sally died, Charlotte inspired me to do a flower garden in her memory. As a novice gardener, I hired Charlotte who was a huge help in assisting me in design, choosing the plants, placement of plants, and tidying up before the snowfall. I am grateful to Charlotte for the tapestry of colors my family enjoys every season, and the constant reminder of one great dog. Laurie Caswell Burke