Every garden I visit in Hamilton is different. Different soil, different light, different goals, different lives happening around it. But after writing reports for dozens of clients, I've noticed something: there are five things that make it into every single one.
Every report I write is deeply customized — to the property, the conditions, and the person. No two look the same, because no two gardens (or gardeners) are the same. But ultimately, we're all working toward the same thing: a sustainable, healthy garden — and a sustainable, healthy relationship with that garden. These five things keep showing up because they're what makes both of those possible.
Here's what's always in the report you'd get from a Pinch Growing Consultation — and why.
1. Soil work
I always tell clients that soil is like a bank account — your plants are constantly making withdrawals, so it pays to keep the balance up.
This is the section of the report that's the least glamorous and the most important. We talk about what's happening underground before we talk about what's going on above it, because nothing else works if your soil isn't set up to support it.
In Hamilton, that almost always means talking about clay. Our clay soil holds nutrients beautifully, but it compacts easily, drains slowly, and can feel like you're gardening in modelling clay after a dry spell. The fix isn't dramatic — it's consistent. Topdress with compost in early spring, gently, without tilling. The microorganisms will work it down for you. You're just stacking the deck in their favour.
And then: mulch. Specifically, untreated cedar mulch, about 8–10 cm deep — I send most clients to Millgrove Garden Supplies for theirs if we're look in bulk. More than that and you start creating conditions you don't want. Less and you're not getting the full benefit. It holds moisture, keeps roots cool, suppresses weeds, and breaks down over time to add organic matter back into the soil. So even though it needs a top-up every year or two, all that old mulch hasn't disappeared — it's just become your soil. Which I think is pretty cool.
Every report includes specific soil recommendations based on what I saw on site — not just "add compost" but what kind, where, how much, and what to prioritize first.
Want to learn more about soil in Hamilton? Check out this blog post!
2. Sustainable timelines and quick wins
This is the section that makes people exhale.
Most perennials take about three years to really hit their stride. Year one they sleep, year two they creep, year three they leap — and that timeline applies to almost everything in a garden, from new plantings to soil improvement to getting invasives under control.
I include this in every report because it reframes the whole project. You're not behind. You're not failing. You're in year one. And knowing that changes everything about how you plan and how you feel about what's happening (or not happening yet) in your yard.
But here's the other half: I never hand someone a three-year plan without also handing them something they can do this weekend. Quick wins are how you build momentum and start to actually enjoy your garden while the slower stuff is doing its thing underground.
Quick wins look different for every property — it might be "cut back that one overgrown shrub so you can see your front door again," or "move that pot of herbs to the south side of the steps where it'll actually get sun," or "stop mowing that shady patch and let it go." They're small, they're satisfying, and they prove to yourself that you can do this.
In the report, I lay out a phased plan — but I always say: feel free to push things out by a season. Low maintenance is not the same as no maintenance, and I'd rather you do two things well than five things halfway.
3. Invasive plant management
I'm going to be honest: you probably have at least one invasive plant in your garden. In Hamilton, the usual suspects are bindweed, goutweed, garlic mustard, lily of the valley, and periwinkle. Sometimes it's a tree — Manitoba maple, Norway maple, or tree of heaven.
The first thing I want you to know is that this doesn't say anything about you as a gardener. Most invasives were sold at garden centres for decades. Some of them were planted by previous homeowners with the best intentions. You inherited this — you didn't cause it.
The second thing: managing invasives is a multi-year project, not a weekend emergency. That's actually freeing, because it means you can make a plan that fits your life, work in phases, and adjust as you go. The goal isn't to solve it all this season.
In every report, I identify what's there, explain why it matters ecologically, and give you a realistic management plan — including what to prioritize first and what can wait. I'll also flag anything that's spreading into neighbouring properties or natural areas, because that changes the urgency.
I check every plant against Ontario's invasive species list before it goes into a report. If something's on that list, it doesn't get recommended — full stop. And if something's already in your garden that shouldn't be, we talk about what to replace it with.
4. Property observations and site-specific solutions
This is the part of the report that surprises people the most, because it's the stuff they didn't know to ask about.
When I visit a property, I'm reading the whole site — not just the garden beds. I'm looking at where the water goes when it rains, what the neighbour's trees are doing to your light, how the grade of your yard is directing runoff, what that crack pattern in your soil is telling me about compaction, and which direction your house faces (because a south-facing front yard and a north-facing one need completely different approaches).
Most of these things aren't obvious until someone points them out — and they're different on every property. I've walked the shady backyards of Stipley where the mature tree canopy means you're basically gardening in part shade whether you planned to or not. I've seen drainage problems caused by a neighbour's fence redirecting water. I've spotted early signs of pest damage that hadn't registered yet.
The report captures all of this — specific observations tied to specific solutions. Not "consider improving drainage" but "the low spot behind your shed is collecting water from the downspout; here's how to redirect it, or here's how to plant it as a rain garden if you'd rather work with the water than fight it."
This is what a trained eye catches that a Pinterest board can't — and it's a big part of why the report is the core deliverable of a Pinch consultation, not an add-on.
5. A plant lookbook
This is the fun part, and it's where the report starts to feel less like homework and more like a magazine you actually want to flip through.
I describe it to clients as a Sears catalogue, not a shopping list — it's a curated menu of plants that will work in your specific conditions, with your specific light, in your specific soil, in Hamilton's Zone 5b climate. You're not committing to all of them. You're browsing.
Each plant card includes what it looks like, how tall it gets, what kind of light and soil it wants, when it blooms, where to buy it locally, and — most importantly — why I picked it for your garden specifically. I build the lookbook around a simple design idea I call tall, ball, and sprawl: mixing upright plants, mounding plants, and trailing or spreading plants so your garden has texture and movement, not just a row of everything the same height.
The lookbook always prioritizes native and non-invasive plants, and I include local nursery sourcing — places like Connon, Northland Nursery, Wears, and Ontario Native Plants — so you're not guessing where to find things.
And if something doesn't work out? That's not a verdict on your gardening. Plants can be transplanted, plans can change, and you're allowed to change your mind.
What the report actually is
A Pinch consultation report isn't a landscape design plan, and it's not a generic gardening guide. It's a personalized document — usually 15 to 25 pages — that picks up exactly where our conversation left off and gives you everything you need to move forward at your own pace.
It's built around your property, your goals, your capacity, and your timeline. It includes learning resources, local supplier recommendations, and a phased plan you can adapt as you go.
I'll also say this: in the four years I've been doing consultations, my own methods have evolved a lot. The reports I write now are longer, more detailed, and more tailored than the ones I wrote in year one — because I've learned what actually helps people follow through. If you've had a consult with me in the past, tried some things, and still have questions — reach out. I'm always up for round two.
If you're curious about what a consultation looks like, you can book one here — I'd love to come see your garden.