Garden designer Celia Ryker gets frequent calls for garden makeovers.
‘I had landscaping done two years ago,? said one caller, unhappy with the previous company. ‘I don’t know what it is I don’t like about it.?
After looking over the landscape, it was obvious plantings lacked personality and warmth. They were virtually identical to those at a nearby gas station, said Ryker.
Hadley Hill Farm and Gardens, known in the Ortonville area as an equine veterinary clinic, is also the home base for Ryker’s garden design business where she fashions outdoor spaces to fit a homeowner’s style and needs.
‘When I interview a client I go into the house, look out the windows, look at the decorating, where they sit most in the winter, where they do their summer dining,? said Ryker.
‘One person said, ‘The reason I hired you is that you came inside and looked outside.??
After the interview, Ryker draws up a concept plan, ensuring she’s working with’not against’the way clients want to use outdoor space.
‘The concept plan, without plants, shows where the dog runs, the kids play, where you park the car,? said Ryker.
The plan may also contain ideas for new space usage; a path meandering through the woods, a bench near an entry, a freestanding garden room.
Ryker then creates a detailed plan helping clients visualize plants and gardenscape fixtures.
Working with Steve Garnett of Grand Blanc, who builds the structural elements Ryker sometimes incorporates into her gardens, she can bring to life outdoor spaces both beautiful and practical.
Although clients may opt for Ryker to maintain gardens, upkeep especially is considered when designing plans for hands-on gardeners.
With every plan, Ryker includes a detailed month-by-month maintenance schedule so gardeners ‘know what needs to be done,? like dividing plants in the spring.
Ryker creates reduced-maintenance areas, arranging thirsty plants near the home, and grouping plants requiring less moisture farther from a water supply.
Although most of her plants thrive, Ryker uses reputable suppliers who guarantee their plants, and avoids invasive varieties that choke out other plant life.
While Ryker doesn’t restrict herself to using only native plants, she seeks thriving varieties compatible with the environment.
‘Native plant life usually provides more for native wildlife,? she says.
Ryker often experiments with planting in several locations at home to determine soil and sunlight conditions that help specific plants flourish.
With an eye toward clients? budgets, Ryker will create a multi-phase plan, allowing homeowners to complete later phases ‘when time and money allows.?
Clients take pleasure in the gardens she creates. They come back, asking Ryker to design gardens for other properties, and refer friends and family.
One reluctant husband found a new entry garden more enjoyable than he’d anticipated, his wife told Ryker.
‘She said, ‘When he comes home at night instead of coming in through the garage door, he sits on the bench in the entry garden and fusses with the dog.I think he really likes it without realizing it.??
Ryker’s gardens are lovely even in seasons when gardening is but a daydream.
Late in winter, she sits near a window overlooking a Scotch pine bonsai set among snow-covered dogwood branches and the dried blooms of Autumn Joy sedum.
Spring is coming, and with it, the joys of working with the earth.
It’s a passion that hearkens back to her mother and her grandmother, says Ryker, who was sought out for her green thumb before she made gardening an educational pursuit.
Ryker is certified in Gardening Fine Arts and in Landscape and Garden Design by the Michigan School of Gardening, and is designated an Advanced Master Gardener and Master Woodland Steward through the Michigan State University Extension.
The designer works all over Oakland County, planting everything from cottage gardens to formal, natural woodland, wildlife, and oriental gardens, fascinated with each one.
‘I like it all,? said Ryker with a laugh. ‘Each garden I’m working on is my favorite at that time.?
Stop by Hadley Hill Farm and Gardens to see what’s in bloom, says Ryker. Hadley Hill Farm and Gardens is located 1.5 miles north of Seymour Lake Road at 1344 S. Hadley Road in Brandon Township. Call (248) 627-2356.