Initial Consultation:

We are happy to meet with you at no charge in our own garden – located in New Brighton, Pennsylvania – if you're considering working with us but are not certain that you want to hire us. We can also work with you by email or by phone to decide whether or not your home is a candidate for a Proper Garden.

*** If you are not local to our area, read about our Remote/Long-Distance Garden Design Service below! ***


Site Visit & Design:

We do not make site visits until you have decided you would like us to design your garden(s). Please allow at least two hours for the preliminary design meeting. We will sit down to discuss your wishes, your tastes and preferences, how you plan to use the area, the amount of time you are willing to invest in the maintenance of the garden, your schedule, etc. For example, if you typically winter in Florida, we might need to plant the latest blooming tulip varieties in your gardens to ensure that you will get to enjoy them. We like to see all of your views of the space, from all floors of the home. We take note of the styles and colors in your interior spaces so that we can be certain to create a garden in harmony with them. Following our meeting, we will take measurements of the space and set a firm date for the delivery of the final design.


Budget and Fee Structure

Following the initial consultation, we will discuss your budget for the garden before any plans are drawn. The tremendous variety of plants, shrubs, and materials available, as well as the unique requirements of each site will determine much of the cost.

For your reference, our installations have ranged anywhere from $7,000 - $40,000.

Design Presentation and Deposits:

We schedule preliminary design sessions in the order in which we receive deposits. We require half down, with the balance being due on the day that the final design is presented. We charge $500 to design each garden room (ex: front, side, or back yard). The design is provided in two weeks, in pencil and on graph paper. It is not three-dimensional.






Do you love the idea of having a Proper Garden designed for you, but live too far away to enjoy the full experience? Well you're in luck – we now offer our garden design services completely off-site when we aren't digging here in Pennsylvania! That's during the sizzling summer months of July and August, and then when we're blanketed in snow November through February.

» A Proper Garden design can also be commissioned as a beautiful, thoughtful and unique gift for any occasion!

Here's how it works:

Complete our brief questionnaire and send us at least 2 photos – one of your home, and one of an area you'd like to adorn. Then we'll send your customized Proper Garden design kit! (Please allow 30 days upon receipt of your order.) You can email us your photos or send them to this address:

Proper Gardens
119 Robin Trail
New Brighton, PA 15066

Here's what you will get:

» An overhead view in colored pencil on graph paper that shows the structure of your design

» A full-color, realistic, 3-dimensional finished drawing of what your garden will look like (We suggest
framing and hanging your drawing for a beautiful keepsake!)

» A complete list of all materials you will need to make your Proper Garden come alive

Whether you plan to provide the design to a local installer or the do the work yourself, you'll be halfway to some fabulous and customized Proper "Lawn Jewelry!"

Note: We specialize in relating gardens to the period of your house. If you would like to overrule us (for example, you live in a Cape Cod house but desire a Victorian garden) - please say so!

Click here for the questionnaire to get started!


Cost: $600 per area – (for example: side yard, front yard, or back yard.)
Payment can be made by credit card via Paypal, below:

Do you ever wish you could return home after a long day to find your house decked out for the season?

Let us spoil you by adorning your entryways, doors, windowboxes, urns, and other containers. The arrival of Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter is reason enough to celebrate – and sometimes you just need a little "bling!" We'll even come inside and adorn your stairways and mantles if you wish!

You can sign up for one season or all four; we'll meet with you to see how we can serve you best.

At the moment, we provide this service only to current and past clients of our design and installation service. If we receive enough requests we may expand the service to include others. If you would like us to notify you in that event, please contact us with your name and address.