Sometimes home gardeners just want to know what to do and when to do it. They often lack the confidence to do the work themselves, which can be the most fun part of having a garden. As a consultant, I want to inspire gardeners to get back in their gardens. I work side-by-side with clients to teach them gardening skills and maintenance techniques while encouraging and inspiring them to do the work themselves.
From increasing attention to alleviating depression, studies show that being in nature provides many health benefits to children and adults. Gardening offers the extra benefit of giving people a sense of meaning and purpose through the tending of plants. This care provides tangible results: flowers, beauty, food. As the plants grow, so does the person.
I like to approach gardening from the perspective of play. That’s not to say that it’s not a lot of work—it is! But gardening should also be fun. Where else can we channel our inner child and delight in the world of nature—feeling in tune with a different rhythm, one that makes you lose track of time. In a garden, you can shed expectations of perfection and have fun creating a beautiful space to relax, entertain family and friends, and enjoy nature. Let’s get you growing!
Cheryl Capaldo Traylor
Six Seasons Garden Consulting owner
My mission is to help folks create beautiful and sustainable gardens while inspiring a sense of play, curiosity, and wonder. Gardening is not about chasing perfection. Gardening is about enjoying the process of creating spaces that nourish our bodies, lift our spirits, and reconnect us to ourselves, each other, and nature.
My garden philosophy
Beauty
Beauty
I believe gardens should be beautiful, and what is considered beautiful is entirely decided by the gardener.
Sustainability
Sustainability
I believe gardens should be sustainable or at least lean toward it. Achieving sustainability is a process. Each gardener has to decide how best to heal and tend to the earth’s resources.
Fun
Fun
I absolutely believe gardens should be fun! If not, then what’s the point? I want to help you have fun in your garden! I know firsthand from studying Therapeutic Horticulture how a garden can change lives for the better.
Services
Gardening can be confusing—pruning, planting, fertilizing, mulching, winterizing, watering. When to do a certain chore? How to do it? And most importantly why am I doing this? I work side-by-side with clients to teach them gardening skills and maintenance techniques while encouraging and inspiring them to do the work themselves.
I approach gardening from the perspective of play. Where else can you channel your inner child and delight in the world of nature, tuning in to different rhythms that allow you to lose track of time? Gardens provide a place for adults to shed expectations of perfection and just have fun. Creating a beautiful space where you can relax, entertain family and friends, and enjoy nature are bonus benefits. Click below to see what types of services I offer and then let me know what you need to get growing!
Experience
As a garden consultant, I bring a passion bordering on obsession for gardening and plants as well as extensive hands-on training, knowledge, and formal instruction. I spent 14 years as program manager, head of plant propagation, and gardener at Montrose Gardens, a 61-acre, private historic estate in Hillsborough, N.C. In addition, I served as a Wake County Extension Master Gardener from 2000–2008.
After studying Horticultural Therapy with Sally Haskett at UNC’s Botanical Gardens, I became interested in the power of gardens to heal. It’s no exaggeration to say that gardening is good for the body, mind, and spirit, which is one reason I enjoy puttering in and maintaining my small North Carolina garden. Regardless of its size, every garden can become a place of sanctuary and pleasure. Let me help you create a garden you’ll love spending time in.
Why do I do this?
I love gardening! Being a gardener has enriched my life on so many levels. Like everyone else, I live with stress, loss, and uncertainty—especially in these disorienting times. My garden provides healing—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—and keeps me grounded. I want to share what I’ve learned in my 25-plus years as a professional and home gardener, in hopes that you, too, will find joy, health, and peace in your garden. I want to give you permission to play!
