Sweetfern Gardening

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Harwich, MA
Sweetfern Gardening

Sweetfern Gardening is a small company based on Cape Cod offering ecological fine gardening maintenance, design, and installation services.

09/17/2026

First post in many moons ✨ easing(?) out of a busy spring and summer. Thanks to my amazing clients and crew, feeling lucky that I get to share this adventure with you all.

01/01/2026

So grateful to do what I love!
Thank you to my clients and coworkers for making it possible 🤍 happy hibernating and see you out there in a few long weeks… ✨

11/21/2025

There’s not a lot more one can ask than to spend work days (which really make up so many of our days) with nice people.
Very grateful for these 3 for being hard working, easy going, and laughing a lot (among other great qualities) through my first full season, first season with payroll, etc etc.

…And how bout those ferns?! 😮‍💨

11/01/2025

A month ago we hit the 2 year mark for this planting. We haven’t touched it for replacement or pruning or mulching or spring or fall cleanup. Just weeding (there’s a porcelainberry fiesta in the woods behind it unfortunately).

It gets ignored (in the best way) but sometimes the breeze is just right or the light is so pretty filtered through the black cherry tree above it it’ll stop you in your tracks.

10/24/2025

Pine Ridge Garden - Chatham, MA

I was asked for a pollinator garden here - I had a hard time letting go of the scrubby Cape Cod vibe of the bayberry, pine duff and patchy sedge (Carex pen.) that was already on site and was pretty stuck on how to go about tackling this. I did a soil test, drew some bad sketches, and talked to some talented folks to come up with the solution.

We gave it a split personality - shrubby palette on the right, dry creek in between, and colorful perennial garden on the driveway side. We replanted almost all of the Carex, moved the Bayberry, and saved the pine duff to mulch with. We also saved the Asclepias and Anaphalis that were already here and built the plant list from there.

I think when the pine duff fades a bit and the plants fill in, it’s going to be really special.

I worked with the nicest people through this little project. Just the deepest thanks to these amazing clients who treated us like family and trusted me to go for it. Another huge thank you to Liza () who was so generous with her time and ideas and is really one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Also thank you to Marissa ( ) for the very helpful brainstorming doodle session, I am such a fan. Final but big thanks to my coworkers who are just the best.

I’m having fun, and thank you for reading this far!

Shrub/tree layer includes: Bayberry, Beach Plum, Juniper, Oakleaf Hydrangea, Clethra, Sumac, Sweetfern, Heptacodium

Perennial layer includes: Little Bluestem ‘HaHa Tonka’, Purple Lovegrass, Butterfly W**d, Pearly Everlasting, Goldenrod, Red Hot Poker, Calamintha, Penstemon, Columbine, Rattlesnake Master, Hayscented Fern

09/17/2025

Shin-boku 2025
Super fortunate to have made it for a second year to practice my pruning skills and spend time with old and new friends 💚
Thanks to Sukiya Living, Shin-Boku and the amazing

07/11/2025

A few weeks ago we went up to .nh / Lost Nation Orchard for their Holistic Orchard Intensive weekend. I came across Michael Phillips’ book years ago when I was tasked with planning and caring for an organic orchard at a private estate. His blend of practical, science-based information with a tiny bit of woo and plenty of humor was right up my alley. We were lucky enough to meet him in person before he passed.

The crux of holistic orcharding, as I understand it, is stewarding a dynamic, diverse, vibrant orchard ecosystem that is resilient and leans heavily on the interconnected nature of plants, soil, and their surroundings (including insects!)

That’s probably the poorest explanation possible - the Holistic Orchard lays it out beautifully, and Mike Biltonen carried on the teachings beautifully.

It’s a privilege to learn from and with other folks who care for plants in a way that respects the ecological integrity of the land.

End word salad 🤣

Thank you Nancy and Gracie for the hospitality, it was a treat.

04/21/2025

Welcoming all applicants from your high school or college kid with no experience to a professional gardener looking for a summer gig. Schedule and frequency flexible, length of season also flexible. Start immediately or asap. Pay DOE, $25-30ish.
Send me a message or reach out using the contact info in my bio!

04/07/2025

Not planning on a public speaking career, but it was fun to share all of the nerdy stuff Liz and I talk about while working with some interested people!
Thank you for having us and for the cute pic ♥️

11/29/2024

Slightly overdue for sharing over here…🥴 waiting for some real before and afters to grow in is my excuse!

Happy fall! I am grateful for many things, including that it’s finally raining again and that it isn’t 75 degrees in the middle of the day. I like my New England seasons!

1. Front door vibes - experimenting with green mulches in my own beds: Carex penn here with Tiarella, thyme, and Prunella. Fothergilla ‘Mt Airy’ showing off as she does.

2. Mini-meadow update… loving it but thinking I’m missing structure. Has to be less than 26”, if anyone has bright ideas, it’s on my winter “to think about” list (which is so long tbh 🫠)

3. Autumn rolling office vibes featuring Panicum and Tricyrtis

4. Shrubs in for a woodland edge restoration - weeds to pollinator and wildlife habitat. Ilex verticillata and Viburnum dentatum here

5. New drought-tolerant, hopefully bunny-proof patio planting - Schizachyrium ‘Carousel’, Calamintha nepeta, Stachys ‘Silver Carpet’, Thymus ‘Pink Chintz’. Started as dead grass, it’s an improvement!

6. Heirloom apple day at the magical with a lovely consulting client

7. First round of planting for this part shade pollinator/woodland bed. Pond to come in the spring, and some amazing before and afters!

8. Always getting distracted by plants buried in mulch. Letting these birch roots breathe finally 😮‍💨

9. Being “that person”, so far so good, thanks to my collaborators for putting up with me (at least to my face!) 🍂🐛🦋🐝🐞

Address

Harwich, MA
02645

Website

http://www.sweetferngardening.com/

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