There is a kind of garden that never shouts. The edges are crisp, the colors arrive on schedule, the weeds simply never get a foothold. That is the garden we keep.
I am Amy Bales. Since 2004, my crew and I have cared for perennial and shrub beds across the Denver metro — a seasonal practice, March through November, built on showing up when we say we will and treating your yard like it is our own.
I am a Certified Colorado Gardener through Colorado State University's Master Gardener Program. I design the way I write poetry: color, layer, rhythm — painting with plants.
My husband Clint and I moved to Denver from Kansas in 2000. After several years managing a local residential design/build landscaping firm, I decided to pursue a long-held dream of self-employment. A friend and former coworker asked me to care for a few of his landscape design clients' gardens — and Bales Custom Gardening Services grew from there, officially, in 2004.
The early years were literally back-breaking: hauling tools to gardens across the metro from a third-floor condo, alternating with a second business selling handmade wares at vintage flea markets. Landscaping won. Clint joined me full-time in 2006, and today we employ an experienced team of garden professionals who share our love of plants and the great Colorado outdoors.
What sets us apart, clients tell us, is not just plant knowledge — though the Zone 5 expertise runs deep — it is the service. Word has it a typical client relationship lasts about seven years, and a majority of our original hand-selected clients still have us tending their gardens. Personal referrals have always carried us further than any advertising ever did.
02 — THE WORK
Five disciplines, one obsession: the bed.
01
Perennial & shrub bed care
Routine maintenance through the season: deadheading, dividing, hand weeding, edging. We learn each bed's personality — what thrives, what sulks — and adjust care to the plants, not the calendar.
SEASON MAR — NOV
02
Zone 5 plantings
New perennial and shrub installations designed for Colorado's realities — freeze-thaw springs, intense sun, clay soil — composed in layered color from first crocus to last aster.
DESIGN + INSTALL
03
Veggie gardens & food crops
Plans, installs, and organic management of food gardens: raised beds, succession planting timed to Denver's short season, weekly tending. You bring the harvest basket.
ORGANIC PRACTICES
04
Spring & fall cleanups
The bookends: spring cutback and wake-up, fall leaf removal, perennial cutbacks, and compost top-dressing so beds sleep well under the snow.
SEASONAL BOOKENDS
05
Mulch, compost & containers
Feeding soil biology with mulch and compost — the quiet work behind every lush bed — plus seasonal container designs. Our containers took first place in Zone 4 Magazine's annual contest.
SOIL FIRST ALWAYS
03 — PRICING
Plain numbers, honestly quoted.
SEASONAL VISITS
One-time & seasonal
Spring bed awakeningCutback, edge, weed pass, mulch
from $220
Fall cleanup & cutbackLeaves, perennials, compost top-dress
from $240
Veggie garden installTwo raised beds, built & planted
from $850
SAMPLE PRICING — FINAL QUOTE AFTER A WALK-THROUGH
ONGOING CARE
Through the season
Monthly bed careOne visit monthly, March–November
from $160/mo
Biweekly bed careFor larger or faster-growing gardens
from $280/mo
Food crop managementWeekly tending through harvest
from $200/mo
SAMPLE PRICING — FINAL QUOTE AFTER A WALK-THROUGH
04 — RECOGNITION
Noted, quietly.
2008
Excellence in Landscape — Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado
For cutting-edge use of mixed colors at the Nelsen Residence, Cherry Creek North.
2010
First Place — Zone 4 Magazine Annual Container Contest
Seasonal container design, judged on composition and plant health.
2012
Excellence in Landscape — Associated Landscape Contractors of Colorado
For use of color at the Klein Residence, Centennial.
ONGOING
Denver print publications
Garden designs featured in several Denver publications over the years.
05 — THE YEAR
March to November, as it happens.
MARCH — APRIL
The thaw
Spring cleanups: cut back winter growth, clear leaves, re-cut edges, divide crowded perennials, compost top-dress, first mulch. Veggie plans drawn and raised beds built.
MAY — JUNE
Composition
New Zone 5 plantings go in, layered for color from spring bulbs to fall asters. Containers planted for porches and patios.
JULY — AUGUST
The long middle
Deadheading, hand weeding, shrub shaping, irrigation watch. Food crops trellised and succession-sown weekly.
SEPTEMBER
Harvest
The payoff month: harvest baskets, second bloom, and notes on what each bed wants next spring.
OCTOBER — NOVEMBER
The cutback
Fall cleanups, perennial cutbacks, compost top-dressing, winter protection. Beds put properly to rest until March.
06 — QUESTIONS
Asked often.
Which parts of Denver do you serve?
The Denver metro area. We have adjusted our service area over the years as the metro has grown — ask about your neighborhood and we will give you a straight answer.
Do you design new gardens or only maintain them?
Both. Maintenance is our core, but we design and install Zone 5 perennial and shrub plantings, veggie gardens, and seasonal containers.
How do we communicate during the season?
In-person walk-throughs, phone calls, texts, or email — whatever you are most comfortable with.
Are your methods organic?
Food crops are managed organically, and we favor compost, mulch, and hand work over chemicals everywhere.
What does it cost?
Every garden is different, so final quotes follow a walk-through. The sample prices above are honest starting points.
Move your cursor. Leave petals.
A SMALL GARDEN, FOR YOUR MOUSE — NO PLANTS WERE HARMED
07 — SAY HELLO
Your garden, tended.
Every project starts with a walk-through: we look at every bed together and talk about what you want it to be. Then a written scope in plain language — what, when, and what it costs. No pressure, no jargon. Just gardeners who show up.
