In Conversation with...Grow For Me Gardening

How did your journey as a gardening duo begin, and what first drew you both into gardening as a shared creative path? 

Our gardening journey began when we built our home in 2018. Neither of us had gardened before, but we knew the landscaping package that came with our house was terrible. We headed to a local garden center for advice, and the spark was lit. Over the years, we’ve become passionate about all things gardening.

What inspired you to start documenting and sharing your gardening knowledge with a wider audience? 

Originally, we began sharing pictures of our garden as a digital journal. Over time, interest grew, and we found ourselves connecting with other gardeners and plant brands. From there, it naturally evolved into something much bigger.

Looking back, how has your approach to gardening and content creation evolved since you first started working together?

This entire journey has been organic, and we’ve always been gardeners first and content creators second. What’s changed over time is how fearless we’ve become in the garden. Being willing to make bigger pruning cuts, plant larger drifts, and create bigger beds has made gardening much more fun and rewarding.

How does the climate and gardening style of Upstate New York shape the way you incorporate structural elements like Agriframes obelisks and arches across the seasons?

Although we’re technically in a moderately cold growing zone, our microclimate can vary wildly. We’re located at the top of the Hudson River Valley, surrounded by several mountain ranges, which can lead to strong winds, heavy snow, and very hot summers.

The quality of the Agriframes structures immediately gives us confidence in their durability against those conditions, but just as important to us is how beautiful they are.

Climbing roses, for instance, often die back to the ground during winter, leaving structures exposed, so having something sculptural and beautiful left behind adds a lot of winter interest to the garden.

How do you balance aesthetics with practicality?

Thankfully, our gardening aesthetic lends itself well to that balance.

We call our style “Contemporary Cottage.” Our hardscaping is more modern and geometric, while the planting beds are curved and filled with layered planting. By planting densely, we’re fortunate not to deal with much weed pressure, and using beautiful structures allows us to support plants without sacrificing style.

How are you planning to incorporate the Elegance King Obelisks, Elegance Queen Obelisk and Classic Rose Obelisk into your garden design and planting schemes this season?

Being on just half an acre, we’ve always known vertical gardening would be important if we didn’t want to run out of space. We plan to use the Elegance Queen Obelisk in a large cast stone planter as a focal point, surrounded by shrub roses and flowering vines.

The King Obelisks will be featured throughout the garden supporting clematis and climbing roses. The incredible height of the Classic Rose Obelisk will actually be used to support a large clematis, creating a dramatic vertical moment in the garden.

When planning planting schemes, how do you balance immediate seasonal impact with long-term structure and maturity in the garden?

Our garden relies heavily on shrubs for both structure and flowering impact. We especially love hydrangeas and roses. We also enjoy experimenting with new perennials to build on that foundation and extend seasonal interest. While those plants are still maturing, we fill gaps with colorful annuals and self-seeders like Verbena bonariensis to create fullness while the larger plants establish.

What’s one piece of advice you wish every new gardener knew from the start?

Be fearless. If something isn’t making you happy in the garden, don’t be afraid to change it.