Keep the woods.

Garden direction for spaces that grow - but still do not feel resolved.

Build the garden.

Anna's wooded property before garden work began

Not every shade plant is made for this.

You probably do not need another plant list.

Maybe the plants grow, but the bed still feels sparse or unfinished. Beneath mature trees, roots compete for moisture and space. Another nursery trip rarely solves what is really missing: a clear direction for the whole bed.

One space. One clear direction.

Garden Direction Session

60-minute virtual session · $125

A focused consultation for one defined ornamental garden space. I review your photos, measurements, and project information before we meet. During the session, we work through the layout, existing plants, site constraints, and overall direction. Afterward, you receive a concise summary with key recommendations, next steps, and an annotated visual when useful.

Request a session

A focused service

Clear guidance, with clear boundaries.

What the session includes

Overall planting direction and layout ideas
Review of existing plants, site conditions, and priorities
Plant categories and examples where useful
Focal-point, path, and visual-structure ideas
A written summary with recommendations and next steps

What the session does not include

A complete planting layout, exact plant list, quantities, or spacing
Detailed hardscape or construction drawings
Grading, drainage, irrigation, construction, or tree-risk design
Installation, permitting, or contractor supervision
Multiple garden areas or a whole-property master plan

Anna arranging plants for the holly bed project

Replacing failed lawn beneath a mature holly

A complete One-Bed Planting Plan, shown through a real project in my Raleigh garden.

Struggling grass in the narrow bed beneath the mature holly before the project — Before - thinning grass beneath the holly

The newly planted ornamental bed beneath the mature holly — After planting - a layered bed designed to mature

Designed around the site, not against it.

Dense evergreen shade, root competition, and compacted dry clay made lawn the wrong answer - and shaped every plant choice.

Video preview: This looks like a simple shade bed. It isn’t.

8:26 See the complete project and video

Tell me about your garden Browse real garden projects

After the session

Your Garden Direction Summary

The featured project above shows one complete planting-plan outcome. After a Garden Direction Session, your summary is more concise: I gather the site conditions, overall direction, and next priorities into one clear document you can return to as the garden changes.

Garden Studio by Anna Baranova

Garden Direction Summary

Holly path bed
Raleigh, NC

The struggling grass beneath the mature holly before the planting project

Site reading

Replace failed lawn with a layered shade bed

01 Dense evergreen holly canopy.

02 Root competition from surrounding trees.

03 Compacted clay soil beside the path.

Direction summary

What stays, what changes, the planting roles the bed needs, and the next priorities for moving the space forward.

A designer who chose the woods.

My husband and I spent two years traveling across the U.S. before settling on a wooded acre near Raleigh. We wanted the trees and the quiet. I also wanted flowers, structure, seasonal interest, and a garden that felt intentional.

Most of our acre sits beneath mature trees. I have spent the last two years slowly turning it into a garden - trying things, moving plants, losing some, and noticing what makes a space finally come together. I am a product designer, so I naturally look for the pattern: what belongs, what is missing, and what will make the whole garden feel right.

Garden Studio is a personal garden-guidance service offered by Anna Baranova.

More about my garden

Before you send your space.

Yes, when the main need is structure, placement, and overall direction. My deepest plant and growing-condition experience is in the Raleigh area and the southeastern United States. Exact planting plans outside familiar regions are accepted selectively.

The session gives you the overall direction, priorities, and practical next steps for one space. It may include plant categories and examples, but not a complete implementation plan. The separate One-Bed Planting Plan adds the exact plant selections, quantities, spacing, and planting layout needed to implement that direction.

For the first inquiry, only a short description of the area. If the project appears to fit, you will accept the Service Agreement and pay for the session, then complete the detailed intake with clear photos and approximate measurements. Once all required fields are submitted, you may immediately choose an appointment at least two days (48 hours) later.

Tell me what you want to change.

Start with a short description. No photos or long questionnaire yet. If the project is a fit, you’ll receive the agreement and payment link, then complete the detailed intake before scheduling.

Name * Email * Location * Tell me about the garden area and what you want to change * Approximate size (optional) How did you find me? (optional) I agree that BloomMap may use these details to review my project and reply to this inquiry. *

After I approve your initial inquiry, you will accept the Garden Studio Service Agreement and pay $125 through Stripe. You will then complete the detailed intake. Once all required fields are submitted, you may immediately choose an available appointment at least two days (48 hours) later.

Project information and photographs remain private. I will never publish a client's property or use it in BloomMap content without separate permission. Read the Privacy Policy.

Optional next step

If you want to take it further

After the Garden Direction Session, I can turn the direction we discussed into a complete planting plan for the same garden area.

Complete planting plan - $375 total

Your $125 session is credited, leaving $250 after the session.

Exact plants + quantities · Layout + spacing

One revision · First-year care

You don’t need to decide before the session.