our happy client gardens

"Amy listened to our musings of the kind of garden we wanted, offered suggestions, and continued to listen to our gardening visions as it evolved over those first few weeks, thanks to her savvy input. And beyond leading us in planning our gardens, collecting plants, and putting them in the ground per a wonderfully organic aesthetic, Amy has been a welcome, ongoing, hands-on mentor to us as we are learning to care for them. Our gardens have thrived through their first summer, and we can hardly wait for them to mature and root themselves more deeply during the coming seasons."

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"Amy Handler is more than a gardener.  She's an artist who works with dirt, space, and flora to create a unique experience of place specially suited for the yard space she is working on.  I manage a number of rental properties in the City of Portland, and Amy has applied her keen eye and unmatched talents to vastly different yard spaces and has brought out not only the beauty of the space but the potential.  Whether doing carefully planned bed work or creating a vision for an arbor, patio, and community space, Amy brings creativity, insight, and joy to the spaces she designs, creates, and tends."

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"Loved working with The Secret Gardener. Amy and team bring their whole selves to the work and it shows. Great listener, strong communicator, collaborative, and puts great care into the process as much as the beautiful final outcome. Recommend!"

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"I don’t even know where to begin with Amy and her creative magic. I first reached out to her after admiring a yard she designed in our neighborhood. I’ve always enjoyed working in my own yard—planting and tinkering—but it never really came together. It always felt disjointed and without the flow I was hoping for. I also wanted to remove my grass, which sucked up water like crazy. Amy not only solved that problem but also pulled everything together beautifully—plants, materials, hardscape—into a cohesive design that finally brought my yard to life. I couldn’t be happier with the finished result!"

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"We have been working with Amy since she started her business and are so glad we have been. We love the way Amy gets to know both us and the land and invites the land to speak through her creative process. She continues to use her unique perspective to look at our yard in new and sustainable ways- repurposing what isn’t working to enhance what is. Thanks to Amy we finally feel at home in our garden.”

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"Amy is simply the best. She expertly and patiently guided us through the process of making our garden and yard a year-round, vibrant, inviting part of our home that we enjoy daily. The varied plants and flowers she has selected and nurtured offer a dynamic range of colors and shapes that lend a kaleidoscopic beauty for which we’re grateful. Amy is a joy to work with and we highly recommend her!"

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"After spending time listening as my therapist/garden professional, Amy came up with a brilliant plan for my garden. I have a notoriously ‘black thumb’ and an even ornerier disposition regarding garden work. I made due with a wall of juniper in my front lawn for an embarrassingly long time. Amy saw what I couldn’t and encouraged us to rip out the unsightly mass of shrubbery. She was careful in the selection of low maintenance plants that were funky and reflected my style. With Amy’s hard work, efficiency and professionalism, the end result came together effortlessly and I now have a garden that I can manage very easily. I’m so grateful for Amy’s vision!"

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"We had an amazing experience working with Amy and her team. While honoring the original design of our front and back yards from five years ago, Amy added the perfect amount of whimsy and playfulness to her gentle redesign of our yard. She is a great communicator, checking in regularly and making suggestions based on her observations and intuition. She did a very thoughtful edit of our space and pulled everything together beautifully. We get so many compliments from our neighbors and friends. I can't say enough positive things about working with Amy. She has a true love and passion for plants, space and design- and that love is immediately evident in our redesigned yard. "

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"It has been a pleasure to work with Amy on our roof deck project. She took care of all aspects of planting and maintenance, including getting the drip system updated. We knew this was in good hands with Amy—plus, she's a genuinely nice person!"

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"After years of fiddling with our garden, Amy has come to the rescue. Her fresh eyes and a vast knowledge of plants plus her ability to listen, make her a standout. In two growing seasons, she has transformed our humdrum landscaping from ordinary to pedestrian stopping. In short, she knows her stuff. We are delighted she has helped us be better gardeners, too. She is truly a plant whisperer."

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