news from the garden

Ideas for Growing your Garden

Summer 2015

ITS ALL IN THE PLANS

Every day the media tells us that we can
be plumbers, electricians, carpenters and
landscapers if we have the right tools and
materials to do the work. We expect to
be able to do projects easily and
professionally. Most of us at some point
will attempt a DIY project: fix a leaky
faucet; install a ceiling fan; add a deck
to our house. How hard can it be?
Somehow, we have learned to expect to
have these skills naturally. A week and
several trips to buy supplies later, you
decide to call a professional
for help.
Landscaping is no different than other
professions: Just because you have a
lawn mower doesnt mean you have a
beautiful lawn; just because you have
a shovel, you may not have a beautiful
garden, though these are both tools of the trade. If you are a
dedicated gardener, you have likely had many successes with
plants and are knowledgeable about landscapes. If you are a
Spring Weekend Warrior, you have likely had some frustrating
and expensive gardening and landscape experiences. Most
people fall somewhere between the landscape extremes.

envision a water feature? How can your yard be more private

without building a big fence? What style do you prefer; for
example, formal, naturalistic, or in between? What colors,
favorite plants, or type of plants would you prefer? These
questions should be discussed before the designer ever
starts drawing.

Start with a Landscape Design

Next Step is a Written Proposal

When we begin to work with a new customer, we recommend

starting with a landscape design, which may vary in scope from
a master site plan to a small perennial garden.
A landscape design is a road map to define and communicate
concepts, ideas, goals, and details between the designer and
the customer. For example, what is the scope of your project;
have you thought about a budget; how do you want to use
your landscape; do you want a lawn for kids or dogs; do you
entertain or like to spend time outdoors in a shady corner; does
your neighborhood have specific covenants for landscapes?
Then there are the inevitable drainage and erosion problems
to solve. Do you need irrigation, want outdoor lighting, or

The answers to these and other questions lead to a written

proposal which will establish a set price for producing a
design. Once the price is agreed upon, the second phase of
the design process begins.
We begin by developing a
scaled base map to show
all the existing features
and plants. From this, the
designer explores layout,
hardscape and planting
options, and any other
concerns or goals that fit
continued on p.2

w w w. F o c k e l e G a r d e n C o m pa n y. c o m

In this issue:
Speech Center Garden p.2
Honored with Healthcare
Designs Top Award p.3
Residential Landscape
Management Award p.4

continued from p.1

within parameters described in the design proposal. We develop ideas for

solving problems like drainage, erosion, poor soil quality and the like. We
select appropriate plants and hardscape materials. There might be special
features requested. Our designers rely on many years of experience to
evaluate the site conditions and possibilities, develop solutions to problems,
and generally identify ways to reach the customers goals.

Northeast Georgia
Speech Center Sensory
Garden Built to
Stimulate Five Senses

The designer then presents the rendered landscape plan point by point,
including photos of the plants and illustrations of the garden elements.
Solutions are presented for any problems that need to be corrected, and
the overall budget is discussed. We also detail appropriate phasing of
installation based on logistics, timing, and budget.

Taking Everything into Account

Designers on our team spend every day working out ways to create
beautiful landscapes -- analyzing the available sunlight, knowing how to
work with perpetually wet or dry areas, protecting plants from winter cold
and wind, locating pathways, steps, a patio, fountain or stream, the fire
ring, a shade structure, an evergreen screen, the vegetable garden, a new
driveway entrance, and many, many other options. We develop the plant
palette for each landscape plan by considering the plants bloom times and
colors, complementary foliage, available space and cultural adaptability;
and we select plants that require a level of care that fits the clients garden
maintenanace goals.
At The Fockele Garden Company, we strive to provide the best ways
to implement your outdoor living dreams and ideas regardless of scale
or budget. Beautiful, carefully planned landscapes are within reach
for everyone.

The Speech Centers sensory garden

has features developed to stimulate the five senses.

The Fockele Garden Company designed and built

a sensory garden at the Northeast Georgia Speech
Center in Gainesville with features developed to
stimulate the five senses: sound, smell, sight, touch
and taste.
The sensory garden gives the Speech Center another
way of assisting students with speech and hearing
developmental issues.
Its a way of heightening senses, said Diane Brower,
Northeast Georgia Speech Center director and
speech-language pathologist. Its very popular with
the children. They really enjoy playing in the garden.
The garden features edible plants in child-size
planters, along with sound tubes, a steel drum, a
musical fence and a pebble harp. The idea is to give
the students a variety of sound, smell and touch
options at an accessible size for preschoolers.
Sensory gardens engage you in all elements of
the garden, says Julie Evans, The Fockele Garden
Company co-owner. Students can feel plants with
different textures, see bright colors, and smell the
herbs and flowers. The sound tubes, steel drum,
pebble harp, and fountain add sound elements to
the garden.
The Northeast Georgia Speech Center opened
in 1970 to provide speech, language and hearing
services for those with communication disabilities.
The focus since the early 1990s has been working
with preschoolers to prepare them to be successful in
the school environment.

THE FOCKELE GARDEN COMPANY HONORED

WITH HEALTHCARE DESIGNS TOP AWARD
Healthcare Design magazine has honored The Fockele Garden Company with its 2014 Landscape for
Healthcare Communities Gold Award. The award is the magazines highest honor, and The Fockele Garden
Company was the only company to receive the award.
The Fockele Garden Company was recognized for its work on four therapeutic gardens at Northeast Georgia
Medical Center Gainesville. Since 2009, Fockele has built Annes Garden, the Wilheit-Keys Peace Garden,
Nells Prayer Garden and the Pope Family Garden. All were totally funded through signature gifts to The Medical
Center Foundation.
The four gardens are part of the hospitals vision for developing outdoor therapeutic spaces. Annes Garden,
the Wilheit-Keys Peace Garden and Nells Prayer Garden are all located adjacent to the North Patient Tower
and their connectivity allows patients, their families, visitors and staff to meander
from one garden to the next. The Pope Family Garden is an interior garden in the
South Patient Tower and is accessed through the Women and Childrens Pavilion.
Experiencing a garden environment is shown to reduce stress, and the gardens
at the medical center were designed with patients, their families, and staff in
mind to provide a respite from the daily stress often experienced in a hospital,
says The Fockele Garden Company co-owner Julie Evans, who designed the
gardens along with co-owner Mark Fockele. We enjoyed our collaboration
with Northeast Georgia Medical Center and The Medical Center Foundation
in the creation of these beautiful gardens.
Jurors noted several aspects of the gardens in the award, including textural
variety and year-round color and the number of plants used throughout,
including 80 varieties in the Wilheit-Keys Peace Garden and 60 varieties
in Annes Garden. Nells Prayer Garden
Annes Garden was the first
even includes a donors heirloom
garden designed and built at the
climbing rose that was handed down
Northeast Georgia Medical Center
through multiple generations and an oldby The Fockele Garden Company.
fashioned blue mophead hydrangea.
Each garden promotes health, healing and
wellness. The gardens are fully accessible
and offer many benches and chairs where
people can rest and relax while enjoying
the beautiful sights and sounds of nature.
The Fockele Garden Company completed
the conceptual designs for Annes Garden
and The Pope Family Garden, as well as
the planting designs and detailed plans for
all four gardens on the campus.
The conceptual designs for Nells Prayer
Garden and the Wilheit-Keys Peace
Garden were developed by HGOR
in Atlanta.

The four gardens are part of the

hospitals vision for developing
outdoor therapeutic spaces.

Fockele Earns Gr and

Award for Residential
Landscape Management
The National Association of Landscape
Professionals awarded The Fockele Garden
Company the Grand Award in its 2014 National
Landscape Awards of Excellence program.
The Fockele Garden Company earned the
prestigious award in the Residential Landscape
Management Category for its work at a home
in the Pointe West neighborhood on Lake
Lanier in Gainesville, Georgia. The Fockele
Garden Company has managed all aspects of
the familys landscape since 2012. The panel
of judges critiqued the property as Perfectly
maintained. Intense scope of work, complex.
Not a stray leaf in sight.
PLANETs awards
program is
designed to bring
national attention
to landscape
and lawn care
professionals who
execute superior
projects. PLANET strives to increase public
awareness of environmental improvement
through contracted services and encourages
the consistent use of quality materials and
workmanship.

Left: Most of the color that we provide is perennial and based on

foliage color and texture, and bloom time.
Top: We group plant according to their water needs and set up
the irrigation system zones to meet those needs.
Bottom: When working along the lake, we follow the Corps of
Engineerings shoreline rules. We are protecting water quality by
reducing the size of adjacent lawn and adding hardy shrubs and
perennials. This allows for reduced water use.

Owners : Mark Fockele and Julie Evans

Year Founded : 1990 | Employees : 42
Business Breakdown : 60% design/build, 40% maintenance
Customer Breakdown : Mix of residential and commercial

P.O. Box 671 | Gainesville, GA 30503 | p: 770.532.7117 | f: 770.532.7245 | www.FockeleGardenCompany.com