VANCE GARDENS

Vance Gardens does everything from standard garden maintenance to creative design to sustainable solutions for common garden problems. I love to support native pollinators and specialize in replacing high-maintenance, water, and labor-intensive turfgrass with low-to-no-maintenance wildflower meadows. I aim to create outdoor spaces my clients will love to be in, and start every project with the hope that I work myself out of the job.

If you've never gardened before and need a helping hand to get started, want someone to get you from concept to execution, or need regular maintenance, you are in the right place!

A wildflower meadow with orange and yellow flowers in bloom.

A young white person holding a head of lettuce and smiling in a farm field.

Meet Felix!

Since the summer of 2020, I've had the joy of working with a range of clients to create their dream gardens. I'm especially passionate about New England's native ecology and providing gardening services that are affordable to folks on a budget - for more info about my sliding scale please reach out!

I'm a Certified Invasive Manager, have my RI State Pesticide License, and am fully insured. Vance Gardens is also a certified LGBT business enterprise and a certified Disability-Owned business.

Get in Touch

Have a project?

I'd love help!

Please find below some core examples of the type of work I do - if your job involves something more, don't hesitate to ask. If I don't have the expertise, I will do my best to refer you to someone who does.

A brick path next to several shrubs planted around a lamppost.

MAINTENANCE
SERVICES

Maintenance work includes weeding, pruning, deadheading, invasive plant removal, watering, and soil amendments - anything to keep your garden looking beautiful!

A native wildflower garden with a brick border in front of a red house.

DESIGN AND
INSTALLATION

Let's start from scratch! My knowledge of native plants, organic materials, and sustainable urban agriculture can help you establish a new flower bed, vegetable garden, fairy garden, or combination of the above!

A custom archway made out of pruned cedar branches in front of several evergreen shrubs.

CUSTOM ARCHES
AND MORE

From creating one-of-a-kind natural archways and trellises to re-building those classic New England stone walls, I will bring those final touches that help any outdoor space feel finished, polished, and ready to be enjoyed.

LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION?

Here are a few of my favorite project types:

MEADOWS

Meadows are some of my favorite projects - they're low maintenance, provide habitat for pollinators, and act as carbon sinks. What's not to love?

A wildflower meadow in front of a wooden fence - a large sunflower is blooming, surrounded by orange and pink cosmos.

Invasive vines spreading horizontally from the base of a wisteria plant.

INVASIVE REMOVAL

Across Rhode Island, invasive plants pose an existential threat to our ecosystem. I find them at almost every property, and make it a point to remove them. If allowed to grow, invasives inevitably spread, kill native plants, and can even topple established trees.

GARDEN PATHS

I love designing gardens that you can be in, not just look at. Paths help guide the eye across a yard, make outdoor social areas accessible, and (when made of permeable materials like gravel or brick) increase drainage.

A view of a slate and mulch path through a grass meadow.

A shady rain garden featuring ferns, hostas, and summersweet surrounded by a stone border.

RAIN GARDENS

For yards with difficult drainage, rain gardens are a wonderful way to catch, direct, and absorb rainwater. I've designed rain gardens for sun, shade, and everything in between.

Testimonials

"My daughter is a new homeowner of two years and was overwhelmed with the amount of maintenance required by the previous owner's shrubs, multiple flower beds, pond area, and the lack of cohesiveness of planning and design of her yard. She tasked me with helping to find a landscaper to fix the problem areas. We were both so happy to find Vance Gardens. Right from the very first meeting, Felix listened to our concerns and had ideas on how to relocate plants to areas that made more sense and group plants together to create a more aesthetically appealing and neater appearance that my daughter wanted, while adding a few new plants here and there. Felix also removed invasive species or overgrown/old shrubs and mulched all the beds and around the pond area. My daughter is so happy with the work that Felix has done and the ongoing maintenance (weeding/watering) that they continue to provide. We highly recommend Vance Gardens."

Darlene, Rumford

Sliding Scale and Accessibility

Everyone deserves a beautiful garden. If you're a senior, on a fixed income, or otherwise working with a limited budget, please let me know so we can discuss sliding scale options. I also offer payment plans for folks who could benefit from splitting up the cost of a project over several months.

Get in touch!

A Note on Invasive Plants
and Herbicides

I came to the green industry with a background in organic farming and urban gardens, so I had never really handled invasive plants. Once I started working on properties across Rhode Island, I started to understand the scope of the problem, and the massive harm invasives do to our native ecosystem.

At first, I relied exclusively on physically removing all parts of the invasive plants - a labor- and time-intensive process that can be expensive. Then, when getting certified to become an Invasive Manager, I was introduced to targeted herbicides, which can be an excellent tool for managing invasives in certain situations. I was also taught several application methods that minimize risk to non-target plants, local wildlife, and pollinator populations.

Before using any herbicide, I discuss specific application methods and provide fact sheets so my clients understand the benefits and risks associated with any chemicals applied on their property. Ultimately, whether or not we use herbicides is up to the client - and I aim to provide them with resources so they can make an informed decision. If you have questions or concerns about how to manage invasive plants on your property, let's talk.