Our Mission

    The big picture: We want to help you enjoy your garden.  And we want to educate homeowners about the importance of proper pruning.

    The back story:  I started taking gardening classes when I bought an old house that had the usual overgrown landscaping - lilacs, yews, Rose of Sharon and spirea.  I had no idea what to do with them, so I took my first gardening class through a community college.  I enjoyed it so much that I decided to go for a Certificate in Horticulture through what was then the Pittsburgh Garden Center, now part of Phipps Conservatory.  The class that I enjoyed most was pruning, so when I started my own gardening business, I decided to specialize in pruning.

    And when I say we specialize in pruning, I mean that we hand prune shrubs - we rarely use hedge trimmers on anything except boxwood.  So if you're looking for a company to prune azaleas into balls - call somebody else!  However, we do love pruning topiary - creating shapes for a purpose.  So our pruning specialty breaks down into an even smaller niche - topiary and specialty shrubs such as weeping Japanese maples.  These really require an experienced hand, so do call us for those!

    When I started the business, I noticed that most 'landscapers' say they'll do everything - lawn care, retaining walls, patios, garden design, maintenance and more!  But many (not all) of them employ college students who know little about any of these areas.  I decided early on to remain a 'gardener' not a 'landscaper', and to employ people who know and love gardening.

    We've created a niche in our garden maintenance business that stays focused on hand pruning and hand weeding gardens.  Because our customers asked for it, we also provide other gardening services such as edging and mulching.  And because we love stone work, we will also build or re-build dry stone walls. 

    Our business has grown in unexpected ways over the years - click on the links at left to see ways in which we've expanded.

    To learn more about Your Personal Gardeners, click About Us