About

Summers Gardening is me, Rachel Summers. I am dedicated to providing top-quality gardening solutions in and around Lexington, MA, bringing my plant knowledge, gardening enthusiasm, ecosystem concern, and design sense to your home garden. 

I am available to provide you with a range of simple "garden spa" services, or can work with you on more personalized projects. My work ranges from  simply providing an extra pair of plant-savvy hands for a few hours,  till I get through a to-do list,  or I can take the reigns on design and installation of a garden space. I'm also happy to plant anything you purchase, use existing plants, or go plant shopping for you. 

I have been gardening since I was a kid, starting with a bed of radishes at the end of my parents driveway, moving on to try and memorize my mom's wildflower field guides. I was the only college student I knew with a vegetable garden. I have since moved on to take more interest in flowers, functional landcape design, native plantings for ecosystem support, and a permaculture- based zero-waste ethos. That said, I still value the tidy look of a well-pruned foundation planting. 

Over the years I have tried a lot of things.  Some worked, some didn't, and from each success and failure I took away a little bit more knowledge. I have not yet pursued any horticultural certifications, but I do bring a lot of physical strength, energy and efficiency to each job site, along with a lot of plant knowldege. That said, I'm always looking to learn more, so it's entirely likely that you will hear me listening to an audiobook or podcast about soil biology while I work at your garden. I'm a huge fan and advocate for the work of Dr. Doug Tallamy, who tells us: "In the past, we have asked one thing of our gardens: that they be pretty. Now they have to support life, sequester carbon, feed pollinators and manage water." And I'd like to help with that call to action. 

As much as I love plants, being outside, getting dirt under my nails (ok, maybe not so much on that last one), meeting the owners of the gardens I work in has been such a joy! I love learning how you currently use and think about your garden space, and seeing how I can build on that. 

- Rachel

The photos below are of my home garden. It has been a long-term lawn-to-foodscape project brought on by pandemic restlessness and a major home renovation. It has been a lot of work to get established, yes, but it is designed to largely take care of itself over time. The pictures show September 2024, 1 year after a blank-slate post construction wasteland, a couple interim views and the empty lawn that was here prior to the constuction mess. I typically take on much smaller projects for my clients, but I'm always happy to share what I've been trying and learning here. More photos, rants, tips, etc from my personal gardening endearvors can be found here.