Interview With Yardlift’s Janet Pace

Living in SoCal we have the luxury of year-round sunshine to help make our gardens grow, but transforming  or updating an outdoor space into something truly special can often require the help of a professional.

Janet Pace knows all about the challenges homeowners face in keeping their gardens and outdoor space looking attractive. In order to turn her passion into a business, Pace, a longtime lover of outdoor environments, started Yardlift to help bring her clients’ visions to life.

Pace was kind enough to take some time out of her busy schedule and offer some tips:

Take Sunset: What do you like most about what you do?

Janet Pace: I love to create outdoor living spaces to mimic the indoors. By doing this you are giving you client a chance double their entertainment areas.

TS: What are your favorite types of projects to work on?

JP: I have become a huge fan of the “Drought tolerant” plantings they have such depth and texture. I still love my annuals and perennials. Building a garden really has to come from what the client desires to achive.

TS: What tips would you give a new homeowner looking to upgrade their outdoor space with a small budget?

JP: Clean it up! Take away all dead or over grown plantings. If you haven’t sat on it, enjoyed it or used it in the last year then it goes. This way you can go in and do a quick planting and mulch and you have a brand new yard. I use this on all my sites it gives the “lift” you need.

TS: What makes a great outdoor space?

JP: Meeting with my client is really important. I need to get inside their vision so I can help create it. Do they like to entertain or just hang out on their own? Do they have children? It all has to be taken in and then I can create anything from an English garden to a Zen feeling of tranquil refuge.

TS: What types of plants do you most like working with?

JP: I love Palms, Variegated Flax, Kangaroo Paw, all grasses (love Zebra grass) Annuals and perennials. Again it is driven by what the client wants.

TS: What are some quick and easy things someone who is selling their home can do to spruce up their outdoor space before it hits the market?

JP: If a home is going on the market an easy fix I use is close to what I mentioned above: clean it up! Take out the dying and unwanted plants and furniture. It needs to be the “welcome mat” to the new home owner. I really feel you should stage the outdoors before the indoors. Empty out any pots and plant some succulents – they require very little water and will stay nice. Update any old light fixtures and things you don’t use. Rent a big dumpster and have fun with it.

You can see more of Janet’s work that she’s done on a number of bettershelter homes here.

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