Perennial Gardener, Brad

Greater Akron Area

Brad

Brad, known as Garden Evolution on Facebook, is an adept perennial gardener who uses the winter to accomplish renovation projects on his historic 1874 home, so he can spend the entire growing season doing whatever his heart desires around the exterior of the property. Well-known around the community for breathing new life into the grounds of an old home, Brad is highly admired for the dramatic and expeditious makeover he and his partner achieved since moving in back in late 2019. Once a working farm, the home was barely visible due to overgrowth. Amazingly, the yard reno was fully accomplished in the year 2020 – with literally thousands of plants installed that same year.

When/How

He Got His Start

Brad first got his start more than 15 years ago, as a teenager growing up in Ravenna. He recalls his home as being very cozy, perhaps woodland cottage style, and how he and his mom would sometimes divide and exchange plants with a close-knit neighbor. Even back then, Brad had an inspired eye and did quick work in the garden. His mom would send him out to weed and do yard chores and one day, something clicked. He started seeing the opportunity for growing plants along a white picket fence. And within 2 years, the front of the house went from boring to bloom-bastic! From there, the art of gardening grew with Brad. At one point several years later into adulthood, he was dubbed the unofficial resident gardener of his apartment complex, always renovating and enhancing the garden beds that surrounded the property, winning landscape awards up to 6 times for his beautification efforts!

why he gardens

Brad wants to create his own sanctuary at his new home that was once a working farm, enjoying all four seasons and the colors and opportunities they bring. He rarely feels like he needs a vacation because he’d rather be home working on his personal sanctuary. He jokes that it’s a sickness, in a way, that’s actually really good for you. “If I’m mad about something, I go out and dig a hole – and just like that, it’s gone. My gardens are the purest therapy”.

challenges & opportunities

With the dream of owning and home, and a historic 1874 property coming onto the market, Brad and his partner, Rob, became homeowners in December 2019. The property was overgrown and only very lightly maintained, offering a unique challenge to a plant lover with a creative vision and a knack for hard labor. But within one year, by the end of December 2020, Brad had fully renovated the property to include dozens of borders of beds and quite literally thousands and thousands of perennials, trees, and shrubs! The front offers a cottage-style look with designed beds full of endless perennials that are pleasing to the eye of passers-by, whereas the back transitions to a meadow woodland feel where plants are landscaped more freely and where anything goes.

As for where Brad wants to go next with his love of gardening, he’s craving some simplicity with fresh greens and white schemes. And he wants to add a functioning greenhouse to the property. And he’s planning a backyard wedding for September for which he imagines plant décor in hues of red, win, and orange. Not to mention his dream of securing a feature in Fine Gardening Magazine. But ultimately, Brad endeavors to help other people who love plants find inspiration and know-how, so they can enjoy the same satisfaction and success that he does. To that end, he shares his experience and engages with peers via his channel Garden Evolution on Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram.

Achieving & maintaining success

Brad is a big believer in using Bio-tone® when installing new plants to best support quick rooting and establishment. He also uses shredded leaves, compost, and composted manure to add organic nutrients back into the soil. His biggest win in recent years? Expecting back in Fall 2019 that he would soon have a home to call his own, he dug, potted, and successfully wintered over about 500 established plants that he later re-planted and successfully re-established on the grounds of his new home in Spring 2020!

advice to new gardeners

Brad: Don’t be like me! There are benefits to going slow! Take time the first year in your new home to study the canvas, assess the light, space, and soil and the seasons change, take notes, find your own style, and just have fun and relax!

why garden?

Brad: I’m creating my own sanctuary. I don’t need a vacation, I’d rather be home enjoying the colors, the seasons, and my plants. There’s just something about plants. They’re really good for your heart.

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