About Us

Gardens Are... for down–to–earth gardening

Region – Gardening can sometimes be frustrating. If your beautiful spring blossoms give way to a summer wasteland, if the little plant you put in the front row grows two feet high and dwarfs everything else, or if you just don't know where to begin, Gardens Are… has the answers.

Donald and Patricia Bishop are organic gardeners, and their Marlborough business, Gardens Are..., offers customers a range of services based on pesticide–free practices for flower and vegetable gardens.

“We do consulting, on site–advice, and long–range planning,” Donald said. “And we'll choose, purchase, and install plants if the customer wishes.”

“Once we explain what we do and why, customers often put their gardens in our hands and say ‘Go ahead,’ ” Patricia said.

	Organic gardeners Donald and Patricia Bishop

The Bishops design gardens that meet the individual customer's preferences, using perennials, annuals, vegetables, herbs, and shrubs. Some people want gardens for cut flowers, some want to attract butterflies or birds, and others want all–season color or only color–coordinated or native plants.

Although Gardens Are... doesn't do bulldozing, stonework, or lawn mowing (editors note: Gardens Are... originally did not offer these services but presently does), the Bishops have a wide range of contacts in the garden and landscaping fields to call on for large projects. Landscapers also refer customers to the Bishops for their custom services.

“We know the ecology of plants—the kind of soil needed, the best location, and the space each plant requires to grow to its potential,” Donald said. “We recommend companion plants (plants that complement each other) and work with straight compost.”

The Bishops believe compost is their magic ingredient for healthy plants and lawns and are eager to share their secrets of easy and inexpensive composting at home.

Gardens Are... performs soil tests that are sent to the University of Massachusetts laboratories for analysis. The Bishops then advise customers on how to correct imbalances in the soil to improve the quality.

Gardening in harmony

In addition to sharing a strong interest in organic gardening, both Donald and Patricia have backgrounds in music. They met at the Boston Conservatory of Music where Donald studied trombone and conducting and Patricia studied flute. They played in bands and orchestras until last year when they decided to devote full time to their growing organic gardening business. The couple has four children and is expecting their fifth.

The Bishops are members of the Ecological Landscape Association and the Northeast Organic Farmers Association. Donald has taken garden and environmental courses at Radcliff College and the couple continually adds to their knowledge of plants through state extension service classes and conferences.

“If we don't know the answer to a question, we know where to look and who to contact,” Donald said.

Personal service

“We often share our plants with customers and sometimes they share with us,” according to Donald. “It goes past a business relationship. There's a trust there. I feel that we're more like English garden keepers. We get right down on our hands and knees. We have a personal touch with the gardens and the customers, too. If you enjoy something and can share it with someone, that's really good.”