About Gardener for a Day
Our Focus
Gardener for a Day fills the space between full service landscaping and a lawn care service, providing skilled gardening help for those smaller jobs that can make a big difference to the appearance of your home or business.
Our Services
Any job that can be done with handheld tools is a fit for Gardener for a Day, including refreshing established gardens, special occasion preparation, improving curb appeal in readiness for sale, or creating new garden spaces.
Our Commitment
We take the time to listen and learn about your concerns and preferences before starting to work. We delight in adapting plants and materials you already have to create a fresh new look as well as helping you to select and install new plants appropriate for the available space and your needs.
Service Area
Gardener for a Day serves the greater Chicago metropolitan area. Services can extend to communities further west in Illinois or in southern Wisconsin.
Refreshing an Existing Garden
Do you have an established garden that no longer delights your eyes? Weeds may have gotten the upper hand, shrubs may need shaping, plants may need refreshing or replacement, or you may simply be unhappy with the appearance or the effort required to maintain the space. Gardener for a Day can help with a garden makeover. Typical work includes hand trimming of low trees and shrubs, weed removal, soil amendment, and plant rejuvenation. The scope of work can include incorporating new plants, adding planters or pots, or incorporating other hardscape.
Special Occasion Preparation
Are you hosting a party or welcoming guests and would like to spruce up the appearance of your outdoor space with immediate results? Gardener for a Day can help with a quick-fix makeover. Typical work includes hand trimming of low trees and shrubs, weed removal, general clean-up, and arranging existing planters, pots or hardscape for optimal effect. The scope of work can include filling in gaps with fresh plants, putting down fresh mulch, and refreshing or adding planters and pots with flowers or seasonal arrangements.
Improving Curb Appeal in Readiness for Sale
Little changes can make a big difference to the curb appeal of a home. Gardener for a Day can work with your existing plants and landscape decor to create a tidy and welcoming appearance for potential buyers.
Establishing a New Garden
Is there an area of your outdoor space that you would like transformed? Whether your interest is in starting to grow your own vegetables, creating a natural habitat, or simply beautifying your outdoor space, Gardener for a Day can help with a garden plan and installation.
Meet Amy
Gardener for a Day is owned and operated by Amy Waranauskas. Amy tapped a lifelong love of gardening when she volunteered to transform the grounds surrounding the Second City Canine Rescue adoption center in the Village of Palatine Illinois. This work and the interest and subsequent projects it generated ultimately led Amy to decide to make helping people with their gardens a full time occupation, and Gardener for a Day was born.
What Our Customers Have to Say
From the Executive Director of SCCR
"Amy’s vision and skills transformed an absolute disaster into something magical. We couldn’t be more thrilled with the results."
Customer for Garden Renovation
"Pulling into my driveway and seeing the incredible transformation gives me a little spark of joy every time I see it. She is the most talented and most kind person, and I cannot wait to have her back out to my home."
Customer for Creating a New Native Plant Garden
"Amy turned the extensive list of plants that I wanted into a cohesive yet natural-looking plan for my new native garden bed. Her garden plan help me to visualize all the various colors and growth habits and left me with a detailed reference. Amy is a great communicator, very knowledgeable and skilled, and reliable."
Customer for Garden Renovation
"I love how Amy put everything together. It is so beautiful and joyful ... it's perfect. I can't wait to have it greet me again in the morning."
Customer for Garden Renovation
"I walked around our yard with our dog the evening after Amy had worked at our home. The simplicity of the renovated gardens makes me feel relaxed and peaceful. I am so grateful to Gardener for a Day."
Customer for Native Garden Weeding
"My garden looked amazing after Amy spent the day weeding and cleaning it up."
Customer for Garden Consultation
"The detailed and thorough information and suggestions Amy provided will help me get my garden to where I want it to be."
Customer for Garden Renovation
"Observing how Amy interacted with my garden gave me confidence in her skills and expertise."