For Managers
This page covers expectations, what being a manager is and everything involved with running your side of the business.
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When chosen to be a manager you have shown or already have sufficient knowledge in landscaping and native plants. Being a manager is more than just showing up, doing a job and going home. It takes dedication and passion. It's incredibly rewarding. You are your own boss, take pride in your work. The only part I (Jim -company owner) have is exchanging checks and facilitating where sub-contractors/workers go. I am a hands off owner, you are in charge of your own work. You may be let go if clients are complaining about the work, work is shotty, work billed but not completed etc. We are all in this together. Treat the company as your own. Do you want to add something to the website? Add it! Want to create signs or advertise? Do so. (keep each advertising expense under 500/month)
This company is about changing the way we landscape as a society. We are going for a more environmentally friendly approach (you already know all this if you've gotten to this point).
Eventually some of the managers may wish to go off on their own. Thats great! Id like to still maintain a profession connection to all former managers. The main goal of this company is to create a guild of environmentally friendly landscapers and gardeners where we can share insights and work together instead of compete. Theres an infinite amount of work out there, especially in New England. The amount of money spent by residents on shitty, subpar landscaping and the amount of companies that do said work is astonishing. The current way landscaping companies go about work around here is incredibly extractive and profit driven with little care for clients after work is completed. Many clients we service got shafted and left with a shit stain we have to clean up. These include under planted, incorrectly planted, landscape fabric, over charged, invasive plants, wrong plants for the wrong place, etc. I've seen projects that I would've charged 1000$ for and client says they paid upwards of 5000!
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DETIALS
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Managers make 50$/hr -more at times
Mangers can register a vehicle under the business, car insurance will still be paid by you but you can write it off on your personal expenses.
Managers get access to a company card, square, venmo etc
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What exactly do you do?
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Heres a bulleted list:
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Consult with new and current Clients about ongoing work and potential work. This includes being creative with ideas about filling in mulch beds with native perennials to removing lawn, installing meadows and removing invasives.
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Answer phone calls from potential clients and schedule consultations.
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Schedule your own work.
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Quote Clients on future work and projects
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Invoice Clients- create invoices for work completed and facilitate payment between you and the client. -I can provide invoice templates but we all have our own ways of doing things.
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Maintain Clients landscapes -removing invasives, keep gardens and landscapes tidy, etc
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Facilitate work between sub-contractors to get work done around properties that you manage
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Brianstorm with me and other managers about projects or properties that you need ideas for. Or to solve problems, gauge pricing etc
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Create a portfolio of work that you have done or completed. Feel free to use my gallery for future consults.
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Engage with the community! Hold library talks, lead plant hikes, talk with garden clubs, etc (see talk at home page, they are easy to do if you are speaking from passion)
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Advertise and spread the word. (I don't do a ton of advertising most of my work is word of mouth or from talks)
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Have Reliable transportation- a truck works best. I started out of my Subaru.
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Pursue and enhance what you can do, during the winter off season take classes, do research, get certifications etc.
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More to be added----------
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Comments by other managers:
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Jim Natale (owner)
next to New England Aster
Fall 2024
Hi! My name is Jim Natale!
I started WilderGardensLLC in 2023. For six years I landscaped for award-winning companies in Watch Hill and on Fishers Island. I also served homeowners, restaurants and businesses.
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My goal in creating this company is to establish a regional native plant garden community, exposing the people to the beauty of our natural world and promoting the stewardship of our natural areas for the benefit of wildlife and mankind.
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My services will provide season long color in the landscape and wildlife viewing opportunities as we bring back the habitat that wildlife depends on. We don't use invasive plants, pesticides or synthetic fertilizers.
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I bring my enthusiastic love for nature to your gardens and landscapes. I'm a naturalist first and foremost and my goal with every property I set foot on is to bring the true beauty of the natural world to your front yard. I share my knowledge freely. Visit the information page to learn more.
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With my work, it's less about profit and more about getting the people exposed to the wonders of our natural landscape. It's to also convince them that traditional ways of landscaping such as expansive lawns and formal gardens should become a thing of the past or greatly reduced. This is mostly due to the extreme habitat loss this has caused. It hurts my soul to see vast neighborhoods of empty lawns and to think what was once there use to be a thriving ecosystem. Millions of acres of former grassland, forest and other habitats have been replaced with essentially useless decoration. Your landscapes should be more than random "pretty" plants that "match" or "accentuate" your house. Around our houses should not only be an extension of our living space but actual living space that supports the world around us. ​
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Service Note 10/23/25:​
Always ready to take on more work. Currently new clients should expect work within 60 days of the proposal/consultation date.
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Services include:
-Pollinator Garden design, installation and maintenance:
Utilizes a mix of native and ornamental plants in dense colorful gardens
-Natural Landscaping:
Transitioning lawns and other areas of the landscape that aren't used often, redundant or hard to maintain, into meadows or forested ecosystems, this practice reduces maintenance and allows things to grow in, this is a wilder look and has higher habitat/ecosystem benefit than lawn, note some non-native plants are allowed to exist such as clovers. I generally try to keep out aggressive pasture grasses, mugwort and other horrible invasives. Over time ill add cool native plants to the mix.
Food forests:
Planting of fruit trees, berry bushes and native herbal plants, note ill maintain this similarly to natural landscaping but with a focus on more edible plants. Note I am not a farmer but i do know a good amount of very prolific native edible plants such as:
Pawpaw, Jerusalem artichoke, blueberry, fruit trees such as apple or pear, blackberry, raspberry, etc.- I can also buy/plant/supply edible plants from wholesalers.
-Stonework:
Installation of meandering paths, patios etc. using natural stone such as slate or field stone.
-Invasive plant removal:
Removal of invasive plants from the property, these plants ruin local ecosystems by out competing and pushing out native plants, these invasive plants provide little to the local ecology and are often times very ugly
Fruit tree maintenance:
Pruning of fruit trees
Hedge Trimming:
Trimming of established hedges and shrubs to desired shape/size.
Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts
Kevin Ormerod
Kevin has taken a literal ‘ground up’ and ‘grassroots’ path to base his native and natural design approach on; graduating in from URI in 2017 with a focus in landscape geology and soil variability, Kevin worked with local and federal resource conservation agencies where he was able to grow his passion and understanding of our delicate and unique ecosystems. He uses his soil science expertise to assess each site’s potential and his years of direct client interactions to design installation and management plans that suit each individual’s needs and capabilities. Planting native reduces watering needs and increases biodiversity; saving money and our sensitive ecosystems which offers endless benefits. Contact Kevin today to learn more about how you can rediscover and enhance Rhode Island’s beauty!
Services include:
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Pollinator and natural landscape design, installation, and maintenance
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Consultation services regarding hard-scaping and storm water abatement
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Wetland delineation and recommendations
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Large scale grassland and meadow restoration specialist
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Woodland and forestry recommendations
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Plant health specialist
Kevin Ormerod smiling after a morning of volunteer glade clearing in CT, 2025.
Now servicing Central Connecticut
Kaleb Remski
After getting a Bacherlors in Environmental Science-Terrestrial Ecology Kaleb pursued many occupations in the field. From working for the government and Climate Change research with UMN Kaleb has a wide range of expertise in Landscape Ecology. With a strong affinity for trees and shrubs he has expanded his love to insects and then perennials.
The North American Continent was blessed with an large variety of plants and insects that have extremely close and historic relationships. Keeping as many ecosystems intact is our aim to keep the diversity that Life depends on. For every homeowner that has some areas dedicated to native plants we can create a contiguous habitat for a variety of endangered and beautiful insects and thus birds. Bringing life back to your yards can change your soundscape and reduce stress, which is important for all of us.
Kaleb Remski, manager of Wilder Gardens Central CT, showing his appreciation of an old growth Thuja occidentalis in Jay Cooke State Park, Minnesota 2011.
Services include:
Pollinator Garden design, installation and maintenance:
Utilizes a mix of native and ornamental plants in dense colorful gardens
Natural Landscaping:
Transitioning lawns and other areas of the landscape that aren't used often, redundant or hard to maintain, into meadows or forested ecosystems, this practice reduces maintenance
Food forests:
Planting of fruit trees, berry bushes and native herbal plants
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Invasive plant removal:
Removal of invasive plants from the property, these plants ruin local ecosytems by out competing and pushing out native plants, these invasive plants provide little to the local ecology and are often times very ugly
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Integrated Pest Management:
Monitor and observe and problems happening with your trees, shrubs, and Perennials. Using my experience and scientific plant health I can recommend and administer treatments that are safe for the landscape and your family.
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Fruit tree maintenance:
Pruning of fruit trees to enhance structure and increase yield.
Hedge Trimming:
Trimming of established hedges and shrubs to shape/size when possible.