HAYWARD — While Garden Diva owner Holly Beenken may be focusing on decorating the inside of her store for an upcoming open house, cooler temperatures and approaching holidays never stop the environmental designer from designing outdoor spaces.

While the time has come and gone for projects to be completed this year, customers can get a head start on their spring projects by doing consultations now and using the time over the winter to design the project, which can then be either installed by the customer or added to the installation list of projects she will work on in March.

Her projects range from custom pots customers can purchase, individualized projects for businesses and homes to large-scale community projects, including the Albert Lea Splash Pad. Most of her work is residential, though.

“Sometimes we may just focus on the front of a home for curb appeal, and then we may work around to the backyard,” Beenken said.

The scope of her work varies as greatly as her clientele, yet she said she enjoys each project.

“I just love each individual project because they are so unique to each homeowner,” she said. “Each one takes on its own characteristics because it reflects the homeowner. I like that.”

During the initial consultation with homeowners Beenken discusses what design aspects are most important to the client — this could mean adding an outdoor entertainment space or designing a yard that requires less maintenance.

Beenken has found that, often, clients feel more lawn space will cut down on how much yard work they will have to do, but the opposite is often true. She said increasing a patio or hardscape size and adding a few containers for pops of color can often be the solutions that work well in those circumstances.

It all depends on the customer’s wishes.

“There are no cookie-cutter designs,” Beenken said. “Each project is different.”

Before and after projects are available to view on the Garden Diva Facebook page.

Beenken can be reached at her store from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays. 

The Garden Diva open house will take place during regular business hours. At this time, Beenken said all of her winter and Christmas decor will be showcased in the store. The greenhouse will also feature a number of potted plants, wreaths and roping to help customers decorate their homes for the approaching holiday season.