DIY Network

The de Cavel Family: Plan, Costs and Products Meet the de Cavel family and find out the gardening challenge plan. From "Garden Sense" episode DGAR-310

Walter and the de Cavel family

Meet Jean-Robert de Cavel, his wife Annette Pfund and their young daughter, Laetitia. Jean-Robert is Greater Cincinnati's premiere French chef. He owns three fine restaurants in Cincinnati and Annette works with their restaurant group. Before starting his own restaurants, Jean-Robert moved to Cincinnati in 1993 when he was hired as chef de cuisine at The Maisonette, the city's legendary five-star restaurant.

Shortly after he opened Pigalls, Jean-Robert was awarded the Medal of the Chevalier de l'Ordre du Merite by the Consul General of France, recognizing his humanitarian and culinary achievements. It is the highest honor for someone in the culinary field and is typically reserved for chefs working in France. Jean-Robert and Annette recently moved into a historic home just across the river from Cincinnati in Newport, Ky.

They ripped up the existing garden to add a fabulous new kitchen, but now the garden needs some work. They are looking for something colorful and functional with a yard to play in and something that is low-maintenance due to their busy schedules. Jean-Robert and Annette also would like an herb and vegetable garden to use for cooking and to teach their daughter.

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Gardening Challenge

Before--Long shot

Before--Yard

After--Long Shot

After--Yard

Required Project Timeline

The de Cavel project took one day to complete.

Project Details

Here are some sensible guidelines to follow when working with a small urban garden:

• First, make sure to allow space for everyone in the family. Include space to play, to entertain and to grow some vegetables and herbs.

• Second, select plants that provide good screening. In this case, we had to provide some privacy from the neighbors and hide a utility box that sticks out like a sore thumb.

• Third, when shopping keep in mind that space is limited and choose plants that won't get too big and overwhelm the landscape.

Specifically for this project, Walter and the Garden Sense crew started by clearing out the old, damaged sod. They did a lot of cleanup and pruning so they could plant under trees like the Dogwood. They covered the utility box by digging up their Taxus and replacing it with a Weeping Alaskan Cedar that will provide more camouflage.

The crew then added two medium sized maple trees for privacy and shade. The area behind the garage was then cleared out for a big herb garden that includes selections such as peppermint, rosemary and lavender. Finally, new flowers and shrubs were added--plus a smaller lawn that will be easier to care for.

Tips for Removing a Mature Shrub:

• The sensible way to remove a mature shrub is to clip the roots using a long handled pruner rather than a shovel. This will help you get the whole root.

• When disposing of the shrub, it's easier to carry a big shrub to the compost pile if you first trim the limbs.

Gardening by Zip Code If you're looking to start a gardening projectbut don't know your gardening zone—visit the National Gardening Associations's USDA Hardiness Zone Finder. Enter your Zip Code to identify the proper zone.

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