Lynne Schwartz-Barker recalls she first visited Marion Jones' home in Charleston because Jones, an avid gardener, was interested in installing an irrigation system.

Schwartz-Barker's company, Flowerscape, was only too happy to provide that service, but first she had a little advice.

"My thought was, 'Wow, you can spend a lot of money to irrigate not much.' I told her I'd get rid of some grass and redo a (flower) bed. And we went from there."

And so began a landscaper-client relationship that has led to many projects, a bit at a time, from garden to containers.

The West Virginia Nursery and Landscape Association recently gave Schwartz-Barker two awards for her work on that garden, one an honorable mention for design and the other a first place for container gardening.

Schwartz-Barker, who runs her Sissonville business with her husband, Jerry, says many relationships with clients become long-term.

One reason may be how she approaches her job.

"We work in phases. It helps you to break up the cost and the longer you think about it, the more you know what you want," Schwartz-Barker said.

"When we meet with someone, we have a design meeting. We go through plant books and the clients show me what they like, what colors and plants. When I look at enough pictures with them, I can say, 'I see you don't like spiky flowers,'" she added. "And once I see what their tastes are, we can design the space."

At the Jones house, Schwartz-Barker has enjoyed working with an avid gardener who loves interesting plants and old plants used in new ways.

"Now we've worked together for so long that I know her tastes - and they're very similar to mine," she said.

When Jones had to have a large poplar tree removed, Schwartz-Barker had an idea she was eager to try. She suggested that rather than go through the expense and mess of having the stump ground up, it could remain and be used as a focal point.

"When we travel, I'm always looking for ideas. I saw this one poorly done outside a restaurant in Nova Scotia," Schwartz-Barker said.

The idea was simple - make a frame with rabbit wire, line it with moss, fill it with potting mixture and use the frame as a planter.

"She loves it and it's in a prominent place as you enter the front walk of her home," Schwartz-Barker said.

Schwartz-Barker begins making a "wish list" of plants for clients in the fall, handing it over to the folks at Gritt's Midway Greenhouse in Eleanor, her primary supplier. By January, she is creating plans for every garden area and pot so that when it comes time for planting, her crew knows exactly her intentions.

For the Jones containers this past season, Schwartz-Barker used lots of trailing flowers and for height, plants such as dwarf canna and even dracaena, a spiky tropical houseplant.

She encourages the use of newer pots that look like terra cotta or stone but are made of lightweight materials, along with decorative low stands that protect decks and other surfaces from discoloration by disbursing water.

Schwartz-Barker said some of the container plants could be brought inside for the winter or dug up and their bulbs stored, but she doesn't bother with that.

"My philosophy is support your local garden center," she said.

For more information on Flowerscapes, visit the website at www.flowerscapewv.com.

Contact writer Monica Orosz at mon...@dailymail.com or 348-4830.