I have worked with Darrick for a few years. While the service he initially implemented was good and met general expectations, I feel a lot of confusion and frustration regarding his communication style. This is not a one-time issue; throughout our interaction over the past few years, there has been a recurring pattern of him agreeing to a specific day or time to come by and then simply not showing up. This has happened quite a few times, with the most recent experience being the final straw. I first reached out in September 2025 regarding a sprinkler issue. After a no-show then, I followed up again in March 2026. Once again, he confirmed a timeframe to swing by, but never arrived and provided no follow-up to explain why. I have attached two snips of our message history here for reference. I have always tried to be patient, flexible, and polite, even offering additional fees to ensure his time was covered. If a professional finds a request unreasonable or is too busy, it is much better to simply say so. Instead, being 'ghosted' repeatedly makes it very difficult to plan or maintain a property. While I appreciate the work he has done in the past, the lack of reliability makes it hard to continue with his services. read more

We had a negative experience working with this company. Our paver patio is only a year old and it is falling apart. Our paver installation was a very choppy job where just after a few months our pavers turned dry, cracked, and shifted in many areas. We think that they were installed unevenly and without the proper support for the base. He has come back a few times to do "repairs" but the problem is the same.. the pavers keep cracking and shifting. When it rains our patio collects a bunch of puddles because it wasn't installed at a proper angle for drainage and so many of the middle pavers have sunk. Originally Darrick had said that he "wanted to make it right" and fix the patio but it takes him months to be available to come fix even the smallest things. Darrick also installed fresh sod with sprinklers but 3 of the corners have continued to die despite having even water coverage (per Darirck). Overall our lawn has grown very unevenly and it is very lumpy. It also has many different shades of green and different areas grow faster than others. He continuously blames the issues on my dogs urine and that we don't water it enough but the dog never goes on the corners where the grass keeps dying and we always water it based on his recommendations. We have been waiting for the second time since July and it is now the end of December and he has still not fixed it. Additionally, he will also leave his trash and supplies out in our yard for months at a time. Darrick is incredibly unprofessional because an honest contractor will come address the problems in a timely manner. He will not reply or make the proper repairs. read more

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We used them for a small job . Got mulch in the front yard for my daughter's house. The price was reasonable and they did a good job

We had Blackstone Landscape and Design install artificial turf at our previous home a few years back, and they did an absolutely amazing job. Even after several years, the turf remained in fantastic condition and looked beautiful, adding a great touch to our outdoor space that our kids loved playing on. It truly upgraded the look of our yard, and we believe it played a big role in making our home easier to sell this year! The owner got us on the books quickly, was incredibly nice, reliable, and offered very reasonable pricing. We highly recommend Blackstone Landscape and Design for anyone looking to enhance their outdoor area! read more

Derek was great to work with. He was very detailed and thorough throughout the whole process. I will def be using him for my next project.

I had another contractor start this job. Before I knew it he removed all the stone from the backing? Im not a stone guy. 2K worth of ledger stone and capstone. He was going for a 'Dry stack" method. Problem is its usually for larger stones NOT the 1"x 4" loose stones. He then disappeared. Four years later and NOT done. Finally got tired of living in a construction zone. I hit up yelp and from all the companies Blackstone was the only one who followed through. I had other companies show up but the excuses started. They didnt want to start somebody else job (which I understand but a job is a job) so I got crickets. Derrick Showed up evaluated we talked about it and he quoted me a good price. He started a couple days later and was done a couple days later. I can't seem to find a negative other then I wish I would have found this company a few years ago but that was me and not them. Oh he also cleaned out the mess (old stone chunks/dried up thinset and mortar piles. Did I say price was fantastic? read more

The crew did an outstanding job installing pavers in our front yard, transforming the entire driveway and dramatically enhancing our home's curb appeal. Darrick and his team did the project in San Benito County and didn't even charge us for the travel time, which we truly appreciated. The new pavers gave our yard a beautiful, polished look that really upgraded the entire look and feel of the typical track housing area we live in. The craftsmanship and attention to detail were top-notch, and we've received so many compliments from our neighbors! If you're looking to elevate your home's exterior, I highly recommend Blackstone Landscape and Design. Darrick and his crew are reliable, professional, and deliver amazing results! read more

Blackstone did a great job with our sod installation and irrigation. They were super responsive, got the job done quickly, with reasonable pricing and great quality. read more

Blackstone Landscape and Design - Sod installation - Landscaping Near Me

Darrick and team did an amazing job to convert my dead grass area with very neat pavers. They also installed a patio cover for us. The price was competitive with other contractors but we chose Darrick because he presented us with the best value. We're really happy and satisfied with the work and really recommend Darrick and team for all your landscape projects. read more

Blackstone Landscape and Design - Backyard redone - Landscaping Near Me

We chose Darrick for our backyard project which included installing pavers and a retaining wall with a water drip line system. I believe the pricing he gave us was very competitive since we met with several people before deciding on who to choose. He was prompt in his communication and answered all our questions via text/phone/email. He had suggested additional design choices which we ended up loving! He transformed our backyard into a clean and tidy space that we can enjoy with the whole family. Thanks again, I will definitely choose to work with Darrick and Blackstone Landscape again in the future! read more

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We recently hired Darrick and his crew to transform our dying and overgrown front yard into a more drought tolerant friendly landscape. From when I first reached out on Yelp through to the end of the project, Darrick was super responsive and friendly. This was our first time being involved with a landscaping project so we had a lot of questions - which he answered with a lot of patience and guidance. Our expectations were definitely exceeded, and we will be reaching back out to Blackstone Landscape and Design again when we are ready to start our next landscaping project. We would recommend him to anyone! read more

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Ok... I have searched high and low for a landscaping business to help us with our very unloved backyard... When I tell you Darrick is LITERALLY the best all around... he definitely is!!! Friendly, accommodating, professional, reasonable, and TALENTED!!! THE BEST LANDSCAPING COMPANY NEAR YOU! I cannot WAIT to start working on our front yard nextttttt!! Thank you soooo much Blackstone Landscape and Design! You were exactly who we needed to get the job done right! read more

We had Darrick from Blackstone Landscape and Design build a pergola in our backyard, and it has completely transformed the space! It's now the perfect spot for family dinners, weekend BBQs, and enjoying lunch outside. Darrick and his crew were fantastic to work with--professional, friendly, and attentive to every detail. The pergola turned out beautifully, and we couldn't be happier with the result. Highly recommend them for any outdoor project! read more

Darrick and crew did a phenomenal job at landscaping our front yard. He is very responsive and does a fantastic job. He takes care with work and listens to your feedback about preferences. We will definitely be using him again for all of our landscaping needs. read more

Blackstone did a great job installing the pavers in my backyard. Would Highly recommended using them.

We are so thrilled with the work provided by Blackstone Landscape and Design. Having never hired out for a job as such, we were unsure of where to even start. That's when I read the wonderful reviews here and took the leap. Darrick is incredibly kind and hardworking. He and his team curated a beautiful landscape in our previously lackluster backyard. They added decomposed granite to our side yard which created a level and solid foundation for projects to come. Additionally, they installed lawn and sprinklers. Our previously planted trees, bushes, and succulents were neatly fashioned in our raised planter against the rear fence. Darrick was a wonderful communicator every step of the way. He paid close attention to detail and ensured every aspect of the job was complete and functioning prior to signing off. He remains in touch for questions and available should we need his expertise for follow-up care of the yard. We are immensely grateful for the high quality work provided and we are very satisfied with the price. Thank you, Blackstone Landscape and Design. We would 100% recommend and hire again in the future! read more

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met him at first consulting visit so far. he is professional and knowledgable. so far so good. read more

Darrick with Blackstone did excellent work. He was prompt with his first visit and bid. His quote was fair and competitive. He completed two jobs for me. First he removed and replaced pavers in a section of my driveway, as well as digging out large redwood tree roots from the area. Then he put in a patio of pavers in front of my ADU. He added several stepping stones of his own design. Both project areas look great! I highly recommend Blackstone. read more

For 30+ years, I've been dealing with many plumbing and landscaping issues. After having learned from many terrible experiences with other contractors in the past, I can sense that Darrick IS THE ONE I CAN FULLY TRUST. He is professional and communicative. Most importantly, he is very honest !! Darrick helped me to improve/repair our sprinkler irrigation system. He knew exactly where/what the problems were, which saved me lots of money. I highly recommend Darrick to anyone looking for irrigation or landscaping services. read more

We recently used Blackstone for a complete redo of our front and backyard. It all started by me flagging Darrick down as he was working on a house. He and his workers were extremely respectful and said they'll stop by after the job to provide me with a quote. From that moment on, I was in direct contact with Darrick who provided timely updates regarding start and finish times for the project. Throughout the project he kept me and my wife updated with milestones or issues that came up. Darrick was always available and easy to work with. All his employees were equally professional. We leaned on Darrick for his expert eye when making some decisions and he didn't disappoint. I highly recommend this company due to the responsiveness and the quality of work. Not to mention extremely competitive pricing. Had several other quotes for the same job and couldn't be happier we went with Blackstone. read more

Darrick and his team installed an immaculate new driveway and a path to the front door using interlocking pavers. We are very pleased with their work, our front yard looks absolutely beautiful now! The worksite was cleaned at the end of each day and the job was finished on schedule. We would highly recommend Blackstone landscape to everyone we know. This team is the best in the business to say the least and they have our recommendation indefinitely. read more

The project was very reasonably priced and the quality of the work was high. Darrick was flexible and willing to work with us to make all of the final decisions. Also, he and his crew did a great job of cleaning up after the project was complete. Our project involved converting a lawn to a drought tolerant landscape and Darrick was very knowledgeable about the process. I would recommend Blackstone. read more

I contacted Blackstone Landscape and Design originally to help me with my patchy front yard grass I was sick of spending so much money watering a lawn that wouldn't grow evenly. Darrick ended up installing artificial turf and it looks gorgeous. I have saved a lot of money from not needing to water the lawn anymore and I was able to apply for a CA rebate that granted me $2 a square foot for converting a water reliant lawn to artificial turf. While he was over I had him check out our backyard and give me a quote for a patio and pavers. Those were really the last two things we needed done to finish our backyard. His price was reasonable and we had enjoyed working with him on the front yard conversion so we hired him for the back as well. We couldn't be happier. Darrick is professional, timely, communicative and truly cares about getting the job done the right way. I would recommend him to anyone looking for landscape services. read more

Darrick replaced our water hungry back lawn with most beautiful artificial turf. He removed our concrete patio and replaced it with pavers. His price was fair and his work was professional. read more