I was looking for a landscape designer to help me replace grass with a low-water native plant garden, as well as a contractor who could replace our deteriorating terra cotta patio. I found Bonnie and we had a phone call. I immediately liked her and felt that she understood what I wanted. I was THRILLED to learn that she works with a contractor, Ron Smith & Company, who could do the whole job. It was amazing to work with a cohesive team to design, plan, and execute my vision of a new front and back yard. A few standout points: 1) They worked around my budget and got me everything I wanted. 2) They made recommendations for things I hadn't thought of and also added knowledgeable insights to the things I knew I wanted. 3) They completed the job in 4 weeks, from demo to planting! The crew came 5-6 days a week, worked incredibly hard, were quiet, clean, and respectful, and left by 4pm. The communication was great, they ordered everything and kept half of our driveway clear so we could still use the garage to park our cars. And the craftmanship is noteworthy. The tinest details matter and I was able to make all the important choices at the right time. 100% recommend them for relationship, quality, speed, and price! read more

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I had an idea of what I wanted when it came to re-lanscaping my new front yard, along with a list of some unusual needs. Bonnie was the perfect person for me to work with to achieve just the look I wanted. Bonnie was completly open to my ideas and was even able to make suggestions on how to make it even better. Since I was new to the area, having a native guide me on what plants would and wouldn't work in this climate zone was invaluable. Even though Bonnie and I never met in person, through her excelent communication and fantastic team I always felt confident she understood what I wanted and needed to make my landscaping project a success. When I had questiosn or felt like a change might be necessecary, both Bonnie and Ron were there to help me talk through options and make decision. I really appreciate there expertise! read more

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We recently had the pleasure of working with Bonnie's Gardens and Ron Smith & Co to transform our entire outdoor space, front back and side, from a weedy dying lawn to a beautiful low-maintenance water-wise garden. It took only 4 weeks to remove the turf and plants, re-grade and prepare the sites, complete various hardscape repairs and additions, add new irrigation, new soil, new lighting, and of course new plants! And that includes a weeklong break forced by a surprise rainstorm. Bonnie and Ron were fantastic to work with, extremely responsive and open to any and all comment, feedback, or request from initial design to project completion. Their prices were very fair for the scope of work, with no surprise additional costs along the way. They also made sure everything they did would meet the criteria for us to get the county rebate for turf removal, and even reached out on our behalf to make sure the plan got pre-approval. The design and plant choice were exactly what we were looking for and had had so much trouble finding elsewhere. Bonnie (and her on-site eyes, Lisa) know their stuff and picked all kinds of beautiful, lush plants that thrive in our region; plants that are friendly to the environment, low on water usage, and extremely low maintenance, all without giving up the vibrancy and density we were looking for. They even managed to mix two different styles between our front and back yards, a sunny Mediterranean and a shady forest. Ron's crew, led by Jose Zamarippa, were extremely professional, conscientious, and skilled workers. Though they did an enormous amount in a relatively small window of time, I never once got the feeling that they were rushing any particular part of the job. Every detail mattered. They would leave the site at the end of the day cleaner than when they'd arrived in the morning, making sure everything was accessible and safe for us during downtime. And when new problems did present themselves along the way, as they always do with big projects, Ron and Jose were able to adjust creatively and cost-effectively. We love the end result and are already getting complements from passersby while the plants are still just taking root. I expect that love to only grow as all the plants do the same, and I plan to add more pictures when they do! Thank you both! read more

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We had a great experience with Ron, Jose and the rest of Bonnie's Gardens crew. The are excellent in listening to our needs and we appreciate the beautiful end product. We enjoy the landscape every day and appreciate the easy maintenance. Thank you again! read more

It was very easy working with Bonnie's Gardens and Ron Smith & Company. We did a full landscape and hardscape for our front and back yards at our home in south Orange County. Both Bonnie and Ron are patient, helpful and courteous in the planning discussions; they always have time to talk/email, are very responsive and excel at "educating" clients like us, who are new to landscape projects. Everything got done on time, and on budget. No surprises, no long delays between phases of construction. Their construction crew, led by Jose Zamarripa, was terrific. They are very skilled, precise and conscientious about their work. They worked steady hours from 7 until 4, no evenings or weekends when you are in your home. (Their hours/days may be different for a project at an empty house, but I don't know because that was not our situation.) They work with botanist Lisa Coyte, who is very knowledgeable about plant species and their suitability for various environments. She was a tremendous help with picking out plants for our property. It was a bit of a challenge as much of our lot gets little or no direct sunlight; Lisa's expertise was very valuable on this point. In summary, we give them top marks on courteous and helpful planning and advice, commitment to top quality work and very timely installation work. You can't go wrong! read more

Bonnie created the garden of my dreams. She is a horticulturalist and artist who listens to what you want and thoroughly plans the garden with you before anyone goes to a nursery. The result is a beautiful garden, in the style that you want, which stays healthy. Ron, the main contractor, and Jose, the project manager, handle the other aspects of the landscape project, in particular, the hardscape. Like Bonnie their work is of the highest quality. They do not cut corners. They level and move the dirt to produce the best hardscape layout rather than to save on effort expended. The trenches for the water, gas, electrical, and drains are deep. The zones for the watering system are well thought out. The fountains are well crafted. Also like Bonnie, they are very flexible, listening to what you want, providing different options for say a pergola, and not funneling you in one particular direction. The results in our yard were spectacular. read more

The creative team of Ron Smith & Company, and Bonnie's Gardens helped us realize our own alpine hideaway in the middle of Orange County. My wife and I had vision for a drought tolerant, low maintenance landscape that evoked a mountain environment. We wanted native grasses, wild flowers, pine trees, boulders, a recycling stream with cascades and mini rapids (crossed by two bridges), and landscape lighting, all supported by a beautiful yet functional hardscape. Laurie Martz, our landscape architect, translated our vision into a practical and compelling design, and specified the plants needed to create the faux-mountain retreat of our dreams. Bonnie Smith tirelessly located the plants and offered her own expert suggestions when needed. Finally, Ron Smith, along with his team - headed by his amazingly talented project manager, Jose Zamarripa - executed the plan to bring our complex project to a successful and rewarding conclusion. My wife and I are so grateful to have found our creative dream team! They have given us an oasis of our own that we enjoy every day, and which we are so pleased to share with our friends and neighbors! read more

Bonnie and Ron are masters at their craft! They have years of experience, and really understand how to achieve their clients' vision and create beautiful spaces. Bonnie is a great communicator, provides great value and completes work on time. I highly recommend Bonnie's Gardens. read more

Bonnie listened carefully to our needs and wishes, creating a lovely design for our garden. Her extensive plant knowledge really came into play in choosing the right plants for us. Very professional and easy to work with, as well as great at accommodating changes to requirements. We're excited to see our garden grow and recommend her wholeheartedly. read more

We are so grateful to have found Ron Smith & Co. and Bonnie's Gardens! They installed a fantastic low-water landscape (on around 3/4 of an acre) for a fair price after we were abandoned by another landscape company. While we already had a landscape design, they suggested really good improvements to it. The foreman at Ron Smith & Co., Jose Zamarippa, is very creative and designed a lovely gravel pathway through part of the garden. He also suggested we remove part of a fence that blocked access to a lower part of our yard and replace it with these gorgeous redwood and gravel steps that gently curve around an oak tree and provide a second point of access to the lower yard. We love that staircase! Bonnie from Bonnie's Gardens is so knowledgeable about low-water plants. She found ideal substitutes for plants that were in our original plan but were unavailable at the time we were installing the landscape. She even worked for us while she was traveling so we would receive the plants before the scheduled planting day! And Lisa from Bonnie's Gardens, Jose, and the rest of the crew were very patient with us on one planting day when we kept asking to move plants around before we were happy with the arrangement. Ron Smith kept everything going and was always available to discuss any questions we had. He is knowledgeable, fair, and practical, and gave us expert advice on how to handle every situation. And he was so easy to work with, even when we changed our minds about something. The crew was the best - professional, hard working, respectful of us and our property. We give Ron Smith & Co. and Bonnie's Gardens our highest recommendation. These professionals are skilled, honest, and dependable. Thank you Ron, Jose and crew, Bonnie and Lisa! We LOVE our landscape! I was surprised to see the negative review of Bonnie's Gardens here on Yelp. That certainly has not been my experience. Other reviews on other sites such as Houzz do not reflect this, either. Our yard was installed in phases and the first phase was planted some time ago. No issues have developed. I would hire Bonnie's Gardens and Ron Smith & Co. again in a heartbeat. read more

I hired Bonnie several years ago. Many of the plants she planted had too big of a root system. The patio trees cracked my stucco fence in several places. The ground cover was not walkable and died in a few weeks. read more