I hired Bountiful Backyards this spring to help me tackle a neglected yard that I couldn't begin to see how to improve. Jodi and Kate came out for the consultation (in the rain) and we walked around the property and they were able to immediately propose ideas and locations for a perennial bed, a vegetable garden, a dogwood, some plantings to create privacy, etc, etc. We talked about different plant options, and they showed me projects I could do on my own to save money. There was a fee for the consultation which I can't remember how much it was, but you pay that when they come out. After about a week I received 2 detailed estimates for work we talked about, one with a rain garden and one without. I never gave them my budget because we discussed that I didn't have to do everything at once and I wanted to see the total cost of the work we outlined knowing that I'd have to do it in phases. Because I have a somewhat rustic setting Jodi suggested that I forgo the expense of a full yard design and put that money towards more plants. After receiving the estimates from Kate, I emailed back what I wanted to be the top priority after I could see what it would cost and she emailed me back a new estimate and we set a date for the work. My budget was $1000 and I got a large perennial bed along the left side of my house with 15 plants. I provided some of the stone and logs and Jodi built a totally incredible knee high border around the bed. It's been about four months and the plants are doing great, and the bed has completely transformed this part of my yard. The work took about 3.5 hours. After the work they sent me a final invoice that was right on budget. This fall I plan to get in touch with them again to have them help with me one of the other projects we talked about during my original consultation. I compared their prices to the landscapers that my family uses and they are right on par with them, and their mission of edible, low maintenance gardens fits with what I wanted. I would highly recommend them to anyone who needs a little help or a lot of help with an outdoor space that you would like to enjoy more. read more

Bountiful Backyards - Side yard perennial bed with salvaged logs. - Landscaping Near Me - Durham, North Carolina

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I hired Bountiful Backyards to design and install an edible landscape in our front yard (our backyard is completely shaded and I wanted a garden that was visually appealing). They came out for the consult (the fee goes toward the total cost) and looked at the soil, the sunlight, the slope, etc and talked with me about what things I wanted. Our house is up on a hill, so most of the front yard slopes down - Sarah designed a beautiful edible landscape with a herb spiral, a vegetable bed, strawberry patch, blueberries/raspberries, cherry bush, and a bunch of beautiful perennials. It took a day and a half to install, but they let us help out with the labor (I highly recommend this, as you learn a lot about gardening, the plants, etc). Plus, they are all really awesome folks and fun to work with. The design included a berm to help direct rain flow away from the garden and a huge rain water receptacle (which has prevented me from ever having to use city water!). The most amazing transformation has been to my soil - it started out as hard red clay and has been slowly transforming to rich humus topsoil. The garden bed was done in the French double dig method, which has provided an amazing spot to intensively grow beautiful organic veggies. The perennials that Sarah chose don't bloom at the same time, so I always have an array of different flowers from April-Sept (that my neighbor's bees love). My landscape was the best investment of money - it has provided so much joy and neighbors stop to admire and talk about it - way better than a boring grass lawn! I would also recommend the BB Durham Tech class they offer each year, as well as the workshops they have. I participated in the Durham Tech class and also took their mushroom workshop. I met a lot of really amazing people (we had plant swaps after the class was over) and learned a lot about edible landscaping and permaculture. read more

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Many people I talk to like Bountiful Backyards. I like the idea of the company a lot, and they are nice people. But wow, did I ever have a bad experience with them, an experience that leads me to caution anyone against even having them out for an evaluation. The Summary: if they tell you then can help you on your budget, don't believe them. If you don't have at least $3000 to spend, don't call them. And if you do call them, make sure the plants they suggest aren't poisonous to your dogs. The Story: I called them up and told them I had $1000 as a fairly firm budget. I told them I didn't want to start anything if that wouldn't be a sufficient budget. They told me they could do a lot of stuff for that. A site visit to evaluate your place costs $100. After my phone call, I scheduled one of these site visits. They came out ... and came back with a $3500 estimate. Turns out $2000 is what they charge for one day of labor, without including plants or materials. I brought this up. They said "well, you can always expand your budget and do it in pieces. Why don't you spend your $1000 on materials, and then save up?" This after taking my $100. It gets worse. As part of your evaluation, they give you a list of plants that they suggest using as part of your landscape plan. I figured "hey, I spent $100 and an hour of my life on this: maybe I can at least put in some of these plants they suggested myself. Like one of the tea plants, maybe." I Googled the first one they suggested. The first search result is the ACS Cancer Science page, debunking claims that it helps cancer patients (http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/celandine) Don't read the whole thing, just check this excerpt: "Researchers have found that celandine may be responsible for many unexplained cases of hepatitis (inflamed liver). The medical literature contains reports of acute (sudden) hepatitis not caused by viruses, alcohol, or other drugs, which improved after the herb was stopped. Celandine can cause rashes, itching, and serious allergic reactions in some people. The whole plant is reported as being at least mildly poisonous to humans, with the roots being the most toxic. The herb is reported to be poisonous to dogs and some farm animals." Yup, they suggested a plant that is poisonous to dogs. Yes, they met my dogs during the site visit. Yes, they saw my dogs frolicking in the yard where they suggested I plant things that could poison them. I mean, obviously they didn't know this, so it's not like they were maliciously trying to harm my dogs. But isn't it their job to know this? Isn't it borderline negligent not to warn someone with dogs that the plant you suggest is toxic to animals? And it was the first result on Google, it's not like I spent a lot of time finding this out. Again, they are nice people, and I do know at least one friend who has had a good experience with them. But I can't in good conscience recommend Bountiful Backyards to anyone. read more

They did a good job installing my garden and there are not many companies to choose from but the owner was rude and non-communicative about various aspects of the project. Broke my compost bin and did not transplant various plants I flagged to keep. Since then I have spoken with other people who have had similar experiences or worse. Don't hire them if you can avoid it. read more

I found Bountiful Backyards online when searching for regenerative landscaping/gardening. I was so tired of irrigation and typical lawn services in our neighborhood, and wanted to get away from pesticides/herbicides anywhere near my yard. Bountiful Backyards completely transformed my backyard into an edible garden that does not require irrigation. They are so intelligent with picking plants good for our local environment and that can deter deer/rabbits/etc. They are also amazing at using the rain from house/gutters and making "rain gardens" and using this water in productive ways. Like many things, changing your entire yard to a productive, regenerative garden is a work in progress; but this is definitely the company I would recommend. read more

I first heard about Bountiful Backyards from my neighbor and friend Milton who lives just down the road. Kind of like everything at Milton and Ginger's house there backyard is like no other place. I only walked through it at night, but it felt like a whole new world compared to the street that their house faces onto. And everything is edible. We needed some green for our shop that is just around the corner, where there is lots of concrete. Al Frega made us some planters out of auger covers that came out of the former Southern States feed mill in East Durham; We got in touch with Bountiful Backyards to create a community garden in them. They planted all kinds of edibles from basil and thyme to a pomegranate tree! Bountiful backyards is creative, easy to work with and community minded. Exactly the kind of business that we love working with. read more

I was reminded to write this long overdue review as I walked into my backyard at lunchtime to pick some tomatoes, peppers and beet greens to make a salad. I wouldn't be able to do this without the talented BB crew who installed my truly bountiful backyard. Plus they created a hay bail compost area which I use to amend the soil in the vegetable garden. They also put in a perennial native plants garden which is so beautiful as there is constantly something different blooming from April through September. There are plants like echinacea which I use to make tinctures, and comfrey which is also great to turn into a "tea" for the vegetable garden. These are things that I didn't know how to do a couple of years ago and part of what makes BB so great is their passion for educating others. I constantly benefit from my both beautiful and edible garden, but I've also learned so much about what's available, how to use it and how to care for it. BB leads workshops as well and I attended a really fun one on medicinal and edible plant identification. read more