It has been a year since Monica and her team installed rear and front native gardens, along with a…read morelarge brick patio. I think it is always better to wait a year after contracting a trade to evaluate how the installation held up and how the contractor responded. Well...the project came out looking better than we hoped, and a year later, it looks even better, with a pleasant symphony of flying visitors gorging on the various flowers that now bloom. There were plants that didn't survive or didn't like their location, and Monica moved them or replaced them. She follows up to see how things are going. She returns calls. She explains what direction a plant might take, making sure you understand this is nature not a fixed object. She offers a team to come out and do maintenance on the plants to ensure that certain native plants don't take over, and the weeds don't overtake the young native plants that are trying to establish. And when I told her I wanted to do it more of it myself, rather than give me attitude for losing a bit of business, she came over to show me what to do. When we started the project, Monica came up with several landscape plans and presented me with various options on the type of native plants that we could have in the different gardens we were creating. And she even designed a fantastic patio so the bricks flowed with the gardens. And since everybody has to pay attention to their budget, Red Stem was one of three reputable landscape designers I met with and their pricing was extremely competitive, but a year later, with the follow-ups and willingness to modify plantings, Red Stem was by far the best value. Contractors of all fields could use a lesson from Monica. Installation is only part of the job. An ability and willingness to communicate, correct, and check-in are equally essential, and Red Stem excels in all of the above.

They I do not recommend this company, they overcharge and then on top of that they add on "travel…read morecharges", "dumping yard waste in our own bin" fees, "water break" fees, credit card fees, bank transfer fees. They say they will come and don't show up. I asked to speak to the manager and never got a call back. We got taken.

I have worked with Ana for the past three years and she has helped me transform my yard from a mess…read moreof neglected beds into a beautiful and pollinator-friendly landscape. She is incredibly knowledgable and fun to work with and delivers great service. I'm also grateful for her coaching regarding my vegetable garden...again, a total transformation!

I have worked with Ana Vitek since she started Garden Botany. She is wonderful! Ana is very…read moreknowledgeable and passionate about organic gardening. I have a completely organic yard and flower garden in Evanston which Ana helps maintain. She is strongly committed to organic gardening and pest control, so that I feel absolutely comfortable in having my grandchildren anywhere in the garden. She does an excellent job planting, weeding, trimming, fertilizing and pruning. She knows what is needed and when. When I have questions, she either knows the answer immediately or is able to find it for me- she always follows up. She has planned and planted beautiful new borders for me, and always has excellent suggestions whether for new plantings or for filling in a gap in an existing border. I highly recommend Ana and Garden Botany. She is kind, gentle, conscientious, expert, and loves what she does. She is trustworthy and reliable. She fully deserves five stars.

Denise created a landscape plan for Highland Elementary School's Habitat garden. It takes into…read moreconsideration the best sites for each plant, providing food and shelter for wildlife, year-round visual appeal, and ease of maintenance. We will be implementing it in the spring (2017) and I can't wait to see it after a year or two, I'm confident it will be beautiful! I would highly recommend Denise to anyone who wants a native garden that will be gorgeous and low-maintenance. She's the best!

I highly recommend Anne Roberts Gardens for your residential landscaping design and installation…read moreneeds. Our new house was a bastion of high maintenance grass. I liked Anne's vision after viewing her website and set up an appointment to give me her professional perspective on a design. It was thoughtful and, simply amazing. I looked up the plants she recommended that I was unfamiliar with and sat there stupefied when I read how perfect they would be for our house. Her site design included water flow elevations which I appreciated greatly. Her team was hard working, professional and friendly. It boggles my mind that all the work (from old grass removal, to soil prep, planting , then mulching) was all completed in one day. I am so incredibly pleased with with the project. Again, I highly recommend Anne Roberts Gardens!

Anne and her team did a beautiful job with our landscaping. She completely transformed our backyard…read moreand sidewalk and we could not have been more pleased. And it all came within the budget we had planned. She listened to our needs to add some privacy via trees out back to cover an undesirable view. On our side walk she provided easy care plants as pedestrians and dogs create a bit of traffic there. We appreciated that on the day of the project she was on site and hands on all aspects of the job. The final result exceeded our expectations and we look forward to enjoying our landscape for a long time. We would collaborate on a future project with her again and would recommend her services to anyone.

I normally don't write reviews unless a company does an exceptionally poor job. My belief is…read moresimple, when you pay someone a good amount of your hard earned money, the job should be done right. There are exceptions, though, and Lisa is definitely one of them. Obviously, Lisa and her team did a fantastic job with the landscaping. She presented me with three different design options, worked with me to stay within my budget, and then executed the project exactly as she explained she would. She even moved my project up on the schedule after I mentioned I was planning to sell my house soon, which I really appreciated. What really stood out, though, wasn't just the quality of the work, it was the communication. It was clear, transparent, and consistent before, during, and even after the project. That level of professionalism is surprisingly rare in the home improvement industry. I own a house that was built in 1887, and over the past eight years I've hired countless companies for projects including a new deck, porch, fencing, painting, paver installation, and just about everything else you can think of. One of the most frustrating parts of working with companies in this industry is the lack of organization and communication. They're usually quick to collect the deposit, but after that you're left constantly following up for project start dates, updates, and progress. Working with Lisa was the complete opposite. She was organized, proactive, and always kept me informed. It was honestly refreshing. If you want to roll the dice and deal with the same frustrations I experienced with two other landscaping companies before finding Lisa, go for it. But if you'd rather save yourself the time, stress, and uncertainty, do yourself a favor and call Lisa. I couldn't recommend her more.

I had a good experience working with Lisa. She is extremely prompt, communicative and has great…read morevision. I knew I wanted to work with a WoC and she did not disappoint! Looking forward to the next project with Lisa.

Great place to stroll. Lots of treasures around every turn. I found the perfect annuals for a shady…read morepart of my garden.

The flowers and plants here are BEAUTIFUL! You might pay a little more than at big box nurseries,…read morebut it's definitely worth it. The staff are all knowledgeable and can actually talk to you about the flowers and make recommendations based on what you're looking for. I brought my VERY picky mother here, and she loved it! I highly recommend!!

Referral from my realtor. Last fall I sent several emails with extremely slow responses and no luck…read moreobtaining a quote. I assumed my timing was off so I tried again this spring. Again poor communication. Chasing someone to get back to me to schedule a visit didn't give me the warm and fuzzies so I emailed Katie the office manager and I received back timely I might add, "good luck with your project." I was warned by my realtor, but because Maureen Taylor is local, I gave it my best shot. Very unprofessional. Beware!!!!

Maureen and her team did a nice job all around, would definitely use them again and recommend them…read more Very happy to support a small, woman owned

Joe and his team were incredible. We had tree roots that overtook our piping causing our plumbing…read moreto back up. Joe and his team came immediately and resolved the issue as quickly as they could. Not only did they resolve the original problem but we're able to lay our bricks back and the patio is now in pristine condition. We can't recommend them enough. We will definitely call them for all of our future needs. Thanks Joe!

Had them redo my backyard patio and driveway and could not be more satisfied. The workers (foreman…read moreCarlos and Martin) were all amazing. The price was very fair for all the work they did on our patio and we thank all of them for their hard work. Joe spent a lot of time with us initially to make sure the job was done right.