As good as it gets is not an understatement. 8 weeks from planning to planting, and we have a complete re-design to a low-water plan from a 1400 sq. ft turf conversion. Not only on-time and under-budget, but because this is also a rental, the happiness of our occupants was a key factor in choosing the right designer. Kathy worked with all the extra details (like using urbanite recycled concrete instead of pavers, and getting a plan that would allow flexibility, but still be significantly permanent and maintenance-free.) Great work, and no reservations recommending her, as well as using her on our next projects! Plan and pictures (we just finished...the plants will grow in during the summer): https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10204793522423702.1073741831.1407341554&type=1&l=5737e29fe4 read more

Kathy has been such a delight to work with. I find myself to be pretty creative and was able to design our whole house renovation but when it came to our yard it left me shook. I gave Kathy a pinterest board of my "style" and she took my vision and made it a reality. She was able to give me my home garden as well as landscape our entire front and side yard. We have spent more time outside in the last week than we have since we bought the property a year ago. She has been able to find a solution or work arounds for any challenges, is very friendly and easy to work with. I love how organized she was, her quick responses and appreciate how knowledgeable she is about all the plants. She was even is okay with being around my dogs! I definitely recommend her to anyone looking to redo their landscape and just don't know where to start. read more

Kathy is wonderful. Did a great job and was very affordable. She suggested plants and designs that we wouldn't have thought of, was very knowledgable about what would grow well in the LA climate and would be low maintenance for us, and connected us with a really great landscaper. So happy we went with her! read more

I had no idea where to start or what to plant, other than I wanted it to be low-maintenance and drought tolerant. We ended up with terracing on our hillside, covered in fragrant thyme, rosemary, sage, jasmine on the fence and gorgeous but tough flowering plants. Manzanita trees, and more! Plus drip irrigation (Kathy recommended a great guy with a great team!) Thank you Kathy. Love our new outdoor space!! read more

Kathy is amazing! With her magical eye and a whisk of her wand our front yard was transformed to a place we absolutely love. She was sensitive to our budget and needs, too. Ok, no magical wand but truly a magical transformation ;) read more

this review is a year late but I realize that it is better testimony to Mary and her team. I had just had a retaining wall put in and was left with the aftermath- excess dirt and concrete. Mary and her crew worked with my budget and removed the dirt and concrete and landscaped the area that the previous workers tore up. A year later I am still happy with her job. That should say something. read more

I can't recommend Kathy highly enough! Kathy is a delight to work with. She is genuine, easy-going, enthusiastic, and yet meticulous. In landscaping my large backyard, she had every obstacle: a micro-climate that almost all plants hate, terrible soil, an ugly fence to hide, and conflicting visions from me and my husband. But she did an absolutely beautiful job. She found plants that would not only survive in our climate and soil, but were unusual and satisfied both my husband's love of flowering plants and my love of grasses - both of which usually demand lots of water, but Kathy created an extremely low-water version! She really knows plants, is refreshingly creative, and has great flexibility in her aesthetic. Kathy made the process of landscaping manageable and timely, despite the pressure we felt to plant before the summer heat arrived. She never rushed us, took all our own (screwball) ideas gently into consideration, and went in whatever direction we asked. She helped us envision the end result with an excellent sketches and threw in some fun ideas for later - places for our kids to play, ways to rearrange our pool furniture - just for fun, just to lend us her artistic eye. The planting itself was as well done as could be: her crew was so efficient, careful, and conscientious that I hired them as my maintenance gardeners. Kathy was there throughout the planting to rearrange, run to the nursery, and continue to give our garden her full care and attention. And just a note: we tried to do this ourselves before working with Kathy. It wasn't successful, to say the least. Choosing plants that will really work in your area, arranging them artistically, and planting them in the way that each one needs - landscaping takes skill and experience. I wish we'd saved the money and worked with a designer from the start. In the end, my backyard is transformed, my husband and I are both happy, and my bank account even has something left in it. Call Kathy, seriously!! read more

We just replaced our front yard with a drought tolerant landscape. Planning to do the design and labor ourselves, we were just about to start digging holes and planting when I stumbled across a recommendation for Fairy Yard Mother on my Next Door app. I was feeling a little nervous about our plan, and I liked the pictures on her website, so gave her a call to see if she might be able to come over to give us a consultation. Boy did Kathy deliver. She came over the next day and in just an hour, and for a very reasonable fee, gave us terrific feedback and ideas that took our plans from "okay, this'll work" to what is now the most beautiful landscape on the block. (Okay, maybe I'm a little biased, haha, but I'm proud of it!) read more

Just a fantastic experience beginning to end. First off, Kathy sounded exactly like my aunt on the phone, so I immediately felt like I was talking to a familiar and friendly family member. And once she came out to start working with my wife and I, that vibe never changed. The whole process couldn't have been easier. She completely listened to what we were looking for, and very quickly put together a plan that took all our needs into account. Was also happy she voiced her opinion on a potentially expensive new wall idea I had set my mind on, and recommended a less construction heavy approach that ended up working even better. I had my own contractor do the actual install and construction, and Kathy was very helpful in overseeing the planting and eyeballing the placement of flagstone and other details. Super easy to work with overall and very very responsive. Hire her! read more

I really appreciated how Kathy made adjustments to our landscaping schedule and patiently waited for us to get our acts together for 1 year. She was always courteous and kind. very reasonable pricing. Thank you, Kathy! - K from AV read more

Yes, the Fairy Yardmother really does have magical abilities! Kathy and her crew transformed my front yard from dull and dying bits of lawn to a lovely array of perennials and colorful flora. She worked within my requested time frame and limited budget to expand the planting area, re-purpose the walkway, and repair our sprinklers. The crew were efficient, tidy, fast, and professional throughout. And of course Kathy was sweet and kind and good as any fairy *mother should be. I would recommend the Fairy Yardmother without reservation. read more

Contacted kathy for inquiry on landscaping for our home. She was not able to provide the service we needed, but I greatly appreciated her quick response. read more

Kathy has been so generous and resourceful in helping me with my landscaping needs. She gave excellent insight into how I could get my needs met on a budget! Thanks Fairy Yard Mother!!! read more

Fast response with great communication and very considerate even though it wasn't what I was in need of. Thanks for taking the time Fairy Yardmother. read more

To be fair, I'll begin by saying I didn't even get past the initial quote so my review is not on landscaping or workmanship. I was looking for a landscaper to design my front yard and requested quotes from several different companies who advertise "LA and the surrounding area", making sure that my location was within the shaded area of where each company services. I received a curt one-line dismissal from Kathy via email: "If your property is in Redondo, I don't work in that area. Too far for me." Fyi - I don't live in Redondo. But at this point it's irrelevant - I wouldn't hire someone who was too busy for a simple nicety, or even to type a full sentence, or to apologize for having false or misleading information on a website used for rating companies... read more

Just wonderful! Marvelous rapport. She anticipated our every need from plans to HOA approval, all the way through construction. All on time and budget. The results were beyond our expectations. My wife, Helene, and I could not be happier. David Held, Bel Air Ridge. read more

I had an excellent experience working with Kathy of Fairy Yardmother Landscape Design. I found her to be an extremely creative, attentive, knowledgable professional who helped me to create exactly the yard that I had been dreaming of for years, and made it the easiest process I could possibly imagine. I have a small yard that was all dead lawn that I wanted turned into a beautiful, colorful, lush English-style garden using drought-tolerant plants and principles. As it turns out, this was a tall order for the few different landscape designers that I found first who either didn't have the time or the imagination to work with me on this. When I discovered Kathy after a neighbor's recommendation, I was blown away by the way she listened to me and immediately "got" my ideas, and was able to put them together with her knowledge about plants and local gardening needs to design exactly what I was looking for and hadn't be able to figure out on my own. After the design was complete, she recommended a great landscaper who I also enjoyed working with, and Kathy worked with the landscaper throughout the process to make sure that what he was installing matched the design and my overall needs/wants perfectly. I usually take charge of projects around my house, but in this case I was out of my depth and very thankful for Kathy being present from start to finish of this project. During every part of the design process I could tell that Kathy was giving me her complete time, attention, and skills to ensure that my garden was perfect. I cannot recommend her more highly--if you need a beautiful garden designed, just make a wish with the Fairy Yardmother! read more

We had the very best experience working with Kathy. She is absolutely lovely! Kathy listens and works so very hard to achieve beautiful results. This is what she has done for us. We had a time crunch and she managed the whole project ( front and back yards) and finished on time relieveing us of all worry. Kathy has an artistic eye and is a creative problem solver. The designs she came up with are wonderful! Besides her skills Kathy conducts her business with the highest level of integrity and honesty. How refreshing ! We feel very fortunate to have had Kathy to work with. Both my husband and I feel so lucky to have had this very special person design our yards. read more

The Fairy Godmother has been a godsend for the withered, parched planter plot that I have in front of my house--and I expect she will be magic too for the Wild Northside and my Unruly Upper Garden in the months and years to come. Working on the planter, she was flexible, sensitive to future needs and growth, and always creative. Since the whole garden area is a fairly large plot (for a city) and my budget is limited, I was nervous entering into this project. But my attempts to go it solo had failed and I didn't want to be wasting more money at the nursery for plants that I'd end up killing. Despite my limited budget, Kathy was still willing to work with me. Kathy started at the right place asking about how I expected to use the space and she had a thousand great ideas. Sometimes our tastes differed, but Kathy was always great at noticing this--and working with me. She ended up creating a garden that can survive the climate and fit my fantasies. She was even understanding when I changed direction mid-way in the planning stage from an Cottage Garden style to a Low-Water one. Also, Kathy had great people to introduce. read more

they contacted me quickly to say I was outside their service area