Fiddlehead Gardens did excellent work. I needed a gardener and met Racheal Perry while she was working in the garden at a friend's house in SF. She was doing a great job there so I asked her to come and give me an estimate at my house close by. She got in touch with me a few days later to set up an appointment. I hate to do gardening work and had gotten very lazy and needed a lot of help. I have a backyard deck with two very large planter boxes full of dying and out-of-control plant growth. I also have two planter boxes lining my driveway that needed a new irrigation system and a lot of clearing out done as well. Racheal arrived at the initial appointment on time. She is very pleasant and has a lot of experience and knowledge. She obviously loves what she does. I received a fairly priced written estimate by mail within a week. And Racheal came up with a smart way to do the irrigation system in the front of my house that solved a big watering headache. I was very pleased. A couple of weeks later Racheal and Cate came to my house and did a fantastic job. They were on time, hard working, polite and fun to talk to and did all the work as expected (which took a full 8 hours). There was a lot to do and afterwords my deck/yard and front planter boxes looked great. They hauled away a big truck full of plant debris - good riddance! I am very much looking forward to entertaining and hanging out on the deck during the summer. And knowing that Fiddlehead will be doing monthly maintenance, I know my deck will be in good shape. I am also looking forward to seeing the new plants grow. Thanks Racheal and Cate! read more

Fiddlehead Gardens - Gardeners Near Me - Berkeley, California

I can't say enough good things about Racheal and Fiddlehead Gardens. She took our modest-sized front planter beds (and our modest budget) and crafted a plan that turned them from an eyesore into a tidy and easily maintained space. She was also the only one (!) of the landscape architects or gardeners I called who assured me that she herself planned to work onsite throughout the entire job, supervising her staff and attending the fine pruning of our unruly apple tree personally. Her attention to detail also deserves a mention: the irrigation system she designed is a marvel, with miniature sprayers positioned perfectly for the various plantings. She even took it upon herself to tidy up our overgrown agapanthus, despite it technically not being part of the work order. A five-star experience from beginning to end. read more

Fiddlehead Gardens - Our simple but charming front garden (French bulldog not included). - Gardeners Near Me - Berkeley, California

We are delighted with Racheal's work. We had to do a major re-do of the front of our house, which involved multiple contractors and subcontractors and lots of moving parts. She met with us several times to learn the scope of the plan and what we wanted. She was flexible, and came up with ways to save us money when her bid came in too high. She listened to our preferences and designed a garden we really like. She also designed stonework, and her crew did a magnificent job with a stacked flagstone retaining wall including a short staircase, a patio and a walkway. She has a rare combination of creativity and professionalism. We highly recommend Racheal and Fiddlehead Gardens. read more

I contacted this business last October and was working with a person named Justin between October and January. He was working on a design for adding plants, containers, and additional drip irrigation to my outdoor space. I was initially pleased, and things seemed to be progressing well for the first few weeks. As of early November, I had gotten some information on container options, some plant recommendations, and a design sketch -- but I still had a number of questions -- things like clarifying which new plants were to go where, and asking about an item that was omitted, and understanding which of the existing plants would be incorporated. Still, I figured it just needed a little more discussion and some minor updates to the design, and then we could schedule the installation. At that point, unfortunately, the communication slowed to a trickle. After a couple of months of slo-mo exchanges trying to schedule a follow-up discussion, he abruptly canceled the work due to unspecified "personal life changes". I have no idea why they would do that instead of having someone else step in -- maybe because the job was small? Since I never talked to anyone but him, I'm not sure how closely the business owner was monitoring the work. Maybe he was really working freelance and she wasn't even involved. To be fair, I was not charged for the work he did. So, it was only a waste of my time, and lost opportunity to get some planting in during this rainy season, as opposed to a monetary loss. (That's the main reason that I'm giving 2 stars instead of 1, since at least there wasn't any dickering over whether I should pay for the (unfinished) design.) Basically just a disappointing experience. read more

We worked with Fiddlehead to design and install most of our garden. We split the work into two sub-projects done in 2013 and 2014. We also used Fiddlehead for maintenance till 2015. Both phases of the work involved design and install of flagstone hardscaping, plantings and irrigation. We are very pleased with how the projects turned out. Design decisions made by Rachael and Mya turned out to be great, execution was efficient, the crew led by Sylvester was very hardworking and the projects ran within budget. Now that its been a few years, most of the original plants have matured and are doing reasonably well. At this time, we have well established lavender and rosemary bushes, a thriving wisteria, beautiful tree dahlias and several more solid additions. The flagstone work has held up well over the years and we have received lots of compliments on our garden. The monthly maintenance by Fiddlehead worked very well for us till 2015. Sylvester and his crew consistently did a great job, when they were regular our garden always looked fresh and inviting. If I am only to consider the design, install and maintenance work till 2015, I would give 5 stars to Fiddlehead. I believe they have given our garden an excellent starting foundation. In 2015 the maintenance visits started getting less and less regular. At one point we didn't get a maintenance visit or a bill for 3 months in a row. I called Rachael to discuss and she said that they could only come out 4 weeks later. I discontinued the maintenance plan with Fiddlehead at that point. My guess is that they were getting busy with design and install jobs and they let the maintenance jobs slip. My bumpy experience towards the end leads me to give the 4 stars. read more

We're on a corner lot that requires a ton of maintenance and want something that was easier, looked better and needed a lot less water. Rachael Perry of Fiddlehead Gardens listened to what we wanted, made a plan, and adjusted the plan do accommodate a new dog and our need to spread out the work over several years. Overhauling the backyard was the first phase of the plan. Her crew removed the lawn, installed a new flagstone patio, put in irrigation and a place to plant veggies and herbs, and planted low-water bee- and butterfly-friendly plants and some fruit trees. The patio opens up a whole new part of our backyard for us to use; we love it all. Racheal is great to work with. The plan and work were professionally done, the estimate was spot on, everyone's impressed with the change and we are enjoying our outdoor living space way more than we were able to before. We'll definitely be going back to Racheal and Fiddlehead Gardens for the next phases of this landscape job. read more

Racheal and her team at Fiddlehead have been taking care of our garden for five years, and we couldn't be happier with them. After originally contracting them to relandscape our front yard, we were so happy with our experience that we hired them to maintain both our front and back yards on a monthly basis. Over time Racheal has helped us to completely transform our back yard as well, and the results have been stunning. Racheal possesses a rare combination of design savvy and perfect customer service. She keeps in touch regularly by e-mail about maintenance, and is very accessible and easy to communicate with. Her estimates for projects are reasonable, detailed, and accurate. Best of all, she and her team are completely reliable. Work happens on time and on budget, every time. Long-time homeowners will appreciate how rare this is! Our outside spaces have been an ongoing source of joy every since Fiddlehead came into our lives, and we look forward to working with them for years to come. read more

This is the 1 year later Update -- with fantastic After photos to boot! The garden that Mya from Fiddlehead designed just last year couldn't be easier or lovelier. What started in July 2009 as a dirt hole has within 12 months become a lush urban oasis for our neighbors & tenants. All of their advice made a difference - not just the great design - but also which plants to spend the money on - as in what would grow slowly (splurge on already matured plants) and what you could get away with tiny young plants since they would catch up quickly. Looking at the photos in our recent rental posting (sorry - it already rented!) - you would never know that the garden had only been there a year! So thanks again to Mya for our garden - 5 stars indeed! Garden Photos http://bartlettstreet.com/sanchez-hidden/02L_garden_nw.jpg http://bartlettstreet.com/sanchez-hidden/9R_garden_flower.jpg http://bartlettstreet.com/sanchez-hidden/9L_garden_flowermaple.jpg http://bartlettstreet.com/sanchez-hidden/9R_garden_nw_port.jpg Rental Website http://bartlettstreet.com/sanchez-hidden/index-revealed.html read more

Fiddlehead Gardens - Fiddlehead Garden design - Gardeners Near Me - Berkeley, California

Fiddlehead is fair, honest, reliable, pleasant to deal with AND they do excellent work. Racheal was willing to do the work in affordable "phases" . Over the past few months she and her crew of skilled gardeners and stoneworkers have transformed my yard into something beautiful and manageable for me. Now I can enjoy working out there. It looks great and I am doing the part that I enjoy ... veggie gardening, instead of hours and hours of weeding and pruning. (I have a big yard) read more

Our small garden was a mess. The person who owned our home prior to us was an avid gardener to the point where he was rumored to be out in the yard daily and did things like graft apple seeds together to make a muti-varietal apple tree. Then we bought the house, had two babies, and a low drive for gardening to start with, and the garden went down hill fast . At a friend's recommendation, we called Fiddlehead. Now our garden is beautiful, unique and, best of all LOW MAINTENANCE. When we told them that we wanted something easy to maintain, drought tolerant, etc they really listened. We do very little to take care of the yard and it still looks great. Before Fiddlehead I thought low maintenance meant we would need to install a rock garden but we actually have lots of beautiful, lush plants and flowers, different textures, colors, and loads of depth in our little garden. We would hire Fiddlehead Gardens again and are very happy with their work. Some of the many areas they excel: - Easy to work with - Friendly - very creative and artistic landscaping - great knowledge of plants that will fit your lifestyle - professional staff and crew - prompt, quick, efficient work I will try to follow up soon with some pics. read more

We worked with Racheal and Fiddlehead Gardens to do a complete overhall of our side and backyard at our Kensington home in 7/2016. The whole experience was wonderful for many reasons: 1- Communication: So easy. Throughout, she was a great communicator, quick to respond, and listened to our concerns to implement changes that we wanted. 2- Experience: Racheal is very professional and takes great pride in her work. It really shows. She invested herself into our project. She and her team have worked extensively throughout the East Bay and she knows what will thrive in these microclimates. Her suggestions for our garden plan were always welcomed. She maintained an consciousness in integrating water-wise and native plants into the plan. 3- Cost: Given that we live in the Bay Area, I would say the cost was acceptable and affordable. She worked with our budget. We did get a few other proposals from other contractors who estimated the work that we wanted to get done as much as double what Racheal quoted. 4- Estimated cost vs actual cost: Less than 2% difference, very impressive and highly appreciated. When actively working on the project, Racheal reviewed with us every previously unseen adjustment in the proposal that came up before moving forward. 5- Timeliness: She drew the plans for us in Feb 2016. After the plans were developed, we confirmed we wanted her to follow through with the whole project. She estimated a 4-5 month wait until they could continue with the implementation of the plan. It felt a bit long, but they are quite busy. Once July came, she estimated 3 weeks for the entire job, and was right on time. 1 week for clearing and terracing our backyard up-sloped yard, 1 week for laying the rock for retaining walls, and 1 week for irrigation and planting. her crew and came in daily on time. 6- Continued care: It's now been 1 year since our project has been completed. Throughout this year, with any questions I've had, Racheal has remained just as good of a communicator as she was throughout the active project. We are so pleased with the results. As we reflect on what was achieved, we are always confirmed that working with Fiddlehead Gardens was such a great decision. We now have a beautiful usable garden that has added so much for our personal well being and our functional living space (very important with the smallish plots of land in these areas). read more

We inherited these nice gardeners from the former owners of our home. They also started the garden at my public school in SF! They have done a lovely job incorporating our tropical paradise theme into the already existing garden. The plants really help keep busy Claremont Ave. a world away. I would recommend Fiddlehead for their friendly manner, cool artistic vision and the expert upkeep of your garden. They give very good advice and make sure to communicate what they plan for your garden. You can see old pictures here: http://www.fiddleheadgardens.com/brookside.html read more

In response to my friendly inquiry, I received the following answer: "We are not available to help you with your garden projects." which appears unnecessarily rude. They might to consider providing if they might consider my business in the future etc. read more

We hired Rachael to replace our front lawn with drought tolerant plants. She and her crew did a fantastic job. Three months later the plants are all thriving and have probably tripled in size. The front yard looks great, with a mix of colors and types. And the proof that these were the right plants came in our first full water bill, which was down 60% from the same period last year. One of Rachael's great strengths is that she listens to what her customers are trying to accomplish. I am not knowledgeable at all on plants, neither on choosing them nor on caring for them. But as I described to Rachael what our goals were (low water use, low maintenance, attractive appearance with lots of color and variety) she knew exactly what I was talking about. She gave us an illustrated inventory of plants we could choose from to meet our needs, from which we selected a number of types. She and her crew prepared the site, laid down a simple but effective drip irrigation system and put the plants in. We've been taking care of the yard since at very minimal effort but have received a lot of compliments from neighbors and visitors who knew what the yard looked like when it was grass. I cannot say enough about how good a job Rachael did and I will happily recommend her to anyone who asks me about a landscaper. read more

Left a voicemail here over a week ago, still no call back. This is not a way to run any type of business.

Fiddlehead Gardens transformed our overgrown 50's landscaped front yard into a beautiful, modern uncluttered space. They installed irrigation and plants and designed a step stone path to connect to our drive way. Racheal has terrific sensibilities and has maintained it for us beautifully. read more

Owner and designer Mya Kessler has turned our vision for our backyard into a true piece of art. During the design process, she listened to my wishes, concerns and budget issues and designed a landscape plan and implemented it beautifully. She is a very artistic and talented landscape designer, who knows plants, soil conditions and horticulture. She has a great aesthetic eye for hard and soft scape alike. I very much enjoy working with her. She and her partner Rachael have a wealth of creative ideas, as well as the knowledge and experience to implement them beautifully. Her wonderful team also does excellent maintenance. I highly recommend Fiddlehead Gardens for smaller and larger scale projects as well as for design consultations and maintenance. read more

When it was time to re-do our backyard (and it was about as bad as it gets) we talked to a lot of people and Fiddlehead did such a great on the yards we looked at it was an easy decision. Now four years later all the plants selected have thrived and we have no regrets, they did such a great job and stuck to our not very large budget. Just today we rec'd another compliment on our garden and it's all thanks to Mya and the Fiddlehead staff. Love them! read more

Fiddlehead Gardens - purple flowers on a tree branch - Gardeners Near Me - Berkeley, California

Ive worked on a couple of Rachael's projects and I have to say she's one of the easiest people to work with. She's has a lot of qualities that homeowners really appreciate. For me she has always be great to work with and her communication is superb. Last time we worked with her she was able to schedule her work around our project and they were on time and were very considerate. Fiddlehead Gardens is a top notch company! read more

Fiddlehead Gardens does exceptional work on every one of their yards. I have been installing their irrigation for some of their projects for a few years now, and each garden creation of theirs that I have seen has been inspirational, functional, and beautiful. I highly recommend them to anyone looking for a new garden! read more

Very good gardening company. They know their plants, listen to your tastes, and take excellent care of the garden. Reliable scheduling, fair prices, good communication. read more

Wow! Rachel and her team did an AMAZING job on our backyard. We just moved from Chicago and had no idea who to go to- Rachel was so wonderful when she came over for a consultation. Her passion and knowledge were evident. Such a delight to get to know and work with!!! read more

Mya and Racheal and their crew have done various projects for us over the last five years. Their recent spring clean-up transformed our weedy hillside planters into tidy, creatively terraces reminiscent of Tuscan hill towns, all in one day and within our budget. Their crews are careful to identify and protect existing plantings, as well. What is different about Fiddlehead is that Mya and Rachel listen closely and with sensitivity, and adapt their designs to how clients want their gardens to look and feel. They even included rare plants I remembered from my mother's garden. We've recommended them to many friends who have also been very happy with their service. read more

My husband and I worked with Racheal on a total yard re-do. We met with several landscape architects whose work we liked and Fiddlehead Gardens was the only one able to give up an accurate quote on the entire project from start to finish. The others just wanted to give a quote on the designs. We aren't really plant savvy, just have a general idea of what we like and don't like. Racheal was great to work with, didn't just throw out plant names but gave us pictures of plants to look at helped us make decisions. Racheal was really flexible and always had an alternate solution as we sometimes changed our minds. Her crew is very thorough and we couldn't be happier with the result. We are on a visible corner lot and people I've never met before stop by and compliment our new yard. read more

Racheal and her team are simply top-notch. She turned our disaster/jungle backyard into a space that I and my family love to spend time in. Racheal came up with a couple of great designs for our backyard, she spent ample time with us to talk through the options and listen to our preferences, and she executed in exactly the time-frame that she specified (started and ended on the days that she said she would start and end!), at the cost she quoted (actually came in a little under). She was flexible and accommodating around some unexpected issues that cropped up (not minor - e.g. we ended up demolishing an attached unit of our house, which impacted the footprint of the backyard), and communicated promptly and regularly as the work progressed. She has followed up a few times since the work finished, to answer our questions and give us some guidance on taking care of our backyard. Working with Racheal was the best experience I have had with a contractor - she is really phenomenal! read more

Conscientious. They care about their work. With many gardeners, your irrigation system could stop working and the would just clear away the dead plants, one by one. Fiddlehead tests the sprinklers regularly. We have them choose, plant and maintain some pots for us, and they're always looking great. Everything looks great. read more

We had had a wonderful garden installed - and then the gardener passed away. Subsequently, we went through a series of gardeners who really didn't get it - didn't have the design sense we wanted, didn't put together plants that worked in terms of color, texture, variety. We found Fiddlehead and now the garden is gorgeous again. It doesn't look the same as before, which is fine, but it is beautiful. They have good eyes and ideas about what works in which areas in the garden. And as important: they are easy to work with, very responsive. We are quite delighted with Fiddlehead's work. read more

I work at a non-profit organization that serves Senior Citizens. For years our communal backyard has been in need of major reconstruction. Anyway, Rachel Perry graciously volunteered her services and the end product was spectacular!! I was thoroughly impressed by her professionalism, the way in which she incorporated the ideas of the senior citizens at our center, and the end product! I have nothing but good things to say about the amazing work that Racheal did and would recommend her and Fiddlehead Gardens to anyone! read more

I have a small, urban garden near Lake Merritt in Oakland that I wanted to turn into a lilttle oasis. Racheal came recommended to me, and I couldn't be happier. She listened to me (pollinator plants, natives, drought tolerant) and proposed a design, in a ddition to a list of plants--with photos. Her excellent team helped her remove a lawn, install boulders, a flagstone path, and troughs for plants. A new irrigation system was created. Racheal even came by to check on the plants after our recent week of subzero temperatures at night, She was always reliable and approachable--and a delight to work with. Obviously, i recommend her highly. read more

Fiddlehead Garden Rocks! If good communication, follow through and flexibility are important to you, Fiddlehead is for you. Of course, they know their stuff and have gorgeous designs, but these attributes seem to set Mya and Fiddlehead apart from other garden and design people. Fiddlehead offers a really high quality product- great consultation and design, and can deliver the goods in flexible ways to fit your budget and style. I've had them do it all - design, buy plants and materials and install or just do some idea consulting, educating and hand holding for specific garden pockets and planting beds that I purchased and planted myself. Once Mya did just a patio plant make-over for me that is just gorgeous - nothing I ever would have come up with myself. I really appreciate their flexibility since it has allowed me to work with them through various financial scenarios. I've always been very impressed with how Mya and Rachel could take my vague ideas and few magazine photos and articulate and teach me what kind of garden design I like. In short, great vision and knowledge, very warm and down to earth, very flexible and accommodating. read more