Gary seemed nice at first. Then, I expressed disappointment in a job he charged me $1250 for (image attached) and he responded defensively and said things like "dont play games with me" (screenshots of conversation attached). Not only does he overcharge, but also does not take feedback well. I will never be contacting him again, especially because he is extremely unprofessional. Unfortunately, I am down $1250 for something I could have done for $200. Is this the way you want to be spoken to as a customer? You be the judge. read more

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Gary and his team are my go to people for all landscaping projects. They help transform my backyard from a nightmare to my zen place. Thank you! read more

Gary's Finer Landscapes - a fire pit in the backyard - Landscaping Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We have used Gary's for maybe the last 20 years. Although living in the city and at its largest, our lawn was the size of two burial plots, the also worked with us on our plants in the back of the house as well as in front. About 14 years ago, when we completed a renovation to the back of the house, we contracted them to install the new patio, and they did a great job. The one thing that stands out is their staff and their service. Early on, we had a dog who ran in the back yard. Besides requiring that the gate be locked, if she was out they had to pay attention which they always did. Also, if we needed them to pay attention so something different, sweep a storm drain or take care of some aphids, this gladly did it. Definitely recommend them. read more

I highly recommend Gary and his team. Gary was responsive throughout the entire process, including follow up after the job was complete. We had a rough looking back yard when we moved in that needed serious help, and help he did! Now my kids can actually play out back :) He has a great and knowledgeable crew who work with him as well. If you're looking for a great landscaper, Gary's your guy! read more

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Blew off his appointment and did not answer emails asking when he would come. Disappointing

Gary's Landscaping did an amazing job in spring planting, mulching and clean up to get our yard ready for summer. It looks beautiful. His team was great to work with and did quality work. Thank you! read more

This was last year. Been meaning to let all know. Gary is a misogynist. Chauvinist. Has no regard for women. Disrespectful doesn't begin to cover it. He has conned someone at Angie's List because those reviews are all good. I don't believe it. He treated me like I didn't have a brain cell in my head. I don't like men who treat women that way. I had another landscaper design my garden. On her reco, I hired Gary to install irrigation. He came out and was all chummy. He told me from the back of his hand that he and his guys could have done a better design job than my other landscaper who didn't know what "she" was doing - insinuating it was because she was a woman. I was so offended. I listened and endured his pomposity. I didn't hire him. Men like him belong in the movies not in the universe where they can taint the groundwater with their bassackward attitudes. read more

team did a fine job, was quick, followed our ideas and direction well, and came back to make adjustments. easy to work with and fair priced for their level of service. read more

Gary's Finer Landscaping is a pleasure to work with. Gary is a seasoned professional. His knowledge is varied and extensive. His crew has been with him a long time too. I had a challenge with my property line and he handled it with diplomacy. He artfully manicured the neighbors tree/bush so they couldn't complain. His passion is gardens. First rate! read more

We replaced the patio they installed; we were really dissatisfied.

Gary's Finer Landscapes did an AMAZING job in front of my house, creating a real "WOW!" factor in my home's curb appeal. After listening carefully to what I would like (and not like) to include in my new (almost 50 ft long) perennial flower gardens, Gary planned out specific flowers, bushes, and decorative grasses that totally reflected my ideas. He is exceptionally knowledgeable about which perennials grow best in certain areas. The whole front of my house faces west, so that full sun in Chicago summers was greatly considered in the choice of each planting. I'm so happy with how smoothly and successful this landscape project was executed. Gary was flexible and patient with my last minute changes on the final plans, guiding my decisions with his expertise. Since I know very little about perennials and plantings, I really appreciated his designs, advice, and suggestions. Everything was done very professionally from start to finish. We signed a contract, paid a deposit, got emails and phone calls explaining progress, and had a completed project DONE in a reasonable time frame. Gary's landscaping company does quality work. His quote reflected his expertise, and we're so happy we hired him. He's a "man of his word" and gets the job done!! My husband and I highly recommend him! read more

Gary's Finer Landscapes did a great job on our house. We have a small front lawn area where they installed a tree, some bushes, some flowers and a small walkway. They were fast and their customer service, and follow through have been amazing! I highly recommend them. -Chicago customer read more

Contracted with Gary to redesign and resod my front yard. I took out the overgrown bushes and had some sewer work done earlier in the summer. Gary and his crew were great. They came and put in a stone wall for a raised flower bed & resodded the front lawn. The end result is great. Our new neighbors who used my front bushes and yard as the geographic marker drove past their own house. :) I get alot of compliments from neighbors walking by. Thanks to Gary and Crew for a job well done. read more

Gary and his team totally transformed the parkway in front of our condo! We now have beautiful hostas, boxwoods, pachysandra, and hydrangeas instead of weeds. Gary is professional, friendly, and communicative and so is his crew. We will be calling them for future "cleanup" work for sure and recommend them for new designs as well! read more

Gary's did an excellent job installing an irrigation system for my entire yard, landscaping, and installed a raised vegetable garden built with cedar timbers. I had 3 other quotes and Gary's was the most detailed, including sketches and creative ideas. Gary's was also the least expensive. I would use them again and highly recommend them for any similar work. read more

Made an appointment and no one showed up. No one answers the phone and no one even bothered to call to state they are running late. Thanks for wasting my time. read more

I have used Gary's finer landscaping several times over the years, always with good results. This summer they did a superb job of planting sod where I had to have electricians dig a trench to bury a cable. They prepared the ground just right, digging out all the yucky clay that was now on top, laying down top soil, and then placing some very beautiful, healthy sod. Now, you can't even tell the sod from the undisturbed lawn. It was not cheap, but worth every every penny! read more

beware....cant' really speak for their landscaping service, but their snow removal is a joke. Not a well run business at all.

These guys are the best. Been working with them for a few years. Ed Joyce, who coordinates many of their jobs, worked with us a few years ago to landscape the parkway in front of our house on a lean budget. It looks great! We also rely on Gary's to do our fall and spring cleanups. The crews and very efficient and pleasant; overall they do a very nice job at reasonable rates. read more

We had Gary's Finer Landscapes re-sod our small-to-medium size city yard as well as plant some new trees, create a grill pad with blue stone, and add mulch. Everything turned out perfect. That would have been worth the 5 stars, but their service was exceptional. We contacted them under a time crunch in early April as we wanted to list our place by mid-April. Pete from Gary's met with us right away, came up with some ideas, and was confident they could meet our timeframe (which was less than a week from our meeting). The biggest concern was if the sod would be ready from their supplier. A few days before installation, Pete was able to text us a picture of what the sod looked like from their supplier. Needless to say, it was fine and we moved along with our schedule. Our yard was small enough where they easily finished in 1 day. The crew was fantastic and cleaned everything up when they were done. There were no surprises with the bill either. All around, we're very satisfied and would recommend them for your landscaping needs. read more

We used Gary's Finer Landscapes to supplement and re-grade the soil under our deck, as well as clean and add to the marble stones on top. Foreman Pedro knew exactly what we were trying to accomplish, and his crew completed the job promptly, and to exact specifications. Did a very nice job with cleanup as well. Highly recommended. read more

I used Gary for years as weekly maintenance on my yard. Always did the front but rarely did the back, even though the service was for both areas. Often needed to comment on how overgrown the yard looked before bushes were trimmed, etc. During my service, I had him install a large two-tiered fountain in my yard. I decided the weekly maintenance was overpriced for what I was getting so I stopped using him. This year, however, my fountain will not work so I reached out to him to look at it and have it fixed. Despite the fact that he put it in, he will not come out to fix it because he is "too busy". In my mind, you always take care of a customer and your work. You never know who they talk to, who they can recommend you to, or what additional work they will need down the road, While I would have considered him for further work on my landscaping and yard work before this, he is at the bottom of the list now. read more

To update my review from 2016 Autumn: I gave the landscaper specific instructions because I wouldn't be there to supervise. The landscaper made a suggestion which I disagreed with - verbally & in writing. I was surprised when I came home that the landscaper had done what I specifically asked them not to do. Before Gary's, it was the prettiest part of our garden; now, it needs to be dug up, because everything there mildewed, as I knew it would. read more

We used Gary's Finer Landscapes to re-sod our yard, as well as fill a sinkhole. Pedro was quick to respond to my inquiry, showed up early to review the work, was great about communicating and working with my parameters, as well as willing to negotiate the price where needed, and showed up on time with a wonderful crew who completed the work expertly and efficiently. In addition to the requested work, Pedro and his crew also added some sod to other areas they saw needed TLC. So in addition to great communication, timeliness, and efficiency, they are nice and go above and beyond! I'm so excited. And I look forward to working with them to build our patio and other future landscaping. read more

I called them two weeks ago for a quote. They promised to come by and write a proposal. I've called several times, and they promised to send something, but I still haven't received a quote. read more

Have been using Gary's for normal set up and clean up and mowing for years. Gary recently redesigned and replanted our back yard garden. For the city, we have a relatively large flower garden and over the years it had become overrun by weeds and out-of-control flowering plants. Gary cleaned out and then completely redesigned the garden. He selected plant groupings that look great together and are appropriate for the amount of sun and position in the garden. He also put in a small patio area in the garden, which looks great and allows for a cozy seating area from which to enjoy the garden. Gary and his crew were fabulous. The work was meticulous, as was the clean-up. They were very professional and worked hard to put everything in within the one long day, after having done some earlier prep work. We are extremely pleased with the results. The garden is absolutely beautiful, and we can't stop admiring it. Thank you, Gary! read more

Thanks to Pete and his efficient crew my yard looks 110% better. The services were rendered in a very timely manor and the prices where well worth every penny. I highly recommend Gary's Fine Landscaping read more

I had a similar experience as one of the other reviewers. I called Gary's Finer Landscapes and got a visit from Pete a couple of days later. We agreed on a price and he said his guys could be out the following week. It rained a lot the following week, so when no one showed up, I wrote it off because of the rain, but I followed up with a phone call. I left a message and got not return call. No call no show. Unfortunately, I have found this type of service is not uncommon in the building trades industry... read more

Called Gary's Landscaping to get a quote on some work needed in my home I recently purchased, left a message with my name, number and address.Got a call back two days later from Pete. I missed the call. Called Pete back the following morning and he seem to not want to help me. I told him who I was and guessed my address incorrectly and then stated it's out of the service area. Then I corrected him and told him my correct address and he paused, then said "we don't service your area". Mind you, my home is literally 5 minutes from their office. So how am I out of the service area? I feel like I didn't get any respect due to my home not being in the best of neighborhoods. But I guess you can expect a lot of this from Landscaping companies because they are IN SEASON. So they don't need your business as much. Continue to treat potential clients like you do and you won't have a business for clients to call. read more

We used to use Gary's Finer Landscapes, on the recommendation of our contractor -- he pretty much designed our back and front yards. But we will no longer use them. Gary said outright to us that residential customers are not a priority for them, and it shows in the complete lack of respect and service they provided this year. They did great work for us in the past -- but based on the way they treated us this year, it is clear that they have no interest in making their customers happy. We had brick pavers installed that needed additional mortar put in between them -- a problem that occurred right after they were put in, and that we notified them about right away. But they ignored our emails. And then they questioned whether we'd even sent them at all (easy to verify, though), putting us on the defensive. All over what would have been an inexpensive fix (and that I would gladly have paid additional money for -- I just wanted it done by right, and by the professionals who did the work in the first place). They don't stand behind their work, or want to make things right, or feel the need to treat their customers in a courteous and respectful manner. Very disappointing. read more

Worked with Gary for the first time this fall to revive my front yard. He listened and offered great suggestions during the consultation and followed up with an estimate as promised. After discussion with my husband, we altered our original plan and Gary quickly gave us a revised estimate. Gary scheduled the work to fit my schedule. He, and his crew, completed the job efficiently and beautifully. They worked with heavy equipment to get rid of my root problem, they added compost to the soil and leveled the area, finishing with mulch on top. It looks so much better than before. We went from the ugliest front yard on the block to something that looks cleaned up and tidy. I love it. In spring we plan to work with Gary again. This time we want to add walk-ways and some plantings and a bench. He sketched out some ideas for us and I look forward to working with him again. The cost seemed very reasonable for the amount of work that was done. read more

I have been using Gary's Finer Landscaping for three years. Gary and his crew completely re-landscaped my front and back yard. This included removal of concrete and paving as well as planting trees, shrubs and perennials. Although I had some clear ideas about what I wanted to create, I needed a lot of guidance. He and his team of skilled landscapers listened to my ideas then offered suggestions and expertise. The end result has been better then I imagined. Now that it is growing into maturity my compact outdoor space makes the statement I was looking for. As it continues to evolve, Gary continues to be available to answer questions and offer help. There were some issues with a few arborvitaes after the brutal winter of 2014. These were under warranty and he replaced them without hesitation. He clearly was invested in keeping his past customer happy. I highly recommend Gary's Landscaping. read more