Contacted them. Response was assuming and dismissive stating they only work on projects that will…read morecost between $80k to $300k. I've got close to a mill but I'm not going to spend most of it on outdoor landscape design and install. Main guy only apparently has a permaculture certificate per the website. Plenty of other landscape companies who went through the full AA coursework from Merritt + similar experience + a better attitude.

We love Oscito. Our new landscaped hill project was as painfree as they get and we can't wait for…read moreour awesome "plant palette" to grow in! Thanks Ben, Francisco, Luiz, Michelle and everyone else that worked so hard on our project.

Our experience with Farallon has been outstanding from the start. Unlike many home-service…read morecontractors, Matthew has been responsive and professional at every turn. We had the initial garden installation work done two years ago, and it included planting the front yard and installing a new irrigation system. But what has impressed us even more than our original experience has been Matthew's incredible service ever since. This has included replacing plants that did not take at no charge and most recently, responding in under an hour (and showing up at our house within another hour) when a portion of pipe broke off connecting the irrigation system to a pipe leading to the house. Despite having done the original work over two years ago, and the issue having more to do with the pre-existing pipes than with the work done by Farallon, Matthew capped the pipe on the spot, and was back within a week to completely rebuild the connection with new brass fittings that he would not take any money for. This level of service is simply not something we've experienced with any other home-service contractors in thirty years of home ownership (which included a major remodel, and many, many small projects and maintenance over the years). Cannot recommend Farallon highly enough!

Farallon's garden looks okay albeit over-planted and over-irrigated, resulting in continuous waste…read moreof water. After talking to one of their employees who were arrogantly opinionated on the subject, we decided to stay away from them. This company has to learn how to be humble first before anything else. Disappointing!

We hired Planted Earth to redo our backyard and driveway. Prior to hiring them, we interviewed 2…read moreother landscape designers and Michael was the only one who had a vision for our yard. We had also seen Michael's work at a neighboring house. The scope of the project included a new driveway, drainage, deck, patio, fence, and project managing the installation of a prefab shed/office. The design phase was smooth and we had a good idea of what the end result should be. Michael and Ann presented multiple ideas and options with different price points. They also took our concerns into account when we weren't sure of certain design aspects. The build phase was less clear. We didn't always know what was being worked on for a given week or how long it would take. We had weekly sync ups to address concerns and ask questions but time estimates weren't their strong suit. We also had issues with Planted Earth's billing/accounting where they would accidentally double charge or not see a previously paid invoice. These issues were always corrected with an email but it was extra work on my part to double check things. Generally, Michael is reasonable and worked with us on invoicing issues. During this time we had a permitting issue that wasn't Planted Earth's fault. The city of Oakland was understaffed and generally incompetent. Michael and Ann gave us updates on our permits and personally visited the permitting office to move things along. In the end it sounded like Michael finally convinced the clerk to take 5mins to do their job. I'm not sure another designer would have been as persistent. Overall, we are happy with our yard and glad it's finally done.

My family and I feel as if we've been through a traumatic experience with Michael McFadden -…read moreowner/operator of Planted Earth Inc. My hope is that you watch out for the red flags that I ignored and that this review helps one family to think twice before working with Mick. We hired Mick to replace our driveway, pour a new back patio with tile and install a steel pergola over the patio. Mick's bid came in very high and he assured me that he likes to be "up front" so that there are no surprises. I thought I was getting quality and for some reason I originally trusted Mick to deliver. I made a huge mistake. For us, he appeared arrogant, threatening, disorganized and amateurish. If you only need a few rocks moved around, it could work. After the second installation of the back patio tile (first one needed to be ripped up) and the failed sealing of the driveway and the misaligned posts on our new pergola (see photo), I ended our expectation that Mick would ever finish the job.

We have a very small lot with no back yard. We wanted to replace the grass with a drought-tolerant,…read moreunifying design. I'm amazed at Chris Garcia's vision. He designed a low-water, minimal-maintenance plan that incorporates 200+ (mostly) native plants; invites bees, birds and butterflies; ties together the front and side yards; and provides a sense of privacy. It took a while to get an actual plan -- currently they are 18 months out -- but the wait was SO worth it. Chris' communication was excellent. He also brought in a subcontractor to build the fences, gates, and a back porch to meet my requirements for two sets of steps. Once we had a date, the work was done quickly and efficiently, and designer Shanna Mahan joined the team, too. Of course we experienced glitches. Wood costs spiked, necessitating substitutes. I'm so impressed that 4D addressed everything promptly. We also have a 30-day replacement guarantee for all plantings. Hats off to the 4D crew: Chris, Shanna, Alfredo, Primo, Chepe and Andreas, and master carpenter Sebastian Francese & Newton!

This company let us down. We scheduled for a design appointment which isn't cheap. The day of the…read moreappointment we waited patiently and received no info. We reached out to the company or person who was going to come by and help us--Chris Garcia and called lackadaisical saying he forgot and overslept because he just came back from vacation. He proceeded to ask if there was anything he could do to make it up, which was unserious and clearly didn't want to work with us. My husband then responded not knowing what to say, that maybe we can give him another shot at coming out but possibly for a discount of a price because once again, not cheap. Would have been nice if Chris provided options for us to "make it up" instead of shutting us down. Chris declined and told us to have a good day. There was 0 effort in this company to make it right and expected us to be on board with missing our appointment because the employee was on island time. This was handled lackadaisical and totally missing our appointment which was setup for weeks and husband took time from work to stay for this appointment. Disappointed, Chris was very unprofessional.

Brian and his crew were doing work at our neighbors house and they were extremely pleased with the…read moreway their backyard project was progressing. We had become accustomed to their workers arriving in the morning and working through the day and that they were very cordial, friendly and considerate about parking responsibly. So, we asked Brain to come over to assess a drainage issue we had in our backyard where because of our clay soil, water would accumulate in our pathway (frustratingly at the the highest point on our property). He gave us a plan that involved removing our pavers (set in dirt), excavating some of the clay soil, digging a trench down the middle of the pathway and installing a perforated drain line to collect the water, connect the new pipe with proper grade into our existing patio drain line to carry the water to the curb at the street; backfilling with crushed drain rock (gravel/sand) to promote drainage and preserve the proper grade, and wrapping with filter fabric to minimize anything getting into the new pipe (other than water!). Then more fun -- putting the flagstone pavers back in place. These had been photographed prior to removal and numbered to ensure they went back into the right locations. There was considerable attention paid to spacing, and then settling them onto well compacted gravel one by one - some rather large and very heavy, and all are even with each other as you walk the path, amazing work. Finally the last several inches between the stones were filled with a complementary color decorative pea gravel (we had a choice from a generous selection). This was a great suggestion from Brian to eliminate planting between the stones which we previously had difficulty keeping weed free. We are very happy with all aspects of the work done. The crew was fantastic, hardworking and clearly talented individuals! Brian was super responsive when we had an occasional question. We were told it would take about 5 days, but it went to six -- no issue for us as we saw how the crew thoughtfully addressed unexpected hurdles that slowed things down (an underground electrical conduit right near the tie-in to the existing drain, existing drip irrigation that needed to be cut, then repaired to acommodate the project, etc). We look forward to talking with Brian and BWD for our future needs.

BWD gardens did an incredible job transforming our back yard into a beautiful and inviting outdoor…read moreliving space. Brian helped us completely reimagine the layout and make the best use of our space. He is a very thoughtful and creative designer, with a keen eye for details, and knowledgeable about his materials (plants, stone, mulch, lighting, etc.). He is also an excellent listener, and was great about balancing our ideas with his own - he incorporated our wants/needs while steering us gracefully to a plan that would be successful. It was really fun working with him. And then his team was efficient, professional, and friendly, and executed his plan beautifully, ahead of schedule! We ended up with a space that is exactly what we were hoping for, but not something that we could have dreamed up on our own. We're excited to watch our plants grow and enjoy spending time in our new garden!

We hired Harkness Gardens to replace some rotten wood in our backyard. While their quote wasn't the…read morelowest, we appreciated Paul's transparency around labor and materials, and ultimately felt good moving forward. The good: the crew worked quickly, were friendly and flexible (even as the job doubled in size once more boards were identified as rotten), and they did a good job with the installation overall. They even fixed some outdoor lights in the process--great job where it matters most. Unfortunately, a few issues cropped up after they left: nails, wood chips, and trash were scattered around the property; our bougainvillea was scraped and broken in a few places from where the workers hit in in carrying supplies in/out; a board adjacent to the new installation was cracked; and they left behind excess oversized wooden planks and rebar too big for our trash bins. None of this was major--but it did require extra time and effort on our end. The bigger issue was how Paul handled it. When we finally got on the phone post-job (after a week of delays, since we had been traveling -- admittedly, we could have done a better job communicating our concerns right away), Paul was defensive from the outset. Rather than simply acknowledging the concerns or offering a small fix--like a quick cleanup, an apology, or a nominal discount--he lectured me about how contractors don't have recourse if clients don't pay and implied the problems were our fault for not requesting extra TLC up front. To be clear: we paid in full, didn't ask for anything unreasonable, and would've been pretty happy just to feel heard. Instead, we got a condescending response and a begrudging $100 offer (which we declined). So: strong install work and fair pricing, but very little attention to detail or customer satisfaction after the fact. If you hire Harkness Gardens, make sure to be extremely explicit up front about cleanup, debris removal, and basic care for plants or surrounding structures--because otherwise, it may not be included. Otherwise, the quality of their work and install was great.

I cannot recommend Harkness Gardens (Paul Harkness) more highly if you have any landscaping or…read moregarden needs. We engaged Paul and his crew to bring to life our Yardzen landscape design plans and he knocked it out of the park! My wife and I wanted to make changes at pretty much every step of the process, and Paul and his team were super accommodating and helped us figure out what would work best in our space. They did all the construction work, fences, irrigation, plant selection and planting, and electrical installation. Even after the work was completed, we still keep in touch with Paul to provide guidance for the maintenance and upkeep of our yard and the plants. Paul and his team are the absolute best and I cannot imagine having had a better experience with another contractor. His pricing is also very competitive and transparent.

Manuel and True Magic Landscaping just finished our backyard remodel. We worked with a landscape…read moredesigner (Plant Stars) who recommended True Magic for our front yard a few years ago, and we had such a great experience that we didn't really entertain going with someone else for the backyard. Project included new long retaining wall, new patio with aluminum pergola, small basketball court, turf, irrigation and planting. Manuel was easy to communicate for updates/adjustments, and his crew were kind and easy to work with. We love the final product even more than we hoped to. Recommend without reservation.

Manuel and his team helped me with some work in my front yard. He was responsive and quick, and his…read moreteam showed up on time, were super polite, and left my yard much better than they found it. I really appreciate the care, concern, and professionalism showed by True Magic Landscaping.

Working with the Wildwood Landscapes team was, hands down, the best experience I've had with any…read morecontractor. I met with several landscape architects and contractors before finding them, and none came close to matching what Elliot and his team delivered. I'm a detail-oriented client with high standards, and I know that's not always easy to work with. Elliot's team never once made me feel like a burden. Their communication was timely and thorough from our very first conversation through the final walkthrough -- every question answered, every update proactive, nothing left me guessing. The design work is what really sets them apart. They listened closely to exactly what I wanted, then elevated it with their own creative touches I never would have thought of myself. The plant selections were beautiful, thoughtfully chosen, and perfectly suited to the space. Pricing was transparent from day one -- no surprises, just a clear breakdown I could trust. What used to be barren, empty yards and an empty deck is now a redwood and understory oasis and a deck that feels like you are sitting in a lush meadow. It's hard to describe the transformation -- I genuinely feel like I own a different home. It no longer feels like an everyday yard; it feels like a professionally designed landscape, the kind you'd see in a magazine. And the installation itself was flawless. Every detail was executed exactly as planned, with obvious care and craftsmanship. Beyond the incredible work, Daniel and Elliot are both kind, wonderful people. It was truly a joy having them on this project. If you're considering different landscape companies, I'd point you straight to Wildwood. Elliot and his team didn't just meet my expectations, they completely blew them away, and I'd recommend them to absolutely anyone.

We hired Wildwood Landscapes to completely redesign our front and back yards, and we couldn't be…read morehappier with the results. From the initial design consultation to the final walk-through, everything was handled professionally and with great care. Elliot was fantastic to work with. He truly listened to our ideas and incorporated them seamlessly into a plan that was even better than we had envisioned. The entire team from design to construction was skilled, friendly, and respectful of our property. We especially want to call out Gabe for his exceptional craftsmanship. He and another gentleman built a couple retaining walls in our front yard that are absolutely incredible. We have met several neighbors because they want to stop and talk about the wall.