Mae consulted with us and worked through several different styles of garden for front and back yard. We had front and rear lawns resized and new irrigation. We chose an English style garden that has many pollinators. It's the focal point of our home an we regularly receive compliments. Mae has returned through the years to freshen it up and try new things. Mae planted fruit trees including an Apple, Apricot, and a Persimmon. We spend more time in the yard because of the design. One of the best choices we made after the remodel. read more

GrowPlenty Productive Landscapes - Landscaping Near Me - Richmond, California

Mae and her crew are simply the best. She is a terrific problem solver, whip-smart and her crew are all very good at what they do. Thanks to Plenty Landscapes we now have a backyard with beautiful trails and plantings, and some wonderful extra details built from excess materials like a bench tucked into the hill with a perfect view of the hills around us and tree ties carved out wood in the shape of our two dogs. Our backyard was a large, very steep, muddy clay hill above an old cracking concrete patio that other landscapers didn't want to take on. Mae wasn't fazed at all. She spent quite a bit of time with me before coming up with plans, asking questions, listening, measuring and inspecting everything from the soil type, grade, and drainage patterns. She came up with a beautiful layout and gave us a few proposals with different materials to choose from, one of which was using as much recycled material as possible (yay!). For example: Instead of demolishing the patio and hauling the debris to the dump her crew cut the concrete into urbanite bricks to form a low retaining wall. It looks terrific, fits our aesthetics and budget. The project took most of last summer, and at each step Mae provided very clear documentation of the work completed and the work to be done. We always knew where the project stood and how much everything was going to cost. Communications were clear and consistent: We knew when the crew was going to arrive each day and what was going to be done that day. It's been several months and a few rainstorms since the project wrapped and the backyard is filling out nicely with all the plantings. Mae and her crew stop by every once in a while for maintenance and I know if anything garden issues pop up I can always count on her to help. read more

I worked for Mae back in 1995. I recalled a huge landscape project right in front of Mount Diablo next to a golf course. What inspired to give her my best was her dedication to detail and safety. We were building 3 feet height rock walls that required just the power of gravity and a good deep burying, nothing else, and would resist a large weight and will fit tight to the other rocks. The rock building was the foundation for terraces for planting lavender, rosemary, etc. I remember talking about the concept of drought resistance, and planting trees that were practical and provided fruit, in addition to shadow and place for the birds, squirrels, etc to thrive. read more

My yard has gone from dying grass, a mess of shrubs and trees, and a big bare slope of rock-hard clay to a beautiful environment of thoughtfully chosen shrubs and perennials, fruit trees, berry vines and bushes, herbs, lawn, vegetable garden, and patio seating/grill area. Every plant is growing happily and the birds and bees hover all day long. Mae and the crew finished their very hard work about a month ago, but we are already picking vegetables and berries. Every single plant has the soil and water that it needs. I could not be happier! Everything was done to the highest standard, with knowledge and care. The price was high, but not crazy. Most important, it was a good value. There was a whole lot to be done. And it is ever true that you get what you pay for. As far as I know, the crew worked only on my project for the duration, which is very important when your yard becomes a dug-up pit of dirt and mud. It's hard to choose a favorite thing, but everyone who sees the yard is super-impressed with the retaining wall that the crew built with repurposed material from the patio that was replaced. People are also noticing the beautiful Japanese maple that has always been there, but which has become a star in the yard now that it has been given a new surrounding that sets it off. Woody the Belgian Tervuren is a delightful member of the crew. read more

We found Mae while looking for a local landscape designer to rehab our aging and decrepit back yard. She came out and looked at our site and after a few more visits came up with a wonderful plan to give us a far more usable and friendly space. She seemed to know exactly what would make our 4 and 6 year kids happy while giving us more space to relax and entertain. She preserved the best of what we had in the yard while improving all the rest Her crew was top notch and a great group. The subs she used for the tree removal and trimming (Big Chief) and our new concrete patio (Bohannon Concrete) were equal in the care and quality of their work. The one thing that still amazes everyone is her creative reuse of our old patio concrete, by slicing and strategic breaking she was able to build two new retaining walls without hauling in a single stone or having to haul away any broken concrete. She also used mulch from a tree we had removed as well as the trimmings from our other trees in the yard as ground cover. Creative reuse is a term that you hear thrown about, Mae actually does it well. She and her crew showed up on time, did the job efficiently and left the workspace clean and organized at the end of each day. I never worried about any unsafe conditions for my kids. Woody the dog did an excellent job of keeping the neighborhood cats off the jobsite as well as being a very polite and mannered addition to the crew. I have recommended her work to all my neighbors and friends and would suggest you give her a call if you need some help with your problem yard, you won't find better. read more

Mae helped us turn our backyard into the garden sanctuary that we longed for. Before the reconstruction, our backyard was a paver nightmare with a down slope coming towards the house. Mae came out several times to inspect the space and take measurements; she listened very carefully to what we needed the space to be; and found issues that needed to get corrected that we didn't even think of. Now, our backyard has a seating and dining area, fruit trees galore which will eventually provide privacy, and plenty of growing space for an urban farm! Her work consisted of re-grading the back-yard to correct the slope; laying down new drainage pipes; installing more attractive, and reasonably priced, pavers; installing a rock wall to act as a planting area for the fruit trees; building raised garden beds; and installing an irrigation system to the beds. Mae's crew were also very respectful, highly professional and neat. They worked quietly and efficiently; and at the end of each working day, the work area was cleaned and everything was put away safely. Since completion, Mae has also given me plenty of advice on gardening, from irrigation to fertilization. Mae is truly "aMAEzing"!! read more

Everytime I look into our backyard, I give thanks to Mae for the excellent work that she and her crew did at our house. Mae worked with us to design our new garden. She worked hand in hand with us on the design. Once we were happy with the design after a couple iterations, she and her crew began construction. They installed new pavers, a rock retaining wall, planting beds, and irrigation. The design was well thought out and the implementation was well executed. The plane formed by the pavers is even; the lines are square and straight. They shaped the natural rocks we bought by hand to make the rock wall. Their craftsmanship was excellent. read more

Mae completed re-imagined our outdoor space. We wanted to wipe the slate clean and create a space that was livable, and efficient. Her level of knowledge astounded me. She was very detail oriented and worked with me on my budget. The end result was a beautiful fence, (that the neighbors gush about), an edible garden, a seating area, and plants that will grow to smartly add privacy where I need it. Thanks Mae! read more

I don't know where to start in our praise and gratitude for the work done for us by Mae and her crew. We interviewed many landscapers (architects, contractors, designers...) over the course of 5 months and none of them measured up to Mae. We have a larger, quite steep (45 degree angle), hillside backyard that hadn't been touched in decades and we wanted to transform it into a lovely, livable and productive space. We also hoped to add a small deck to the side of our house that would lead to the backyard. What was frustrating was that every landscaper or designer who came to look at our yard seemed to only see the challenges (which were great, indeed) but not the potential. When Mae came onsite, she walked the property, looked at the soil, talked about the kinds of plants that would do well on our site and threw out a few design elements. She also said she would like a week or so to think about the yard. She was very matter-of-fact, which we liked. Then she came back with a rough outline of her ideas, a detailed drawing, suggestions on how to tackle some of the problems our site posed and a plant and tree list - everything within our budget. Mae could do all of it (hardscape, design, install, plant -- drainage, irrigation, carpentry, lighting, etc). Her knowledge is remarkably vast on all fronts - it's obvious she has passion for her work and is constantly seeking out new ways to help her clients. We were floored and had a few more meetings to discuss details and then she and her amazing team started. We had no clear, wide passage for machinery from the backyard to the street, so everything going to and from the yard was going to have to be done manually by her team. Every morning, her team would arrive just before 8am and then they would start on time and finish about 5PM or a bit later if they needed to. Mae would always tell me if they would have a later start (rare) for any reason and she would email or call me with progress reports and didn't make any changes to the budget without a change order approval from us. Those were also rare -- she really did strive to stick with the budget she first proposed. Her small but excellent team of 4 were so kind and professional -- and they worked hard. After each day they would clean up everything - I knew it was quitting time each night because I always heard them sweeping up. They were so respectful of us, our space and of each other; it is clear they have worked together for a long time. I echo the other reviewers here especially in regards to Mae's creative thinking of reuse. Every thing she did for us was carefully thought out and strategic; she worked very hard to make use of everything we had in the backyard and to think ahead to avoid any unnecessary costs or problems. There were rocks, bricks, flagstones we were going to have to pay to haul away and Mae had other ideas and incorporated them beautifully into the design. Mae talked about 'inviting' people to the back by creating a deck that led to the curved entry to the yard. Our yard which was once an eye sore for us (and for our neighbors) is now our pride and joy. Plenty Landscapes.... 1) Terraced our backyard and built retaining walls using our former concrete patio 2) Suggested and installed unique plant/fruit tree design within budget; all drought-resistant 3) Designed and installed french-style drainage to accommodate the runoff from our hill 4) Installed a patio mid-terrace to capture the view of the bay 5) Transformed a small retaining wall into a lovely seating area 6) Designed and built a gorgeous Ipe deck - with unique hand-curved balusters (Mae suggested more of an artistic 'piece' than a crib) - we absolutely love it. 7) Built two large vegetable boxes with irrigation, which we are making great use of 8) Installed trenches to draw water uphill; installed faucets taps in upper hill locations 9) Trenched electrical up hill and installed all LED lights and timer around stairs and yard 10) Designed and framed two curved stairways for concrete pouring (Bohannan) 11) Completely dug up front lawn of weeds in one day and used extra mulch as cover 12) There's a lot more but Yelp will cut me off.... There's a wonderful sense of pride and care that Mae has in her work -- we felt she was just as invested in creating this space as much as we were. She is also one of the kindest and caring people we have met. This is a wonderful partnership that we hope continues to grow. read more

I turned to Mae when I needed help designing my front garden. For a very reasonable price she came up with a pleasing design and then gave me a step-by-step guide for implementing the plan. Without her I would still be going around in circles. Instead, I've installed many of her ideas and know that if I come to a job that I can't handle myself I can turn to her and her crew to do some of the more difficult tasks. I'm looking forward to eating blueberries from the garden next year, and seeing my garden blossom in the spring, thanks in large part of Mae's help. read more