Kim is very busy. I needed to replace my lawn, atrium, and four plant beds. Two involved pulling out the old for water conserving plants and adding color. After 45 yrs. this landscape needed a face lift. I also planted the back raised bed in a herb garden and two types of lavender. The rest of the area just got variegated grasses for low to no maintenance. Good ideas, lots of experience, advice and a pleasure to work with. It helps a lot when someone knows where the plants are and augments the clay soil I've been trying to change for 35 years! She had a lot of patience and is great to work with. She also networks to refer other designers of stone, decks etc. which helps a lot too. read more

Kim helped me design a drought tolerant landscape for replacing an existing lawn. I exchanged several emails with her before I setup a design appointment for November'16, and she patiently worked with me on identifying plants and helped selecting the right materials to keep the project within my budget. After the design session, she provided a drawing of the landscape plan, which was super helpful in obtaining bids from various landscape contractors and comparing bids. The plant list and the landscape plan also made it easy for me to complete the rebate application from the valley water district. I now have a low water use front yard with beautiful perennial flowering plants and shrubs. I will definitely work with Kim again when I get to my backyard remodel project ... she is awesome. read more

Kim created a design for my front and back yards. The plan was to remove the lawn and put in trees, bushes, edibles and plants. She was enjoyable and easy to work with. She listened to my ideas and concerns and incorporated those into the plans. Kim has a wonderful knowledge of plants - she was able to provide plans that will provide color all year round, various plants changing color and flowering in different seasons. She had great ideas how to increase the curb appeal in the front yard by changing up the driveway and fencing. I am going to implement the plan in phases and she gave guidance on the best way to do that. I highly recommend Kim read more

Before hiring Kim from KL Designs, I had talked to other designers, and almost hired one, who luckily didn't want my work. I hired Kim to help me design my front and back yards. She was knowledgeable, easy to communicate with and was able to gather my random ideas into a coherent design. She was prompt, responded quickly to emails, was happy to answer all my questions. My landscape contractor even commented on how helpful her design document was. I would recommend her to anyone looking for landscaping work. read more

We found KL Designs on Yelp. We are glad we awarded the design contract for our outdoor landscaping to Kim. Here are some key attributes that we liked - 1. The best thing about Kim is she is a fantastic listener. Indulges every whim and fancy request. Explains the pros and cons. 2. She is very proactive. Responds very quickly. 3. Landscape ideas seem to come naturally to Kim. Has a generic comfort feel for electrical, stone, soil, lighting, irrigation, etc. to layout a detailed enough plan for contractors to run with. I have shown the drawings to multiple contractors and they just have specific questions but never questioned the thought and flow of the plan with respect to all functions - people movement, entertainment, sustainability, combination of ornamental plants, vegetables and fruit trees. 4. Is very understanding of budget constraints and her plans give options to manage scope and quality vs budget. 5. She is very reasonable with her charges for the hours that she has to put in. I wish Kim the very best and would highly recommend her to anyone who is looking for outdoor landscaping designs. read more

We chose to work with Kim when we needed a full landscape and hardscape plan for front and backyard. Having a comprehensive design drawn up was so helpful to us in planning the project. We knew it would be a big/expensive project, but you really need a good set of plans to think through all the stages of the work and set a realistic budget. Once we had the plans, we were able to budget and work through the logistics for the project, and ultimately are now completing it over a year after our initial consult with Kim. Kim is responsive and a great communicator. She has the experience to think through all the details and highlight issues that I wouldn't have even thought to consider. She started by getting an understanding of my goals for the space, proposing ideas, getting my feedback, and then helping me fill in the details. She repurposed existing plants in our yard when possible and was able to make a design I love that also fit the lawn removal rebate. When I started sending out the plans to landscape contractors for bids, I was able to get comprehensive estimates. Also, many local landscape contractors have worked from Kim's designs before, which makes it extra easy! Once we started on the project, Kim's attention to detail have made the process pretty painless, the contractor knows exactly what to do and I've already made the big decisions. For that reason, we're also staying in the budget. The only extras have been things that Kim warned me in advance might have to be added. For instance, Pinterest gives you an optimistic view of recycled concrete flagstones, but the reality is that the person who poured your driveway decades ago wasn't thinking about that. When I had to make an unexpected substitution for a tree per city ordinances, Kim responded to my SOS message with advice a year after she drew up the plans. All my new plants are just babies now and I already love it. Can't wait to see how the garden grows! Thanks, Kim! read more

Kim helped me with the design of my front yard and I must admit that I am very pleased with the end result. She listened to what I wanted and gave me advice on the type of plants that would not only look good, but require minimum amount of water. I selected the option of paying her by the hour which was very economical, and yet provided me with everything I needed to proceed with my landscaping. This also gave me the option of doing the job myself or hiring a professional landscaper. I chose to hire someone for the difficult jobs, such as soil preparation, and do some of the easier jobs such as irrigation and mulch covering myself. I was impressed by Kim's knowledge and professionalism and the overall cost of the design. read more

Cannot be happier with our garden design! Kim is very knowledgeable, artistic, a great listener, wonderful to work with and reasonably priced. She sketched a wonderful planting design for our garden based on our requirements and budget. I was able to implement her design in 1/4th of the cost quoted by other designers. She was also very helpful in answering my many questions even after the design was completed. I would highly recommend her! read more

I hired Kim to design a plan to convert my front yard grass to low- draught, low- maintenance plants. I paid for a 4 hour consultation at my house that resulted in a plan that I can implement using my own contractor. Kim is efficient, professional, knowledgable and a pleasure to work with. She is organized and full of useful information. A few weeks after our consultation, I decided i needed a few revisions of the original plans. She did these in a timely manner without an addition charge. I am very pleased with my plan and I highly recommend Kim! read more

Kim managed to cut through the problem of turning a jungle back into a respectable yard, all the while keeping cost and efficiency at the forefront of her suggestions. We were totally overwhelmed by the project until she came to the rescue. She has keen eyes and spots problems/solutions very quickly We would highly recommend KLDesign to others. read more

Kim did an amazing job with our backyard plan. She really listened to what we were looking for and created a plan that captured everything we wanted and more. She is incredibly knowledgeable about plants too. She put together beautiful combinations of plants, and walked us through details and best ways to care for each one. I'm very happy with the results, and would absolutely work with Kim again. read more

Kim created the most dramatic landscape design for our back and front yards. How did she do it? She listened. She observed. She created. We can't wait to bring her design to life. Thank you, Kim! read more

We had a great experience with Kim. Things that stood out for me were: 1. Very patient and takes time to listen, understand and capture what we wanted from our yard 2. She also is creative in terms of suggesting options: balancing differing ideas, cost, design trade-offs etc 3. Also found her to be very diligent, transparent and trustworthy 4. Lastly she is reasonably priced which is always great..:) Sunil read more

Kim was very easy to work with and supplied us with a beautiful, detailed plan for our backyard. I was impressed with her knowledge in just about every area and she has really motivated me to learn more about native plants. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a skilled and professional designer. read more

We have a pretty big yard and pretty tight budget. I started with Yelp, found very high review on Kim. And when I talked to my immediate neighbor who just finished their landscaping which looks gorgeous, I was told they hired Kim also, what a coincidence! She must be very good! So we started our project with Kim. We have a very busy work/family schedule, Kim has been super patient. She listens to us well, but never just simply follows, she truly stands in the shoes of clients, giving the most appropriate design and recommendation. I would recommend her service without reservation. read more

Its an absolute pleasure working with Kim. I found her on Yelp and she lives up to her reputation. She helped design our entire landscape, taking into consideration our likes and preferences, traveling lifestyle as well as budgets She is very responsive and professional. She always came on time and listened well to understand our constraints. Even after she had provided us the designs, we contacted her about other plants we had seen in botanical gardens or nurseries. She responded within the hour of which plants would fit into our landscape and climate. 2 months later, I needed to convert added lawn area due to the water rebate program. Despite the short notice and her packed schedule, she not only updated the designs but also reviewed the approved plant list for the entire landscape. No matter the time of day, she responded to my requests given that my landscapist had started the work. Moreover, she is very reasonable and transparent with her pricing. In fact, due to all the additional requests I had, I wanted to compensate her more but she kept to her original quote. Having contacted and worked with multiple vendors for landscape work, I only wish the rest were as professional as Kim; highly recommend her. read more

Kim did a great job on our landscape design project. We have a substantial grade in our large landscape (over 9000 sqft) with a 2.5 to 1 grade sloping down. This required 7 levels of retaining walls and she designed it to our needs including a fruit orchard, Bocce court, a large shelter and Trash storage shed. Kim's design provides the full schedule of the lighting, plants and surface finish details. All we needed was to engage a landscape contractor who could give a full estimate directly just based on the drawings/plans. Kim listens to our needs and ensured that our location (wild land urban interface) has appropriate vegetation at the potential fire line (Ice plants as a fire stop). If you are able get on Kim's schedule - it is definitely worth any wait. Do not think twice about it! read more

She won't talk to you unless you pay her first. This is the first time ever someone asked to be paid to provide a bid for a job!

We hired Kim Leichner to execute the outdoor landscape design for our home. Kim did an excellent job throughout the entire project lifecycle - far exceeding our expectations! At the outset - she patiently took the time to really understand our higher level goals of (1) Creating something lush and colorful while still keeping water utilization low (2) Establishing a setting where we could truly enjoy "outdoor living" (3) Keeping in mind an accurate budget forecast. Above and beyond the thoughtful and highly detailed design - she was instrumental in helping us to find the right contractor for our needs. Additionally - she was always available to answer questions and provide more detailed level help as the project progressed. At the end of project - she provided key insights as we fine tuned the look and feel of our front and backyards. We would absolutely enthusiastically recommend Kim as a designer for a landscaping project large or small! read more

I hired Kim after interviewing three different landscape designers, and could not be happier with the design she created for my backyard. She is a great listener, and "got" me after our first meeting. As a result, her design completely reflects my "English cottage garden" style and taste, while still being drought tolerant (which is a real achievement). Not only is she attentive and creative, she also provided excellent recommendations for contractors and nurseries who could help me move forward with the plan. Which was great, because I would not have known where to start, otherwise. In short, I highly recommend KL Designs and Kim Leichner if you are looking for a beautiful design at a very reasonable price with a personable designer who will listen to you. read more

Kim did the design for our back yard with drought tolerant plants last year and it turned out beautifully. She is so knowledgeable, efficient and very reasonable-priced. She is also very easy to work with. She listened to our ideas and concerns, and came up with the design that totally met our taste and preferences. We are very happy with the results and Kim just recently finished the design of our soon-to-be fabulous front yard. read more

We were extremely pleased with the landscape and hardscape design that Kim created for our front, back and side yards. The plants fit perfectly with the environment we were striving for, were drought tolerant, and with the new hardscape, the effect is beautiful! Kim is easy to communicate with and very accommodating. We had altered the plan a bit and she made the changes, no problem. Her final plan was very complete and was easy to follow for the installers. We found her charges to be very reasonable. We would definitely use KL Designs again for our next project! read more

We recently hired Kim of KL Designs to create a landscape design for both our front and backyard. We were extremely happy with Kim's design and are looking forward to implementing it. She is extremely knowledgeable about drought tolerant plants, edibles, and other plants/trees that thrive in our area. We appreciated her professionalism and timeliness and the end product is a great plan (an AutoCAD drawing in PDF) including a plant list that we can use to collect competitive bids from contractors to make it a reality. Kim did a great job of listening to what we wanted and then providing ideas to consider (that we would not have thought of on our own). Her costs are very reasonable. We highly recommend her. read more

Kim is a very talented landscape designer and a pleasure to work with. We knew we wanted a landscape makeover but didn't want to repeat our past mistakes like choosing the wrong plants. Kim patiently guided us through the process. She is very knowledgeable and came up with creative ideas. She designed a water wise garden to replace our front lawn and harmonized our backyard for sports and outdoor living. She was able to incorporate our wishes into a beautiful and practical landscape design that can be implemented by a contractor. We highly recommend Kim! read more

Kim of KL Designs was a pleasure to work with. She was very professional and a good listener. My job was a redesign of my backyard landscaping. It included some new hard-scaping (a second patio), new plantings, irrigation, and a partial demolition. Kim's expertise with plants, knowing what would work with my light and soil conditions was most appreciated. She generated complete blueprints which reflected the old yard layout, yard after demo, and new layout. Detailed plant lists and planting instructions were also included. This made it very simple to get estimates. The end result is a seamless blending of old and new backyard elements. It is just what I hoped for. read more

I can't say enough good things about Kim, her design, and her professionalism. As you can read from the other reviews, Kim is very knowledgable about what she does. Her knowledge of plants astounds me. More than a business, Kim's work is a passion of hers--and it shows. She not only followed through on all of our design agreements, she did so with great flexibility. She gave us far more time than was required. While e are only now beginning to implement the design, we are loving seeing what her creative mind imagined in concert with ours come to fruition. I can't recommend Kim highly enough. read more

We chose Kim after interviewing three landscapers, all of them recommended by friends, and with good credentials. What made Kim stand out is that she was able to understand what we wanted, even when we were unclear in our words. She did not try to push us into hiring her, and she did not use hype. She made sense of our wishes, turned vague notions into designs, gave us options explaining the different prices and kinds of work involved, and helped us to establish a realistic budget. Because Kim is genuinely a nice person, working with her was an easy and pleasant experience. She was friendly and fun, but serious about her job. She is talented, creative, and experienced in design, and she has a great ability to understand people and their needs. Kim was very quick in developing a detailed plan for us; I think that everything was completed within a couple of weeks. She gave us many choices of different plants that would thrive in our very specific conditions. She was always on time, and she was consistently both professional and friendly. It was truly a pleasure to work with her in planning our new garden. read more

Kim was referred to us by our neighbors. She did the designs for our front and back yards. She is extremely knowledgeable about water tolerant plants and spent hours with us explaining what would work in our yard - before we even committed to her. She's very responsive and explains her answers thoroughly. Our landscaper appreciated the detailed designs and color photos of every plant that was on the design. We're ecstatic with the final outcome and have received many compliments. We have recommended her to a number of people. read more

We wanted to replace our front lawn and shrubs with low water plants. I contacted Kim and she responded right away. She was beyond knowledgeable and helpful. She took into account my vision for how I wanted the yard to look and suggested plants that would work in my yard. She helped me look up on the computer all the plants she suggested and then used the ones that I liked in the plan she drew up. There is no doubt that she knows her plants!! We were able to give the plans she developed to landscape contractors and they had no problems understanding the plans and providing estimates. Now that it is installed, I am even more pleased. It turned out great and I can't wait until the plants grow and fill in. read more

Kim is an artist. She's redesigned both our front and backyard. We completed the backyard 3 years ago, then rehired Kim for the front yard, for which I'm now booking contractors. She listens and asks questions to find out what you are looking for and really emphasizes drought tolerant plants and landscaping. She really knows the right plants for the spaces and has a lot of knowledge of native plants, which I was really interested in. She knows how to mix plants that are blooming/green in different seasons and how much space each one needs. She's respectful of your budget and happy to keep plants that are there. She was very responsive and super efficient with crazy fast turnaround times, especially when she made changes in response to my clarifications. When she first came to visit, she had a lot of suggestions for better caring for our current plants, as if she was already friends with them (yes, the plants :) ) before we even began landscaping. After working with Kim, I can't imagine talking to a landscaper for a significant amount of work without talking to Kim. Check out her portfolio! read more

Kim is a great designer who is passionate about her work! She is responsive, truly listens, considerate of budgets, easy to work with and extremely knowledgeable. She has a great knowledge of plants and provided exactly what we were looking for. She is open to ideas and always had alternative plants if my suggestions did not work. We have quite a large yard and I was overwhelmed but she guided us through it with all her wonderful recommendations while listening to what we were looking for. She spends a great deal of time with her clients and and is passionate about what she does. She created a plant palette for us that we will be able to enjoy year round-various plants with beautiful foliage and color, flowering in different seasons that we can enjoy year round. She was always timely, never rushed our time together and always responded to e-mails and phone calls in a timely manner. We had a few changes here and there due to our pool and grading problems but it never phased her and she was always super patient and helpful in all those areas, 'tweaking' plans here and there as needed. In addition, she has an excellent list of very good resources for your yard. She is so friendly and energetic and a gem to work with! I highly recommend Kim! read more

Kim was amazing at helping us design a plan to refresh our backyard with pool. We had gutted out the backyard and redid the landscape, hardscape, and pool about 7 yrs ago... so it was a time for a refresh. I had a couple of estimates from some other well known landscape companies that did design work as well. I wanted to maintain the overall layout, but just "refresh" what was already existing as well as add an outdoor kitchen. I knew Kim was the right one for the design project as she understood that we really just wanted to add to what we currently had. She was super budget conscious as though it was her own money she was spending. She provided lots of options on plants - including photos, descriptions, and water tolerance, making it very easy for me to decide. Kim was the only one out of 4 that I met really understood the overall project was to enhance what was existing and not start over. I appreciated her candidness, honesty, prompt responses, and more importantly her no-nonsense. I would highly recommend Kim!!! read more