I had a fantastic experience with My Secret Garden and Joni! We started last summer with her gorgeous design layout, and given the state of weeds in front of my house, we attacked those first, then implemented the plan a few weeks ago. My front and side landscaping is a pretty sizable area, so this was no small feat. I absolutely love the results! Joni was great at working around my budget requests, answering my novice questions, and giving me a stunning garden that a novice could handle. I can't wait to call her again to tackle more areas on our property! FYI - She walks through what she planted at my house in a video on her Facebook page. Check it out! read more

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Joni did a wonderful job on my landscaping project. She did a fabulous job on designing and planting the landscaping. My house looks awesome! read more

Joni transformed our very backyard weedpatch into a work of art! In two stages, Joni covered our entire yard with weed-smothering plastic in the fall, and then returned in the spring to set us up for a beautiful summer! Her crew is extremely hard-working, and Joni is a very hands-on owner who gets right down in the dirt. Her sense of space is amazing and she knows just the right shrubs to recommend. Joni also worked within our budget and transplanted plants from other parts of the property in order for the job to remain economical for us. Do not hesitate to call Joni, you won't be sorry! read more

We have newly constructed house on a small lot with typical boring plants. We were unlucky to have utility boxes in our yard which the sales person guaranteed were not on our lot. Joni, from My Secret Garden Landscaping, came out to view the property and listen to what we were after. She provided us with a great design and was open to any changes. Joni asked us to look at the placement of the plants before digging. We were worried about a steep area and Joni worked with us to find a solution. We had My Secret Garden landscape the front, back, and the sides of the house. It was well worth the money to have the landscaping done by these experts. read more

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I'm preparing to sell my house and my neglected yard needed a lot of TLC. Joni and her crew quickly transformed both the front and back yards, giving me that "curb appeal" every home seller, or owner, wants. Joni's has a very extensive knowledge of plants. Her expertise in which plants look good together, which plants will bloom at different times throughout the season, which plants work well in sun or shade, which plants attract butterflys and bees, and how they should all be cared for, saved me from a lot of effort, time, and mistakes I would have surely made without her help. It was nice to work with a contractor who showed up on time, completed the work on schedule, delivered more than they promised, and was a pleasure to work with. I recommend Joni, and My Secret Garden, for any of your landscape design and install needs. read more

Joni and her crew are amazing. They revamped my entire yard two years ago and everything has come back beautifully. She's professional, and always goes above and beyond. There have been times when I had questions even a year later... Such as how to prune something, or maybe something looked wilted and needed a little help from me, and she always replied quickly with suggestions. She's wonderful! read more

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Dear fellow-Yelpers, as we fully expected, in response to our efforts to get Joni (the owner of My Secret Garden Landscaping) to refund the deposit she owes us for a job she failed to do, as you can see she continues to harass, threaten, and intimidate us into altering our reviews and stall our efforts to get her to do refund the deposit for a job she walked out of. You should also know that this is the 3rd or 4th time that Joni has changed her response here on Yelp, in a deplorable attempt to cook up new excuses. While we had previously decided against posting any further reviews on Joni Pawelek and her business, I realized I would be doing a disservice to other fellow Yelpers if I failed to call out the lies being propagated by her. So, here goes -  [1] Joni claims that BBB found her to be 100% correct. Yet another lie. Simply go to BBB, and you will see the complaint still posted there (which wouldn't show up at all if BBB rules in favor of the business). Better still, call BBB and find out for yourself!  [2] After refusing the settlement offer we made her through BBB, Joni made a deplorable, deplorable attempt to try and bribe us into altering our reviews, and failed. If she attempts to deny this, I will have no hesitation in sharing screenshots of her messages attempting to bribe and coerce us into altering our review and replacing it with a 5 star review for her! [3] Given this, her so-called "good" reviews are currently being investigated for their veracity by several online platforms. Fortunately, platforms such as Yelp have a good automated recommendation software that works reasonably well to 'catch' suspicious reviews. Check out the disproportionate number of 'not recommended' reviews Joni has by clicking on the link further below, in comparison to the ones that pass the screening test, and that should tell you something. In closing - In our case, I will admit that we failed to do our due diligence with fully vetting Joni and her business before trusting her with a large deposit, and are paying the price for that mistake now. And, we will not give up until she does right by consumers such as ourselves that trusted her with a deposit. And, when she does so,  I will gladly come and post an update here acknowledging it. read more

very expensive, the owner is very argumentative. product is mediocre at best .shows you pictures of plants and flowers and you get garbage .very poor workmanship plants were sporadically planted bushes were crooked not in a line and when i had a issue with plants not taking it was my fault lol she miscalculated the amount of mulch and charged me extra for her mistake .do your self a favor go to a nusery and pick out what you want and save yourself the aggravation and astronomical prices . read more

I recently had Joni re-do the landscaping in my front and back yards. She and her team did an awesome job of rejuvenating an old garden and creating a "new" garden in the back where it was difficult to grow grass because of the shade. Besides being a very amiable person to deal, she has a very good eye for design and a lot of knowledge about plants. She is very professional and was more than willing to adjust the design based on my input. She was also quick to respond to my many questions. I would highly recommend her. read more

I have worked with My Secret Garden Landscaping for the last 2 years. Joni is extremely knowledgeable and very easy to work with. She literally transformed my whole property into a beautiful shrub and perennial oasis. I have included pictures for you to see her work. Joni's team is hardworking and always on time. I would highly recommend Joni @ My Secret Garden Landscaping. read more

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I recently had the privilege of viewing the design work of My Secret Garden Landscaping, of Dundee Il. I was incredibly wowed with seeing the process of design-scape on paper, and the manifestation in 3D. What a mind this designer has! Truly an artist in the botanical world and worth EVERY penny! read more

Purchased a house that had beeen vacant for 2 yrs. Joni & Co. designed and Landscaped my overgrown yard. What a change! Turned my sad looking home to a loved house. not only was I thrilled but so were my neighbors. I've had her come back 2x since my 1st transformation! You will be impressed not only by her prompt service but also her crew was excellent as well. read more

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This business perpetuate audism. I contacted them based on a recommendation. I messaged them, gave them pictures of my yard and kindly requested a quote; but they will not serve people who do not speak English over the phone. I offer email as another option to communicate (in English) or even to meet them wherever they are; and they will not do it. Must be able to speak on the phone ONLY. Very hurtful. read more

I've been struggling for years to pull together an attractive front garden bed, with both shady areas and sunny areas. Realizing I needed a expert, I reached out to Joni at My Secret Garden Landscaping. I was comfortable paying for her design services because they were exceptionally reasonable, and that's the whole point -- pay for an expert in design and you'll get an expertly designed garden. I thought I'd want to modify her design but the entire bed she drew was beautiful and suited to my style. I didn't change a single thing! Joni's installation work was exceptional too, from her timeliness in scheduling to her crew's professional installation to a fair pricing structure. I recommend this company to anyone who wants beautiful landscaping but thought it was beyond their means. read more

My Secret Garden Landscaping - Front garden. - Landscaping Near Me

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We had Joni and her crew do some landscaping work in our front entry way gardens. She was very responsive and helpful from our first contact. I had several questions throughout the process and she was very quick and resourceful in all my gardening questions, beyond the job she was doing. She put a beautiful plan together and her team installed it this week. We absolutely LOVE it! I would definitely recommend My Secret Garden landscaping and look forward to working with them again in the future. read more

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Joni was amazing! I got several quotes to relandscape 3 very large flower beds; one in my front yard, two in my back yard. Most quotes were out of control high. Joni's was reasonable and very creative! Her proposal was clear with pictures of all the plants and their positioning. Planting day went very smoothly and her team was very organized. My beds look fabulous! It has been two years now and all the plants and shrubs are established and mature and and blooming beautifully. I would recommend Joni for sure!! She is wonderful! read more

Extremely responsive and reasonably priced Design and pictures of suggested plants arrived within a couple of days Listened and created a design incorporating some of my ideas Vast knowledge of plants and environmentally friendly garden Joni and team arrived on planting day very well organized -- everyone had their task and got right to it Have gotten 5 star reviews from neighbors and people walking past our home commenting on the variety of plants and colors Thoroughly enjoy the look of our front garden. Thank you Joni and crew, read more

Joni was so great. She is truly talented in this field! My property was looking quite abandoned until she came and worked her magic! I live in a single family home on a corner lot with lots of cut-through traffic so I wanted my house to have a nice curb appeal. She ordered just enough mulch for the job and transplanted existing plants so I wouldn't have to purchase any additional ones. My yard surrounding my entire home looked amazing! I was so happy that I gave her a tip too! Thank you so much Joni!!! read more

Just completed a landscape design and install and we are very pleased. Joni is very easy to work with. She asks if you have any favorite plants and incorporates them into her design. We liked the design and are looking forward to when everything is in bloom. Just a note, if you want plants that bloom in fall (and you should) the nurseries will not have large plants in stock in May. Joni is very knowledgeable and will do her best to get the best plants available. Her staff is also very easy to work with. We would highly recommend My Secret Garden read more

Joni was extremely responsive, calling me back almost immediately following my voicemail. She was also so knowledgeable about everything from what plants will do best in our climate zone to how to make sure the Daylilies we pulled out of our garden don't return (they are quite invasive). Her pricing is very reasonable for the services she provides and she is very kind and easy to work with. read more

We have been using My Secret Garden since 2007 when we rebuilt our house. They completely designed a DREAM Prairie scape for our front yard that year! Joni listened to what we wanted, informed us about what plant options there were within our budget and her design. Provided options for future seasons "work in" plants that met our original design concept. In 2008 we had My Secret Garden design our back yard Prairie Scape and work in the front yard upgrades. Needless to say we were blown away with their original design work and plantings. So much so that we had My Secret Garden do the side yard landscaping that fall! We use them every year to do our trim, mulch and maintenance. They've done our low voltage landscape lighting, garden maintenance and mulching and fall clean-up! My Secret Garden has never had an issue with replacing plants that were "burnt' by the dogs. I read Rita B's post and all I can say is 1. "More work, more material, more labor = MORE COST" - that's a rule of thumb throughout the REAL world. 2. I've never had a problem with My Secret Garden's billing or quality. 3. We've been BLOWN AWAY with their results! I will continue to use My Secret Garden and our neighbors have complimented us and them on our yard year after year! PROFESSIONAL, PROMPT, FRIENDLY, and TIMELY! read more

Joni, of My Secret Garden, transformed my backyard from an uninspiring, depressing mess to a place of beauty and joy. Among other things, she created an incredible pollinator garden around my deck that buzzes with the activity of hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. I just love to sit and watch the hummingbirds visit my garden all day long, spring through fall. Joni is a delight and a pleasure to work with. She listened to my wants and needs, then made wonderful suggestions. I deeply value her organic, environmentally friendly approach. Joni quickly got the job done at a reasonable price. read more

I've just had Joni and her crew out to install a ton of mulch, creating a large bed along my neighbors bordering fence lines. They also installed 8 medium sized trees and a few bushes. So far, so good! Joni came out to see my property and get an idea of what I wanted. She had a variety of suggestions, and when she sensed I wanted as simple as I could get she made appropriate recommendations. When I told her I liked gardening and what some of my issues where with other areas, she even had ideas for things I could do myself! She's very knowledgeable on plants, and gave me ideas on what and how I could transplant. I got a quote that was easy to understand, she even sent pictures of what she thought we could use. We exchanged a few emails to find the right combo of trees and shrubs. She was clear that she does not do any hard scraping. Her team was on time, worked hard in 93degree weather, and completed the work in a few hours. They did a great job with cleanup too. She advised that if any plants have issues that I should contact her immediately do she can return, inspect and advise. Fingers crossed as the warm weather make plants stressed! She's simple and direct to work with. Might not be your style, but she knows her stuff and her crew works hard. I'm confident that as I get new ideas, I'll have her back out to make my property even nicer. read more

My Secret Garden Landscaping - Landscaping Near Me

My yard looks so much better now!! Thank you!! I love that you used some of my prennials in the new area you planted. They needed to be divided and I didn't know how to do that. You really captured what we were looking for!! read more

My Secret Garden Landscaping - Landscaping Near Me

I originally found this "landscaper" off of service magic. I received a few quotes for some landscaping to be done in my backyard. I liked her and her pricing. I am on a budget as I didn't want to splurge on my landscaping when I could splurge on vacations and updates INSIDE the house. Regardless, the original quote was for under my budget and the work was to be done in 1 day. I hired Joni the day after receiving the estimate/quote. Upon her arrival the price changed by $100 because she didn't estimate the new patio bricks to be installed. This was still ok as it was still in my budget. What wasn't ok was that she didn't professionally install anything. I have NO CLUE how to put down any pavers/bricks for a patio but I can tell you that if you do any little research or walk into a Menards the first thing you'll see in the brick section is "how to install bricks for your patio". You need to first level the dirt underneath and once properly placed as desired you have to seal with sand. That never happened with Joni. I figured she may do it at the end...but to no avail, no such thing occurred. A few hours into the job she told me it's taking longer than expected and she has an out-of-town guest she has plans with. She wanted to come the next morning. That was ok with me. She was supposed to arrive at 10 a.m. She showed up at 11:30. Day two, she sent me out for more bricks. By the time I arrived, sod was laid down. My yard looks way better than before but still needs a lot of improvement. She was supposed to remove some plants, replant others, etc. My biggest concern was the sod she laid down. Again, not being an expert, I figured all sod should be green. Not according to Joni. Day three: she had to come back out because on day 2 her worker left early without completing the job. Joni's excuse for the sod being somewhat green and a little yellow was because I didn't have a sprinkler. It had been 24 hours since she installed the sod and I made sure I watered it 4 times that day. The following morning I had a sprinkler on the lawn. Here we are 1.5 weeks later and I still have yellow sod. Thanks for nothing Joni. She tried to send me a text explaining how it's MY fault she installed poor sod and that she would gladly install new sod that I must pay for. Umm, at this point, I don't need her assistance. Point being, she is nice and polite. I didn't have a problem with her in that department. I had a problem with the shoddy work. She is supposed to be a professional. If she didn't know how to install brick patios I would have accepted that but instead she falsely made me believe she has done this before. My bricks are already popping up and are uneven. I now have to hire someone else to clean up after her. She was in my budget but so not worth it. ** side note ** she actually had the nads to hand out her cards to my neighbors while still working on my yard. She physically walked away from her job, went to her car, got a handful of cards and handed them to the board president because she overheard our conversation. What the!!!!!! Needless to say, he will NOT be contact her in the near future. ******update as of 08/01/11 ******** I had originally given this lady 2 stars but I've changed to to 1. Yesterday I received an email from her complaining about my review on servicemagic.com . She began to tell me about her whole life and how I've ruined it by giving her less than favorable rating. She also started telling me about her divorce, the two homes she's lost and other personal things I would never share with a stranger. Joni asked me to actually change my rating. She lodged a complaint about the rating I gave her and now that company will allegedly/potentially contact me. I don't have a problem with anyone contact me. What I do have a problem with is her asking me to say she's done a good job. She still did a crappy job, WHY would I change anything? In this email she sent me she stated that she never said she was a professional and she did the best job she could. HUH??? You charged me like you were a professional. The day of the project she tacked on another $100 because I had more stones that I wanted laid down (even though I told her at the initial estimate date). I didn't complain about having to fork up more money. Honestly, I wish I hadn't wasted my money on her. I could have done this myself and had done a better job. read more

What was priced and what she said she would do were very different. She also is very eccentric and not easy to talk with (and she told me way more info than I wanted or cared to know about her personal issues). She told me she would come on certain days, then showed up early when I wasn't home and left her hose and other material in our garage so we couldn't even park our cars! Very disappointed, weeds came up within weeks after she left, the plants she planted are shoddy...price she charged was outrageous for what we got...would never use her again read more

We found Joni and her company via Thumbtack. Joni was very quick at responding to the questions and get back to me on many items. She came out to the house and she had some really great ideas for what we needed to do around our house. Her style though is that of someone who doesn't like lawn, but rather wants every space to be filled in, which is fine with me. To each his own I say. We took some suggestions and ran with it. The west side of our home and the front were over grown with MANY weeds. She quoted us for "removing" the weeds and putting down mulch. This is where things took a turn for the worst. Her guys that came out were very friendly and worked very hard, but here is what they did. They cut all of the weeds down, including some tall grass that we had in around the side of the home. Rather than put weed guard down, they opted to just put cardboard and paper everywhere. She assured us that this would kill the weeds and grass, and that it would biodegrade with some time. It looks pretty darn good when it was done...FOR THE FIRST WEEK. In only a weeks time, many of the weeds were coming back through as well as there was grass all over the place. I contacted Joni and she said that it looked pretty good and she didn't see any problems. I thought she was joking. I told her that for $1300, I didn't expect to see any weeds or grass that quickly. Her response was that we should just pour some vinegar all over everything. I told her that they should come out and finish the job they started then. She did come out, unannounced to us on the day, and pulled some stuff, but then left everything else behind. My wife and I pulled the rest of what she left. We are weeks past their work, and we are still pulling out tons of weeds on a weekly basis. I'm not happy with the way all of this has gone. For $1300, I expected absolutely NO weeds in the centers of the worked area for a LONG time. Maybe around the edges, I could see that, but not right where it was easiest to put down stuff. Furthermore, the ornamental grass plant that we had will need to be completely removed by ourselves, as they keep growing through everything despite Joni saying it would be taken care of. My suggestion is for you to shop around and find someone else if you want it to be done right. read more

I have been working with Joni from My Secret Garden Landscaping for 3 years and I can't say enough wonderful things about this lady. She has truly turned my property into the envy of all my neighbors. She always comes up with great ideas and is an incredibly hard worker. If one of the plants doesn't quite make it, or is not working out she is quick to replace it. Warning, the gardening work she does is addictive. I have her come each spring and fall and we keep adding new things. She does it all, clean-up, mulch, planting and more. If you want a professional with a good eye, a vast knowledge of plants and a warm and friendly personality call her! read more

I'm just sitting here in my backyard enjoying the day and the lovely landscaping that I had done earlier this spring. I worked with My Secret Garden landscaping, and she and her team did a great job. I needed to stick with a pretty tight budget and I wanted to utilize some plants that were in other parts of my yard. She provided a plan that was very much what I was looking for, stayed on budget, used my plants where requested, and installed in one day. She also gave me some great ideas for other areas in my yard. I'm very pleased with her and her team and couldn't be happier with the result. I will use her for my future projects as well. Can't wait to see how it all looks in the fall and next spring. read more

Joni and her team did a fantastic job! Joni came out and did a complimentary consultation where she helped us realize our vision for landscaping the front of our house, educating us on which plants/shrubs would work best for us and why taking into consideration the aesthetic we were looking for She then followed up promptly with a comprehensive design plan and quote. Joni completed the project on time, under budget and exactly how we wanted it. She and her team were prompt and cleaned up the area so we came home to a beautiful finished product. We would recommend her to anyone and will use her again for any additional projects we might have. read more

I don't write reviews very often, but when a job is done well and with care...I think some reference is in order. I really needed assistance in deciding what to do landscape wise to our front yard after we got new siding, gutters and doors. Joni worked around our schedule and made some awesome changes in one short day.. I would recommend her to anyone looking to do have landscape design work done. She worked with me to get to our budget for the project and stayed in line to the end. read more

I had several people come to give me quotes 2 years ago and went with Joni from My Secret Garden Landscaping because she actually listened to what I wanted (i.e., a pretty garden but not a lot of work because I don't like gardening - I just like to see a nice garden). She made some wonderful suggestions and I was thrilled to bits with the result. She even worked around the fact that my garden floods pretty regularly when we get a lot of rain, so she planted things that did well in that environment. When she came back last year she changed a few things she wasn't happy with and we added a few different things. I was so pleased with her work that I had her come back the next year to do the front. I would thoroughly recommend Joni. She listens to what you want and if she doesn't think something will work she explains why and makes a counter suggestion. I look forward to working with her for many years to come for spring and fall clean ups and any additional suggestions she has to make. It is a real pleasure to sit out in my garden now - and it is also dog friendly - something that was also important to me. read more

We found My Secret Gardens information at Egg Harbor Cafe. Contacted Joni to redesign the front and side landscaping. She came by to discuss our ideas also color scheme. My husband and I were quite excited to see what Joni will put together. On a Sunday Joni stopped by with the design what she showed us was so beautiful. Once the plants arrived and the excitement of the crew they planted all the items. A few items were not quite planted where we would of liked but she came right away and fixed it. I would recommend My Secret Landscaping. read more

My flower beds and lawn in general had been neglected for years. I've been trying to clean up the weeds and ground cover but it was overwhelming. After spending hours one morning pulling weeds to no avail, I called My Secret Garden and left a message. Joni called back within minutes and said if it was convenient for me, she could come over right now. She came over, walked through the front and back yards, made several suggestions and said she'd send a quote. I got the quote that night, it looked good and we made arrangements for her to come back in just over a week. I was not expecting such quick service. She was there on time and did an absolutely wonderful job. The young men who helped her were polite and very courteous. In fact, several neighbors have called asking for her name, so apparently, I'm not the only one who thinks she did an excellent job. One more thing, which was very important to me, she does not use Round Up or other weed killers. read more

Joni is absolutely incredible! I have never met someone who just knows about gardening like her! Our backyard went from ordinary to extraordinary thanks to Joni and her team! We love our backyard and wished that we worked with her ages ago! Our yard gets so many compliments from family, friends, and neighbors! We love our backyard! She answers questions with kindness and understanding, especially since I am not familiar with gardening pedagogy! read more

Joni and her team went above and beyond to make-over our yard. She was very prompt in answering our request for a consultation and she came out within days, for free. She was very knowledgeable, stayed close to our budget and answered all of our questions. She took care of things in the yard that we had not even considered, and everything turned out great. Now instead of weeds we enjoy a beautiful well thought out garden. We love it! read more

Joni and her crew were here yesterday to implement the plans she had sent me for approval! My garden looks spectacular and things aren't even blooming! I can not wait until May!! They were polite, neat, did more than expected (sharp edged around my trees and mulched them) they even asked if I had a favorite neighbor and they would use the extra mulch on their house! My neighbor was extatic to have one side of his house mulched! All the above and very affordable ! Thank you Joni! read more

This is the first time that we have used My Secret Garden. As soon as Joni walked in the door we liked her attitude and passion with landscaping! We had no idea what we wanted to do with the front yard, Joni had some great ideas, things we had never thought of. She gave us different options along with pictures of the plants. She is such a joy to work with. She stayed way within our budget. The day she and her crew came to plant....it was raining, that did not stop them from getting all the plants in. Joni was covered in mud but she was smiling the entire time...I don't even think she realized it was raining. She was so involved in what she was doing and how the plants looked as she put them in...moved them around until she was satisfied with the results! She has such passion for what she does and truly loves doing it. We look forward to having Joni back to work her magic with the rest of our yard. Our neighbors call our house the showplace of the neighborhood, they have not seen anything yet, wait until all the beautiful plants POP now that spring has finally arrived. We read Rita B's review.....you can't keep adding and not expect to pay for it. I am sorry but I find it hard to believe that Joni would do ANYTHING that is not professional. She takes such pride in what she does and she would not leave a job unfinished or a customer unsatisfied. We had 3 other estimates and no one left us with a "warm and fuzzy" feeling, it seemed to just be another job to them. With Joni it felt like it was a "creative" moment and she definitely was up to the task! We would not use anyone else, we will be using My Secret Garden a lot in the future. I can't wait to see what she has in store for us in the next leg of our landscaping journey. read more

I have been working with Joni for years. I find her to be extremely honest and knowledgable. Her landscape designs are amazing and she is extremely reasonable in her pricing. I wouldn't think od using anyone else. Vicki M. read more

Joni listened to my wants and prepared a detailed garden plan. It contains the design that I will use for years to develop my thought-out garden. We selected a part of that plan to install the basic elements of the garden. She was sensitive to the amount of beds vs lawn that I wanted and my budget. It was done in 1 day. The cleanup was thorough and complete. The crew excellent. read more