We recently completed a landscaping project that included a new front lawn, a backyard fire pit and…read morefire ring, an expanded planting area, and new irrigation in both the front and back yards. Overall, we are happy with the finished project. The fire pit and planting area turned out beautifully, and the lawn looks great. There were a few dead spots in the new grass, but the team returned and repaired them. There were a couple of details that did not fully meet our expectations. We had a propane box installed to supply the fire pit, and we were disappointed with the cover, which was made from only two large standard tiles and does not look as finished as we had hoped. We were also surprised that much of the irrigation system was installed using flexible tubing rather than Schedule 40 pipe that was trenched and buried. Since much of the tubing is covered only by bark, we are concerned it could be damaged as people walk through the area. That said, Nick did a good job helping us plan the project and was very responsive whenever we had questions or concerns. Despite a few areas that could have been handled differently, we are pleased with the overall outcome.

We worked with Vanessa Grimaldo on a renovation of our backyard in Berkeley. Vanessa and Black…read moreDiamond Paver Stones transformed our dilapidated, overgrown backyard by installing paver stones, synthetic grass, a proper drainage system, and a rebuilt staircase. The finished backyard looks excellent and the quality of the construction appears high. Vanessa specifically provided excellent, white-glove service throughout the entirety of the project and was super responsive to all of our communication. We did have a number of issues arise with the crew (mainly excessive dust seeping into our house and trash being left behind on the neighbor's property line), as well as the accounting department (an accidental attempt at overcharging us), but Vanessa always did an excellent job of troubleshooting these issues and helping to guide everybody towards a resolution. She also worked diligently on our backyard design and expertly guided us through several iterations and unexpected construction issues. I highly recommend working with Vanessa and Black Diamond Pavers.

Alex and his team at Lamorinda Landscaping are the best!!! After painful and expensive dealings…read morewith others, SO glad I was given their contact information. Not only did they help me by working within my budget, Alex has followed up every other week to make sure that everything they installed or fixed is working properly and that the new lawn is growing as it should. He is very knowledgeable and very kind. I would give them 10 stars if I could.

Lamorinda Landscaping has been taking care of my yard for three years and I am so happy with their…read moreservices. We have done a few big projects and they also provide my weekly maintenance. I am very confident in their advice and expertise. They have even helped me with a few emergencies. I highly recommend them!

We had an excellent experience working with Don and Aaron. They were incredibly responsive and took…read morethe time to truly understand our needs and concerns. We also really enjoyed working with Israel and Leo, who did an outstanding job on the backyard and landscaping. Israel consistently checked in to ensure everything was being done properly, showing great attention to detail. Leo's dedication stood out--he was out there digging a stubborn hole under the hot sun without missing a beat. Both were hardworking, reliable, and easy to collaborate with. Don and Aaron were instrumental in helping us design and transform a backyard that hadn't seen any renovations in over 40 years. Don guided us in selecting plants, and the results were beyond what we imagined. I never thought I'd have Birds of Paradise in my yard--used to joke about that goofy bird looking plant--but thanks to Don's eye, I've come to appreciate it. Originally, we were only planning to renovate the backyard, but Aaron suggested including the front yard to create a more cohesive look. We never had to worry at any point--they kept us informed every step of the way, from project start to finish. We never imagined the yard could look this good, especially with the addition of the lighting, pergolas, and the fire pit with its surrounding seating wall. The entire project was completed with meticulous care and professionalism. Both the front and back yards have now been beautifully "Alderized," and we couldn't be happier with how everything turned out. We definitely recommend Alder. Thanks Don and the team!

We couldn't be more happier with the results from Alderland Pools & Landscaping! We hired them to…read morehelp design our backyard and front yard project with pool, decking and hardscape, and the experience from start to finish was fantastic. Their designer, Aaron, was an absolute pleasure to work with. He truly listened to our vision and translated our ideas into a stunning, functional design that perfectly suits our lifestyle. His communication was excellent; he was professional, incredibly creative, and was very responsive to all our questions. The quality of work is outstanding, and the process was smooth and efficient. We would highly recommend Aaron and Alderland Pools & Landscaping to anyone looking to create their dream outdoor space.

Chris, owner The Yard Assistant, is absolutely wonderful. He did a great job converting my…read moresprinkler system to a drip irrigation system, and I couldn't be happier. He even returned to my home early one morning to check to make sure everything was working to my liking right before I left on a trip. I left confident that all my plant babies would be fine, and I returned to a happy sight with my flowers and vegetable garden blooming and growing beautifully. Chris is the best -- he's reliable, his work is extremely well priced, and he stands behind his work. His crew is great as well. I would definitely recommend him and will use him for other garden projects in the future.

I've worked with Chris on a few projects and he does an amazing job every time. He is…read moreknowledgeable, listens, reliable and does great work. I would trust no one else with my irrigation. He also knows plants and how to plant them and make a garden look clean and fresh with mulch and dg! I look forward to working with him again on my next project.

We hired Garden Mamas to maintain our mature hillside garden. While we thought it a bit strange…read morethat we had a different crew out most every time, we were assured by Tamara that she had communicated what needed to be done - she was managing the crew. This method seemed to work mostly, although we had to tell the crew each visit what to do, as mostly instructions had been partially communicated. One day, she sent two new people. We told them to trim two bushes on the stairwell and to pick up the leaves, nothing else. This was also communicated to Tamara a few days prior, but like most times, the crew seemed clueless as to what to do. When they were done and had left, we discovered that they had BUTCHERED our garden - most of five++ years of growth was cut away and in a most unappealing fashion. Her crew ripped out plants that a previous crew had installed only a month prior, had trimmed four bushes that were covering an unsightly wall into lollipop shapes, completely exposing the wall, trimmed new growth off of once per season budding plants without any care for shape or aesthetics, butchered slow growing manzanita plants that may never recover, etc etc etc. We were appalled and contacted her. Tamara responded to our concerns, but would not or could not take personal or financial responsibility for making us whole. She told us that the crew she sent was inexperienced and had never worked on a personal, mature garden (only on storage facilities and office complexes), and that she did not have the $$ to replace the plants destroyed or to pay for someone else to replace the plants (as we told her that we could not work with her anymore). We thought about going to the CSLB so that we could at least recover her bond, but did the time/money calculus and finally settled on her paying for two plants to be replaced, at another landscaper's wholesale cost (approx $500). So far, it has cost us over $10000 to get the garden back to where it was, and it will take a few years for it to look as good as it did prior to November 2025. We tried to support this independent, woman-owned business; but her model of a different crew every time coupled with an inability to run her business in a fiscally responsible manner makes it impossible for us to recommend her to ANYONE

I hired Garden Mamas to do our landscaping at the recommendation of one of my friends. Tamara was…read moregreat to work with - very communicative and worked within our budget. The project was completed within the time she estimated. Invoicing/payment process was clear and easy. I provided photos of the types of plants I liked (from other people's yards) and they provided a list of recommendations with descriptions and pricing as well as placement suggestions. I appreciated Tamara checking in on me a a few times after they planted to see how things were going and reminding me to turn off the water during the rainy season. It's seven months later and I am still enjoying admiring and tending to my plants as they grow.

Several years back, my lawn was removed and replaced with a nice-looking rock wall plant garden…read more When I met with Blair, I told him I wanted a garden that was as low-maintenance as possible. I was tired of weeding and spending days gardening. At first, the job looked great. However, when the next spring rolled around, I had grass and weeds coming up EVERYWHERE. I called and complained. Blair came out and met with me. He said no when I asked if he put a weed guard down before the mulch. Blair said he disapproves of weedguard "as it's not good for the environment." I then reminded him that I had said I wanted a maintenance-free yard, and this certainly did not meet that goal. Blair offered nothing to mediate the issue and had an "oh well, sorry" attitude. His only solution was to provide me with his monthly maintenance service (at a regular price), which I flatly rejected! Sorry, Blair, you're not getting a monthly stipend for incorrectly doing the job. I don't need to be a landscaping expert to know that if you dig up a lawn and then throw mulch on top, the grass seeds are sure to germinate and come through. Since installing my "maintenance-free" yard, I have been out there several times a year, having to pull grass and weeds out of the site--exactly what I didn't want to do. Blair does the work however he wants, not how the customer wants it done. Following the installation, I kept getting email requests from the company asking me to review them. I told them to stop sending me requests because the review would not be good. I also instructed them to remove the photos of my yard from their site, which they did. This review would never have come around, except that I noticed the other day, while searching for a gardener to clean up this year's mess, that my photos are back on the site, unauthorized. Take them down!! Again, Blair does what appears to be a nice job in the beginning. However, the customer's desires fall on deaf ears. Had I known how he felt about Weedguard, I would never have hired him. The outcome would have been very obvious had he told me. That, combined with the fact that no remediation was offered, shows what kind of company this is.

Blair came out to me and my husbands house and provided us a quote to have our lawn thatched,…read moreseeded and top soiled!! He was professional and friendly! He got the job done quickly for us. WOW is all I have to say on the results! Our lawn looks absolutely amazing!

We had a wonderful experience getting married at the Ruth Bancroft garden! They recently started…read moreoffering an elopement package and we were their first couple, I'm so thrilled that we were able to have our little ceremony at this truly magical place. The staff was very helpful and supportive leading up to and on the big day. Jessica the events manager was a joy to work with and ensured that everything went smoothly even with our tight timeline. 10/10 recommend this venue to couples wanting to have a simple wedding in a stunning location!

I visited this place on a whim while in between appointments nearby (chiropractor and dental) in…read moresearch of hanging plant chains. While they did not have what I was looking for, the employee that asked if I needed help directed me to a local store that may have it! He was very kind and welcoming and encouraged me to tour the garden which I did! G A R D E N It's large and super varied in plants and had many sculptures that were available for purchase too. There was even a small pond with koi fish! A very peaceful quiet place to enjoy nature, go for a walk, read a book on the various benches and tables in the garden, or hang out with a friend. E V E N T S They also have an event schedule online with sunset yoga and plant trade event but most events seem to require paid tickets. N U R S E R Y I do think the nursery was quite limited but it may be the timing of my visit? There wasn't many plant species but there was also some pots and some plants on clearance for 50%. R E S T R O O M S The bathrooms are very clean and modern, which was a pleasant surprise! P A R K I N G There's plenty of parking straight down along the entry driveway which is a short asphalt entry followed by what looks like decomposed granite on soil so you won't end up with muddy or soiled shoes if it's raining!

Luca and his team just completed a huge backyard job for us. This team rebuilt a beautiful redwood…read moredeck and added 950 square feet of pavers to create the deck/patio of our dreams. Luca has much experience and knowledge and was extremely helpful throughout the project. His prices are very competitive and he took his time to do the job right. Every step of the way, as questions came up, Luca was right there ready to respond by text, phone or even in person. He is very personable and professional.

We hired Luca and his team to tear out our old and dangerous yard and transform it into a space…read morethat was usable and fun. Not only did they deliver on that, they created a space we absolutely love. Our young children beg us to play outside now. From surfaces, plants, drains and design, Luca and his team are skilled and knowledgeable. Not to mention they were clean and so kind to our children and dog. They are the nicest people to work with. We could not recommend them more highly. We will definitely be hiring them again for future projects.

I recommend Green Walnut to family and friends. The entire Green Walnut team is excellent,…read moreprofessional, and great at customizing solutions for gardening issues with client. They have a variety of services which transformed our gardening into a beauty.

I found out about Green Walnut from my work. I process their invoices for their maintenance for my…read moreoffice and they were very responsive so i decided to contact them separately for my home back and side renovation. Francisco showed up early on the day that they were supposed to give me a quote. My before pictures dont do the work they had to do justice cause the back and side yard was covered with weeds that were at least 4ft tall, some spare wood parts, and dog poop everywhere cause we lost track of where to pick up their poop cause of all of the weeds. They were able to do the cleanup in just a day! It was so amazing to watch our back and sideyard transform so quickly right before our eyes. They also found that the gutter drain from our roof was just draining out into our sideyard in an area with no drain. We had no idea! And i was so grateful that Francisco and Jorge wanted to do right by us and make sure that we didnt have any problems down the road. The team dug a trench for the drain all the way to the street under our existing stamp concrete without damaging it. I was blown away with how fast and efficient they were able to do this. We also had an old well that we weren't using and an old pump we acquired from the prior owners of the home. We wanted to use the well water but didnt know how. Francisco and his team found the problem and fixed it for us. I know this was a challenge for them but they would stay a little later sometimes so they can fix it for us and make the deadline i gave them. They even worked on a Saturday to get the work done. They got it done and beautiful in just 6 days and even used our well water as the source for watering all our plants and lawn. There were days he would even mow our front lawn for us and trim my existing plants so that it would all look nice. Plus Francisco was so easy to work with, pleasant and great to talk to as well. they sent us an itemized invoice too for all of the work so we could easily keep track of the work that was done. All in all they did a Fantastic job! If i could give them 10 stars i would. I highly recommend Green Walnut! They are fast, efficient and thorough and they do a really excellent job!

Angela took great care of me. I am so happy with my new Zen Garden and waterfall. The stone around…read morethe fire pit looks amazing! Highly recommended!

Wow! We were so VERY impressed with Angela and her work! Beginning with meeting and gauging our…read morebudget and interests, to designing a beautiful layout, to implementing our project, every step was taken with care and expertise. Angela created a new front yard design for us which included demolishing existing concrete and a full makeover of irrigation and planting. We met to review design and adjustments at our home, shopped for plants together at a local nursery, and then sat back and watched the amazing transformation! Angela worked within our budget, was reliable and prompt with communication, and very hands-on from start to finish. The landscaper she suggested was dependable, efficient and very organized in every aspect of the process. She continues to be available to monitor plant care and maintenance of other new components of the design. It is clear that she takes great joy in her work, which is reflected in her attention to detail and the beauty of the results. We are so happy to recommend Utopic Gardens to anyone looking for a positive experience in whatever your landscaping needs might be!