Rude I didn't even have a chance to meet for their advertised "Free Estimate" before an email I received from Gary asked what I was planning to spend on our project. Gary told us he had looked up our property on RedFin and started making all kinds of assumptions based off a 10yr old photo and not taking into account a major remodel or our future landscaping plans. When I asked for a meeting, he essentially told me we didn't meet the minimum bid for them to do the work. No free estimate, no meeting, and he missed out on what was only phase 1 of a much larger project. They might do great work, but their rude customer service definitely missed the mark. UPDATE: 9/12/23 Eeeeek! Gary actually came to our home, without invitation and/or warning. Then called... after the visit? What company does that? He's obviously upset but to go to someone's home because he disagrees with feedback, is both aggressive and crosses all lines of professionalism. read more

Shelly's installed 10 arborvitae's along my back fence line and they look great. I've used them several times in the past for plant installation, spring clean up and mulch installation and they have always done an exceptional job. read more

Loved working with this company. Design process was simple, work completed on time by skilled laborers. read more

Shelly's Landscape Contractors - a flower bed in a backyard - Landscaping Near Me - Northbrook, Illinois

We bought a new construction home with nothing but sod on the ground and needed to landscape in the front and back. Shelly, Gary and their team helped us hone down what we really wanted and found a way to create a beautiful landscape within our budget, thinking of things we hadn't even thought of (using the sod removed to build our flower beds in other areas on the side of our home that needed it, rerouting our gutters to look nicer and not flood the beds, etc). Their crew and hard working and professional and the end results have been gorgeous. This is not a team that will undercut competitors with the cheapest price, but with a slightly higher price point, they run an incredibly professional business with exceptional service. read more

I couldn't possibly give a stronger recommendation for Shelly's landscaping. They were very prompt and professional. They were reasonably priced, and they did great work. A few months after completion we had some problems with the patio pavers that was not entirely their fault, and they honored their work, no questions asked. Additionally, I had Shelly come out a year later after an awful experience with Permaseal. After spending $1,500 and 9 months trying to fix a leak in our basement, we had him come to quote us for a drain tile to be put in. Instead he recommended some cheap landscaping options and gave us tips to troubleshoot the source of the problem. My cost was FREE. I am happy to say we had barely any water this year, despite some enormous rains! Shelly's came on a strong referral. They lived up to the high expectations. They are nice guys, they do great work, and they do it the right way. Where others would have take my $3K and ran, they offered cheaper alternatives that ended up working just fine. read more

I have used Shelly's landscaping for over 10 years. They are definitely more expensive than most but I grew up in Northbrook and my family had used them for years, Shelly was amazing , Gary has a bit to learn. Last summer we asked them to place a bid for a new patio (1 of 3 vendors that we asked). After the 3rd iteration, it became clear that the company is good at landscaping but not as experienced in bricks and patios. We chose another company who gave us brick upgrades, a larger patio, a 5 year guarantee and many other services that Shelly's could not (at a better price). Gary responded by raising our fall clean up price considerably and then refusing to offer us a contract this season because "he was miffed about not getting the patio contract" This is probably one of the most unprofessional responses that I have ever seen and after 10 years of service. That is terrible! read more

I have been using Shelly's since we moved to Highland Park, over 15 years ago. Every couple of years I get quotes from competitors that my neighbors use for annual maintenance to see if they are charging a fair price and every time they come out as the best value. I was referred to them by my Father who used them for over 20 years when he lived in Northbrook. You gotta check these guys out! read more

I cannot say enough good things about Shelly's Landscape. We used them for a number of services (re-grading yard, paver patio & full landscaping) and they exceeded our expectations. Not only are Gary & Shelly and their team a pleasure to work with, they are hard working & fairly priced. You will not regret using them! I highly highly recommend! read more

Our experience with Shelly was so-so. When I first met Shelly he seemed very professional and efficient. Our project was pretty straight forward, we wanted to remove the old cruddy patio stones and the cemented brick walkway and replace it with a high end brick with a herringbone pattern. We had quite a few people in the neighborhood offer much more affordable bids than Shelly's but we decided to go with his company because he seemed efficient and professional. After receiving the estimate I called Shelly about a 10 days later and said we are interested in moving forward. He showed up the next day with a contract. After I gave him the down payment to start the work Shelly mentioned that it may take him 6 weeks to start. I of course thought why didn't he tell me this before I signed the contract but I decided to let it slide. Well 10 weeks later I had not heard from Shelly. I called him and he left me a voicemail that said to call him if I wanted to know when he could start. I finally got a hold of him and asked him why hadn't he followed up with me? He was very apologetic and said that other jobs came up and the weather was inconsistent. I totally understand that but I was a little upset that he hadn't called me sooner to let me know that he wouldn't be able to start until much later. After that conversation he said he would start in a week. About a week later he showed up with a 10 man crew and began working on the patio. Yay! He originally told me that project would take weeks but they completed it in 4 days. I mentioned to Shelly that our rear driveway could use some gravel and he said that it would costs me $500 to get someone out here to do that. After spending quite a bit of money with him it would have been nice if he could have made that happen. My overall experience was just A-okay. They left some bricks on the job site even though I paid for disposal. Comparing our experience to other big landscaping companies we used at our old home I would recommend shopping around. Update: The owner contacted me regarding my review and let me know if there is anything he could do to make my experience better. read more

Our experience with Shelly's was horrible. The owner came in bragging about how educated he was and then sent horrible people. They did not do good work and destroyed shrubs. In addition, bushes failed to flower this year. After I fired them they continued to charge me and won't refund the money for the month they did such a bad job. Be careful and don't sign paperwork to allow him to charge you he will take advantage and I would NEVER recommend him to anyone!!!! read more

We hired Shelly's Landscape several years ago to remedy a flooding issue in our backyard. Shelly's solution was to install a drain tile in the center of our lawn and run a pvc tube underground from the center of our lawn to the back of our property. Shelly said the the water would run down the drain tile into the pvc tube and drain out the water at the back of our property. As time went by and $3,000 later, the flooding increased in our backyard and created a larger pooling lake. We then consulted three other landscape companies and they all agreed that the pvc pipe Shelly installed was running up hill and draining anywhere so the water was pushing back into the center of our lawn creating massive lake. All three companies agreed the correct solution was to run pvc pipe in the opposite direction where the pipe runs down hill and then tied into the sewer system so the water has a place to drain. Problem solved and now we don't have any standing water in our backyard. I would never recommend Shelly's to anyone. read more

We used them 2x and would never use this company again. We used them for landscaping for the front of our yard and it turned out nice. Nothing spectacular, but nice. We used them to do some projects in the backyard. His prices are reasonable, but cuts corners to get things done. My husband had to argue with him to get him to do it the way we wanted and it still wasnt finished right. Also, never have him give you anything free that means in his mind he can give you crap quality. He is more interested in fiinishing projects than how it looks when it is done. Dont use them! read more

We are second generations of Shelly's customers...my parents have used them as long as I can remember than when we bought our home there was NO question of who we would hire to maintain our property. Gary and Shelly are both very professional and handle any issues we have in a prompt matter. We also LOVE the fact they have a physical location with a REAL person in the office all day..so if ever something does happen their secretary is able to reach them that pretty much immediately. As far as I'm concerned there isn't a better landscape company on the Northshore! Keep up the great work! read more

My husband set up an appt for me to meet Shelly at my home to give me an estimate. He left me a vm asking that I call him back to confirm the appt. So I called him back and he was pretty rude, asking me who is this, why are you calling me, etc. When I finally told him that I was returning HIS call, his demeanor didn't even change. He wasn't apologetic or remotely friendly. After setting up a time for him to come over on a Sat, I then planned my day around it. He said he had an appt right before me and right after and he's squeezing me in (like he's doing me a favor, I'm the one giving him business!!) I was playing in my basement and out back with my kids and periodically checking the front door around the time he was supposed to arrive. I then realize I have a missed call from him. I call him back and he is beyond rude. He said with attitude that he already stopped by, knocked and looked out back, no one answered, so he left. I told him I was sorry I didn't hear him, but that he was 45 min to an hour early for the appt. Since he was "squeezing" me in, I wasn't looking for him at that time. He then condescendingly told me that he told my husband when he would be there and he should've told me. Then I had to REMIND him that I had called him to confirm the appt three days earlier, so I was well aware of the time we agreed upon. He told me his appt before me ended earlier, basically saying it was my fault. He was so rude and flippant that I didn't even know how to respond. After I hung up, I thought about calling the company and complaining about the awful customer service I received...that's when I found his card in my door...turns out he's the owner! Definitely NOT the way any Owner/President should be conducting himself. Obviously he needs a refresher course in customer service. I will not use his company's services and I suggest you don't either. He may be good at landscaping design, but no matter how wonderful he could've made my back yard look, it absolutely wouldn't have been worth it to deal with his rudeness. read more