We've had a great experience with JML Landscapes. Our yard is relatively large and sloped, and we…read morestarted with what was essentially a blank, weed-filled canvas. We wanted to create an outdoor space that truly felt like an extension of our home, and JML absolutely brought that vision to life. We initially chose JML because of the beautiful landscapes featured on their website, and from the very beginning of the design phase, the team was incredibly attentive to our goals and the overall feel we wanted the yard to have. They were collaborative, thoughtful, and helped guide us through the process while still making sure the final design reflected our vision. The installation went very smoothly, and the install crew was incredibly professional, skilled, and detail-oriented. They were always willing to take the time to explain different aspects of the project, including the irrigation and lighting systems, which we really appreciated. They were also very accommodating of new requests and responsive to any questions or concerns along the way. The end result exceeded our expectations, and we're so happy with how the space turned out. Our photos don't quite do it justice yet since many of the plants are still young and we still have a few additional projects planned, but we're incredibly excited to continue enjoying and growing into the space for years to come.

Exceptional Retaining Wall Project by JML Landscapes…read moreTransforming Outdoor Spaces with Professionalism and Craftsmanship I couldn't be happier with our recent retaining wall project completed by JML Landscapes. From the initial consultation to the final touches, their team demonstrated professionalism, excellence in execution, and genuine care for our property. The project began with a thorough assessment of our sloping backyard, where their knowledgeable staff suggested creative solutions to maximize space and stability. They listened closely to our ideas, offered options to choose from, and delivered an excellent design plan that reflected our preferences. The installation process was smooth --JML's crew arrived on time each day, kept the workspace tidy, and communicated clearly about the schedule and progress. I was impressed by their craftsmanship, which resulted in a stunning and sturdy retaining wall that has completely transformed our outdoor space. The finished project exceeded my expectations, and I've received countless compliments from neighbors, family and friends. If you're considering any landscaping work--especially a retaining wall--I wholeheartedly recommend JML Landscapes. Their expertise, excellent communication, and dedication to customer satisfaction make them stand out in the industry. Thank you, JML, for turning our yard into a safe and beautiful space!

Tom has done a great job looking after our outdoor spaces for 20 years now! (we have a 30 x 30…read morebackyard / garden and a 12 foot long garden in front of our house.) We are very happy with his work. We often get complements on the front garden from people just walking by. Tom basically does it all: 1) Designs and landscapes. After we moved in Tom remodeled/ landscaped the spaces. Over the years it has has changed and evolved under his care. 2) Chooses plants and any other stuff needed. He is extremely knowledgeable about all sorts of plants, flowers grasses and small trees etc.- both native species as well as others that will thrive and work well in our space. (he has introduced dozens of new plants into our small spaces over the years) 2) Installs and maintains irrigation systems 3) Purchases any plants etc that we need (always checks first) 4) Takes care of our bamboo, fruit trees, grasses, flowering plants and bushes, small native plant garden etc. 5) Does all the work himself. Tom is very personable and extremely easy to work with. Always open to suggestions, but he has plenty of great ideas himself and is a good problem solver. He is easily reachable and gets back to us quickly. Needless to say, he works hard and gets tons done during his visits.

We have been working with Tom for many years now. He did a redesign of our backyard to make it low…read morewater/draught friendly. The plants he selected look great and have held up very well. Tom comes by periodically to maintain the yard, and has also helped me with smaller projects (a collection of container gardens of succulents for the deck, irrigation, etc). He is extremely good natured, kind, trustworthy, and always a pleasure to work with.

Tony is fantastic! Look no further, if you're in search of a detailed well thought out plan to…read morebeautify your outdoor space you have found the right company. Tony is great to work with, reliable, trustworthy, and talented!

Tony built us a raised-bed garden in our back yard. Overall, we were very pleased with the…read moreexperience. The plusses: + Very patient and respectful. We were unsure of the material we wanted to use (wood, natural stone, or brick) and it took us a long time to decide. Tony and Jolene were very patient and helpful throughout this process, giving us multiple bids and helping us understand the tradeoffs. + Excellent workmanship. I can't stress this enough. I'm a perfectionist, especially when someone else is working on my home. Tony did a fantastic job. He laid the brick out flawlessly (in spite of our undulating ground) and did a great job with the irrigation system. He even transplanted a plant to an aesthetically appealing location, when I'd expected it wouldn't survive the project. + Responsive to concerns. I called up Tony several times during the project to discuss how things were going and he was always eager to please. A couple of small things I wish had gone differently: - Scheduling. Our project wasn't urgent, and it was the rainy season. So this is no big deal. But our project did take a few weeks longer than expected. - Too nice? Tony was respectful and eager to please, almost to a fault. There were a few times during the project when I wished he had said to me, "No, that's a bad idea." (A few times w.r.t. material selection, and then another time when it came time to design the box's footprint.) We eventually made choices we were happy with but I was hoping Tony could have contributed stronger opinions to the design aspects. If you're looking for a landscaper I definitely recommend you meet with Tony and Jolene.

Will and the team did a fantastic job on our back garden. it included levelling, circular stone…read morework, step, patio. His understanding of what we wanted and workmanship was excellent. Lovely team, reliable and trustworth. Better result than I could've imagined have imagined, would highly recommend

Pleasure to work with and really excellent at their craft. Worked with me for all my needs and…read morewants. Well worth the time and money.

Whenever I hire a professional to work on my house, I'm filled with trepidation. We've all heard…read morethe horror stories about jobs that, after they're started, are extended so much that they go weeks or even months past the agreed-upon deadline; about workers who are disrespectful; about corners being cut; about shoddy workmanship; and about owners not understanding the vision the customer has in mind, and/or the end product not resembling that vision. Sacred Space Gardens allayed all those fears, and proved to be one of the best companies we've ever worked with. We have a standard-size Inner Parkside backyard that, until a few months ago, was a "yard" in name only. It contained only a completely overgrown mass of weeds and a small wooden gazebo-like frame that was too short for anyone to stand beneath. After many years of hemming and hawing, and based on recommendations from neighbors on Nextdoor, we finally hired Chris at Sacred Space Gardens to help us. We had a vision but no details. We knew that we wanted the weeds and a diseased tree removed and replaced with low-maintenance plants; we wanted a full patio; we needed the wooden structure taken down; we envisioned a small side patio in a warm spot of the yard for reading; and we hoped for a tiny area in which our small dog could do his business. Chris - who is always on time - met with us a few times to hear about our ideas and commit them to paper. He suggested a flagstone patio, a surrounding stone seating wall, a wooden pergola-like frame to replace the one being torn down, a flagstone reading area, artificial turf for our dog, multiple varieties of plants, a number of pathways, a drip/sprinkler system, and a nighttime lighting system. We took virtually all of his suggestions and hired him without even talking to anyone else. The two workers from Sacred Space Gardens (Lobsang [the construction manager] and Mr. Salvador), fixtures in our yard for many weeks, were a dream. I sort of miss them. They were friendly and professional, got along with each other famously, were always on time, worked incredibly hard, and cut no corners. Everything they did was artistic and rock-solid. We've rarely seen such knowledgeable attention to detail. They were also, by the way, very strong. Because there is no long, straight way to transport things from the garage into the backyard, they had to hand-carry everything, including dozens and dozens of heavy cement bags, one at a time through our downstairs hallway and laundry room. The schedule did run a couple of weeks long, but it was in no way anyone's fault. We had some unforeseen problems, including rain delays, and our soil turned out to be so riddled with rock that Lobsang and Mr. Salvador had to drill away at the rock for days in order to prepare the soil for planting. In the end, our yard turned out to be much more beautiful than we ever imagined. The patios, the stonework, the plants, and even our dog's area are stunning. We feel like we're in Paradise out there. So I am giving Sacred Space Gardens 5 stars, although I wish I could give them 6 for exceeding expectations. Two notes: We have not yet used the garden maintenance services offered by Sacred Space Gardens because the plants are so young that we don't need monthly maintenance yet. That may happen down the road, in which case I will update this review. My photos, then, are not doing justice to what the yard will eventually look like because the trees and plants will get much bigger and the ground cover will be much more spread out. Secondly, the whole process was not cheap. If you are looking for inexpensive "quick-and-dirty" work in your yard, you may want to go elsewhere. Chris is all about quality, and that's what we wanted. Quality, reliability, respect, and an artistic touch, and we got all of that. Now I need to go stare at the yard for an hour, because that's what I continue to do on a regular basis.

Our experience with Sacred Space was awful from start to finish. First, it took them as long as a…read moremonth to respond to our emails or calls. Last fall after our initial contact, we couldn't get in touch with anyone for weeks to at least sign a contract, get a drawing, and be informed of a start date. When we finally got communications, they were impersonal form letters addressed "To clients," not our names. I don't think they ever learned our names. As for the landscaping, the plants were badly chosen, the work was sloppy and amateurish, and the irrigation left plants dry and yellowing. The mulch that was laid was thin and dirty and allowed weeds to quickly spout. Many plants turned out to be not deer resistant and were quickly eaten. Others were too puny to survive. The "ground-cover," we later learned, would take five years to fill out, if it even survived because the spouts were so tiny. And the end result: A "landscaping" that was mostly dirt with a few green things sticking up here and there and a lot of weeds. But this was not the worst of it. When the pandemic hit, it is understandable that the maintenance we had ordered did not happen. Then, a month or two after the restriction on outdoor services was lifted, three of the young women showed up for a few hours to "weed." Mostly, they chatted and laughed with each other. We could hear them from the house. The three did not bother to weed the back area, which was the most weedy. That slope was too steep, they complained. The trio also did not address the dryness of some areas. Even so, we received a bill for this maintenance of $945. Broken down, this amount paid each of the three workers $90 an hour for a couple of hours of socializing. To be fair, I don't think they were intentionally slacking off but just are not knowledgeable and are unaware of their ignorance. After that, we discontinued our relationship with Sacred Space and looked for a landscaper or gardener who could fix the mess. During the interview process, candidates politely shook their heads at the faulty irrigation, deer-friendly plants, and expanses of dirt. Fortunately, we were able to find a wonderful, very knowledgeable gardener who is methodically fixing each problem. What a difference!

Unfortunately going to have to echo the other Yelp review (Alex) and speak to Adam's…read moreprofessionalism. Two last-minute reschedule requests from him due to "unexpected conflicts," with no context, long delays in communication between reschedules, and little flexibility in finding a time that wouldn't require me to rearrange meetings and take time off from an in-office job. The flakiness/lack of care was evident from the start, so I decided to pass. In hindsight, probably saving me money on top of the time already wasted. He seems to have put in good effort on some past projects (although there are a number of suspicious 5 star reviews including some that look like they were written by his buddy's or by profiles that have 0 other reviews to bump the rating up), but things have clearly slipped since then. Someone who doesn't respect their customer's time is usually signaling bigger issues with the quality of their work overall.

I hired Adam for a driveway and front yard landscaping project. Unfortunately, the experience fell…read morewell short of expectations on both professionalism and workmanship. Adam was consistently difficult to reach and missed multiple agreed-upon appointments throughout the project. He was repeatedly unprofessional and had no respect for our time. Following up required repeated attempts, and the project dragged on far longer than it should have as a result. Several significant errors were made by his crew, including: * Cement was poured on a rainy day with no oversight, compromising the result. This is something that should never have happened in the first place. * Workers stepped in wet cement during the pour. When confronted, Adam initially attributed the damage to passersby until video evidence proved otherwise. He patched the affected areas, but the patches do not match the surrounding driveway * A water line to a newly planted tree was improperly installed and the tree died. Adam replaced it only after repeated requests * Finish work was sloppy in many instances -- an issue that could have been avoided with basic oversight and timely corrections *Adam would promise to do things but would show up and only finish a few items, requiring repeat follow ups to get the remaining items completed. A contractor's professionalism, quality of work, and responsiveness are entirely within their own control, regardless of how they feel about a particular client. Rather than owning mistakes, Adam appeared to deflect responsibility. I ultimately hired a second landscaping company to assist me, and the contrast in professionalism has been stark. I would not recommend Adam's services to anyone, and I would strongly advise against making a final payment until the project is fully complete.

My review of Brian Ott and Zenscape is LONG OVERDUE. The short version: Brian is simply…read morewonderful--kind, patient, thoughtful, creative, honest, and hardworking. From the beginning, Brian listened carefully to our goals and transformed our ideas into a beautiful vision of serenity. He hand-drew his design, explained his ideas, and brought everything to life with a respectful, prompt, and clean crew. He transformed our backyard into a true Zenscape, exactly what we hoped for, and created gorgeous front and back gardens complete with irrigation and lighting. We have now worked with Brian and his team for five years, and what stands out most is that the relationship didn't end when the project did. He continues to respond to our calls and messages, offer advice, and help us care for and preserve his work. During a recent construction project, he even coordinated with our contractor and plumber to protect the garden and ensure the irrigation was properly connected. Our front garden now features beautiful plants, rocks, stones, and a Maple tree Brian planted and helped preserve during construction. The backyard has become a true sanctuary, with fire and water features, a birdbath, Japanese lantern, lighting, and a lemon tree--a perfectly balanced retreat for birds, butterflies, and humans alike. Brian and Noe are now helping us refresh a few overgrown areas (our fault!), and we couldn't be happier with their quality, patience, and follow-through. Brian didn't just transform our yard--he transformed our quality of life. Everyone stops to admire the front of our house, and it brings us so much joy. We are incredibly grateful. Thank you, Zenscape!

Top marks. Professional, friendly, and high quality work. Job completed much faster than…read moreanticipated. My new zenscape is totally boss. Would Zenscape again.

John and team landscaped our backyard and do the monthly maintenance. He has great taste and is…read moreeasy to work with, the garden is a living work of art.

John and his crew did a fabulous job on our preschool landscaping, including installing irrigation…read morefrom the basement. The drought tolerant plant selection and rocks are beautiful, and I'm looking forward to watching the plants mature and spread. They were open to making changes along the way as needed, and also built a beautiful redwood border along the beds. His crew also did a great job with the trees on the sidewalk in front - they look so much healthier and there is much more light coming through. John and his crew were easy to communicate with, hardworking, and I appreciated how well they would clean up every day after completing work. We plan to use them for ongoing maintenance. I would highly recommend this company!