Brian and his crew were doing work at our neighbors house and they were extremely pleased with the way their backyard project was progressing. We had become accustomed to their workers arriving in the morning and working through the day and that they were very cordial, friendly and considerate about parking responsibly. So, we asked Brain to come over to assess a drainage issue we had in our backyard where because of our clay soil, water would accumulate in our pathway (frustratingly at the the highest point on our property). He gave us a plan that involved removing our pavers (set in dirt), excavating some of the clay soil, digging a trench down the middle of the pathway and installing a perforated drain line to collect the water, connect the new pipe with proper grade into our existing patio drain line to carry the water to the curb at the street; backfilling with crushed drain rock (gravel/sand) to promote drainage and preserve the proper grade, and wrapping with filter fabric to minimize anything getting into the new pipe (other than water!). Then more fun -- putting the flagstone pavers back in place. These had been photographed prior to removal and numbered to ensure they went back into the right locations. There was considerable attention paid to spacing, and then settling them onto well compacted gravel one by one - some rather large and very heavy, and all are even with each other as you walk the path, amazing work. Finally the last several inches between the stones were filled with a complementary color decorative pea gravel (we had a choice from a generous selection). This was a great suggestion from Brian to eliminate planting between the stones which we previously had difficulty keeping weed free. We are very happy with all aspects of the work done. The crew was fantastic, hardworking and clearly talented individuals! Brian was super responsive when we had an occasional question. We were told it would take about 5 days, but it went to six -- no issue for us as we saw how the crew thoughtfully addressed unexpected hurdles that slowed things down (an underground electrical conduit right near the tie-in to the existing drain, existing drip irrigation that needed to be cut, then repaired to acommodate the project, etc). We look forward to talking with Brian and BWD for our future needs. read more

BWD gardens did an incredible job transforming our back yard into a beautiful and inviting outdoor living space. Brian helped us completely reimagine the layout and make the best use of our space. He is a very thoughtful and creative designer, with a keen eye for details, and knowledgeable about his materials (plants, stone, mulch, lighting, etc.). He is also an excellent listener, and was great about balancing our ideas with his own - he incorporated our wants/needs while steering us gracefully to a plan that would be successful. It was really fun working with him. And then his team was efficient, professional, and friendly, and executed his plan beautifully, ahead of schedule! We ended up with a space that is exactly what we were hoping for, but not something that we could have dreamed up on our own. We're excited to watch our plants grow and enjoy spending time in our new garden! read more

Brian and his team was amazing to work with for designing an irrigation system for a hillside terraced garden at Black Point historic gardens. We described what we needed and they delivered a system that worked with our challenges! The crew walked us through how to use the system, including solar powered controls! We're very happy and I'd highly recommend them! read more

Brian Whyte recently designed a drought-tolerant garden in our small front yard, and also installed driveway pavers and replaced brick work leading to our front door. Embarking on this, I was concerned that "drought tolerant" might mean our yard would look like a desert frontier. Nope. Brian created a pretty little garden that fits our Bay Area locale, and spent a terrific amount of time finding just the right color pavers and bricks for our project. I can't say enough about how friendly and charming his team members were, and how attentive they were to details and clean up. We're already loving the decrease in our water usage and honey bees are loving our new kurapia ground cover. The project took longer than we'd have liked, or than Brian would have, but it's done. We have a lot of pedestrian traffic in front of our house, and people have gone out of their way to tell us how much they like our new look, replacing a lawn. Thank you, Brian! (I should have picked up leaves from trees on our street strip, which we inherited. Kurapia is growing fast, and Brian returned post-completion to change out the stakes on our adorable birch trees to make sure their trunks have support that will let them fatten up. Plus: do you love the low, Brian-designed fence that replaced a thirsty hedge?) read more

Brian Whyte Designs - a fence in front of a house - Landscaping Near Me

We had them help with weed control, and sheet mulching. They did a decent job with some missteps: they did not overlap the cardboard so we had weeds coming up in rows throughout the yard. The project did also take longer than expected because the mulch/wood chips were sourced from local arborists and depended upon their availability. That being said, I've also seen BWD work throughout the neighborhood and it looks fantastic. I spoke to a neighbor who has BWD work on their garden, and they had Brian create a design and do maintenance. Their front yard looks terrific. read more

I have to disagree with the poor reviews below. I have worked with many contractors since living in my home and Brian and his team rivals them all. Brian, is lovely, he is an astute listener, incredible collaborator, has a very polished design sense and takes feedback very well both positive and negative. I am the " I hate that plant and here is why - gal". Not once did I feel that he was disinterested in my reaction to something, just the opposite, - he was attentive and poof! the next day the plant was exchanged for something different. His team is stellar, they are talented, tidy and so sweet. Billing is clear and timely. Besides landscaping, they built a gorgeous deck in my yard. I would hire him again in a second and hope that all of my besties use him for their gardens. Thanks Brian et al!!! read more

Brian helped transform a very difficult weed (and trash) covered hillside into a beautiful, usable and thriving garden. Brian definitely knows his plants. I strongly suggest going to the plant nursery with him, discussing and viewing the plants you like together, and then giving him the opportunity to followup with design and execution. He is very flexible when it comes to design and I felt he truly held our interests and intentions for our garden in his mind. He also made himself very available during our project, which helped make the process go smoothly. Thanks to Brian and crew, we are enjoying our backyard everyday! The only downside was that the work did take longer than expected--as is the case with many contractors working on multiple jobs. Brian's individual portion of the job, which was focused on planting happened smoothly, beautifully, and on schedule. Brian also left us with a customized plant maintenance guide so we can care for the plants from here forward. read more

I don't think I've ever been more disappointed in a landscape design company. He is all enthusiasm and promise and after the initial splash of stonework, no follow through. My project turned out to be well over budget and was never finished. The lighting installation is substandard. The irrigation is neither logical nor appropriate. The plantings are poor design and unimaginative. He left me with an ugly unfinished gravel path and an unsafe entry from the street as well as a half finished garden shed. He has not returned to finish up the job in over 2 months even though he made appointments and promises to do so. I would never recommend him or his crew and I now need to hire someone else to finish up his work. Anne P. Berkeley Hills read more

Brian did an excellent job of turning our eye-sore-of-a-yard into a simple yet lovely escape. The back yard of my elderly mother's house had been dead grass for the last few years. There were some decent plants around the border, but they were a haphazard mixture of very mature shrubs, some flowers and of course those giant agapanthas that are all over the east bay. Brian discussed ideas with us at length, focusing on my mother's likes and physical abilities as they related to garden use and care. His plan was easy to interpret and he included a breakdown of each step involved and their approximate cost. In this way, we could pick and choose which elements we might want to complete ourselves in order to keep costs down or perhaps wait to complete certain other components of the plan. We met with Brian at Flowerland on Solano Avenue to look at possible plant ideas. Brian saved what he could, dividing up existing plants and encorporating them with new. He re-figured an existing irrigation system and created a small hill and a path, making it much more interesting to look at and use. We are very happy with his work and would highly recommend him and his crew. read more

I came to Brian with the idea of creating a pocket woodland in my side yard. For years it had been untouched, unusable space overgrown with weeds. I attempted to revitalize it on my own, but after a year, was quite unhappy with the results and the underlying feel of the garden seemed off, unsatisfying to me. It was time to bring in a landscape designer to help reevaluate the needs of the space. I initially met Brian at Flowerland nursery in Albany and had consulted with him on a previous plan I was trying to do on my own and he was very helpful! He enthusiastically listened to the concept I had in mind, worked with me on the design and followed through. He seemed to be the logical choice for my next project. A wonderful collaborator, Brian and I had an open dialogue regarding the needs and limitations of the space due to its small footprint / location. My intent was to create a personal "secret garden" , a forest woodland conducive to rest and contemplation. He came up with a design that wholly satisfied my aesthetic vision; incorporated rare plants that I absolutely loved, including some of his own personal favorites, and at the same time, was perceptive enough to address the hidden, emotional needs of the space. He pointed out the privacy aspect of the design, which is the foremost issue in creating a personal retreat and found a unique solution that also unified the look of the neighbor-friendly fence in a design standpoint. He even came up with a creative idea for a transitional gate, by using the trunks of my existing apple tree as the "entrance" to my private escape which he has been training using river rocks. He was very thorough and clear about his design process. Brian created a drawing that was comprehensive, yet easy to follow. He broke down his ideas step- by- step and found ways to minimize costs by giving me an account of what he thought we could do on our own. Brian was timely in his response to my e-mails and when needed, visited the site to clarify plans. He met with me a couple of times at Fowerland to introduce plants appropriate for the site, perhaps to gain insight as to what kinds of plants I responded to. We opted for him to design and build the project and at the end, was very pleased with the whole experience. I now have my own private woodland retreat! I am very happy with the work he has done in my side yard and the rest of my garden. He is easy to work with; a true professional with a philosophy for meaningful, sensitive design relevant to the times. He has a discerning eye that is apparent due to his experience, education, and ongoing interest in keeping up with the industry pulse here and worldwide. Brian is keenly aware of what his job as a designer entails and that is to create his client's spaces with them, to envision the kind of garden that speaks to their hearts and minds... read more

As a Realtor in Berkeley it's an absolutue thrill - and a great relief - to have Brian as referral to my clients in need. When I refer clients out to another service it iultimately reflects on my professional ability and the confidence my clients have in my judgement. Whenever I recommend Brian to a client it ALWAYS makes me look better! A++ read more

Mr. Whyte recently responded to me after he found my review at yelp.com and also posted a reply to my original review, which is full of false and/or misleading information, which I feel obligated to reply and let the readers decide by themselves: 1. It is simply NOT ture that I did not contact them for follow up works and service requests. Actually, I paid them another $900 to do folow up works only four moths later, so Mr. Whyte also lied about the so-called follow up service as well. 2. After paying another $900, things continued to get worse, so I tried to contact them again, Mr. Whyte basicly pushed it to Mr. Mele who did the work, and Mr. Mele simply said Orinda is not longer his service area. Mr. Whyte LIED about it. 3. I was forced to turn to other professionals for help and eventually re-did everything they did more recently. EVERY professional visited the property told me that it was a "rip-off" that they would put three controllers and low-grade sprinkler heads and charged me $4500 for their works. 4. I was patient and tried to ask them to come over to take a look and provide an explaination, plus also indicating that I am willing to listen to their part of the story and may work with them again if they can set the record straight. They simply refused to even to come and take a look. So I then decided to hire another vendor and also share my experience at yelp.com 5. Yes, it was a rental house and the tenant was supposed to maintain the garden according to the rental agreement, and we did hire someone to do the job. I did run into some disputes with the tenant who ended up sueing me and lost the case. Mr. Whyte got the basic fact WRONG here again. I suggest Mr. Whyte to get the facts right first and seriously consider what I proposed in several private communications to him, or I might just goto the court in deed like he framed! read more

Working with Brian was great. We hired him as a consultant when transforming our backyard from a weed-infested waste to a play area for our son and raised beds for vegetables. Brian was helpful, knowledgeable, and thorough, and he kept us from making many mistakes. He was also readily available afterwards when we were doing the work and questions came up. It was a pleasure working with Brian, and I couldn't recommend him more highly. read more

We wanted it all, but they said it couldn't be done... We were becoming embarrassed and getting depressed about our neglected yard. We talked to a few landscapers who told us that we couldn't have a colorful and visually interesting landscape that was also drought tolerant, low maintenance and budget-friendly. No landscapers seemed motivated to work with us until we met Brian Whyte. We had a good feeling about Brian after our initial meeting and he ultimately exceeded our expectations in all respects. He was a good listener who understood our likes and dislikes, timeline and budget. He was very knowledgeable and assertive enough to recommend a design that he knew would work for us. We took a leap of faith and agreed to all his ideas. We were not disappointed. Brian's communication was excellent from start to finish. He kept us in the loop on the progress every step of the way. When unexpected issues arose with our existing irrigation system, Brian made suggestions for resolving the issues, while still keeping to our schedule and budget. We appreciated Brian's pro-active, hands-on project management. His staff was responsible and they always left the yard tidy at the end of the workday. And Brian spent some extra time at the end of the job to make sure that we knew what plants we had and that we understood what we needed to do to maintain them properly. Every day we walk around the yard and are delighted to see how well all the plants are flourishing. There's always a surprise in store for us - a new bloom here, a splash of color there - the plants are growing and thriving and filling in. Our yard turned out to be exactly what we wanted - colorful, interesting and low maintenance. We actually look forward to spending more time outside, enjoying our yard, and we make a point of opening our window coverings during the daytime, to bring a little bit of the outside in. Our only regret was that we didn't do this sooner! read more

I recently hired Brian based on positive web reviews. In person and by email, at great length, we discussed my priorities for yard maintenance. There was no connection of the "service" that I received with these goals, or with the appealing stated mission of Brian Whyte Designs to have communication with clients in general. Instead of cleaning up the yard as requested, long-tended carefully pruned plants were hacked back with no apparent logic or symmetry. And for no reason, on the second visit, new irrigation parts were installed unconnected to everything else (instead of the dead leaves still there from before the first visit getting picked up). I had no response to query emails for a month, and irregular scheduling (too long between visits). When I cancelled "service" I received only the reply that they were having "problems." That doesn't give me back my flowers. read more

Brian transformed our side yard into a beautiful, usable garden. He has a gift for choosing the perfect plants for a space. He also has great relationships with local growers and nurseries. He's very professional and enjoyable to work with. I highly recommend him. read more

We chose Brian and his team because Brian seemed incredibly pleasant, easy to communicate with and professional with a reasonable cost estimate. We were not disappointed! They mapped out our yard every step of the way, were very knowledgeable and helpful with plant choices, and were flexible when we wanted to revise the plans mid-way through. The quality of their work was top-notch and we are delighted with the final product. Brian and his team really seem to enjoy creating a yard to their clients' personal tastes. Their enjoyment of the process really shines through! read more

We always are excited to work with Brian Whyte Designs to install our designs. As professional registered landscape architects with +30 years of experience, we have worked with a wide range of contractors and have grown to understand which contractors are stellar. Brian and his team have always correctly installed all aspects of our projects and assisted with troubleshooting unforeseen difficulties with excellent results. In particular, their stonework, concrete work and carpentry skills offer artistry and detailing. BWD brings life to our designs and gives our clients gardens that delight and wow their guests. His horticultural knowledge is very deep, allowing us to suggest unusual plant forms or species that still are low maintenance and well-performing given today's constricted water budgets. Lastly, his design eye is well developed; we trust his design decisions if we can't respond right away. read more