I'm writing an update because of a bizarre turn of events. So, I'm taking a nap, because that is the sort of thing I do, when the phone rings. It is 6:24. I ignored it because I was taking a nap. Then the phone rings again at 6:31. I got up and looked at the caller ID and saw it was Celestial Landscaping. I decided not to answer it and tried to go back to bed. Only to be awoken again at 6:57. Again, it was Celestial Landscaping so I ignored it again. Per Celestial Landscaping standard operating procedure, he left no voice messages. And then at 7:03 the phone rang again, and this time I answered it. It was Caesar from Celestial Landscaping. I asked Caesar how I could help him. He started telling me how he bought me free mulch, and how he paid for my plants. OK, I said, but what do you want? Why are you calling me? He said that my review was a lie because I didn't tell all the details. So Caesar wants a full recounting of our business dealings, I am happy to provide it. Here we go! First, I mentioned that he called four times tonight and didn't leave a voicemail. That is the way Caesar operates. He never left voicemails. So when he would disappear for days or even weeks at a time, we got no explanation. I suppose it's possible he tried to call and explain why he wasn't there, but since he never left voicemails, I never got those explanations until I tracked him down and got hold of him. Then I would get responses like "Oh, I tried to call but I didn't get anyone." He kept talking about how he thought our dealing were fair. When he paused for breath, I again asked him what he wanted. He said my review was a lie. He was very insistent I include: apparently, the reason he disappeared for a month was because his tools got stolen. I found that out when my husband called him after he had disappeared for a few weeks. At that point, he explained that his tools got stolen, and that he couldn't return to work on my walkway until he got approved for credit cards so he could buy new tools. OK, I guess that story sounds vaguely plausible, so let's assume it's true. It still would have been nice if he had called me and told me instead of just vanishing until I tracked him down. I don't know much about the kind of tools that get used to cut brick, but I guess they can't be rented or borrowed, and I guess Celestial Landscaping doesn't have insurance on the tools or business or enough cash flow to buy replacements. Things I wish I had known before I hired them. Also, Caesar wants me to mention that he bought me mulch and plants. Now, keep in mind that he quoted me a price for the entire job including supplies, so that seems to me a little like saying "And I bought myself lunch every day so I had enough strength to do the work." You're doing me a favor by buying the stuff you need to buy in order to do the job you said you'd do? As for the plants, we asked him to plant wild grasses, wildflowers, daisies, and black-eyed susans. But he insisted he needed us to go with him. I told him in the interview I didn't know anything and I didn't really want to be involved in the day to day work. I asked him then, You're going to take care of everything, right? And he assured me he would. At the interview he did come up with a good idea about the shape of the walkway. Anyway, he just went on and on about how we had to come with him to pick the plants. We went to the nursery and picked out all of these plants. Then he tried to make me pay for them. The contract stated he would buy the plants. As well, he said he would buy the plants and the mulch to make up for disappearing for days at a time. When we insisted he pay for them, he relented, but only reluctantly. So we left while he paid for the plants, and surprise, surprise! He didn't actually buy the black eyed susans. And he planted the daisies very poorly - they are all dying or dead. When I pointed this out to him tonight, he claimed I wasn't watering them. Sorry, Caesar - we've been watering them consistently, so that's not why they are dying. So, to Caesar, I hope I have included all the details you wanted included, but if I didn't, TOO BAD AND DO NOT CALL ME AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S REALLY CREEPY!!! And to Jesus D., who I am sure is a totally different person from Caesar, and who claims I am making up stories, how would you even know what happened? Are you my neighbor? A different customer of Caesar's who parked across the street from my house and watched Celestial do the job off and on, over the course of about three months? Or are you perhaps someone affiliated with Celestial Landscaping trying to falsely boost their star rating? Just a thought read more

Wow. I'm extremely impressed with these guys. We needed some major work in our yard. It had been used as a garbage dump by the entire neighborhood for at least 30 years. I'm not kidding. It's a pretty wooded lot and it had a lot of down trees. Celestino and his crew did a phenomenal job. They cleaned up the whole area, dug up the soil, trimmed branches, removed trees, planted seed, laid out sod, built a potager (raised garden bed), put down mulch -- and they did it quickly and at a great cost. The workers all seemed to truly want to do a good job and Celestino was a great foreman. He had a great eye for detail and even fixed things that his crew had broken (they had to move our kids playset and broke a beam accidentally) without even being asked. I highly recommend them. read more

We had a massive tree cut down that was looming over our roof and butted up against our deck. Cesar came out to quote me on the job and asked if I was accepting other quotes. I told him that I was and that he was the first one to come out. He took a look at the tree and offered me $1500 plus he could shape some of our other trees and bushes in our front yard and also said it would only take a day. The other two quotes were $2900 and $5100. We rolled the dice and decided to go with Celestial as they had pretty good reviews on Yelp and Angie's List. Cesar brought 4 guys with him. They started work and after about 6 hours of them being there, it looked like very little was done. Don't get me wrong, they were working very hard it was just a very large tree. Day two, they got right down to business and still they didn't finish. I talked to Cesar and he told me that this was taking longer than expected and since he would have to rent the crane for another day he really needed $200 more dollars for which he would do additional work such as clean the gutters, mow our lawn etc. I talked to my husband about this and since he is afraid of heights we thought we would do the gutter cleaning. I called him to let him know that we agreed to do the gutter cleaning and rip out two dead bushes we had for $200 dollars. He agreed and told me he planned on bring another piece of equipment which wouldn't be available until the afternoon so he'd be there later than usual. The following day I got home from work and they hadn't showed up. I called him up and asked why he wasn't there and clearly there was a misunderstanding of what was expected. He said he'd be there tomorrow because the equipment he needed could be brought in then. I called the office to make sure he was scheduled to be at my home the next day. My yard and my neighbor's driveway was an absolute disaster with saw dust everywhere. I had planned on having a party that weekend and really needed it to be wrapped up. He then called me himself back asking what was wrong with me and why I didn't understand he'd be there the next day essentially reprimanding me for calling the office. I told him I didn't want any issues but I needed the tree down and the mess cleaned up and needed piece of mind knowing he would be there the next day as it would be Friday (my party was Saturday). The fact that he called me to pick a fight left a bad taste in my mouth so I told him I was afraid he wouldn't finish so to not include the gutter cleaning and bush work that I just want the tree down like initially stated. Day three, they got down to business and were clearly finishing the job. Towards the end they needed to move the final stump piece using a bob cat. They were having issues with the bob cat which had a hose that kept spraying fluid. This fluid was accidentally sprayed on the siding of my neighbor's house leaving a giant oil like stain. It was clear that they were not going to be able to move the remaining stump so I told them not to worry about it (my neighbor was keeping the wood anyway) and so they left. The tree was taken down without damage to the roof or deck and they cleaned everything up before leaving. In the end I was very satisfied with the work. He realized he under quoted us by a lot but we did take a huge risk accepting such a low offer. I think they excel in landscape work but this tree was probably outside the realm of what they normally do. They clearly have some good reviews so I wouldn't say stay away but definitely get other quotes and take all things into consideration when deciding for your specific needs. read more

They worked extremely hard from morning until late afternoon and did a fantastic job! We've been using this company for a few years now and have always been happy. I've tried other companies prior to Celestial and have not been near as pleased with the outcome. Lynda read more

I would like to Thank Ceasar and his crew, they did a fantastic job on my sons house in Crystal lake. I have dealt with many landscape companies and your lucky to even get a response from most of them, Ceasar called me back every time and was very honest and upfront and I knew right away that he would take care of what we needed. In regards to cost he stuck to his original estimate even though we threw many changes at him and offset the cost when he gave us his advice on what we should and should not do, I would recommend this company to anyone that needs landscaping at reasonable cost and a professional job. Thank you again Ceasar!!! Al B. read more

These guys have awesome mulch! Great service, kind and respectful. They've been in business for a long time. Good family owned and operated company. Great to see them in a nice new location! Keep up the good work, Thank you! read more

Celestial Landscaping, Did a great Patio on my house, they helped designed my Patio and spend time with me to get the right materials. . They clean every thing around the area. I did not expect that, the re-seed the area around the patio at no extra cost. Good Service, thanks Guys. I hope you can help me on my next project, I really recommend Celestial Landscaping. read more

I needed some dead cottonless cottonwoods (never plant these) removed before a storm knocked them down. I found Celestial through Yelp. Cesar came the next day and gave me a very reasonable estimate. The guys are packing up right now and the area where the trees were is no emaculate. They did a great job and if I ever have any other landscaping needs (I have tons of landscaping wants but not a lot of cash) I will definitely use them again. read more

We've employed Celestial for several years. After the original owner, Celestino, died unexpectedly, his nephew Caesar took the helm and the firm never skipped a beat. The team helped us with Spring cleanup of all our beds, and re-seeded a large area in our back yard. They are hard-working and reliable, and they do outstanding landscaping work. read more