Our experience with Farallon has been outstanding from the start. Unlike many home-service…read morecontractors, Matthew has been responsive and professional at every turn. We had the initial garden installation work done two years ago, and it included planting the front yard and installing a new irrigation system. But what has impressed us even more than our original experience has been Matthew's incredible service ever since. This has included replacing plants that did not take at no charge and most recently, responding in under an hour (and showing up at our house within another hour) when a portion of pipe broke off connecting the irrigation system to a pipe leading to the house. Despite having done the original work over two years ago, and the issue having more to do with the pre-existing pipes than with the work done by Farallon, Matthew capped the pipe on the spot, and was back within a week to completely rebuild the connection with new brass fittings that he would not take any money for. This level of service is simply not something we've experienced with any other home-service contractors in thirty years of home ownership (which included a major remodel, and many, many small projects and maintenance over the years). Cannot recommend Farallon highly enough!

Farallon's garden looks okay albeit over-planted and over-irrigated, resulting in continuous waste…read moreof water. After talking to one of their employees who were arrogantly opinionated on the subject, we decided to stay away from them. This company has to learn how to be humble first before anything else. Disappointing!

We hired Planted Earth to redo our backyard and driveway. Prior to hiring them, we interviewed 2…read moreother landscape designers and Michael was the only one who had a vision for our yard. We had also seen Michael's work at a neighboring house. The scope of the project included a new driveway, drainage, deck, patio, fence, and project managing the installation of a prefab shed/office. The design phase was smooth and we had a good idea of what the end result should be. Michael and Ann presented multiple ideas and options with different price points. They also took our concerns into account when we weren't sure of certain design aspects. The build phase was less clear. We didn't always know what was being worked on for a given week or how long it would take. We had weekly sync ups to address concerns and ask questions but time estimates weren't their strong suit. We also had issues with Planted Earth's billing/accounting where they would accidentally double charge or not see a previously paid invoice. These issues were always corrected with an email but it was extra work on my part to double check things. Generally, Michael is reasonable and worked with us on invoicing issues. During this time we had a permitting issue that wasn't Planted Earth's fault. The city of Oakland was understaffed and generally incompetent. Michael and Ann gave us updates on our permits and personally visited the permitting office to move things along. In the end it sounded like Michael finally convinced the clerk to take 5mins to do their job. I'm not sure another designer would have been as persistent. Overall, we are happy with our yard and glad it's finally done.

My family and I feel as if we've been through a traumatic experience with Michael McFadden -…read moreowner/operator of Planted Earth Inc. My hope is that you watch out for the red flags that I ignored and that this review helps one family to think twice before working with Mick. We hired Mick to replace our driveway, pour a new back patio with tile and install a steel pergola over the patio. Mick's bid came in very high and he assured me that he likes to be "up front" so that there are no surprises. I thought I was getting quality and for some reason I originally trusted Mick to deliver. I made a huge mistake. For us, he appeared arrogant, threatening, disorganized and amateurish. If you only need a few rocks moved around, it could work. After the second installation of the back patio tile (first one needed to be ripped up) and the failed sealing of the driveway and the misaligned posts on our new pergola (see photo), I ended our expectation that Mick would ever finish the job.

Fiddlehead Gardens did excellent work. I needed a gardener and met Racheal Perry while she was…read moreworking in the garden at a friend's house in SF. She was doing a great job there so I asked her to come and give me an estimate at my house close by. She got in touch with me a few days later to set up an appointment. I hate to do gardening work and had gotten very lazy and needed a lot of help. I have a backyard deck with two very large planter boxes full of dying and out-of-control plant growth. I also have two planter boxes lining my driveway that needed a new irrigation system and a lot of clearing out done as well. Racheal arrived at the initial appointment on time. She is very pleasant and has a lot of experience and knowledge. She obviously loves what she does. I received a fairly priced written estimate by mail within a week. And Racheal came up with a smart way to do the irrigation system in the front of my house that solved a big watering headache. I was very pleased. A couple of weeks later Racheal and Cate came to my house and did a fantastic job. They were on time, hard working, polite and fun to talk to and did all the work as expected (which took a full 8 hours). There was a lot to do and afterwords my deck/yard and front planter boxes looked great. They hauled away a big truck full of plant debris - good riddance! I am very much looking forward to entertaining and hanging out on the deck during the summer. And knowing that Fiddlehead will be doing monthly maintenance, I know my deck will be in good shape. I am also looking forward to seeing the new plants grow. Thanks Racheal and Cate!

I can't say enough good things about Racheal and Fiddlehead Gardens. She took our modest-sized…read morefront planter beds (and our modest budget) and crafted a plan that turned them from an eyesore into a tidy and easily maintained space. She was also the only one (!) of the landscape architects or gardeners I called who assured me that she herself planned to work onsite throughout the entire job, supervising her staff and attending the fine pruning of our unruly apple tree personally. Her attention to detail also deserves a mention: the irrigation system she designed is a marvel, with miniature sprayers positioned perfectly for the various plantings. She even took it upon herself to tidy up our overgrown agapanthus, despite it technically not being part of the work order. A five-star experience from beginning to end.

We hired Wildwood Landscapes to completely redesign our front and back yards, and we couldn't be…read morehappier with the results. From the initial design consultation to the final walk-through, everything was handled professionally and with great care. Elliot was fantastic to work with. He truly listened to our ideas and incorporated them seamlessly into a plan that was even better than we had envisioned. The entire team from design to construction was skilled, friendly, and respectful of our property. We especially want to call out Gabe for his exceptional craftsmanship. He and another gentleman built a couple retaining walls in our front yard that are absolutely incredible. We have met several neighbors because they want to stop and talk about the wall.

Wildwood redesigned our front and back yards. They let us be as involved as we wanted to be:…read morewhatever we wanted to really get into detail on was great, and whatever we wanted to be hands-off on, they'd just handle for us. The plant selections were great, all the hardscaping was really cleanly done, great materials used all around, and overall the design was fantastic. We've worked with a number of people over the years, and no team has been as high quality, communicative, and proactive as Wildwood. The whole experience was fun and low stress and the result is beautiful and functional.

We hired Harkness Gardens to replace some rotten wood in our backyard. While their quote wasn't the…read morelowest, we appreciated Paul's transparency around labor and materials, and ultimately felt good moving forward. The good: the crew worked quickly, were friendly and flexible (even as the job doubled in size once more boards were identified as rotten), and they did a good job with the installation overall. They even fixed some outdoor lights in the process--great job where it matters most. Unfortunately, a few issues cropped up after they left: nails, wood chips, and trash were scattered around the property; our bougainvillea was scraped and broken in a few places from where the workers hit in in carrying supplies in/out; a board adjacent to the new installation was cracked; and they left behind excess oversized wooden planks and rebar too big for our trash bins. None of this was major--but it did require extra time and effort on our end. The bigger issue was how Paul handled it. When we finally got on the phone post-job (after a week of delays, since we had been traveling -- admittedly, we could have done a better job communicating our concerns right away), Paul was defensive from the outset. Rather than simply acknowledging the concerns or offering a small fix--like a quick cleanup, an apology, or a nominal discount--he lectured me about how contractors don't have recourse if clients don't pay and implied the problems were our fault for not requesting extra TLC up front. To be clear: we paid in full, didn't ask for anything unreasonable, and would've been pretty happy just to feel heard. Instead, we got a condescending response and a begrudging $100 offer (which we declined). So: strong install work and fair pricing, but very little attention to detail or customer satisfaction after the fact. If you hire Harkness Gardens, make sure to be extremely explicit up front about cleanup, debris removal, and basic care for plants or surrounding structures--because otherwise, it may not be included. Otherwise, the quality of their work and install was great.

I cannot recommend Harkness Gardens (Paul Harkness) more highly if you have any landscaping or…read moregarden needs. We engaged Paul and his crew to bring to life our Yardzen landscape design plans and he knocked it out of the park! My wife and I wanted to make changes at pretty much every step of the process, and Paul and his team were super accommodating and helped us figure out what would work best in our space. They did all the construction work, fences, irrigation, plant selection and planting, and electrical installation. Even after the work was completed, we still keep in touch with Paul to provide guidance for the maintenance and upkeep of our yard and the plants. Paul and his team are the absolute best and I cannot imagine having had a better experience with another contractor. His pricing is also very competitive and transparent.

I never thought our outdoor spaces could look so beautiful. Ingrid and team overhauled all of our…read moreoutdoor spaces after a remodel that killed much of our plants and dried out our soil. From the get-go, Ingrid was on top of everything and responsive to this major project. She was excellent at providing a vision, trouble shooting for unexpected problems and providing amazing results. I can't say there weren't unforeseen complications at times like with any other project but I found her reasonable and professional. My outdoor spaces speak for themselves from her late autumn work to seeing our first spring bloom.

Ingrid was great to work with. She has deep knowledge of plants, design, and how to combine it all…read moreto maintain a beautiful and interesting landscape year-round. I had a decent sketch of what I wanted to do when we connected. She picked it up seamlessly, provided a ton of great and creative ideas, and was very easy to work with, including providing clear options for different budget levels. She was flexible and was always ready to adapt if needed with creativity and expertise. Great communication, great crew, and great results.

Quick response and lightning-fast estimate. Two days later, 2 strong, personable folks arrived on…read moretime and diligently completed my gardening cleanup, exactly as I wanted and fast, for a fair price. They managed the green waste, taking it out to the street in proper bags for recycling. I couldn't be happier! I have 4 more projects for these great neighbors (this business is hyper-local to my West Oakland home) and I'm so glad and grateful to have the help while keeping my dollars at work in my own neighborhood. Highly recommended.

Very pleased with Hoes and Ditches' approach to maintenance - they really care about making an…read moreovergrown space look tidy, fresh, and new again. My back yard looks so much better. As soon as they finished the job I thought "Why didn't I do this months ago?" High-quality work and thoughtful communication, 10/10, would recommend :)

Emailed and they suggested to schedule a time for phone conversation. They suggested two dates. I…read moreresponded with a preferred date. Never received a confirmation so I figured that was a no-go. The time came and they called but I didn't answer because I didn't think there was an appointment. I schedule and attend meetings as part of my career. That was not the best communication in setting an appointment. Seeing the other reviews, I see I'm not alone. I hope this company can work for others as their work looks nice.

We've had our garden in for three years. I cannot recommend them for design or upkeep. I was…read moreinitially happy, and we have elements that we are very happy with, but there were decisions made that, in hindsight, seem questionable. We have an edible garden with several spreaders (mint, red shiso) and vines (blackberry and grape). Why did Andrea insist on mint and red shiso as a wild plant in our edible garden? (Andrea laughed and said they'd keep it under control -- meaning their gardening services.) We also have a grape vine and a blackberry bramble in our edible garden. None of these are sunk plants. Want some mint? Also, I wanted one of our citrus trees in the front; I was told no. And, when we were choosing fruit trees, Andrea insisted on a plum even though we repeatedly asked for a pluot (which we finally got). The butterfly and pollinator side was mainly grasses. We asked for plans for our backyard, too, but when we said we didn't want two trees taken out, and two of the four plans removed those trees, I was done. Many of the team members are fantastic to work with. However, if the team makes choices about what's in your garden and either fails to plant with the expected results (pollinators, bird habitat) or plants what they want, it's not worth it.