Eliana was referred to us by our local native plant nursery to bid on a native plants project we were considering. While she was at our home, she noticed the state of our orchard- not healthy, but as novice gardeners we had no idea why our trees weren't growing or producing well. She proposed to start with our trees and has been working with us over the last few months- educating us and showing us how to properly care for them. She's helped us with irrigation, pruning, fertilizing, pest control, planting, and more. Eliana is passionate and knowledgeable teacher, with tremendous work ethic and a seemingly boundless supply of energy, and seems to really love enabling others to learn to care for their plants and land. Her prices are fair and she showed herself to be mindful of our project expenses. She patiently answered our probably 100 questions, was wonderful showing our kids how to help on the project, and as for our trees... They are now thriving! We look forward to working with Eliana over the future months and years and wouldn't hesitate to recommend her. read more

Eliana has been instrumental in helping keep our orchard alive and well, and our old/poorly-executed irrigation system in decent shape. We inherited all these things when we purchased our home, and the irrigation system has sprung leaks and issues every few weeks for the last few years. Luckily, Eliana is in our corner and has been so attentive to our yard-- regularly checking in and proactively fixing leaks, treating for pests (and reporting on progress on them), sharing watering needs and fruiting updates, caring for our 40 fruit trees, and doing general maintenance with an environmentally-friendly mindset. With a baby, a business, and so much life work, I have no time to manage our yard, but Eliana gives me peace of mind knowing that our yard is cared for. I'm so glad we work with her!! read more

I was excited to work with Eliana, I liked her ideas for my yard, she seemed to have a wealth of knowledge, and I liked her focus on sustainability. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by her work and found her level of professionalism and respect to be lacking. If you're looking for a vendor that will respect your opinion, handle disagreement well, communicate, and appropriately solve issues in your yard - Eliana is not it. She continuously crossed boundaries under the guise of trying to be helpful, and ignored the feedback I gave her. She then decided I wasn't friendly enough, threw a tantrum and walked off the job without a word. At no point did I insult her, yell, or otherwise act inappropriately but Eliana couldn't handle what should have been a minor disagreement. The issue started with some grading of concrete and drainage work on the side of my house. Eliana didn't listen to my preferences for timeline and scope of work, continuously questioned why I wanted to do the work and acted like my preferences were absurd, in the name of saving me money. The largest barrier was that her vendor communicated a 2-3 month timeline and this was too long for me as there was additional work I was looking to schedule. After I finally agreed to meet with her vendor and ended up saying no to the work (due to the timeline), she said "I'm leaving now", left my property, and didn't speak to me for 3 weeks. She had decided that because my demeanor was "frosty", I no longer wanted her to continue the work and she left my irrigation system half done. At no point had I explicitly indicated that I didn't want her to come back. I wouldn't have faulted her if she chose not to come back for the larger work I had planned for July/August, but it was disappointing that she walked off the site without a word and left the existing work half done. I asked her to come back and fix the irrigation system, which ironically was the true waste of money, as my irrigation system is now worse than before, with several new leaks in both the front and back yard. read more

Eliana landscaped our front and back yards in the past few years. This entailed removing our front and back lawns, cultivating areas that were just dirt, and helping us choose bushes, flowers, fruit trees, and plants that are drought tolerant or resistant. She also fixed and expanded our irrigation system. When we had suggestions of some flowers or plants that we wanted to add, she agreed to plant them unless she knew there were invasive species. Although it has been a slow process (it began during the pandemic), it has been well worth the wait. People walking past our house often tell us how impressed they are by our front garden and the variety of things growing in it. Our son who has little interest in nature surprised us recently by remarking how beautiful the backyard has read more

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After meeting several gardeners and landscapers, I decided to hire Eliana. She's reliable, honest, and very knowledgeable. I wanted to add a curb appeal to my front yard. I didn't know most of my plant choices are short-lived annuals and use so much water, and some of them won't tolerate heat so they won't work where I live. I'm glad she informed me before she accepted my project. She saved me from spending on something that won't last. She's been helping me with design, irrigation, pruning, and planting for 8 months now. My front yard is full of colors and flowers this Spring season. All my plants are thriving! Thanks Eliana! read more

We were looking for a landscape that would be friendly to butterflies, hummingbirds, bees and other beneficial insects, while being suited to our climate and region, as well as beautiful and easy to manage. Eliana was THE right choice! The depth of knowledge brought was profound (the Latin name is often first off her lips! :-). Her counsel and guidance was exceptional and the work was clean, clear, and efficient with BEAUTIFUL results. We have found a new friend who loves our yard and garden just as much as we do, and that love is evident in the ongoing care. We started from scratch and the results just keep getting better every day! read more

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Eliana has been outstanding. She is very knowledgeable, honest, and reliable, and she has put in hours and hours of hard work into making my backyard look beautiful. I cannot ask for a better person to help transform the surroundings of my house into a sanctuary of plants, trees, and flowers. I cannot say enough good things about her. read more

Eliana has immense knowledge about plants, landscape design and irrigation. She combines precision with a keen eye for design and brings to the table a love for nature and a deep desire to maintain the health of our natural eco-systems while doing landscape design. She is honest, reliable and conscientious. Highly recommended. read more

Eliana is an absolute gem and a wealth of expertise! When my first home came with 36 fruit trees, about 10 additional non fruiting trees & shrubs and a world of chaos & weeds, I knew I needed help. Some kind of luck brought me to Eliana who was able to get me up to speed on the maintenance and care my trees would need. It was a great hands-on consultation/education, and exactly what I was looking for. Fast forward 5 years, a LOT of planning and hard work, and my yard is lower maintenance and in much better shape. About a month ago, I reached out to Eliana to see if she'd be interested in doing some regular care and maintenance - pruning, trimming, weeding, etc. To my surprise she was game and has been over twice, putting in great, hard work. She has reasonable rates, is reliable and importantly I trust her with the care of my fruit trees! She knows what she's doing, has great ideas and is responsive to my visions as well. I can't recommend Eliana highly enough! read more

Eliana has been my gardener for a little over two years. She has been honest, dependable, reliable, conscientious, diligent, and a good communicator. She's written me weekly emails with updates on all she has done and observed in the garden, which has been invaluable to me as an absentee landlord. She's also included photos so I can see what she is talking about. She is very knowledgeable about irrigation systems and completely overhauled, fixed and revamped my creaky sprinkler system - converting from high water heads to low water usage micro-bubblers. My water bill is much lower now than when she came. She is an expert on California native plants and has been replanting natives wherever possible. It has been a pleasure to learn from her. She patiently dug out invasive asparagus fern weeds that were taking over the hill in my backyard. She is not afraid of hard manual work. Besides her local native plant knowledge she has been very professional in keeping all my trees, shrubs, and plants healthy with regular fertilizing, pruning, and treatments for insects or infestations. I highly recommend her services. read more

Eliana has a vast knowledge of horticulture. She transformed my front yard with beautiful pathways, mounds for fruit trees, low lying ground cover with shrubs and bushes to round things out. I wanted a green, low water yard and she made it happen. Eliana continues to stop by to prune and plant year after year. One of the best investments I have made. So lucky to have found her. read more

Gardens for the Future - Gardeners Near Me

This is an update to a review I wrote a few years ago-- I have been working with Eliana for quite a while now, and our garden continues to be more beautiful and productive than I could ever imagine. We are so grateful for her hard work and expertise! read more

I've worked with Eliana for four years. She converted my thirsty lawns into low water, drip irrigation sage, fruit trees, and butterfly-attracting plants. She worked within my budget and maintenance abilities, she is very knowledgeable about local plant varieties and resources. My next door neighbors so loved my garden that they hired Eliana as well. read more

Eliana is passionate and knowledgeable ! Her work is done with great care and is stunning. I highly recommend her if you are considering landscaping for your home or business. She puts so much thought in to her creations! I appreciate her commitment and high standards. You don't find that kind of work ethic much anymore! read more

Eliana is definitely a gardening expert and also a real pleasure to work with. She has already helped us several times getting our outdoor plants, vines and trees under control and making everything look perfectly groomed again. Not only does she know what she's doing, but she has also been happy to share her knowledge, shown us how to prune our plants properly (we still prefer her to do it, she is so much better and faster ;)), made recommendations on fertilizers, proper soil, irrigation, plant suggestions etc. We look forward to continue improving the look of our landscaping with the help of her work and advice, and highly recommend Eliana if you are looking for a skilled, personable and passionate gardener/landscape designer! Thank you, Eliana! read more

Eliana has lovingly tended to the landscaping around my home for over six months, providing many creative xeriscape and environmentally-conscious ideas. She is knowledgeable and consistently goes the extra mile to source that hard-to-find rose varietal, etc. She is responsible, responsive, conscious. My boyfriend commented, "Wow, she is a hard worker." I get many, many compliments on my landscaping - I owe it to Eliana. read more

I am so pleased with Eliana and her experience and creativity. I am ignorant about plants beyond loving how they look, smell, and taste. I'm a Jersey girl who has lived in San Diego 15 years and I am still adapting to the climate and flora. I knew that I wanted to save water and that I wanted to grow plants that are native to this area and wouldn't be put off by my inexpert care. I hired Eliana on the recommendation of another well-trusted landscaper. She is so knowledgeable and has been so patient! She planned a gorgeous xeriscape and took me through the process step-by-step. I wasn't planning on being involved in the process after the early discussions, but Eliana has taught me a great deal in spite of myself, sometimes by osmosis. I loved that she didn't make me feel that my ignorance was anything but a starting point. I couldn't articulate what I wanted, but we walked around the neighborhood and I could point to what I liked in other people's yards and gardens. She sent me to websites and took me on a botanic garden tour. She adjusted the plans to accommodate my choices and rearranged the plants to make space for a hammock (a very high priority for me). I couldn't be happier with Eliana and her work and recommend her with my highest compliment. read more

Eliana did a wonderful job redesigning and planting the landscaping in front of my house. I consulted with several designers, and right away I knew I would work well with Eliana's warm, wise personality. She also did the most thorough, comprehensive consult of anyone I met with. She was very thoughtful and knowledgeable, suggesting plants and trees specifically for my children and our lifestyle. Once we had a plan in place, she and her team worked hard and very efficiently to get the job done. She was patient with a few obstacles I threw at her (like my being out of town for a month right during her installation), and responded quickly to any questions I had. I'm really pleased with the result of her work...our yard looks beautiful and is now a peaceful, pleasant, and attractive space. It has been about 5 months since Eliana completed her work. read more

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Eliana helped transform our dirt lot of a yard into a beautiful work of art. In addition to coming up with a great garden design, she helped us install a drip line system and has been a very valuable source of information. We continue to keep in touch with her and hire her for seasonal maintenance and consulting. I highly recommend her, especially to people interested in being involved and want to learn a thing or two about gardening. read more

Eliana has transformed my boring duplex yard into a water saving and fruit producing paradise. I'm eating exotic strawberry guavas, passion fruits, figs and apples. Although the plants have only been in about a year, the house is starting to feel different inside and I am inspired to upgrade the inside to match the outside. I've learned a lot from Eliana about plants and she has been very patient with my lack of timely followup, weeding or composting. Transforming my landscaping into more sustainable native plants and fruit trees has certainly saved water. She also inspired my neighbor who has now planted some complementary plants next door. read more

Eliana is our favorite gardener. She approaches her work with amazing enthusiasm but also has incredible knowledge of all varieties of plants. She loves natives and edible fruit trees and suggested a refreshing and unconventional landscape for our small yard on a sand dune by the beach including strawberry guavas which are thriving. Eliana is very practical and extremely generous with her advice. read more

In the past my yard was probably like many others in San Diego with green grass and a few bushes and trees. With drought and water conservation, it was necessary to rethink how the front and large side yard in particular should be landscaped. I realized that this required expert knowledge and thankfully I met Eliana. She did a comprehensive review of my yard and not only beautified it, but made it function well. I am struck most by Eliana's work ethic, consideration of her customer, patience, knowledge and desire to please. Clearly she loves what she does and it translates to the customer. We are joyfully considering other ideas such as a little bridge in the garden. It is such a pleasure to arrive home and see the results: beautiful flowers and succulents, well-placed boulders and a cohesive garden that I enjoy along with many others who routinely compliment Eliana's work. read more

We needed some major remodeling of our backyard and were nervous about the company to choose for the job. We perused many reviews and found this company. We met with the owner and were very impressed with his approach and ideas about our design. He was so organized and methodical in his planning. We were happy with his estimate, which was detailed and reasonable. Long story short, he and his team performed admirably. They were prompt and thorough, total perfectionists. We are so happy with the work they did and plan to sing their praises to everyone we know. read more

Eliana has created a beautiful, consistent, drought tolerant, native, butterfly-friendly garden in our small lot in Ocean Beach. She is wonderful to work with, extremely knowledgeable, happy to weave in your own curiosities and tastes. I love to tinker around out there, even though I don't really need to, and when I do, a neighbor or visitor always compliments me on the garden. One young, college guy even said it made him very happy! read more

As part of the water reduction program Eliana designed a sustainable yard for me. I loved the fact that I could be very involved picking my favorite plants. And since I wanted it to be my yard Eliana spent time with me teaching me about the plants. I am about 1 year into my new yard and I love it , as do the birds - especially the humming birds. I have flowers year round; I have fruit(fig, passion fruit, tomatoes, strawberry&pineapple guava and loquat) and herbs, and I have cut my water use in 1/2. I am pleased with every aspect of the work done by Eliana and I love my new yard. read more

Eliana completely redesigned our front and side yards and they look great. She listened very closely to both my husband and I and created a design that incorporated both of our aesthetics. Gone is the overgrown rat infested ivy and tumbling jade plants and in their places are beautiful drought tolerant Grevillias, a row of fruit trees and a thriving vegetable garden. Eliana's love for plants is infectious. I now know a bit more about plants and am learning how to care for what's in my yard thanks to Eliana's tutelage. If you're interested in drought tolerant and edible plants I definitely recommend you schedule a consult with Eliana. read more

I looked out onto my large property a few months ago and saw a jungle that looked very unhealthy. The fruit trees looked bad, plants were overgrown, tangled and dying, and a bare slope desperately needed vegetation. I had tried a few gardening services which were not much help. Then a light went off in my head....Eliana's Gardens for the Future. I had heard good things about her work. She was available quickly and we spent a length of time walking and talking about possiblities. She even showed and helped me prune the star jazmine on the spot. Eliana is so knowledgeable about everything involved in plant life. And she is organized. She sent a wonderful young man to help prepare the grounds. The transformation is amazing. I am so thankful for Eliana's expertise and assistance. The very BEST! read more

I'm very happy with the drought tolerant and mostly native plants that are gracing my front garden now thanks to Eliana Uretsky's knowledge and skills. People often stop as they drive or walk by to compliment me on my yard! I had no idea there is such a lush variety of native plants available to create a beautiful environment. read more