I was referred to Bluestar Gardens by a friend in 2017, soon after we had moved into our brownstone…read morein Boerum Hill. It was my first time owning a proper house and I knew nothing about landscaping or gardening. Martha designed the gardens in the back and front of the house and helped me to realize my vision through the selection and placement of variety of lovely trees, plants, and flowers that provided color and interest throughout the year. For the seven years we lived there, Martha and her team also maintained our gardens skillfully, ensuring that our home was always surrounded by natural beauty. Our whole family derived a great deal of joy from Martha's efforts. She created a beautiful backdrop for so many happy memories that we made in that home.

Martha did a wonderful renovation of my yard, the flower recommendations were perfect, the work…read moreitself was easily scheduled and done very quickly. It's exactly what I was looking for and I'm so happy I made the decision to hire Bluestar. See pictures for the amazing before and after.

I first met Krissie at BBG where she taught a class in making kokedamas. She was a great teacher…read moreand I left with two kokedamas, still thriving after a year, and now can make them on my own. So that demonstrates her excellent teaching skills. Recently I hired Krissie to finish landscaping a good-size patio with vines and native plants in planters. She is amazing. She is a remarkable gardener, knowledgeable, patient with plants and clients, and trustworthy. She works with you and listens to what you want and alleviates gardening anxiety. I know she'll be there to help with any future changes and upkeep. She will also be my go-to person for house plants. If she's busy when you get in touch, it's worth waiting until she's free.

I haven't experienced BK Bumpkin's landscaping skills- i'm reviewing her more as a vendor and plant…read moreseller at the Flea- but I will say this- she is patient, explains all plant care in detail, and unlike every single other plant vendor in Manhattan/Brooklyn- she really stands behind her plants- there were plants we were offering her money for and she outright refused to let us buy them, because she wasn't certain about their health! (which is more than I can say about a certain hipster plant store in Wburg- ahem rhymes with "Grout"-- long story short, she's great with green things and very principled to boot!

DO NOT use Bella Garden based on our experience. She took money from us and stopped responding and…read moredidn't do the work (aka stole money). See below for full story. Lisa had a medical emergency, and I genuinely understand that unexpected health issues happen. However, that does not excuse what happened to us as customers. Bella Garden took a significant amount of our money for work that was never completed. We also paid for a significant $10k+ project that although completed, was completed neglected after her medical leave, crews were not sent to properly care for our property. The result is that work we paid thousands of dollars for has deteriorated because the garden was not maintained. A business that only operates if one person is available cannot properly care for customers. Even when Lisa was not on leave, it was always difficult to schedule care and maintenance of our property, emails would go unanswered and it would take weeks to make any progress. Now, Lisa has stopped responding to requests to send maintenance and to return the money for work that we paid for that was never completed. At this point, we feel completely abandoned as customers and are out a substantial amount of money that she has essentially now stolen from us. Whatever the circumstances may be, customers should not be left paying for unfinished work with no communication or resolution. Based on our experience, I would strongly advise against hiring Bella Garden unless you want your money stolen and your garden to fall apart due to their negligence.

I've been an Upper East Side resident for years and have admired Lisa's work at Bella Gardens from…read moreafar for a long time. As someone who now spends roughly half the year in Scottsdale and returns to the city each spring, having a designer who is not only talented but also reliable from a distance was incredibly important to me. When I finally had the opportunity to work with her after gaining access to an outdoor terrace, I reached out without hesitation. Despite my seasonal schedule and being away for extended periods, Lisa was consistent, responsive, and completely dependable throughout the entire process. From the beginning, she presented a clear, thoughtful concept that felt tailored to both the architecture and how I wanted to use the space. What also stood out was her integrity, her commitment to ethical sourcing was a key factor in my decision to move forward, and she was transparent and intentional at every step. The finished result is a beautiful, organic, and private terrace that feels like a true urban retreat. It's rare to find someone who can translate a city outdoor space into something this calm, layered, and livable, but Lisa absolutely delivered through Bella Gardens. I couldn't be happier with how it turned out.

Lisa and her team blew me away. On time, on budget, and a polished final project. Can't recommend…read morewhen in Bloom enough.

Working with Lisa and her team was pure joy. Lisa is not only extremely knowledgeable, providing…read moreideas and suggestions along the way - but also worked well to execute our ideas. Her team showed up on time, did a beautiful job and left the place in perfect shape. She also had to coordinate with a less reliable arborist, and she did so with flexibility and good humor. On time and in budget! I would use her again and again to lay out a garden, plant, prune and maintain. Hard to find such great people nowadays.

made my house look really beautiful!!! susan and her crew are a pleasure to work withread more

Yet another summer when Susan created magic on our terraces. She always listens to my requests,…read morewhich I found to be a rare occurrence among landscape designers. A real lovely person to work with,

I highly recommend Jennifer at Laurel Garden Designs! As a NYC-based mid-century modernist, I…read morewanted to integrate some plants onto my apartment balcony to help create a "Palm Springs poolside but on an urban balcony where there are winters" kind of vibe. Not only was Jennifer up for my quirky challenge, but she delivered wonderfully! I absolutely ADORE the plants that she chose for me, and they totally capture the look and spirit of what I was going for. Additionally, Jennifer was super-responsive and a pleasure to work with. I can't recommend Jennifer and Laurel Garden Designs enough. Thank you, Jennifer!

Working with Jennifer at Laurel Garden Design was an absolute delight from start to finish. I hired…read moreher to redesign my front yard in Brooklyn after receiving an enthusiastic recommendation from a neighbor a few blocks away. I'll admit that, initially, I wasn't sure I needed a garden designer (I like plants! I know how to garden! How hard could it be?) but I am SO glad that I hired Laurel Garden Design, because she really knows what she is doing, she has great taste, and she is kind, communicative, smart, and fun to work with. After a couple of initial conversations, Jennifer presented three hardscaping plans for my building. We chose one, which she further refined with detailed plans. She drove out with me to a stone and paving supplier to look at samples and organized a curated selection of equipment (trash bin containers, bike lock fixtures, planters) from which to choose, with thoughtful pointers on their relative price points, aesthetic fit, etc. Jennifer helped select the contractor and was there in person to advise before, during, and after the hardscaping construction. She simultaneously created a beautiful and cohesive landscaping plan, which she further refined as spring approached and we could confirm what the local nurseries had in stock. Jennifer ordered all of the plants, soil, and other equipment, organized their delivery, and participated in the planting/installation. Her proposed landscaping design was a "palette that mixes warm colors--red, orange, yellow--with pops of white for emphasis, and purple for depth." She delivered in spades. I've now witnessed our front yard live through all four seasons, and there is something new and wonderful to see with each passing month. Even in winter. What's more, she created a booklet/annual schedule for ongoing maintenance, with images identifying each of the plants. Laurel Garden Design is an unqualified 5/5 for me. Definitely reach out if you're thinking of renovating your yard, garden, or terrace.

We worked with Christina to design our Brooklyn brownstone backyard from scratch. She was attentive…read moreand pleasant. The work was slow to start to took a great deal longer than we were promised, which, admittedly, is par for the course with work of this type. My real contention is this: several plants her team installed died untimely deaths. She conceded that the reason was probably due to my neighbor's adjacent Black Walnut that she failed to notice (!!). Although she seamed knowledgeable about the plants we were to install, a great many, I later found out, were not compatible with our shady environment. I have had to become a home gardener to remedy and augment some of the mis-steps she took. I just think the job was a little too much for her. She probably does well with smaller, less involved projects.

Christina and her crew are the very best! They leave our place on St. John's looking beautiful. She…read morereally cares about doing an immaculate job, so friendly and helpful. Super reasonable and we always get compliments on our garden. Don't look elsewhere. You've found her!

John, Whitt, and crew thoughtfully designed and created a beautiful garden in our brownstone's…read morebackyard. Their passion for horticulture and impeccable detail in their work is evident each and every day as the garden continues to grow and change week by week. They also installed a breathtaking rock wall, completely made up of materials found buried on our property - most likely decades ago. Considerate, punctual and friendly - we're so thrilled to have found John and his team.

I have worked with John and his team for the past couple of years. They re-created our small front…read moregarden which was a plot of dirt when we bought the house. They also helped us to create a more enjoyable backyard on a budget with planters. John is very reliable, and his team is very efficient. They set up an irrigation system for both the front garden and the planters, since we knew that we couldn't rely on ourselves to manage the watering of the garden. John and his team were great with coming up with different ideas and also were able to collaborate with me on what I was interested in. I highly recommend Design by Plants!