Update: A week or so after posting my initial review, the owner, John Hughes, reached out to me and offered to "make it right" in exchange for me writing an updated review for Hughes. I was skeptical, because it was very clear to me that in his mind, the review was the problem (as opposed to my overall customer experience), but I eventually agreed. With John overseeing the project, my yard now reflects what my original expectations were. He manicured the bushes in my back yard beautifully - quickly, accurately, and non-invasively. I was floored at how expertly the work was done and how efficiently everything went. The communication level was good, and he was pleasant throughout the work. He showed up with his team the morning the work was scheduled, and explained to me that the sod could not be cut and installed until the day after (due to heavy rains), and would it be okay to come by and install it tomorrow? Thank you for the notice, and yes, certainly! :) In my front yard, which is patchy due to water damage, they installed the sod, and the yard looks really good now. They installed mulch around my front tree, and it looks very picturesque. I would not hesitate to contact John Hughes for another project if it came up. Thanks, John! read more

I contracted with Hughes to do work on my property to correct drainage problems. We discussed creating a swale to divert a large flow of water during heavy rainstorms away from my foundation out to a lower elevation in my yard. On the day of the job, the workers found tree roots that blocked them from digging out the swale. No one spoke to me about this. So instead of a swale, they dumped a lot of river rocks and made it look like a swale was there. I got suspicious and cleared away the rocks and found that at most they had cleared away the dead leaves. I contacted Carter Hughes about this and he said, Ya because of the roots we could only do what we could do. I asked Carter to look at it with me, but I never saw him again. So I contacted a tree company to have the tree taken down and remove the tree and take out the roots. Then I contacted Carter again and asked that once I had the tree out, he should send someone to complete the swale work. After a while going around and around with him on the phone, I realized he had no intention of completing the work, and it was useless asking. I don't believe that just putting the rock down to look like a swale and then never mentioning to me about the problem with the roots was at all an open way to do business. read more

We hired Hughes Landscaping to build a retaining wall in our yard. Tim Gardner was the project manager and did an exceptional job. He was professional and down to earth. He listened carefully to our expectations and vision, explained how his team could accomplish the work, and in a timely fashion, produced exactly what we wanted, and in fact, he exceeded our expectations. His workers are hardworking and friendly. They cleaned up the area when they were finished. We plan to have Tim Gardner with Hughes Landscaping back for future projects. read more

Poor quality work with no attention to detail . Unprofessional with a complete lack of customer service.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Hughes Landscaping to transform my outdoor space, build a shed, sod my whole yard, and resolve drainage issues, and I couldn't be happier with the results. From start to finish, my experience has been nothing short of outstanding. The initial consultation with their team was impressive. They took the time to listen to my ideas and vision for my backyard and offered their expertise and creative input. It was clear right from the start that they were passionate about their work and dedicated to delivering exceptional results. One of the things that stood out to me was their attention to detail. They meticulously planned every aspect of my projects, from my first interaction with John and Carter to their management throughout the half-dozen projects I've engaged with them on. Their solutions were not only aesthetically pleasing but also functional and sustainable. The actual installation of all my projects was smooth, efficient, and exceptionally performed. The crew was punctual, professional, and clearly skilled in their craft. They worked tirelessly to bring the designs to life, and the results were breathtaking. The hardscaping, including the patio, shed, and drainage issues, was flawlessly executed, and the landscaping afterward was carefully planned and implemented to create a vibrant and harmonious outdoor oasis. The communication with John and Carter Hughes was excellent throughout my projects. They kept me informed every step of the way, and any questions or concerns I had were addressed promptly. This level of transparency and professionalism was greatly appreciated and added to the overall positive experience. Now that many projects are completed, I couldn't be happier with the outcome. My front and backyard have been transformed into a beautiful and inviting space I can't wait to spend time in. It's not just landscaping; it's a work of art! I highly recommend Hughes Landscaping to anyone looking to enhance their outdoor space, patios, and complex construction projects. Their expertise, attention to detail, and dedication to customer satisfaction set them apart from other contractors. If you want a company that will exceed your expectations and create a space you'll love for years to come, look no further than Hughes Landscaping. Thank you for turning my landscaping and construction dreams into a reality! read more

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We have been working with Hughes Landscaping for years. Tim Gardner is our project manager, and he works so well with both us, as the homeowners, and with his crews (many of whom have returned to work on our property for many years). We highly recommend Hughes for all your yard needs--tree work, hardscaping, landscaping, regular lawn mowing. They were just here for some tree work and a big yard cleanup, and everything looks so great! read more

I highly recommend Hughes Landscaping, which not only diagnosed and replaced the broken piping leading from our sump pump, but rerouted our drainage and even figured out how to route a pipe under the sidewalk. Hughes' Tim Gardner and his crew were on time, professional, hard working, and incredibly creative and responsive in helping us resolve our problems and protect our home from the groundwater and sump pump runoff. The work was not inexpensive but it was worth it and reflected the hard work and thoughtfulness that the Hughes team brought to bear. We are very pleased with their work. read more

Hughes Landscaping did a terrific job with my backyard redesign. It went from a muddy, unevenly sloped and unusable space to an oasis I can now enjoy with my kids and dogs. John's team installed hardscaping and artificial turf, and redid my deck. Their work was fast and professional. Their teams showed up promptly every morning and were courteous and respectful of my space. John even helped me to deal with an annoying neighbor, taking it all in stride. John responds promptly to questions and this gave me a lot of confidence in his entire team and my job. His pricing is reasonable and I believe I got a great value for my budget. I will be turning to Hughes Landscaping for all of my exterior work in the years to come. I cannot recommend them enough. read more

What a fabulous company!!! We hired them to hardscaping. Our patio was uneven, and getting worse. We had a drainage problem from water coming down a hill towards the house, an overflow of water from the gutters, and the patio couldn't handle the pressure. It was a big job, but their crew worked diligently to pull up the tiles, put in rebar, pour a concrete base, and then carefully replace each one with an adhesive to hold it in place. The old patio had timbers, which they removed, and finished the edges much more professionally. I watched the crew work meticulously to make sure every stone was perfectly level. Every day they cleaned up; they put down wood planks to protect the grass while they brought equipment over it; they put up plastic to protect the house while they were pouring concrete just in case. We got everything we wanted and more. The patio turned out much better than we had hoped. They also ran a new drain from the back of the house to the front. You can barely tell where they dug up the lawn because they saved all the grass plugs and put them back! I ran into my neighbor this morning who also had hired Hughes, and said she was so satisfied with the tree trimming and removal they did. She's hired them twice because they were fairly priced and did such good work. If you are looking for a professional, quality job, have them come out and give you a quote. I think you'll appreciate their knowledge in their field. We are very satisfied customers! read more

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After evaluating several contractors, we chose to work with Hughes Landscaping on multiple small and large hardscape projects at our home in Darnestown and have been favorably impressed with the craftsmanship, price, professionalism, and overall management of each project. We've received numerous compliments on the finished products and are now enjoying them immensely. Highly recommended. read more

Some of the employees at this company are extremely rude, cocky, reckless, careless and oblivious. Many neighbors have been disgusted with the way some of the landscaping employees behave. This includes aggressive and reckless driving as well as dangerous use of machinery/equipment. read more

I've been a customer of Hughes for years for weekly mowing service and this week got a letter indicating they had staffing problems and were no longer able to service my lawn. This comes really during the time I would anticipate they would start to work again. They did refer me to another company but I find this to be a very odd business practice especially for a customer of over ten years. It seems they are dropping mow only customers and continuing to mow for customers who also get other services. While this is certainly one way to go the letter I received did not explain this and honestly I'd rather give my business to someone else. read more

Highly recommend! We found Hughes Landscaping through a friend and have used them for many projects going back to 2014, but the most recent was the perfect showcase for all they do and how well they do it. We wanted a patio off a new screen porch we'd built, and we wanted a walkway that went from our front door around the porch to the new patio. Prior to this project, we had 20 foot diameter pond in our backyard for days after even moderate rainfall. Dave from Hughes came up with a regrading and drainage plan to make it work. Well, the walkway looks great, the patio is perfect, AND our backyard doesn't pool for the first time since we moved in. They did it all in 8 days. It was a major undertaking Other jobs Hughes has done for us: --Drainage/regrading work to solve water coming into our basement when it rains We had multiple basement waterproofing companies come out for estimates (lowest $10,000). A neighbor said we should try a landscaping company first, so we called Hughes. A few hundred dollars and some regrading/drainage changes later and our basement has been DRY since (7 years) Remove old front walkway and install new flagstone walkway to connect to new driveway (it's BEAUTIFUL... ). We had our own design in mind and it was not an easy build, but they made it exactly how we envisioned! -Remove and repurpose our rusted out front step railings as part of the new walkway -Install a drain that terminates away from our house. This was needed after the house next to us added on and regraded upwards so that we had pooling next to a basement window. -Reseeding and new sod in various parts of the yard We could not possibly be happier all that work Hughes has done for us over the years. Dave Fyock is usually the one in charge of our projects. He has always been easy to get in touch with, responsive to our wants, will tell us what we do and don't need (even when it decreases the scope of their work), and is really just a pleasure to work with. The crews have always been respectful and hardworking. We HIGHLY recommend Hughes and can't wait to talk to them in the Spring about some new plans we have :) read more

I was a customer for 3+ years for lawn care only. Quality of work performed was generally good but lacked any special attention to detail that should be the case given their brand, and over time the condition of my lawn declined. They have never been proactive about issues that they see during weekly visits. Working with sales and management to address this was more difficult than it should have been and getting reasonable turnaround on answers to emails was beyond their capacity. For example my needs changed and I wanted leaf removal this year. I asked multiple times for a quote in email to 3 of their staff over several weeks and never got a response. Gave feedback to the business owner and still got no quote. Asked if they preferred a different way to be contacted besides email and got no answer. This was at the same time that I had increased my spend with them and was having them top dress and overseed grass. I was looking for them to care about my lawn. Nobody thought to adjust the mowing schedule for the reseeding. In short my experience as someone spending $2k+ a year with them was this was not enough spend to get the attention to quality and responsiveness I was looking for. Good luck if you are served by Hughes! read more

Hughes Landscaping completed a large tree installation for our home in Edgewater Md. We worked closely with the owner John, who was extremely knowledgeable in addressing our needs. We had very specific concerns in relation to screening and making sure our soil would promote ample growth. We have been extremely happy with our outcome to date. The field crew was very courteous and left the property in better shape than when they started. We have recently contracted additional services and look forward to some exciting projects this Spring. read more

Great company and they do amazing work! Highly recommend for anyone looking for landscaping companies in the area

Needed some repairs done to our driveway. They got the job done right and were very polite.

I found Hughes Landscaping from multiple recommendations through friends in the area. I contacted them regarding a clean up for my yard. They responded promptly and were out within the week to complete it. I had a great experience with the employees, they were respectful, accommodating, and quick to answer any questions I had. At the end they made sure I was pleased and everything looked better than I could have imagined. I will definitely be using this company in the future for any needs I have and I recommend that you do too. read more

The actual work crew deserves credit for being timely, efficient, and hard working; however, Hughes Landscaping failed to meet our expectations in every other aspect of our interactions with them and, as such, cost the company a potential long-term customer. Jimmy, the arborist, lacked basic communication skills and failed to follow-up on several topics, prompting us to call the main business office for assistance. When he finally returned our messages, Jimmy was arrogant, condescending, and rude. Hughes eventually sent a second individual, Tim (?), to follow-up on outstanding requests for a) assistance selecting and purchasing replacement trees for several dead trees removed from the property and b) to initiate plans for hardscape and landscape installations over the fall/winter/spring time frame. Tim began the appointment by boasting "I am the owner's best friend. Mr. Hughes is my best friend, and that's why I am here" yet did not seem to understand why we were meeting and did not provide any assistance beyond promising to have a tree estimate ready within 24 hours and having a landscape designer call within the week. Two weeks have passed, and we still have not received a call from anyone at Hughes to discuss either project despite the fact we reiterated over and over and over again to both men that time was of the essence, as we wanted the trees planted before the ground froze. In comparison, we were able to contact, schedule and meet one of Hughes' competitors (Good Earth) within a three day period. Frankly, customer service is the only thing separating the various landscaping companies serving Potomac, and Hughes failed to meet our expectations. I understand business is good for them right now, but the company owners should consider how long that will remain true if this is their standard of customer service. read more

I had some drainage issues regarding the foundation of our house. I requested a quote for the work I wanted performed. Mr. Hughes came out to the house. We did a complete walk around the house and discussed my concerns. Mr. Hughes has been in the business for many decades and was very knowledgeable and had many good suggestions for me to consider. After deciding to hire his company, the work performed was excellent, it was timely, and his crew was easy to work with. Mr. Hughes freely answered a number of questions I had about landscaping and my own lawn even though these questions had nothing to do with the drainage work he was hired to perform. Mr. Hughes and his crew were easy to work with and I had an excellent experience with his company. I would recommend them to anyone. 5 stars read more

We hired Hughes earlier this year to mow our property. They come weekly and are very efficient and thorough. Our property looks so much better after they leave. They've worked with us on other projects too like bush hogging very thick areas and have been very reasonable with price. Dave is our contact and is extremely responsive and such a help! Thanks!! read more