I work in the landscape business but have been swamped with work so I called Kemora to do some bed maintenance and re sodding of my property. I specifically requested that only the flower beds be edged, however they took about two feet of grass off the base of the entire fence line which is not a garden bed. It truly looks awful so I asked if they could fix the mistake to which they replied that they were unwilling to do so. This was their mistake and they made zero attempts to make sure that we were happy. The property looked way better before they stepped foot on it. Wasted money for low quality work. Go elsewhere! read more

We had a new patio, walkway, and sod laid, and we could not be happier with the service we received. The crew finished everything within a matter of days and even came back a second time to make sure that we had enough sand between the pavers. Marisa also gave us a credit when an issue came up, even though the issue was not really the fault of the crew. I would not hesitate to work with them again. read more

Gary and team just completed a landscaping project in our front yard and we're very pleased. We had a non-working underground water feature and Kemora was the only company willing to come out and give us an estimate on repair. Throughout the discussion we decided instead we would remove the feature altogether and have them put in new landscaping (a project we'd been considering for a few years). We let the original proposal sit for a few months as we considered it and they were great when we finally decided to move forward and were very quick to schedule. The team that came out was very professional, worked quickly and completed everything in two days. That included a couple additional small projects (e.g., fixing pavers, fixing a drain pipe) that we added at the last minute. Gary checked with us periodically each day to make sure we were happy with the work and the new design and left us with detailed instructions on how to care for the yard. We are so pleased with the result! read more

If I could give them zero stars, I would. Marisa helped us landscape our backyard. At first, she was great. When we started having questions/concerns about our plants, she disappeared and wouldn't return my emails or calls. Our plants were dying, even though we were watering them as instructed. When they do reach back out, they're patronizing and rude. I wouldn't bother with Kemora. They're terrible and don't care about their customers or their plants. read more

I live in a small condominium association & Kemora just can't get it together when it comes to customer service, lawn & shrub care. You are led to believe your request on lawn/shrub care will be taken care. Not the case with this company! I've been told a few times the crew will be notified & i come home to see the crew did what I requested they not do. I don't make many requests which is more irritating. I have no control over keeping Kemora; if I did they would have been long gone! I would not recommend them at all! They don't deserve 1 star but have to hit it to post this review. read more

Kemora recently redid the pavers in our backyard. We worked with Gary and he was punctual, professional, and very responsive. They were able to quickly come out and provide a quote that was cheaper than the other places we requested quotes from. Gary was also the most responsive person we spoke to. The team that came to do the work did a great job. We are very happy with the process and the final product. I would absolutely recommend Kemora to anyone. read more

Kemora Landscapes - Walkway - Landscaping Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

DO NOT use. There are plenty of other landscaping companies in the Chicago area, and I recommend finding another option. Like some of the other reviews, I used Kemora in 2024 as I knew the landscaper Gary from his previous company and Kemora was willing to match Gary's price for a one-time job. I reached out for 2025 Spring season to add grass seed, moss, 3 hydrangeas, and spring cleaning. I was given a quote and instructed to sign and pay 50% in order to book a date and time. I signed, but DID NOT pay 50% down payment as I decided to price shop. Two days later Gary and Kemora crew showed up unannounced while I was busy on a conference call. Assuming he read the agreed work order I instructed them to proceed. They planted hydrangeas that are so small one cannot even tell it is a hydrangea, and the grass treatment is growing mostly dandelion weeds with little new grass. Choose another company!! read more

Kemora Landscaping does not honor their warranty. They planted several dead perennials for me last fall and the landscaper (Glenn) assured me they'd come back in the spring or they'd replace them. Sure enough 3 of them didn't so I called to ask for replacements under warranty. When the gardeners came they brought the wrong plants so I sent them away. That afternoon I get an invoice for $75 to cover labor costs! I called to question it (since zero labor occurred) and Kemora said they still had to charge me for ​the trip. Even though they made a mistake I'm still expected to pay. It's ridiculous! Stay away from this company read more

Kemora Landscapes - a garden bed of rocks and gravel - Landscaping Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I had the misfortune of contracting with this landscaper to install sod in our backyard to the tune of more than $900. Despite watering the lawn in the manner in which we were instructed, it all DIED. ALL OF IT! We contacted them to report what was happening and their response was that there's no warranty and would we like to talk with them about buying more! WTF!!! Do yourself a big favor. Find a more ethical service with whom to do business. read more

I originally posted a bad review about this company based on what I thought would be the final cost to redo the lousy work they did. It turns out, none of my bluestone pavers were cut correctly, so I have to pay another company over $1000 more to re-cut them so that they can be spaced evenly. Total cost to a company to redo what Kemora didn't do? 6k. It also turns out that Kemora didn't even lay gravel under my pavers! They are overpriced and do shoddy work. Save your money and time and choose someone else. read more

Kemora Landscapes - a closeup of a stone floor - Landscaping Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This company maintains 3 properties on my block. One next door, one across the street and one caddy corner from me. They did not install my landscape so I cannot comment on that so this review is for the mow and blow ie maintenance I have witnessed the past several years that I am stuck breathing and listening to week after week whether needed or not at my absentee/thoughtless neighbors. Basically what I see is a crew of several guys pull up in a giant trailer, park illegally and proceed to use industrial gas equipment on small properties on my block and do it to such a degree that it destroys anything trying to grow and disturbs everyone else trying to breathe or exist in peace. When I see the trailer I am immediately triggered and run for my earplugs and close windows immediately. No one understands plant care, nor cares to learn. they are there to 'clean' the outside which is idiotic enough...blowing clippings that should remain (free fertilizer) plus dust and debris at 100MPH from their client's property into the street or to the neighboring properties on either side creating horrible micro dust that everyone must then breathe for hours until it settles. This sadly is common with most 'mow and blow' operations these days who care little for the health and environment of their workers, or anyone unfortunate enough to be near the spew. Electric equipment exists and so does the information showing that leaving plant material in the beds is much better for declining bees, birds and insects. It would not be so upsetting if I witnessed one positive thing regarding plant care or any evidence of them caring how they operate impacts anyone around but I never do. I have written them asking to have their crew only use tools as needed but nothing ever changes. I have asked them over the years in person to please take it easy as I am the one impacted by it. I feel bad for the low wage workers who will be made sick breathing this in. Sadly It does not have to be this way. You can do positive things weekly without blowing and over mowing. BTW neighbors property now has dead splotches where grass used to grow due to over mowing and blowing and a few dead trees that were cut back in the saddest way; I weep for the japanese maple that used to thrive before they were hired. The rest trimmed to death into ugly cotton balls with no regard for how to prune each species. So perhaps install is good, but I would never hire them for weekly maintenance, and let's face it a urban garden should not ever need to be hacked at once a week. LESS is more. If the owner read this and they shifted practices it would be worth this long review and the time it took. If one other Yelp user reads it and rethinks their practices great. For more info go to: https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2015/OctNov/Gardening/Leave-the-Leaves https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-03/the-case-against-leaf-blowers read more

We have Kemora do our weekly maintenance in Portage Park. Last week I asked Deanna to have the guys edge a wider bedline in the back. They did SUCH an awesome job. So much better than if I had tried to do it myself. It's these little things they do that make it worth it to have a professional maintenance company. read more

I began using Kemora services in April and very satisfied with the quality of the work, plus the reliability with my weekly service. They put down fresh mulch and rebalanced my garden which looks fantastic! I receive regular emails for updates during any stormy weather, holiday hours and responding to any requests I have. One of the designers, Kat came over to share ideas for upgrading the yard, another positive experience. With so many lawn services in Chicago, so far Kemora is a 5 read more

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I'm a property manager in Chicago with 100+ rental units in my portfolio. Our regular snow removal guy failed us this past weekend (winter storm Bruce), and I was left with a couple properties covered in ice with angry tenants. I called Kemora desperate for help getting these properties shoveled and iced--they came through so effortlessly and quickly (immediately sent a team), I was really impressed. It's hard to impress a property manager. :) If their snow removal list weren't filled up for the year, I'd be on it. Thanks for saving my life, Deanna! (Sorry if I misspelled your name!) read more

I'm not sure why there are such negative reviews. We recently (by recent, I'm talking last week) used Kemora Landscaping for our back yard and it was a wonderful experience from initial contact to the completion of the project. I worked with Krista and she was professional, timely, and knowledgeable. She took the vision I had of our exterior space and made it a reality. I'm a designer by trade, and an artist by passion, so she had her work cut out for her in the "impress me" department. After seeing the design, I knew we had made the right choice. My partner and I decided that having the entire yard done at once was not at all in our budget, so we asked Kemora if it could be done three separate phases over a three year period. We were extremely pleased to know they had no problem with the phasing aspect of our plan. Krista showed up each day during the 3 day process. Informed us of what was taking place and what to expect each day, checking on the crew's work and working out the logistics (placement of hardscape and design decisions) with them. The crew, doing the labor, were friendly, very hard working, and also very informative; communicating with us about what was happening and what to expect the next day. We cannot wait for next year to roll around so we can began phase 2. Our back yard wooded oasis is coming together and we couldn't be happier. read more

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These guys are awesome. Very professional. They show up when they say they will. If for some reason they need to change the schedule, they will email you! Their rates are reasonable and they are pretty good with technology. By that I mean, they take venmo or chase quickpay. All in all pretty easy to deal with. read more

Kemora did a great job keeping our condo building landscaping in top top shape this year. We live near Wrigley Field and things can get dirty quickly. They exceeded our expectations related to keeping our place looking neat and clean. They proactively communicated if they would be off-schedule due to weather. We've used other services in the past and Kemora blew them all away. We couldn't be more pleased. read more

Kemora Landscaping exceeded my expectation on all levels. I am ecstatic with the results of my hardscaping needs.

Been a customer since 2015. Within a year, 30% of the shrubs they planted died and the 3 Arborvitaes they planted were infested with spider mites. Getting Kemora to replace them all was very frustrating and they still charged me for half the replacements. The past 3 years I have used them for spring/fall clean-up and the performance has been quite poor. I've had to ask them to come out multiple times per season because the crew forgot to prune or put down mulch in certain places. This past Spring was the straw that broke the camels back as it were - the crew didn't pull any weeds, they just dumped new mulch on top, I even found an old t-shirt underneath the new mulch. I called and they came out a second time, but still missed some things, so they had to come out a third time. The Arborvitae they planted are in a very wet area of my yard and now the roots are rotted and the trees are beyond saving - the Arborist said that Arborvitae cannot survive in very wet soil ... so why did Kemora advise me to plant them there? I've spent a small fortune with Kemora over the past 5 years and apparently that doesn't mean much to them. The absolute best part about the company is their Office Manager, Deanna. read more

Kemora Landscapes changed our lives! They took a dismal, awkward, and seemingly hopeless space and transformed it into a private sanctuary that will provide our family years of peace and tranquility. The process is top-notch from start to finish. Sure it might take a while to sort it all out--they are in hot demand and most excellent. Good things take time! If you're in the business for a quick fix, look elsewhere. If you're looking for a long-term investment in your property, and need keen eyes, impeccable design, and A-1 expertise, Kemora Landscapes is the one for you. We were presented with many options, careful plans, and sensitive care. They were very responsive to our needs and went the extra mile to make sure things were done right and that we were satisfied. Kemora Landscapes is a Dream Team! read more

We are thrilled with the designs created and installed by the Kemora team. We conducted our research, offered a shared photo album of plants and shrubs we liked and the team seamlessly integrated our vision for the garden into a plan. They were on time with their installation estimate and on budget to their original quote. The installation team was professional and efficient. We strongly recommend Kemora. read more

Kat did a great job with helping us with the design of our garden and applying new sod to the backyard. She was creative and had good insight into what would work best for our vision. The crew that did the installation were great as well and responsive to minor preferences. Overall, I highly recommend Kemora. read more

Well it took me a long time decide to write this review because my experience was extremely frustrating and difficult to deal with. I contacted kemora to put in some plants for my Parkway in front of my house as well as to look at doing routine maintenance. It took almost a month for me to schedule an appointment with many phone calls, and when I did finally get an appointment for the landscaping portion the girl called me 15 minutes before the appointment and said she had to reschedule... I was extremely gracious and said it was absolutely no problem. There was a mixup on the maintenance scheduled and when calling the office I did lose my cool and was quite rude and abrupt with the receptionist. I was frankly a bitch. Within an hour of this happening I called back and sent an email completely apologizing and owning up to my disrespectful behavior and apologized profusely. This was the one and only time this ever happened. For the parkway installation three people showed up about an hour and a half later than when they were expected. They took about six hours to install my parkway with 30 plants. Never at anytime was there any sense of urgency. They seemed to have all the time in the world, which was a little bit disconcerting to me because I was paying them each $50 an hour. I did not say anything at the time, and they did a good job but I did mention this in an email when I paid my bill...that was when I was blacklisted. I was told when I called back to see if someone could come and check on the planting and about my routine maintenance that they would no longer be servicing me. I Asked to speak to the owner, and explained what had transpired in what I thought was a thoughtful and fairly respectful tone owning up to my end of the deal, and was still denied any more service. I did call back a couple of times to try to see if someone would at least just come out and make sure that my plants were settling properly, because I did spend almost $2000 but it never happened. So long story short I guess they probably treat you very well if you never complain? While I admit that I lost my temper the one time, moving forward I was reasonable. I owned my own business and I feel like the way they do business is not the way I would business... and I would say about a third of the plants that were planted didn't make it. I would advise to proceed with caution....thanks have a great day! read more

As a general contractor I hired them to do a fairly sophisticated project designed in detail by a landscape architect and surveyor. They claimed emphatically that they were very well qualified to do the project but in the end failed miserably in regards to time, budget, quality and teamwork. They, clearly had little idea of what they were doing and when confronted with their shortfalls, not only tried to blame me to the client, (who laughed it off knowing that that wasn't true,) but failed they to correct their mistakes so I had to hire others to do so. Maybe they can plant you a flower bed but beware of anything more. read more

We have used Kemora for the past few summers - worked with Glenn, DeAnna, Marissa - backyard was sodded, shrubs installed around the perimeter, landscaping front yard and parkway and side yard landscaping last summer. Very pleased with the entire experience so much so that we plan on signing up for maintenance this year. read more

The Kemora team is awesome. Great work, and also unbelievable communication, easy to deal with, transparent, informative. They always give updates on when they're coming and what to expect. They're the best! read more

I hate to join in the parade but I feel the same as the previous two reviewers. My brother & sister-in-law had Kemora do their backyard landscaping in 2012. It looked quite lovely so I thought I would use them as well. I liked the idea of supporting a woman owned business. Just to let folks know, my sister-in-law did not work with Marisa and did not seem to have the same communication problems I have had. This all started in 2012, my yard looked like a jungle, weeds & weed trees everywhere. I needed help desperately. Marisa came out, seemed charming, had some useful ideas. I asked for a detailed breakdown on costs & fees so I could budget the work and possibly do some in 2012, finish in 2013. That is when Marisa went MIA. I ended up having to hire someone else for the cleanup. When she finally got back to me, I said though I had hired someone for the cleanup I still wanted her to do the landscaping design. Big mistake. I had also purchased one of the discount pre-paid coupons (I think it was Living Social) but due to lack of timely communication when they finally did do the landscaping in my front yard the coupon had run out. Though I did get the amount I paid credited towards my bill, I did not get any kind of discount for their having my cash for over 6 months. If they had not already had my money I probably would have gone with another firm. They finally did the front work at the end of August 2013. I requested that they plant bulbs I had purchased but was told to wait until October. I was never called back to schedule the October planting. I questioned the depth of the mulch and was told that 2 inches was what they did, this on a front lawn that previously was grass, dandelions & violets. Well, 5 weeks later I had a lovely crop of new weeds My son, his friend, my husband & myself raked up the Kemora mulch, hoed up the weeds, planted 300 bulbs and added 6 more bags of mulch to the previous amount. I finally received a detailed listing for the back yard landscaping on October 25th. I had told Marisa I wanted to make some changes to the original design but she never came back to discuss it or sent me new drawings. Oh, yeah, all of the actual workers were men and Marisa never came to the job site after our meeting. None of the guys who worked on my property spoke English as a first language. Their foreman was the person I had to communicate with and when he was gone to pick up the mulch no one could talk with me. It was not a pleasant experience. read more

Marisa comes across as wonderful - in the beginning. Marisa's workers are exceptional. Her design is mediocre. Her business sense is very poor. She does not answer phone calls or return e-mails. The really strange thing about it is that her workers have no problem getting in touch with her, so you know that its intentional - she is avoiding you! This is unacceptable when there is an active project going on. We had a minor problem with her design and she became very emotional and blamed us for the problem. It was ridiculous. She is VERY immature and this doesn't work when you own your own business. read more

We've been with Kemora for two Summers now and couldn't be happier. They do an amazing job, always above and beyond what I expect, and are very reasonable in cost. I just love coming home on the days they've been by, my house looks amazing after! I highly recommend them whenever I'm given the chance. read more

This firm has addressed the complaint and completed the work as of 6-19-15. Below is the original review. This would be ZERO stars if allowed: April 10, 2015 the Landscape designer from Kemora came out to provide an estimate to mulch, aerate and seed the condo building. Estimate was provide for $1,004.44 . One page estimate. Turn around was timely. So far so good The board had to source 2 other bids per our guidelines and selected Kemora on April 30, 2015 Boards property manager calls to schedule per the Landscape designers suggestion as they are "booking up" May 1, 2015 Work date set up week of May 19, 2015, cancelled and rescheduled to May 27, 2015 and then they only laid mulch and did not aerate or seed. Inquired why after this much time lapsed why work was not done? Now a Office Manager is interacting and making excuses like "It was a sub-contractor" when no sub-contractors were noted to be used on the estimate. I would think as a small business owner with a chance to get on a property manager vendor list with 400+ properties in the area that could have been a great opportunity but after this experience they should be black listed so no other association has to deal with this firm. On top of all this the mulch this firm used must have been sourced out of a municipal yard as everywhere it was laid is growing small weeds. This never occurred for the past 8 years that residents laid mulch sourced from Home Depot. According to Office Manager it was our fault and responsibility. Now fast forward to June 16, 2015 the work is not completed and Office Manager is still blaming a sub-contractor that we were never informed was to be used. Maybe they will show up for there scheduled appointment read more

Design work is great. However, basic communication is lacking. Can take days to a week to respond, and issue resolution is slow (weeks). I get the feeling the company is too busy for the number of people working. Also, if you're having planting done, make sure that the owner or representative is on the job site -- as the contract labor used does a poor job. read more

I have had Kemora do three small landscaping projects and have been beyond pleased! DeAnna is quick to respond and easy to work with, and their prices are very reasonable. The crews show up when they're supposed to, work quickly and efficiently, never leave a mess, and the projects have turned out exactly as I'd hoped they would. I highly recommend this company and have referred others to them as well! read more

Great service. We needed new sod for our condo building and Kemora provided a timely estimate (day they measured). Additionally - they were able to install a week before our scheduled appointment. The crew did a great job with the installation and cleaned up after. We also wanted to have mulch delivered. Although this is not standard they were so helpful in working with one of their suppliers to provide what we needed. Excellent customer service! read more

I am so surprised by the negative ratings for Kemora! We had them do landscaping and a brick paver patio in our last home (in 2009) and they have been working with us again in our current home last year (2013) and this year on regrading our lawn, re-sodding it and re-landscaping it. They've been nothing but professional and I've always had my phone calls and e-mails immediately returned by Marisa and people on her staff. The work they've done is beautiful and their quotes have been reasonable. We've requested changes along the way and they've always accommodated them. The current project was something we wanted to break into two phases and they had no problem doing that for us. Additionally, we asked Marisa her opinion on moving our fence line to encompass more lawn space for our backyard and she agreed it would make sense and look better with the way the house is laid out, even though it meant $1200 less in landscaping work for her. I would not hesitate to use them again in the future (in fact, we just signed a contract for new work next month) and would recommend them without reservation. read more

I am a professional horticulturist and I highly recommend Kemora Landscapes. In June of 2016 we worked with Marisa and her team on implementing a design I did for our yard. It included an extensive bluestone patio, a huge trellis/pergola system and some planting. Their bid came in $7000 less than anyone else for this project, they were extremely professional and responsive, got from the bid to the work in two weeks, completed the work efficiently, to my design specifications, and they were extremely tidy and careful of my existing plantings. the project turned out GORGEOUS. Any time I had a question or concern, someone from the team answered me within the hour (day or night!). I cannot recommend them higher read more

We recently completed landscaping in both our front and back yards. The job was tricky in that we had tuck-pointing and a new fence being installed all at the same time. Kemora was very flexible in accommodating our needs, which included some changes in scope. In addition, Marisa encouraged us to select plants/trees, rather than just go with her design and provided consultation on why a plant/tree may or may not work for what we wanted (more unusual plants and low maintenance). In addition, the contractor Kemora uses for hard scaping and concrete was extraordinary in quality and we hired him for several side jobs. All in, I think the experience was good and plan to use them again shortly. I agree with another review in that communication could be strengthened over all between their own employees and of course with the customers, especially since in my experience this resulted in discrepancies on the invoicing (in my favor) which I pointed out and was corrected. read more

Marisa has a great personality and is the kind of person you immediately want to hire. Dont. Unfortunately, she is along the lines of Jekyll & Hyde. Once your project starts, she is MIA. Overall, she did a good job, but it was a painful experience. If you enjoy being blown off, not having your emails and phone calls returned, being nickel and dimed for unused material, and having your project drag out for an unnecessarily long time because the owner is socially inept and doesn't want to deal with you.....then these folks are for you. read more

Great company. Marisa did a design for blue stone in my backyard and her guys installed it about 3 years ago. It's holding up great and honestly is one of the best purchases I have made with a good company. Kemora Landscapes also does my spring clean up early May(ish). They are very timely with scheduling and planning with smaller and larger projects the same. read more

Really shocked at the negative reviews. I've been using Kemora for years and have always found them responsive, respectful, and creative. Marissa has created an incredible landscape in our over sized yard. They do our annuals every summer on our back deck and it's stunning. They also do our snow shoveling in the winter and show up very early in the morning, multiple times if necessary, and sometimes in the middle of the night. I highly recommend kemora landscapes. read more

Kemora is GREAT. They're fast, always on time, very professional, and most importantly, super easy to work with. Both Marisa and David have been extraordinarily flexible about our ever-morphing backyard plans. We had a huge tree fall halfway through a total yard overhaul, and afterward we decided to scrap the original plan and basically start over. They didn't bat an eye, and were great about talking through our ideas until they understood exactly what we envisioned. Would absolutely use them again. read more