Emailed and they suggested to schedule a time for phone conversation. They suggested two dates. I responded 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. read more

Mariposa Gardening & Design - Gardeners Near Me - Oakland, California

We've had our garden in for three years. I cannot recommend them for design or upkeep. I was initially 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. read more

I can't say enough good things about Mariposa! They re-worked our backyard completely, taking it from a pile of kitty litter (literally) to an oasis. Within weeks of their install, we had blooming passionflowers with caterpillars & baby-laying butterflies. Hummingbirds flock to the flowers they planted. We noticed a lot of "weeds" popping up before our first maintenance visit and gave them a heads up. They let us know they were actually native wildflower sprouts, so they decided to let them grow out. Now, our yard is TEEMING with beautiful flowers. They're pricey, but worth every penny for their thoughtfulness and expertise. read more

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Just wanted to say thanks for helping us out with our grey water system. We could not find someone who could handle what we needed. Andrea and her team are worth giving them a call. Cash French read more

Mariposa designed and landscaped the front and back yards of my house with the previous owner, and I have had them come every month for maintenance and care. I'm extremely happy with their service! The team I work with have upgraded the irrigation both in the front and back, and they always ask me before they come whether I have any special requests. And after their work in the yard, then always provide me with a detailed report of what they have done (I especially like it when they provide the names of the different plants. . . oh, so that's what those flowers are called. :-)). It's so wonderful to sit on the porch in the back and look out at the beautiful garden! There's nothing better to relieve stress after a long day! I highly recommend them! read more

Our back yard was mostly cement when we contacted Mariposa about a year ago. We wanted a a back yard with no concrete and plants that would attract a variety of pollinators. Mariposa gave us an exciting design, got the cement removed, and put in a wonderful variety of plants. In addition, they hand-built a beautiful water fountain, which we love. They completed the work on budget; and the result was even better than we imagined. We then agreed to a contract with Mariposa for monthly garden care. Two of their staff come every month to check on the plants, replace plants that are not growing well, fertilize, clean, and exude good vibes. We are delighted with the whole process and the people involved. read more

Andrea and her amazing team at Mariposa Gardening created a magical garden for our enjoyment. From design work to finished installment Andrea and her team worked with us to create a garden that stayed within our budget, complemented my new vegetable garden, and became a wonderful place for our family and friends to gather and relax. Andrea's contract was very clear, no hidden costs. Her team worked so hard and diligently even on the hottest days last summer. We love our new garden! We are thinking about adding a grey water component in the next few years and will definitely be asking Andrea to design it. read more

Unsatisfactory experience with ANDREA HURD (Mariposa Design and Gardening Company) Andrea Hurd acted unprofessionally by playing "bait and switch" with her design rates and failing to meet an important deadline. Based our experience with her, we do not recommend her. My wife and I chose Mariposa Design and Gardening Company for two reasons: Ms. Hurd claimed that she had availability to meet our important schedule considerations and secondly we liked her work. My wife met with her in August of 2007 where Andrea agreed to begin the landscaping design for our home in Rockridge by October 2007. With only a few days before the work was due she notified us that she would not be able to begin the work for several more weeks. When we pointed out that this delay would significantly impact our schedule, she indicated that her delay would not affect the ultimate schedule since "her staff would not be able to implement her design for several months anyway. This was the first we had heard that she expected to both complete the design and implement it. My wife was abundantly clear with her from the outset that we would bid the implementation work and that we would be happy to accept a bid from Ms. Hurd. When we reminded her of this, she said that she would have to raise her rates for the design work if we were not willing to commit to having her staff implement the design. Back in August, we agreed to a specified rate for her stand-alone design work. She chose to unilaterally change the terms months later when she had us over a barrel. Unfortunately, Ms. Hurd never offered us a contract, and we failed to insist upon one when we first committed to her. She took no responsibility for impacting our plans by changing key terms and missing the schedule. We lost three months in the process and had to begin the process a new. read more

I've been working with the Mariposa team for more than 10 years. They did the original design and install on my back yard native plant garden and have maintained and helped me evolve it ever since. The Mariposa team works with nature to bring beauty to your space, attract beneficial pollinators (think butterflies & hummingbirds) and songbirds, build healthy, fertile soil that will make your plants grow like crazy, and give you a serene and relaxing space where you can commune with nature (and with all your friends and family of course). My own garden has become my favorite place to hang out, both to get my head right, and to experience nature. There's always something happening - hummingbirds chasing each other as they squabble over the territory (and in once case building a nest and raising baby hummingbirds), butterflies of many kinds, all kinds of birds singing or feeding their chicks. Working with Mariposa was and is a collaborative process - they'll come to you with great ideas and work with you to make your garden exactly what you need. Highly recommended! read more

My husband and I hired Andrea to replace the awful plants in our front yard with ones that would look nice and attract birds. We also asked her to handle our landscape maintenance. The job was expensive, to be sure, but the contract was clear. She held to her schedule and there were no extra costs. Not only do we like the new yard, but our neighbors have been giving us rave reviews ever since. And the birds? No change last year, but this year I do see more birds in the trees. This year we asked her to redo the back yard. Again, she was on time, despite all the rain we have had, and within budget. The hummingbirds were checking out the new plants pretty much as soon as the crew left. I expect everything to grow in in a very nice way. The maintenance has worked out well. Her crew is knowledgeable and friendly. She has stayed within budget. I have found Andrea and her staff to be likable and professional. I would have no problem recommending her to others. read more

Wow, I absolutely LOVED working with Andrea, on my garden and generally as a person. I had a completely different experience from the negative 2 reviews posted, so I felt compelled to write--even just to defend this cool lady and skilled horticulturalist. I found Mariposa Gardening through a friend who also loved her garden design and working with Andrea. I know a bit about plants and Andrea and I had lengthy conversations about the plant choice and I loved her philosophy of using natives, drought tolerant plants yet ones that bloom with beautiful flowers for most of the year. Andrea took my smallish urban backyard and transformed it into an oasis of life and art. I can't believe the amount of birds and butterflies I see in the middle of the city!! She had many artistic ideas having to do with stone work (a small flagstone patio and stacked stone wall). I get compliments all the time on the wall with the small little plants growing out from it, like we are in an enchanted english garden. Not only that, Andrea and her crew were fast! They finished before the date we had projected it done. Her billing and contract were straight forward and all around professional. Once again, I was superbly pleased with how smoothly my garden design and installation went. Thank you Andrea and Mariposa Gardening and Design!! My garden makes me happy everyday. read more

My experience with Andrea Hurd and Mariposa Gardening and Design was fantastic. So good in fact, that I did and continue to recommend her services to my friends (including Cheryl M). I contacted Andrea after seeing her amazing edible container display at the SF Flower show a few years back. My yard (if you can call a gross, ivy-ridden slope a yard), needed some love, and she turned out to be the best person to provide it. I don't know too much about plants, but am an avid backpacker and naturalist, and love seeing birds and animals in my yard. Andrea brought her considerable knowledge of both plants and ecology to bear on my (now) garden--where I can enjoy little birds nesting, and butterflies flying! As far as service goes, Andrea was on schedule, and responsive anytime I had a concern. AND she and her crew didn't use any loud, pollution-belching machines at any time during the process--so my home never sounded or smelled like a construction site (though it looked like one!) Once I got over the initial sticker shock of how much the project would cost, money was never an issue either. At this point, I'm EXTREMELY HAPPY I spent that money on my landscape, because I would have lost it in the market anyway! read more

My HOA group contracted Andrea Hurd, the owner of Mariposa Grdening and Design, to design a new patio area in our backyard. The process started in late May, with communications by email. My experience was that she was very slow to return emails, then when she did, she made a promise that someone was coming out to take measurements, but no communication after that until I emailed her again asking what where she was in the process. Then her last email said she that we'd receive "the plan" in the mail the following week, which would have been the week of July 12-19, but no plan ever arrived. When I emailed her again to say we never received the plan, she never responded to my email. She essentially disappeared, no calls, no explanation, she merely dropped us and left us hanging. This is sooooo unprofessional!!! read more

Andrea does beautiful work, but she is very difficult to work with. Her team is great, but she didn't communicate well with us when we had questions/concerns, and I have since heard that this is a common complaint. Our garden does look great, but I don't think that I'd work with her again. read more

We have been working with Andrea and Mariposa since we bought our home 3 years ago. Andrea worked with us to design a "permaculture food forest," an edible garden in which foods are planted in supportive clusters to ensure strong growth. No neat rows, it feels a little like an English garden, full of color and surprise. We were hesitant at first Building on her 2 decades of sustainable gardening expertise, Andrea designed and installed a beautiful and thriving garden full of local and/or heritage fruits and vegetables (apricots, apples, avocados, tomatoes, raspberries, blueberries, grapes, persimmons, collards, kale, rhubarb, peppers, all kinds of beans, tons of herbs). She maximized our space and has helped us figure out how to maximize our water collection as well. And last year with her help we added bees! Mariposa Gardening produces high quality work. Andrea is an artist and a visionary who really knows her stuff. I highly recommend her. read more

As an aspiring home-gardener, permaculture-minded thinker and new Bay Area resident I recently had the pleasure of taking a tour of some of Mariposa Gardening's work. Andrea's artistry, as well as her use of native and sustainable plants, trees and stone is beautiful and inspiring! Awesome incorporation of habitat gardens, rainwater catchment ponds and overall landscape design with a natural, inviting feel. read more

We have been very pleased with Andrea and her team's work on our garden. She was very responsive when we had issues with our sprinkler system, coming out twice in short order to attend to it. Her aesthetic judgment is terrific and she is proactive about making recommendations. She is expensive, which is the only reason that I wouldn't give her 5 stars, but the costs have always been clear and I have not been surprised by a bill. I'd definitely recommend her. read more