Twenty-eight years ago, our family was fortunate to find a great landscape designer and a great plant visionary to transform our backyard. We followed that project shortly afterward with a partial transformation of our front yard, using the same plant visionary who selected plants suitable for our neighborhood next to Almaden Quicksilver Park. As time and deer performed their own transformation, it became necessary to look for a new landscape designer and a new plant visionary, as the professionals with whom we worked more than a quarter century ago no longer were available. After a couple months of searching, we came upon Robin Salsburg and her business, Vision Garden Design, who we selected to redesign our front yard and facelift our backyard. Robin proved herself both a great landscape designer and a great plant visionary, consistent with her business name. Robin prepared detailed drawings, which were easy to understand, and gave us fun homework assignments when it came to selecting plants. There were a lot of species and varieties to consider, and Robin made it simple for us to pare down the number of plants by noting which ones we loved, which ones we could live with, and which ones we hated. When it finally came time for us to implement Robin's final design, we asked her to recommend landscape contractors, and then (with her assistance) interviewed four firms. We eventually settled on K&D Landscaping, and asked Robin to oversee the project to ensure her vision was fully implemented. Robin met weekly with the contractor and us, and after two months of construction the project came out even better than her wonderful two-dimensional drawings promised. We have worked with many design professionals, and we can wholeheartedly say that Robin is among the very best. She focused on our best interests throughout the design and construction phases. Looking back on the project, we feel as fortunate as we did 28 years ago, perhaps even more fortunate because Robin has made our front and backyards better than we ever dreamed. read more

We hired Robin to help us completely redesign our overgrown, neglected backyard, and we are so thrilled with the results! Since we didn't know where to start with this project, we relied on Robin's great eye for design to envision the space, and she guided us through a step-by step process to help us make all the choices from pavers to plants, so the new garden looks exactly how we hoped it would. We also had Robin facilitate the installation - a must-have service for us. She worked closely with our contractor to ensure everything was implemented according to the design. We would absolutely recommend working with Robin for whatever project awaits you. She is knowledgeable, organized, responsive, kind, and worth every penny. We could not have done this project without her! read more

We decided to hire a landscape designer because we wanted to do an overhaul of our outdoor space and only had an incomplete idea for what we wanted. After we met with Robin, we were confident that she would be able to translate those fragments into a cohesive plan that would maximize how we use our outdoor space. Robin redesigned our front, side, and back yards in a way that met all of our needs and incorporated a number of elements we never would have thought of on our own. We finished our project just as the wet winter was winding down, and we have been enjoying the space Robin designed ever since! Throughout every stage of the project, we appreciated Robin's attention to detail. She was also very responsive and patient with us as we took our time making some decisions. For all of these reasons, we would highly recommend working with Robin! read more

6 years after moving into our current house, we finally decided to update / upgrade the landscaping. We knew we wanted the front yard to be warm yet discourages our 4-legged neighbors from leaving souvenirs. We wanted our backyard to be a place where we can entertain our friends or relax on our own. Not being particularly creative myself, I knew I could not just hire a landscape contractor on my own because I would not be able to provide the directions needed to guide this project. After asking for referrals on NextDoor, perusing Yelp reviews and exchanging emails with potential designers, I chose Vision Design to help lead this project. Why? Robin was responsive, very fair on the price, and we hit it off during the initial meeting which continued throughout the project. After going through several rounds of design, we settled on something that we felt represented what we were looking for while meting our budget constraints. Our front yard and backyard (scope creep - lol) ended up having elements of lawn, fruit trees, veneers, water feature, pavers - the whole span. Besides hiring Robin for the design phase, we also hired her to help us with the implementation phase which included getting and reviewing bids with contractors and making sure what they implemented was to the design spec. We ended up going with a landscape contractor that Robin had recommended and we could not be happier. The whole project went extremely smoothly, and when we did have last minute changes, they both worked with us on cost/benefit/timing options. One of the best things about working with Robin and the team she recommended was that they didn't hesitate to make recommendations and express their opinions. This didn't mean that I always went with their suggestion, but I always felt like I had all the options available to me and the information they provided enabled me to make the right call. After the project, Robin came onsite several times to ensure everything is going well, and that we were pleased with the outcome. Her thoughtfulness and follow through is rare in my own experience dealing with vendors. We have now been in this house for seven years and we never had anyone comment about the look of the house until after the project was completed. We got several unsolicited "Your House is beautiful!" and someone even said our yard was "Talk of the Town". Bottom line: Would I recommend Robin - WHOLE HEARTEDLY! read more

Vision Garden Design - We completely dug up the front yard and started from scratch. This is the result. - Landscape Architects or Designers Near Me

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We wanted to transform our dated front yard that had a big, dying lawn and aging shrubs into a woodland garden. We also wanted to revamp our backyard with its old-fashioned patios and a major drainage problem into a relaxing place to entertain friends and family. We were looking for someone to help us visualize a beautiful new garden with great hang-out spaces and new, interesting plants and flowers that would be bring color and life to our front and backyards. We worked with Robin on the design and are thrilled with the results! Robin is so pleasant and professional and really listened to our vision for what we wanted. She is also very knowledgeable about plants and provided that information in an accessible manner so we were easily able to visualize how the finished garden would look. We have already recommended Robin to friends, family, and neighbors, and will continue to do so! read more

After years as a rental, we decided to move into our Rio Del Mar house and make it our full-time home. The landscaping of this house had become sparse and needed a complete overhaul in both the front and back yards. We needed a demolition plan, drainage solutions, hardscape design, space planning, irrigation and lighting plans, a sauna installation, plant selection and installation, fountain placement, and mulch/gravel selection. Since we were new to the area, so we also wanted help finding the right contractor to complete the work. We hired Robin Salsburg of Vision Garden and we are so glad that we did. Robin was wonderful to work with and we love our new landscape. It is water sparing, beautiful, and functional. The front and back spaces meet our needs perfectly. The design also complements our home and neighborhood. We know we will enjoy it for years to come. Robin started by asking lots of questions. She wanted a good understanding of our personal style, preferences and how we envisioned using the spaces. Then, she started to "create". There was a draft at each step so we could visualize what the space might look like. She always asked for feedback and made alterations as needed. My favorite part was the plant selection. She created an online "book" for us to review. It featured plants that would work well in our yard. Our job was to let her know which plants we "loved," which ones we "liked," and which ones we "wouldn't want". While this took time, it was well worth the effort because we love everything in the yard! Robin also handled getting detailed bids from three licensed contractors. Once we had all the information, my husband and I were able to make the final choice of who to hire. Throughout the landscape installation, Robin was in contact with both the contractor and myself. The communication and teamwork were excellent throughout. The whole process went smoothly and exceeded my expectations. We recommend Robin and would use her again. She is professional, communicative, collaborative, trustworthy, and makes great effort to deliver excellent service. She is also just a really nice person that I am grateful to have met. Call Robin. You won't be disappointed. read more

When an originally small project turned into something where we wanted to reimagine our front and back yard, we searched for a landscape designer. After many conversations, we were lucky to meet Robin who helped us transform vague ideas into a beautiful result with harmony, charm and taste. Robin's easy manner, responsiveness and knowledge made her far and away the best choice. We could not have conceptualized what was possible without Robin's insight, and the results far exceeded our expectations. We recommend Robin to friends and could not endorse her more highly! You will love working with Robin. read more

Robin was wonderful. We are very pleased with the results. Great design, easy to work with, fair pricing and she has great connections to landscape installers and nurseries. We procrastinated upgrading our landscaping for too many years. We wanted to do ourselves but never had the time. So I researched and interviewed several landscape designers and chose Robin. The advantage of going with a landscape designer is we had the ability to get competitive bids for the best price and service. Robin provided us with some recommended installers. The problem with going with a one stop design and install landscaping company is you are not sure you are getting the best price and many of them are not professionally trained designers. I highly recommend Robin based on the fine work she did for us. read more

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Working with Robin on our new garden design was one of the best decisions I've made. My husband and I were skeptical about hiring a designer before, but now we understand the value of having a good designer. With Robin's detailed design plan, we ended up finishing the job way faster and even under budget (can you believe it in Bay Area?). Although design takes time, it actually saves money and time during construction. We picked Robin because we were impressed by her website. We liked the clarity when she communicated the process. She did not disappoint us. During actual working with her, she continued to be detail oriented, responsive, and accommodating. Robin is super knowledgeable about plants. Robin also designs for the long run - sustainable and easy maintenance. We trusted her advice and were so glad to have her help! read more

Robin really listens to what you want. Our front yard redo with drip irrigation, low maintenance, drought tolerant colorful plants just hit the mark. We are so happy with her choices. The best part is the lighting. Fantastic up light on the trees and pathway coverage. Robin will not fail you. read more

We had a wonderful experience with Robin. We have an awkwardly shaped corner lot with a small slope, and she helped us design the front and side yard. Ever since we moved in five years ago, we knew we wanted to beautify this space. It was full of dead grass, stunted plants, and very dated. We also live in an area with lots of deer and wanted to ensure whatever we ended up doing would not require lots of water and upkeep. From the first meeting with Robin, we felt very comfortable. She was organized and a very good communicator. During the design process, she listened carefully to our feedback and always found solutions when we ran into challenges or tricky issues. She kept us on track and always made herself available when we had questions. We did not realize how much strategy and thought goes into the design process. She had to carefully consider plant colors, plant size at maturity, our preferences AND ensure that everything was drought and deer tolerant. We also hired Robin for the implementation phase of the project. She collected bids from contractors and presented us with the options. We selected one of the contractors who we absolutely loved. He and his team were incredible and did an amazing job. Robin worked with the contractor on plant placement and came back throughout the implementation and even after to check on the progress and make sure everything was coming together as we hoped. Having her help on the implementation was worth every penny. I am confident that we never would have progressed on the project as fast as we did had we not hired her. We are incredibly happy with the final product and have gotten so many compliments from our neighbors and family. We ended up with exactly what we wanted and cannot wait to see how the landscaping looks over time as the plants grow and mature. It truly is a beautiful space and looks like a completely different home. read more

We are first-time homeowners, and we wanted to re-do our front yard, but we had no idea what types of plants to use, how to get color all year long, what type of irrigation to use, or how to put together a plan for a landscape contractor. Doing our yard for the first time, we were worried that we would miss important things or that it would turn out badly. So, we decided we needed to hire a landscape designer to help us. Robin has done a wonderful job translating our ideas for our garden into a design that looks exactly how we had in our mind. The final result looks just like what we anticipated - a modern, clean, and easy-to-maintain front yard! Robin has been so very easy to work with. We have been impressed by her efficiency and how organized she is. She has always been on-time, approachable through emails and calls, and always quickly addresses any of our questions or concerns. After each meeting, she immediately composes a well-written email describing all the things we decided on, plus all the things that still need further discussion. This is really helpful to make such a project -- which looks pretty daunting to us - much more manageable. Throughout the process she has discussed every detail with us to make sure we are on the same page. She has also helped us with the installation by communicating with our contractor to help resolve issues. Without her, we couldn't have had our front yard project delivered so smoothly and quickly! We would recommend Robin to help design a garden that exceeds your expectations! read more

I can't say enough great things about Robin! Working with her to completely redesign my front landscaping, replace plants in other areas & to repair lighting issues throughout my yard has been a pleasure. Robin is knowledgeable, creative and very practical in all things landscaping. She is that rare competent professional that will go the extra mile to make it right for you. Robin is also friendly, personable & easy to work with. I highly recommend hiring her for any project you might have! read more

We hired Robin to do a full remodel of our front and back yards. Everything was demolished to make way for the new landscape: the existing driveway, paths, irrigation, gates, and one fence. We opted for Robin's "full service" package which meant that she not only produced stunning and comprehensive designs, but also interviewed contractors and collected bids, managed the installation of the new hardscaping, and personally selected the plants and oversaw the planting. The result is a major upgrade to our property. Our front yard now has serious curb appeal. Our backyard is a heavenly oasis that we sit in every day. Everything looks so good - the low-water plants that will bloom year round, the lush ground cover in front and grass out back, the trees and arbor that provide us with shade from the Sunnyvale sun, the natural stone pavers and horizontal gates - everything! read more

Robin (Vision Garden Design): Highly Recommended. First and foremost, Robin is one of those rare finds, someone who loves her work, excels at it, and is keenly interested in pleasing her clients. We're so fortunate we meet her through our neighbor's recommendation. We recently asked her to design and facilitate a good-sized refresh of our front, side, and backyards. We had fairly broad goals, and a basic infrastructure to work within. Robin came out for an initial site visit, meeting, and to learn about our goals and requirements. She helped frame our ideas via five examples of garden types, and after some email / phone discussions, we reached a good understanding. From there, Robin drafted some initial plans, suggestions, and choices, helping us further refine these ideas ultimately into final plans. The plans and accompanying plant sample images were detailed enough for us to visualize (all electronic - best for us), and for an installer to base an installation bid. Robin help us push our comfort zone just enough to allow for an overall better set of choices than we would have made otherwise. A few more conversation and plan iterations resulted in a final plant plan / selection, and despite our last minute changes and worries, Robin rallied and accommodated our needs and concerns. We'd asked her to not only design the garden, but also manage the project, and she was always accommodating and unperturbed by my nature to micro-manage, over-engineer, and over-think. Kudos are due. Robin sourced and ordered our plants, managed their delivery, and returned to inspect and place them into their proper locations, ready for planting. She asked about installing contractors, and we asked her to help find one. We were very happy with her recommendation, they did an excellent job, and they have since become our yard maintenance crew, managing the yard which was feeling neglected and untended. Robin is always friendly, pleasant, easy-going, accommodating, and non-judgmental. It felt like we were working as a team, and the despite delays due to timing/season, and then COVID, she was there for us throughout the entire process. Thank you, Robin. You are deeply appreciated. read more

We desired a landscape of the quality featured in horticultural magazines but did not have the expertise to create such a design. We interviewed several landscape designers, but they lacked the ability to meet our goals. We then contacted Robin, and we immediately knew that Robin would be able to meet all of our needs. We have a sizeable front yard and wanted it to look beautiful while being mindful of water consumption. Robin helped us identify the types of low-water plants we liked and created a palette that was very pleasing to us. In addition to the plants, Robin designed all the other parts of our landscape including a new paver driveway and front porch, flagstone walkways, drip irrigation, pathway lighting, and a drought resistant lawn. The installed landscape has far surpassed our expectations and is more than we ever imagined. Working with Robin was a joy. She is extremely knowledgeable in all areas of landscape design and installation. She has an artistic vision, is articulate, and is extremely detailed orientated. She is sensitive and diplomatic, but can be assertive when needed. She is professional, but most of all, she is fun to work with! We highly recommend her without reservation. read more

We had a terrible experience working with Robin as well as the Unlicensed Contractor she recommended - Gomer Basave of Basave Landscaping. After hiring Robin for design, bid management, and installation facilitation services, we had to hire a second team to finish our project. In the end, we believed that Robin just didn't have the design or facilitation expertise to complete our project, period. Thankfully, we finally gave up on trying to finish the project with Robin and Gomer - considering it a sunk cost. We hired a new local team who were able to resolve the issues within a few weeks. These are some of the many problems we experienced with Robin: - We were extremely disappointed in Robin's lack of design visualization skills. Even the garden coaches as local nurseries provide basic sketches! Robin only provided a plan view drawing in our design phase along with one single picture of a plant. How can you tell what the hierarchy of the plants are meant to be without an elevation drawing? In the end, we ended up building our project in free 3D software so that we were able to make informed decisions. - We had a 7 zone Rachio irrigation system already set-up. We wanted to increase the control of our system in our new design project. Robin presented irrigation drawings that we approved, but they changed multiple times through the construction process without our approval. In the end, we had less control than we started with! Our trees needed more water than the other plants, but Robin did not design for this, nor would she assist us in working with the contractor to remedy this via her installation facilitation services when there were issues. Half of our trees and 50% of plants died due to this issue. - Robin specified a specific type of sprinkler for our lawn areas. When they were installed, they were spraying several feet over the grass and hitting the fence. The grass eventually died in those areas within 2 weeks and we asked for her assistance in the replacement process. Robin said she did not have the expertise to specify sprinklers or to resolve the issue. Both Robin and Gomer said that we should just "wait it out". Another team was able to replace the sprinklers with a new sprinkler head, replace the dead grass, and now the lawn is absolutely perfect. - Robin sold us Arborvitae trees that she said were 5'-0" tall. Tree height is important to us as we were looking for privacy. After the trees were installed, we were surprised to see that most were 3'-4". Robin said that the 5'-0" was measured from the base of the tree's root ball. She was very unprofessional in her response when asked about the height of the trees. We expressed that it was impractical to expect us to measure a tree from the root ball. We would have bought different trees if we had known. - I wrongly assumed that the plants Robin would provide would be sold to us at retail price (hopefully less!). I found that was not the case. When I went to replace the trees and plants that died, I was able to replace them all at prices that were less expensive than what she charged! Check plant prices at your local nursery before buying from Robin via Devil Mountain Nursery. - Gomer's team worked on our project for 5 days before Robin visited the site as part of her installation facilitation. We had to request that Robin visit at times that coincided with Gomer's team being on site to review and troubleshoot issues. We found it unproductive that she wanted to visit at her convenience rather than when it was most productive for the success of the project. This list is scratching the surface of the issues we experienced and I hope that this may help others avoid the same outcome. read more

Robin was top notch from beginning to end of our project! We needed a complete backyard re-do; Robin was great at truly understanding what we wanted and providing us with several options to consider. She is meticulous, detail oriented and has a great aesthetic sensibility. She was also invaluable in working with the contractor during the installation to ensure everything was done according to plan. Truly cannot recommend her highly enough! read more

For the last 20 years we have made changes to our front and back yards, here and there, but it was time for a major overhaul, and that meant hiring a professional designer. After searching various online sites and seeing many glowing reviews, we contacted Robin Salsburg. From our first contact, Robin was engaging and open and so easy to work with. She listened, asked questions, and helped us figure out exactly what we wanted. For our front yard, she designed a beautiful low-water garden with a mix of succulents, perennials, and a small low-water lawn alternative. In back, she gave us two new flagstone patios, a new staircase, and a wonderful collection of evergreen and deciduous trees, shrubs and flowers that have truly transformed how we view and use our backyard. In addition to designing the yards, Robin facilitated the installation of the projects. This was just as invaluable to us as the design itself! She continues to be a wonderful source for any questions we have about plant care and concerns. We highly recommend Robin for anyone looking to re-landscape. read more