A few days ago, we had the pleasure of seeing a real professional landscaper at work – and fortunately, it was right in our yard. We responded to an ad, which asked: Are You Tired of How Your Landscape Looks? – and, we sure were. We spoke with Darcie Paulin, owner of Custom Plantings, and explained that we had had a horrendous experience with a recommended landscaper who turned out to be both inept and incompetent.
Darcie asked a few questions about our vision and overall expectations for the patio area, and then set up a consultation appointment within the week. When she arrived, she quickly evaluated the problems, developed a plan, including types of shrubs and plantings and their location (including some of the existing plantings), and suggested we meet her at Green Acres Nursery to see what the plants would actually look like. As a result, we did make a few changes, but we were excited, because it was obvious she really knew what she was doing.
Two days later, the crew arrived – on time – and began their work. Whatever was not to be retained was dug up and removed. Holes were dug for all the new plantings – an area was cleared for a new garden path. And then the magic really began. Like clockwork, all the holes had plantings in them, new irrigation lines were expertly laid and connected. Meanwhile, a picturesque, winding path was constructed which ran from the patio to a side yard path, using gravel which complemented the patio color and some existing pavers laid into the gravel surface. Lastly, some new bark mulch was added where necessary, and the irrigation tested for location and coverage.
The final cleanup began and was finished quickly, even to the point of sweeping the street and sidewalk where all the stuff had come off the truck. These guys knew their jobs so well that they created little mess, and when they finished, everything looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine.
If you are not happy with the way your landscaping looks, call Darcie – she is a consummate professional, who knows her plants as well as landscape design – and you get all this at a very fair price.
