Green City Gardens

It was a wonderful experience from start to finish! The entire front gardens of our house were overgrown and the stone wall was starting to fall apart. The back yard section was also overgrown with a mix-match of plantings and weeds. J.D sat down with us and asked a lot of questions to determine what we were looking for. He gave us time to think things over and discuss ideas. J. D. came up with a front perennial garden that has lots of textures, colors, and different blooming times. The gardens are on either side of our front walk and not completely symmetric, and his design tied the two sides together beautifully by carrying over some plants, but also adding individual interest. The back landscape also includes wonderful textures with bird-friendly plants, trees, and a bird bath. He is extremely knowledgeable and has a passion that comes across in his choices. His team was so courteous and friendly and they left the entire yard looking better than when they started! It was such a pleasure working with J.D. If you are interested in a unique, thoughtful design, you should definitely give him a call.

I came home yesterday and JD and his two capable assistants had already begun working. They were polite, friendly, spoke English and neat. We had a downpour in the middle and despite that,there were no muddy tracks on the paths to the garden areas. They worked hard and finished the whole project within a few short hours. My only regret is that they don't do weekly maintenance. He gave me referrals for firms that do.

JD, the owner, and two seasonal workers worked on developing a garden plan that I had started as a wish list. His knowledge of flora and fauna enabled me to plan a more realistic design, and with his inovative ideas we now, after 3 years, have a mature, beautiful garden with unusual bushes and plants that thrive in this climate and provide color for three seasons of the year! About 2 years after the project was completed, we called JD to come and evaluate a tree that was supposed to be virtually disease resistant. We thought the trunk looked strange, but he came out the day after we called, took samples for evaluation, and called us within 48 hours with the good news that it was a natural occurance. He did not charge us for this evaluation. We are going to employ his company again this summer to do another project. His friendly demeanor and his willingness to work within our budget only added to the great experience we had! I waited to write a review until I knew whether the plants and bushes would mature,stay healthy, and provide the color he had indicated they would. Everything was up to expectation, and we would recommend his company to anyone, no matter how big or small the project!

I contacted several landscapers to come up with ideas and estimates for an area around my home. I didn't have a big budget and I certainly didn't have the imagination to come up with a solution. All I knew was that it would serve a dual purpose. Look nice and provide a habitat for butterflies and bees. The first landscaper was punctual and pleasant but they were more concerned with my budget and didn't really come up with any alternative solutions outside of accepting what I suggested (ground cover and stepping stones). Another landscaper I talked to over the phone was too busy to actually understand what I needed and provided an estimate for the wrong area. When I met with Green city landscaping I told JD what I was thinking and though he didn't say it was a bad idea he did say it was kind of boring and then he provided me with his vision. I say vision because he basically looked at this bland, very shaded and blank slate of land and just ran with it. I told him about wanting to attract bees and butterflies and he came up with different plants and flowers that would work with the space and what would attract and help these little insects thrive. He was full of wonderful ideas and he got me excited thinking of all the possibilities. He patiently listened to my questions and suggestions and he told me what would work, what would not work and why. He then went away, came up with some very nice and professional drawings and talked me through what he was thinking. This is what set him apart from all the others. I'm pretty sure by comparison my project was small, but he didn't treat my project as small. He was patient and professional every step of the way. At one point I got impatient with the timing (he had to reschedule because his other projects ran over) but his communications were always professional. He even threw in some begonias that are just adorable. Needless to say I am VERY happy with the work. He completely transformed this ugly space into a beautiful and special little flowering oasis. My neighbors were also complementary of his team on their neatness and attentiveness in putting everything back as they found it. And I constantly receive complements on how lovely the new space is. I would highly recommend this company and his work.

JD showed up within an hour or so of my initial phone call into him. He advised me on what to replace and quoted me a fair price. Three days later he and one crew member came and spent the day replacing the landscaping that did not fair well over the past two harsh winters. He and his crew were neat and courteous and professional. I would absolutely use him again.

It went very well. The owner, J.D. Mathein, was easy to work with and enthusiastic about the project. He drew up an initial design, which incorporated all of our requests, at no cost to us. (Another company would have charged us $25 for the design.) We got a lower price estimate from another company but Green City's proposal was better thought-out and used better quality materials and workmanship. They lifted and replanted four bushes that we wanted to keep, and replaced some that got removed. The result is very nice. The village inspector complimented the work when he came out to do the final inspection. We got a good value for the price and will enjoy using our new patio.

JD was fantastic to work with! He was able to give us an estimate within a week and really took the time to help us understand what needed to be done. He always responded quickly to emails and was patient with us as we went back and forth with whether we wanted mulch or dirt. His crew was prompt, efficient, and easy to work with. Our yard looks great!

JD was very helpful. He gave me some good ideas. He was fantastic.

Feb , 2015 Just saw provider's response to my dissatisfaction with Pulmonaria. He describes my email to him as "rude". I'm curious what was meant by that.

Overall they did a great job, would use again. Not the least expensive but showed up on time, communicated well and made sure I was satisfied. You get what you pay for.

I called to see if they would be able to help with the drainage in out backyard. I left a message. Someone called me back quickly. While they were unable to help me with my project, I was given a name and phone number in my area who could complete the work for me. Great costumer service!

I got a call quicker than I expected that the guys who would be doing the extraction would show up that day. I was at work, but when I got home I saw the work had been done. I had never seen the front of my house in the 25 years we've lived there! It was a little scary - did I make the right decision? One or 2 days later J.D. called to say they'd be starting a 2 day weeding/ cleanup/ installation. I was leaving for work when the crew started. They were polite and hard working. I came home to find thousands of weeds gone, everything edged and the plants laid out in containers where they would be planted the next day. I spoke to J.D. the final day and we tweaked a couple things. when I got home from work, everything was done and beautiful!! J.D. emailed me a watering schedule for the new plantings and a paid invoice. I will happily recommend Green City Gardens to anyone who asks, and will call them for any future work I might want. Thank you Green City Gardens!

Green City Gardens was fantastic. J.D. is very professional and even shows you photos of what plants/flowers he is recommending. He really listens and doesn't push you to try to do more than you want. We are very happy with him and look forward to working with him over the years as we add more to our landscaping.

These guys were awesome! They took care of everything and were a great resource for ideas on the project from start to finish. JD really listened to what we wanted and created a beautiful space for us all to enjoy. He also went a step further and created a garden that would be easy for me to care for so I could spend time enjoying the garden and playing with my family.

JD came out quickly to estimate the projects - and he was a joy to work with. He's a smart guy and really thinks fast on his feet about what would be good solutions for your problems. He was honest too of course - didn't oversell and when I told him I didn't plan to live in the house a long time he knew what that meant. The estimate was totally fair...They scheduled the work as quickly as they could (with all the rain delays!) and always gave me lots of warning about when they'd be there. His team was a group of smart young guys who could answer questions too. they stayed a long time. Only problem was that I had a really old front porch railing that was hanging on by a thread and removing the huge bush caused the railing to commit suicide...it was fine and was no surprise but JD let me know before he started it would probably happen. Would highly recommend this company!

First of all, let me say that I never had professional landscaping services at my home of 40 years. I didn't have a clue about what was available or what the costs associated with it were. From start to finish, the owner , JD, was a pleasure to deal with. He spent time with us explaining what flowers and shrubbery would look best in the area designated. With then help of his laptop computer, he scrolled through dozens of different choices for the plantings. After he spent about 1.5 hours with us, he got an idea of our budget, and indicated he would get back to us when he could put together a schematic and cost analysis. In about three days, he was contacting us, and visited our home to discuss the possibilities. With his planting schematic in hand, we arrived at a decision and a budget. Some large plants and bushes had to be removed before the work was done, and the stumps needed to be ground out. JD arranged that part of the process with another contractor to do the removal. Smaller plants were removed by us. Arriving at 8:00 a.m., JD and his workers started working the soil and planting the selected plants and flowers. They worked until 2:00 p.m. They finished the job with laying down a beautiful layer of a dark colored mulch. They cleaned up thoroughly afterward. JD also gave us a guide to help us in our watering technique. I was very pleased with the entire process. From the first phone call to the end of their work, JD and his team were nothing other than complete professionals. The young men who worked with him were courteous and pleasant.

Mr. Mathein of Green City Gardens created a very concise landscaping plan as well as listened to all my concerns. He even made modifications per my request just prior to install date. Work and end result were great, and these once barren beds are now beautifully landscaped.

We had a very good experience! Plant selections were very nice - considered colors, textures, and height in all beds. They worked efficiently and very 'clean' as well. Plants did very well all last summer despite hot/dry conditions and appear to be poised to re-bloom this spring. I plan to have their team back to do some additional work this summer.

Green City Gardens did a wonderful job taking our home's just finished construction site and turning it into a lovely landscaped yard. As anyone who has built a house or added on a home knows by the time you get to landscaping you tend to be tapped out on your budget and tired of the idea of more construction - even if it is outdoors. JD was terrific at listening to our vague description of how wanted to use our outdoor space along with our definite concerns over budget and translated that into a beautiful yard that will satisfy our needs for many years to come. He took into consideration the style of our home and our lack of interest in spending a great deal of time tending to our yard so that we would have a low maintenance, perennial landscaping that aesthetically enhances our home. Another nice bonus was that everyone that was brought to work on our project was professional, personable and easy to work with. We will continue to use JD and his company in the future as the purpose for our yard changes.

After a rough start and misunderstanding JD and his crew came back and gave us great service and gave us a good deal on the services provided.

It was great, he called to make sure that we had the right time scheduled. Outside of being a perfectionist in what he does, he had a great personality and was easy to work with. He did a few extra things that needed to be done, that I wasn't even aware of. I can't wait to call JD again.

I couldn't be happier with our experience with J.D. and his team at Green City Gardens. I found him to be extremely responsive, professional, creative, and well-priced. If you are considering working with the Chalet Nursery or any other landscaping professional, I would highly recommend meeting with J.D. as well. After doing so, I can guarantee you will choose to work with Green City Gardens. They created a very unique and beautiful garden for us and, truly, I couldn't be more pleased with it!

J.D. and Green City Gardens are passionate about what they do and are real professionals. This was a great experience from start to finish, although we're not finished: we're so impressed by their work on our front yard we're going to have them come back next Spring and do the back yard too. J.D. came out to see the overgrowth in front of our house and was mindful of what we could keep in the way of ground cover and flowers that "fit", vs. looking at new designs. His ideas were on the mark each time, even after we asked him to revise some of the design in terms of new plantings and placement of new beds. J.D. is a true consultant; that was evident in him coming out a couple of times to re-measure and re-assess new bed placement, as well as his willingness to encourage us not to overdo anything and keep budget a key consideration. We never felt rushed to finalize a design, and his keen eye for sprucing up what was already in place proved to us he had our best interests in mind. Some landscapers can be biased as to what plantings they like and have had experience with, but J.D. was quite flexible. He accomodated our schedule, and has the mind of a general contractor, in that he also had had great ideas for other things we were in the process of lining up such as exterior painting and underground sprinkling and how the timing of each of those projects would best work sequentially with the new landscaping. When the day came for the work to be done, I expected a truck and crew to show up and to see J.D. some time during the day to check on things. It was J.D. himself who pulled up in the truck with just a couple of crew members and they worked tirelessly for a day and half to do the entire front yard project. When i told J.D. I didn't expect that he'd be the one leading the work, he just smiled and said "I love what I do." And it shows, in a big way. By the end of the day we were already receiving compliments from neighbors. Our overgrown mess of a front yard has gone through a real transformation to highlight the front of our house, new colors and variety in new plantings. J.D. and Green City were always responsive. The level of communication he maintained with us during the design, and revised design process was outstanding. As stated above, we requested a couple of revisions. He was thoroughly patient and you could tell he just wanted us to be sure we knew what we wanted and how it would turn out. OK, and I can't resist: J.D., besides being a genuine guy, is also one of the funniest professionals we've ever met. Had a hard time pinning down his quick wit and humor, but if Robin Williams were a landscaper........ :-) I love working with people who are A) excellent at what they do, and B) easy to do business with. J.D. and Green City are all that and more.

Our experience with JD was wonderful from start to finish. We had a drainage issue in our back yard and wanted to install new greenery to hide our neighbor's large shed. We also wanted to spruce up the front of our house to give it more curb appeal. JD and his crew at Green City Gardens came to our rescue. Working with JD was so easy. He is obviously very knowledgeable about plants, shrubs and trees, but his enthusiasm was incredible. He had great ideas for plants that would provide beauty and privacy. He drew up the perfect plans for our small house, that reused some of our existing plants and added several new to create the garden that we wanted. JD and his crew showed up at the house on time and worked through two full days to remove the old plants, prepare and form the new garden areas and install all the new plants and shrubs. They also put in a dry well to address the drainage issues. Many of my neighbors remarked that they had never seen a crew work so hard. The end result is a beautiful landscape that is the envy of our block.

J.D. and his crew were amazing. From beginning to end they went above and beyond. It started with J.D.'s great ideas for adding color and educational plants, like elderberry, to the garden. He created a vision that kept with the spirit of the garden and respected the existing plantings, taking out only what we needed to to open up the space. He was then flexible and responsive throughout the process, answering questions, even accommodating a specific installation date so the work could be done while the school was closed for a holiday. Beyond that, he demonstrated a genuine desire to help, and a commitment to the job that made me feel I had a true partner dedicated to getting the job done well. One example of this was that J.D., on seeing our rotting garden bridge, went out of his way to solicit a donation of a gently used garden bridge in lieu of fixing the old one (which would have added to our cost), and even made an extra trip to install it. His crew did a beautiful job with the rockscaping, and left the garden in prestine condition after the work, even stopping to pick up and haul away some garden waste that wasn't even theirs! Not only was it an absolute pleasure working with them, I'm thrilled with the result! I highly recommend Green City Gardens!