Buell's Landscape Center

The work done was very good, except one stone retaining wall was laid out unevenly. We asked that one portion of the wall be redone, and it was. Our biggest disappointment was not with the work that was done, but with the designer, Wendy Loomis. From the start of the project (August 2012), she was disorganized and did not listen to what we wanted. Based on our initial meeting, she came back to us with a proposal and visual plan for the entire job. We specifically told her that we did not like some of the plants (a total of eight hydrangeas). We were told that she would discuss alternatives with us, and that we had time to do that since those plants would not be planted until the spring of 2013. On three different occasions we reminded her that we needed to talk about what type of hydrangea would be planted in the spring, but it was never discussed. Only part of the entire project was completed by late fall. Spring came and we were told that Buell's had several new jobs to work on and that they would work on our job "on rainy days." It only seemed fair that our job, started the summer before, should be completed before they began new jobs. But we had to wait for "rainy days." We came home one afternoon to find the Buell's crew at our home planting a large number of plants. We realized that the variety of hydrangea we did not want planted had, in fact, been planted. When we pointed this out to Wendy -- and that we had reminded her three times we wanted different hydrangeas -- she simply said that they would be replaced. They were replaced, and one of them had been trampled and broken down. We asked, on two occasions, that the plant be replaced, but were ignored. Additionally, an area on the south side of our home was to be planted with ground cover. Based on Wendy's proposal of the previous summer, we had agreed to what she recommended for that site. Instead of what we agreed to, her crew planted something entirely different, which we did not care for. When we asked why something different was planted, she told us she was unable to get what we had agreed to. We questioned why she just went ahead and planted the substitute ground cover without consulting us. We were told we would be credited the dollars that were spent on the incorrect ground cover, and that we could replace it ourselves! We also specifically asked for another particular variety of hydrangea to be planted around the patio, two plants. When they were finally planted, we noticed one looked different than the other. Upon checking into it, we discovered she had planted one of what we wanted and one of something else. Though similar, it was not what we ordered. We asked that the single hydrangea be replaced; that was never done. Because of her errors and lack of communication, it took Buell's over one year to complete our landscaping -- and today it still isn't complete. We modified the last bill received by Buell's because Wendy did not remove or modify costs she promised to remove or modify, due to her mistakes. Along with our payment, we sent her a letter with a clear explanation of why we adjusted the bill, as well as requests to make good on her promises -- including the replacement of the incorrect hydrangea planted near the patio. That this whole process -- spanning more than a year -- was a disappointment is an understatement. It has been extremely frustrating and now, since sending our letter of explanation (August 8, 2013) and our check (which was cashed August 13), we have heard nothing from Wendy or anyone else at Buell's. During the summer of 2012, we obtained three estimates for the landscaping work we wanted done at our home. We went with Buell's because they were a local, family-run business. We now regret it.

When the job was initially done (2009), we were quite pleased although they had to change the foreman on our job to a less experienced one because of some union issues on another job. During the large job, we worked specifically with the owner of the company and found that he (Greg) was very responsive to what we were doing. If everything stopped there, we would have said that the job was great; however, our extreme dissatisfaction came 2 years later when we contacted Greg to do some maintenance on the yard due to settling (he talked about that when they initially did the job and said they would come back to address those issues). So, this Spring (May, 2011), Greg came back to see the settling and we also had him quote a couple of additional things that we were considering, if our budget would allow. When he submitted the quote, he referenced the repairs due to settling as maintenance issues with no associated cost to us and he also quoted the additional items that we requested. In late May, I informed Greg that that we did not have the budget to proceed with the additional items this year, but we did want him to proceed with the maintenance issues and some additional mulching. Due to weather, Greg said that he would fit us in later in the summer which was acceptable to us. Now, it's November and we have yet to see Buell's come to do the job. At one point, we tried weekly emails that all went unanswered. We called his office and left messages. Also unanswered. About a month ago, I called and spoke with someone in the Buell's main office and explained the situation to her. I asked her to tell Greg that we needed to see some action or at least have the courtesy of a response -- again, silence. I have no idea why they are unresponsive and have not met their maintenance commitment, but I did feel it was important to let other customers know. When you invest this much $$ into a job like this, you expect good follow-through if something goes wrong -- not just until the last payment is made. This is where Buell's fell way short for us. We will not be using them again.

They are about 25 minutes from where we live. We spent an hour picking out trees. Their customer service was through the roof. We planted the trees ourselves. As we were planting them and encountering obstacles or having questions, they were available and answered our questions with incredible patience and offered good direction. Their price was excellent. They were selling the 3-inch diameter trees for the price of 1.5-inch diameter trees. I would use their service in the future too.

They are very good, professional, and fast. The only issue is that they are very busy because they are so good. It can take a couple of days for them to get back to their clients because they have so much going on but they are there when they say they will be. They stood by the plant warranties and after the winter they replaced the plants that did not make it. I would definitely recommend them.

They did a good job. There were able to get the job done quickly with mulching. They were very competitive as well. They were very punctual and the quality of work was excellent.

Wendell was the designer and he was very responsive. Overall, they are fabulous!

Wendell was the designer and he was very responsive. Overall, they are fabulous!

THEY WERE VERY HELPFUL WHEN WE WERE SELECTING OUR TREES. THE STAFF THAT CAME TO PLANT THE TREES DID A NICE JOB. THEY WERE CAREFUL TO GET THE TREES IN STRAIGHT. THEY HAULED ALL THE DIRT AWAY. THE TREES WERE WATERED BEFORE THEY LEFT.

I AM EMBARRASSED BY MY LANDSCAPING EVERY TIME I ENTER MY DRIVEWAY. I HAVE BEEN IN MY HOUSE FOR TWO YEARS. I HAVE PERENNIAL GARDENS, GRASSES AND SHRUBS SURROUND MY HOME. WHEN THE LANDSCAPING WAS INSTALLED, ($18,000), I POINTED OUT TO THE SUPERVISOR THAT THE PLANTS LOOKED EXTREMELY UNHEALTHY. I WAS TOLD THAT ONCE THEY WERE PLANTED AND WATERED, THEY WOULD BE FINE. WAY TOO MANY PLANTS DID NOT SURVIVE THE FIRST FEW MONTHS IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT I FOLLOWED HIS WATERING INSTRUCTIONS VERY CAREFULLY. I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE FLAT BEDS AND ENDED UP WITH SLOPED BEDS. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY WERE MISSING 25 PERENNIALS AND FOUR SHRUBS WHICH WERE ON THE INVOICE (AND WERE PAID FOR). THOSE WERE ADDED LAST YEAR. HOWEVER, COMING UP ON TWO YEARS, I HAVE 6 DEAD ROSE BUSHES, 1 DEAD RHODODENDRON, A SERIES OF DEAD SHRUBS, MANY, MANY DEAD GRASSES. I HAVE HAD TWO LANDSCAPERS OUT WHO INDEPENDENTLY TOLD ME THAT THE DEAD PLANTS ARE DUE TO IMPROPER PREPARATION OF THE BEDS. I AM FACED WITH A $3500 REPAIR.

I AM EMBARRASSED BY MY LANDSCAPING EVERY TIME I ENTER MY DRIVEWAY. I HAVE BEEN IN MY HOUSE FOR TWO YEARS. I HAVE PERENNIAL GARDENS, GRASSES AND SHRUBS SURROUND MY HOME. WHEN THE LANDSCAPING WAS INSTALLED, ($18,000), I POINTED OUT TO THE SUPERVISOR THAT THE PLANTS LOOKED EXTREMELY UNHEALTHY. I WAS TOLD THAT ONCE THEY WERE PLANTED AND WATERED, THEY WOULD BE FINE. WAY TOO MANY PLANTS DID NOT SURVIVE THE FIRST FEW MONTHS IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT I FOLLOWED HIS WATERING INSTRUCTIONS VERY CAREFULLY. I WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE FLAT BEDS AND ENDED UP WITH SLOPED BEDS. IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY WERE MISSING 25 PERENNIALS AND FOUR SHRUBS WHICH WERE ON THE INVOICE (AND WERE PAID FOR). THOSE WERE ADDED LAST YEAR. HOWEVER, COMING UP ON TWO YEARS, I HAVE 6 DEAD ROSE BUSHES, 1 DEAD RHODODENDRON, A SERIES OF DEAD SHRUBS, MANY, MANY DEAD GRASSES. I HAVE HAD TWO LANDSCAPERS OUT WHO INDEPENDENTLY TOLD ME THAT THE DEAD PLANTS ARE DUE TO IMPROPER PREPARATION OF THE BEDS. I AM FACED WITH A $3500 REPAIR.