Beds & Borders Landscape Design

My new house in SW Minneapolis had two huge Maple trees which did not allow nice grass to grow. I did not want to remove the trees so I had Bed and Borders take out all my grass in the front yard and replace it with mulch, plants, groundcover and some stone accents. I found Bed and Borders on Angie's List and liked the comments about Andy and his staff. When Andy first came out to see about the job he understood immediately what I wanted. The drawing he sent me was done with a watercolor wash which made me feel the woodland, cottage feel I wanted for my yard. The price was in line with other estimates I received so I went with them. The work was done a couple weeks later. The day of the installation Andy came at the start of the job which impressed me. His foreman, Chris, walked me through what was going to happen and he consulted me a few times during the day to make sure they were on track with what I wanted. I had them build a curved stone wall around one tree and a pretty stone patio in one corner of the yard. I decided I didn't really like the boulders we were going to set in a few places so Chris fashioned some stone outcrops out of leftover stones from the patio and wall and they looked wonderful and complemented the other stone pieces and tied everything together. The employees who did the work were very nice, polite, friendly and easy to talk to. They worked hard and consulted me several times on where I wanted plantings to go. They cleaned up everything before they left, including sweeping my sidewalks and watering the plants. They started at 7:00 in the morning and were done by 3:00. I could not believe everything they were able to accomplish in just a few hours. I am very happy with my yard and plan on contacting Beds and Borders when I start work on my backyard.

The weather cooperated and our project got off to an early start. We had had some last minute changes of materials and Andy, one of the owners was very accommodating with our requests. I was home for much of the project which gave me a chance to be on site for much of the project. The crew was respectful of our property during the project. Before work began the crew had to move many of my existing plants and they took great care with them. They clean up after themselves each day and took great care of our lawn and our neighbors' lawns. Our project required heavy machinery and the moving of very large boulders. Our yard looks exceptional after the project was finished. The crew had a foreman on the project the whole time and one of the co-owners was on the property much of the time. I found it very easy to communicate with the whole crew and any questions I had were promptly answered. We are really happy with the way the project turned out. It is beautiful!

We had looked for a good fit for our landscaping project and one of the companies we saw repeatedly with excellent reviews on Angie’s List was Beds and Boarders. Andy Freeland came out very promptly and estimated our project. We thought their estimate was competitive with other companies we looked at and just as important, we felt comfortable with Andy throughout the estimation process. Our project started at the beginning of July and went through mid-August which was in line with their estimate in terms of the timeline. Our project consisted of three patio levels of cut flagstone, a composite deck, a fence around our swimming pool, a railing around one of the patio levels and an outdoor fireplace. The workers from Beds and Boarders were consistently at our house every day early as possible to work. They were always courteous and willing to answer questions at any time. Andy Freeland, Mike Hart and the others at Beds and Boarders were extremely responsive when we would have questions or concerns about any aspect of the project. Even though Andy may not be on site, he would make a point to come out as soon as possible if we wanted to go over issues. Mike took the lead on the outdoor fireplace and was meticulous with all facets of putting it up. We had an issue with the stones/veneer in not being what we envisioned. Andy took care of that right away and Mike did the work of putting it up. Although Beds and Boarders did not do our deck, railing or fence, they did make suggestions on different contractors for each. We took their advice and used their suggestions on each, with the exception of the railing. They also made a suggestion for a contactor that does irrigation and we used them as well. We have had a couple of issues since the completion of the project and, consistent with the customer service we experienced during the project, Beds and Boarders has responded promptly and rectified the issues to our satisfaction. Because of the extremely dry fall, Beds and Boarders have committed to come back in the spring to re-plant the grass that did not take after the completion of the project. There were a couple of items that came up during the project that we needed to pay for in addition to the initial contract price. These included some gas line work and some sand that sealed the joints of the flagstone. I believe these should have been known about from the onset of the project. Also, at the time of the project, Beds and Boarders had limited installation experience installing outdoor fireplaces. If you are considering an outdoor fireplace with Beds and Boarders, I suggest giving them as much detail and know exactly what you want, including size and model, before moving forward. That being said, Mike is a wonderful craftsman and will take the time to give you the fireplace look you want. If we were to do the work all over again, without a doubt we would use Beds and Boarders and would recommend their services to anyone who is looking to have any landscaping done.

We added a new porch and deck to our home last year and wanted to finish the project with new landscaping. We also wanted to replace overgrown shrubs and plants on 2 sides of our house, repair an existing brick walkway, and replace the plants in several planting beds because my wife is no longer able to physically attend to her gardens. My wife looked at numerous landscape companies and liked the design work of Beds and Borders. She talked to Andy and he came out two days later to meet with us. We explained to him in general terms what we wanted. He prepared a landscaping plan that perfectly captured our vision. He suggested plants that will add color throughout the year and will blend in nicely with our existing landscaping and house style. Andy was very responsive to my concerns and made some minor modifications to the plan as we walked our property with him. After we accepted the plan, Andy came out on a Sunday with his partner and crew foreman and made arrangements to have the work done the next two days. Time was of the essence because there were only a few days of good weather left in the season. His crew was courteous, prompt, skilled and meticulous in their work. They will return next spring to add a couple plants that were not available this late in the season. Overall this was a great experience. We are very pleased with the high quality work and the price. My wife who loves gardens, is very happy with the design and plants selected. We give Andy and his company our highest recommendation.

I emailed this company to request a quote and never received a response.

I had new plantings including perennials put in, and they also made me a raised vegetable garden. The work was very good. They were prompt, courteous and on time. They did a good job, and the follow through was good too. They cleaned up very well after they were done. I have no complaints about the work they did at all. They were professional and definitely punctual; they showed up before I got out of bed that day. They said they were going to be here at a certain time, and they were early. I would recommend them to others and would use them again in the future if necessary.

Our yard was in dire need of landscaping and apparently had not be maintained for many years before we moved in to the house 2 years ago. Our back yard butts up against a wild, natural area. In the winter, the deer enjoy running up and down the hill next to our home and we enjoy watching them, but, after the muddy spring thaw, the hillside became kicked up and no grass would grow there. We wanted to still enjoy the wildlife but wanted to move them out of our yard and onto the hillside to a safer, more practical distance for all. Andy and his team created a solution that is working beautifully. He listened to what we had to say and came up with a plan that we are very pleased with. We totally left most of the choices of plants up to Andy and we were not disappointed with what he chose. We now enjoy sitting on the deck and enjoying the beautiful view and we are proud of pulling into our driveway and seeing the beautiful gardens in the front. From the beginning, Andy was on top of things and was in constant contact with us and always answered questions immediately, professionally and politely. He, as well as all the members of his team are very pleasant and their personalities made the project go without problems and more smoothly than we could have ever imagined. They all worked together well and were very conscientious, polite and very respectful of our property. They were very hard-working and sometimes worked 12 hour days until the particular day's job was done, without much of a break at all. If we had questions, they patiently answered them. And the quality of their work was unsurmountable. Watching them work, either on the patio or garden areas, was watching artistry in motion. Andy was always aware of the budget and respected our request to keep in line with the agreement. He was actually very generous and, on many occasions, we know he threw a lot of complimentary things in to the project for us and we greatly appreciate that. Overall, the experience went exceptionally well and we highly recommend this company to anyone wanting help in bringing their sad yards back to life! 2/19/15 This is an update: The garden looked good for the first year or two, except for three of the bushes planted along the corner of the house. They were diseased from the onset and always looked wilted and unhealthy. I've also had to replant a good portion of the garden and will need to replant the bushes along the entrance. I've cared for them appropriately but they are all dead and it's only been 3 years. The paver patio has had problems with cracking. The sand between the pavers has had a long crack from the beginning which was repaired, I believe, on two different occasions. Unfortunately, the crack is still there. It will probably be less frustrating to do it myself.

This was a once in a lifetime landscaping project for our family and we closely evaluated a number of Angie's List well referenced companies to decide on our landscaper. We ultimately picked Beds and Borders and could not be happier with the process and the results. From the start, Andy and the entire Beds and Borders crew were punctual, professional, polite, and clearly dedicated to the project. We had experience with another (smaller) landscaping project at our previous home and we had some general ideas on what we wanted for the new landscape - Andy took those ideas and really made them come to life with a balance of creativity (he has an encyclopedic knowledge of trees, shrubs, and plants - what works and what doesn't), and practicality (our front yard has 2 steep slopes and several very large trees that required close consideration for shade and drainage) - all the while patiently iterating on the design with us and adjusting the scope of the project in line with our budget. Price - We received quotes from several well referenced landscapers - Beds and Borders was not the cheapest and they were not the most expensive. Andy was very straight forward and detailed with the pricing - when we had to make adjustments (up or down) he worked with us. I always felt like he was being very fair. Ultimately, based on all of the work and the final results, I think we got a great value. Quality - Beds and Borders worked to get the job right - there was great attention to detail in placing the decorative boulders just so, the hand laying of the multiple pallets of cut stone, and the planting of the various trees, shrubs, and grasses. Andy even assisted my wife in designing and building a small Japanese rock garden with a beautiful Japanese Maple as the centerpiece. Responsiveness - one day, Andy's team brought over a large pallet of natural cut stone for the path through the center of the landscape. While it was the stone that we had decided on, once a few were laid down, we agreed that a different shade would look better. Andy's team did not hesitate - they restacked the stone, took it away and and brought a new palet over within hours. Punctuality - given our busy schedules, being on time was important to us. When Beds and Borders said they were going to be there at 8 am, they were there at 7:55. When Andy scheduled a meeting with us, he was always on time. Professionalism - Andy and his entire Beds and Borders team (Mike, Chris, etc.) were all consistently polite and professional - they were pleasant and easy going with my entire family throughout the project. Andy did a good job of communicating on progress and he was hands on from start to finish. Most importantly to me, when they said they were going to do something, they did it on time and with a great attitude. The final results of the project were extraordinary. Our front yard has been completely transformed from an overgrown mess of buckthorn and random bushes on a steep slope to a beautiful and orderly arrangement of azalea and rodo glades on multiple new plateaus bounded by decorative boulder walls and decorative trees. Beds and Borders was also committed to making sure that our new landscape would continue to look great into the future. Andy did a really nice job of helping my wife and I understand how to best care for our plants with the upcoming winter and in the spring - he even went so far as to send over one of his guys to help us wrap some of our scotch pines in prepartion for winter! Based on how Beds and Borders' worked with us, we felt like they were as committed to the project's success as we were. We are glad we went with them and we will definitely use them for future projects.

The did a great job. They are very creative. They know their plants and materials and they are very affordable.

It all went very well. The workers were efficient and polite. And the main contact, Andy, was onsite to make sure things went to plan.

We had a list of summer landscaping projects that just never seemed to get done. When the ugly junipers got knocked sideways in a storm, we called Beds & Borders. Andy came right out the next day and patiently walked around our property to give ideas and put together an estimate of the work to be done. He never pushed anything extraordinary; instead, he suggested practical but attractive plants/trees and hardscaping options. His estimate came in much lower than previous companies'. The work was all done in one day. They were punctual, hard working and pleasant. We will definitely use Beds & Borders in the future!

went pretty well overall but next time I would have brought out someone that would know how to manage the water coming off the roof because a portion of beds washed down the hill and we had standing water in one of the bottom beds which was not the case prior to the work being done. I also should have asked for weed fabric to be placed in one of the frpont beds and that was not included in the work I just assumed that weed fabric was always put down prior to mulching?

We had an old, sagging boulder wall and overgrown/weed-filled landscaping on one side of our house that needed to be re-done. Andy worked with us over the summer to plan the landscaping and when we were satisfied, came in October to perform the work. He re-did the boulder wall, added boulder edging, a stone pathway, irrigation, trees, shrubs, mulch and sod. His crew was extremely professional. They were courteous, cleaned up the area each day, and above all did great work! Andy was on site regularly checking on the work and came out after completion for a "walk through" with us. We were extremely satisfied with both the design and the installation and are already talking to Andy about re-landscaping the other side of the yard next summer!

Andy did a great job working with us in the design of the new landscaping in the front of our home. He and his crew did a nice job not only intalling the landscaping, but also in making a couple minor adjustments to it, at our request, before final sign-off. We were impressed by his knowledge and design skills as well as his willingness to listen to us before and after the project. Andy was a pleasure to work with, and we'd highly recommend him to others based on our experience.

Andy was just fabulous. We wanted to do a deck along with the patio, and Andy found a contractor who gave us a great deck. Andy was very good at taking our ideas and turning them into a great patio design. In terms of getting the work done, Andy was terrific at working within a budget, and we couldn't be happier with the finished product. The next time we need any landscaping help, we'll call Andy. We strongly recommend him!

Andy was very good to work with. He was the only designer that I found who was willing to use native plants and come out to the house to talk with us before we committed to spending anything. All the other companies that specialized in native plants wanted a commitment from us without ever meeting us. Andy was enthusiastic about finding native MN plants that would work in our yard. The work was done well - they were quick and neat and fixed things that we had concerns about. Since the new plants are only a few weeks old, it remains to be seen how well they'll thrive in our yard, but the process thus far has been very good. I thought the cost was a little high, especially when I saw the markup on the plants and compared the overall bid to others we had received. However, we made some choices that drove the cost up and also were willing to pay a little extra for someone who provided a good combination of doing what we asked and make suggestions from his experience.

My basement was flooding every time it rained - water was seeping in at the junction of the floor and wall. Something had to be done right away because of the potential for damage. I had used Andy Freeland before for a patio project that we really liked. I asked Andy if he could help me. He came out promptly, assessed the situation, and scheduled the work. It was all done within 10 working days. It rained hard again last night, and NO WATER in my basement!! Very nice work, very good crew, cleaned up very well after the work was done.

Andy and his team were wonderful to work with from start to finish. We got the company's name off of Angie's List. Andy responded to our original email right away and came to our house very soon after. He spent time understanding our goals and budget as well as taking time to analyze our yard; he then came out a few days later to provide his design. We had solicited other ideas, but felt Andy's approach fit our needs the best. The implementation team was also first rate, led by their foreman, Chris. Not only were they efficient, organized and extremely hard working, but they were also courteous and easy to communicate with. They provided advice as needed and answered our many questions. Andy stayed involved in the process - they all made sure we were happy with the day to day results. Each day during the four days was exciting as we watched our yard become renewed and transformed! We couldn't be more pleased with the results. We would definitely use them again and recommend them highly.

I met with Andy and we walked the property and discussed the main reason I needed his help...drainage. He did an assessment of the property and went home to think about it and met with his partner at the property to discuss the best way to tackle the project. I did not see an actual plan laid out, Andy's ideas seem to be flowing from his head and he adapts his plans as necessary when the crew is working. His crew is also given license to adapt/enhance and improve upon the property as they are working. This was a little stressful for me at times because I tend to be a concrete thinker & need pictures and plans...but it really worked for their crew. With input from my husband and myself/the vision of Andy&his partner and his crew they put together not only a great visual appeal...but functional as well. His crew also discovered a fault with my last landscaping improvement, the last company did not install a drain tile where they should have...that was fixed for me and improved upon with the location of the new drain. They were all very creative when I pointed out areas that just didn't work visually for me and made it look great. The one issue we had at the end (unfortunately I didn't notice the direction the crew was going and it needed re-doing) was the "mouth" of the riverbed was not placed where I was having the draining issue. It was fixed the next day (which was an add-on cost which I was slightly put off about but they added other things during the project so it was fair). The only remaining issue I have is the area they needed to drive their equipment over needs sodding. Andy has assured me they would replace it and I trust him to follow up on that. We are very pleased with the results and this company.

Andy and his crew are a bit more "artistic" and tend to work with the areas that need work without a formal drawn plan. He would meet with the crew in the morning, discuss what he felt needed to be done, leave them to work their way through the property & giving them license to adapt to property as needed to have the water flow. They had the proper tools to scope the property to make sure water was flowing properly. They fixed an issue left behind by another landscaping company (no drain tile where there should have been) and added on a few other fixes along the way as they were found. The only fix we had to have at the end was with the dry creek bed wasn't draining properly and it was fixed the next day. There was an additional charge for that (which I wasn't thrilled about), but there were several changes during the course of the project that Andy didn't nickel and dime us for that it was very fair. They also added mulch and some plants to make the job look "finished". Very very happy with Andy and his crew.

We contacted Andy regarding a multi step landscaping plan for our home. He came to our home on Tuesday, 5/4/10 and told my husband we he would send us a quote via email within 2 days. On Friday, 5/7/10 we still had not received anything so I called and left a message stating that we expected to receive the quote and wanted to give him an opportunity to get it to us in case it was sent to an incorrect email address. He called back on Monday, 5/10/10 and said he wanted the chance to come and meet with us again to discuss what he had come up with. I had a feeling during the call that he had simply forgotten to send us the quote but none the less decided to set up another meeting - everyone has oversights at time. We scheduled a meeting time via email for Thursday, 5/20/10. He was a no show and also didn't call. Very irritating and unprofessional.

Andy was a pleasure to work with. His price for the project was very reasonable compared to other estimates. The work was excellent. He was always punctual and completed the project faster than we expected. He had a great balance of encouraging us to do certain things based on his landscaping experience and talent, while making room for us to have a lot of input based on our tastes, our budget and our needs.

We contacted four contractors from Angie's List. Once we had designs and bids, we called all references and drove to look at the finished projects. The quality of the Beds and Borders projects were head and shoulders above anyone else. We met with Andy a few more times before finalizing the project and he was extremely willing to work with us to find ways to save money. Andy spent so much time with us on the plans and the plantings, making sure the whole design blended well with our house and the neighborhood. Andy's background as a horticulturist was a real benefit - all plantings and trees suggested by Andy and his team are beautiful. Andy also handled working with the City to get the proper easements and permits. The project started on time, but we ended up with about a weeks' worth of heavy rain, delaying the work. Nonetheless, they were on-site as quickly as they could be to finish the job. They were extremely pleasant and they cleaned up the site every evening before leaving. The drystack stone walls were the most labor intensive part of the project, and they turned out looking absolutely beautiful. Given the fact that drystack is more of an art than a science, we continue to be impressed by their work every time we come home. We could not be happier; the entire front yard was transformed from overgrown, messy and outdated to a truly beautiful addition to our home. If you're planning on a landscaping project, large or small, you would do well to contact these guys. As we told Andy, we're more than happy to be a reference for them.

Overall it went very well. We used Beds and Borders last summer to do our back yard so we are repeat customers. Andy has very good vision which is good for us because we don't and we know nothing about plants. All the work was done in a very timely fashion and all of Andy's workers are nice. They cleaned everything up well after the job was done. Do look over your contract carefully to make sure everything is correct. We had a couple of small errors - Andy was quick to correct them when we let him know. The end result is a beautiful front yard.

I called the Friday morning before Memorial Day about a landscape consultation. Their voicemail mentioned nothing about being closed for the weekend, only that someone would return my call within the hour. When I finally received a call on Tuesday morning, they said they did not perform landscape consultations during this season, which they could've mentioned on their website. If they fail to meet the deadlines they set for themselves, I'd be hesitant to use them for something where I am paying them.