Gardens of the Carolinas

I've had multiple projects with John Spivey and the Gardens of the Carolinas team. They continue to perform with the utmost professionalism , subject matter expertise, punctuality, and quality. His team/crew is amazing. They take pride in the quality of the work and it shows in the results. Trust the process ! You will get more than plants, bushes , mulch and beautiful pavers. He wants to know the what and why behind your choices to help you create a result that touches your heart and fuels your soul. John has a way of translating the request into more than landscaping and gardens. He and his team have created spaces that fill me with emotion by their beauty and thoughtfulness of how my family and I will enjoy them over the years. I shared a story about wanting to honor my mother and grandmother who I lost years ago. They have incorporated the most beautiful and serene garden that makes me smile and takes me back to the time I shared with them. That matters to me. I can't Thank them enough for the joy, serenity, laughter and the memories that I've had with my family and friends in the beautiful spaces they've created. John has also aligned me with arborists and an irrigation specialist to ensure my investment has the appropriate care. I trust John and his team and have always been treated with the utmost respect and integrity. You can't go wrong with this choice ! You will be thrilled with the results.

We have worked with John, owner of Gardens of the Carolinas, for over 5 years. We found John to be very knowledgeable, patient, very easy to talk to, very accessible, and with a desire to please. This is also reflected in the high quality of his work. We have received many compliments from our neighbors. We have enjoyed working with John, as recently as February 2020, and this is why we have continued to work with Gardens of the Carolinas for additional work. We highly recommend Gardens of the Carolinas.

This was a promising company to handle the full scope of our work: deck repairs and erosion & drainage issues on one side of our yard. Paying for a landscape design was an investment we did not take lightly but we felt confident that their selling point “we credit percentages of the design fees back as we are contracted to do the work (15% for cost of plantings, 10% for cost of in-house labor, 5% for cost of subcontractors) justified it and would be most beneficial to adequately handle our erosion and runoff issues. We initiated contact with them the very end of March & heard back from them very promptly, on April 1st with a phone call and an email. They asked for a list of likes & dislikes and needs vs. wants. Our priority was to handle issues with water runoff and erosion so we could put a fence in for our dog while keeping our space outside the fence nurturing and accessible to wildlife and in compliance with easement restrictions. Secondarily (depending on viability of costs for all this) was to make the space visually appealing with nice plantings, etc... Though we didn’t know what this sort of work would cost, we communicated a budget of $20,000 to Diana, the designer, before she began her design work. The design took almost three months to receive. John came out to go over it at the end of June. We were impressed with how extensive the design was – there were so many sheets of paper and it appeared like it was a comprehensive, expertly done plan worth the wait. It included an invoice of $3,240 for John and Diana’s time making the landscape plan and we paid it in good faith. However, when we were able to sit down and go over the actual plan separate from the extravagance of the presentation and selling spiel with John, we promptly realized our error. We emailed John the next day with some questions. That was June 29th. From there we had a few rounds of emails and two months later, we still did not have clarity or complete pricing for their proposed work. By September 21st, there was a revised design and some more pricing, but it was still incomplete. At that point, we hit our limit and have not been back in touch with them. Nor have we heard from them (now four months from last contact). So what was so wrong with their plan?? There was no subtotal. We didn’t know what everything would cost and their plan included a fence that impeded the easement and blocked the deer path (remember our priority list at the beginning of this?). The missing prices in the estimate were the foundation of the work to be done: - Grading & drainage plans (they would “know more once they began working on it”) - Piping - Deck repairs - Foundation drains - Retaining walls - Tree removal That said, when I added up the line items they did price out it was over $52,000. Pricing for plants alone was $16,948. And the rest of the work that needed to be done in the bullet points above, y’all know that is the expensive stuff. How would we ever realize the design fee rebate that was their selling feature and incentive? We wouldn’t and what a shame. And how embarrassing we paid for a whole lot of nothing. If you have an unlimited budget and a house that can handle a six-figure landscape design, give these folks a call, they apparently do beautiful work. Otherwise, learn from our naïve, good-faith foolishness and give your hard-earned money to another company.

The project went great, as expected! Johns crew did a great job installing two new trees (maple and an oak) in the backyard and they also added some low voltage lights along our front path as it seemed way to dark in the front after they did such great work (with a bunch of lighting) in the backyard. While our yard (front and back) is almost completed per Diane and John's original plans, we do plan to have John's crew back out in the spring for some plantings to add a nice finishing touch in the backyard. It's always a pleasure working with John and his crew!

Great! We're very happy with the results. After getting two other estimates, I called John at Gardens of the Carolinas. Right from the start, he was a pleasure to work with. He listened to my ideas and offered sound advice for improving on them. His crew was professional, polite, and very capable. The patio and walkways turned out better than we envisioned and the price was very competitive. We're going to have Gardens of the Carolinas back to do the plantings in the courtyard soon. Highly recommended!

Working with Gardens of the Carolinas, and specifically John was a pleasure. We interviewed a ton of landscapers as the project was a massive undertaking, and it was without question that John was the most experienced and truly knew his craft providing a level of confidence. The project lasted for about 6 months and Johns crew was super professional and did great work. John also showed incredibly availability to make sure we were comfortable with how things were progressing. It should also be mentioned that Diana, Johns designer brought us a great IDEA and which changed our entire plans for the backyard for the better....she challenged us to think about the design differently and the end result was fantastic.

They were wonderful throughout the whole process. They helped us with the design and the implementation of our yard. We've been happy with the results. I would definitely recommend them

Working with Joh band his team was an absolute pleasure - I had never gone through a project the scale of what GOTC completed! John is incredibly knowledgeable and places a high priority on quality and performing projects in a manner that results in the smallest impact. Diana and John were creative in designing a backyard space we love and John kept me updated in project decisions and progress throughout. John and GOTC returned after our backyard project to remove an aged driveway and install a new driveway that had neighbors asking for John’s contact info. Finally - Winter weather unexpectedly took two large oak trees down in our back yard inflicting damage in the patio installed by GOTC. John was more than happy to return and repair the damage to get the space back to exactly the way it was. We can’t imagine using anyone else for the work performed and will contact GOTC for any future needs. If only GOTC also was in the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC business we’d have a trusted resource for all the projects home ownership presents!

Once again, John and his team came through again. I knew my front yard needed a makeover after looking the same for over 40 years. John came up with a stone retaining wall with under cap lighting to level out one side of the yard which, previously, had no curb appeal at all. It looks great!! His team also replaced my lamp post, installed a new flag pole, cleaned and painted my wrought iron railings on the front and side steps, and power washed my driveway (which he also installed several years ago). He'll be back in the fall to re-seed my front and back lawns and install new shrubbery in the front. He and his crew are hard workers and during the project, they always clean up the area before they quit for the day. Another job well done and for which I'm proud. My neighbors love it!!!

This was a MAJOR job. John Spivey and Diana Keen of GOTC were very professional and knowledgeable. Both were responsible and responsive to deadlines, and they spent substantial on-site time supervising the varied work segments. There were some issues and problems along the way, particularly with subcontractors(not unexpected in jobs this size), but GOTC corrected/solved the problems effectively and without additional expense.

Spray existing fescue lawn for removal. Hand scraped and removed existing sod, till and rake smooth. Spread amenities soils and tilled in. Compadre Zoysia sod installed. The crew of three were hard workers and made sure every step was performed perfectly. This is our third year using The Gardens of the Carolinas for various landscaping projects. John Spivey is by far the most knowledgeable and professional landscaper in the area. He is extremely responsive and personable. We will most certainly be calling on The Gardens of the Carolinas for all future landscaping projects.

When I was ready to replace my very old and rotting deck this summer, I didn’t have to think twice about who to call. This would be the third big project that John Spivey and his team have done for me and I knew it would be done right. I told him some of the key elements that I wanted (e.g., pergola, stone grill island, paddle fan, low-voltage lights) and Voila!! I now have something better than I had imagined. John has a wealth of information and ideas that he’s willing to share, but, in the end, if you want something done a particular way, he will make it happen. He’s very good at trying to re-purpose items elsewhere in your landscape (e.g., shrubs, trees, bricks, etc.). His team and subs are first rate—polite, respectful, hardworking, and at the end of the day, you can hardly tell they’ve been there. By that I mean, they clean up the area at the end of the day and don’t leave the project looking like a tornado blew through. And the real plus for me—they did all they could during the project to accommodate my dogs—e.g., building a ramp at the end of each day so they could go in and out of the house. When it came time to select the foundation plants, John, being a dog lover, too, knew that I'd be looking for dog-friendly plants so we could narrow the population of possibilities. The back looks so nice now, that I've extended my "deck project" to the front of the house--updating the foundation plants, plant bed, and installing a retaining wall with low-voltage lighting. Just can't seem to stop!!! I would not hesitate to recommend John Spivey and his Gardens of the Carolinas team. The picture I've included shows the project almost finished. Hope you can appreciate the quality of the work.

For starters, John and his team are a pleasure to work with! Right from the start, John was responsive and remained so every step of the way, guiding us through all of the options with respect to the design and also some challenges when it came to permitting. The design team put together an impressive plan that made the most of our unique space and came to life by the end of the project. You will not find another contractor like John; he brings a wealth of experience, expertise, and attention to detail, along with a gregarious personality that is unmatched!

Although I am quite sure John Spivey is a skilled individual, he seemed quite clueless regarding the constraints of our budget. We received a very costly landscape design, that had we proceeded, would have gone well beyond the constraints of our budget. The design cost alone, was in the thousands. The cost of the finished project would likely have been over 20% of the total worth of our property. I did reiterate multiple times, that we soon would have three children in college and that although our Chapel Hill address, seemed to indicate that we had a fair amount of resources, we could not invest a fortune in our property. We ended up finding individuals to install our drive and front landscaping and drainage at a drastically reduced cost. Was it a mirror image of the landscape plans? Absolutely not. But is is a great improvement to what we had, at a cost that allows us to fund college educations. If we ever win the lottery, we would likely finish our yard with some of the ideas from the landscape design. But at this point, we will just move along and find folks as we can afford.

This is the third time that I have used Gardens of the Carolinas' (GC) for landscape projects. I am never disappointed! His design team always comes up with something that is easy to maintain and lovely. His work crew tries to keep things as neat as possible during the tear down of the old and the construction of the new, and they are always polite. John is very responsive to anything that I have had questions about and if plantings fail to thrive he willingly changes them out. The design addressed my drainage issue. During the many heavy rains we have had this spring, I have had no problems with standing water. I normally get another bid for the projects, and although GC is a bit more expensive, I always am delighted with the end results. As a result of his efforts every time I walk into my front entry, I have a smile on my face because it is so lovely.

John spent a lot of time with us going over every detail of the project. Amazing ability to visualize and to patiently explain and give us peace of mind about the project. Offered us a significant price reduction when we almost went with a cheaper alternative. His crew removed the old steps down to the foundation to make sure it was in good shape so the new steps will last. Was available by text and phone whenever I had questions about the project and scheduling. Repaired some missing stones on the front. New stonework looks awesome.

The finished product looked amazing! With sound advice on how to build it along with great lumber / materials and detailed planning, after 4 years it's still as good as day one. Additional work was done on drainage, tree trimming, and general landscaping. Gardens of the Carolinas also showed great follow through as a section of the wall shifted minorly after a few months had passed, but they came out at no cost to add additional supports and ensured I was happy with the finished product. Any company who ensures the job is done right and shows such follow through should be highly valued. We would definitely recommend working with GotC for any project you may have.

The work went very well and was beyond our expectations. John Spivey's crew are very hard workers, pleasant and accommodating. You will be very pleased with the service you get from Garden's of the Carolinas. We have used their services before, and we have always been very pleased.

We needed extensive landscaping done, and we really didn't know where to start. John and designer Diana took our vague ideas and helped us to mold them into a vision and plan. Diana created a beautiful master plan, and we started from there to choose what we wanted/could afford to do. John was great at telling us lower cost options, and we are now in the process of filling in plantings little by little. The bulk of the work (retaining walls, grading, walks, etc.) was done over a couple of weeks in August, and we had front plantings installed in December. John is very responsive when we contact him with questions, and we feel like we made a great choice in choosing Gardens of the Carolinas. One thing I would tell anyone who asked me about doing this much landscaping is that you should expect it to be a long process. I am sure there are companies that will come and quickly install plants, but I think that the amount of time that John spent with us in looking over our property and finding out about us and what we want made for a better experience and more personal landscape.

As before, John Spivey and his crew were excellent to work with. John made excellent plant selections and kept me completely informed in the process. John was right there overseeing the work, talking to me about the selection, placement and care. I am always very impressed with John's knowledge and professionalism. We look forward to working with John in 2018 (March/April) for the pruning of our 3 Crepe Myrtles and black soil to be placed to further enhance our yard. We highly recommend Gardens of the Carolinas. !!!! Thanks John to you and your crew for a continued job well done !!!

The project went as well as any homeowner could expect. Gardens of the Carolinas is extremely good about setting expectations and communicating so that all papers remain on the "same page" through the entire project. In terms of the work quality, like everything in life, you get what you pay for. And, in the case of Gardens of the Carolinas they delivered a high quality product/service that exceeded our expectations.

I hired John Spivey and Gardens of the Carolinas to solve a bad erosion problem in my back yard. John quickly understood the problems and presented me with options. Together, we chose the best way solve the problems at/near my budget while protecting a valued lake view and setting. The end product turned out better than expected- the wall and steps are beautiful, stopped all erosion, and made a more useable backyard. John visited the work while in progress and kept me informed. Everyone involved was very respectful and hard working. I definitely will use Gardens of the Carolinas for future projects.

We couldn't have asked for a better job. Many landscape companies (and one which we got a bid from first) come up with quick fixes and poorly thought out plans that essentially amount to a "Band-Aid" of plants over the earth that will wash away or fail to thrive in the coming seasons. Gardens of the Carolinas assessed the elevations and sunlight patterns, removed trees where necessary, dug drainage ditches and buried pipes, relocated dirt and built retaining walls, utilized their talented landscape architect to devise a beautiful plan, arranged for all subcontractors (irrigation, electrical, plumbing, painting), erected new fencing, laid pavers, and left us with 100% usable space. We have raised vegetable beds and gorgeous perennials, and our kids have natural-appearing stone stairways to run down to get to the new turf field. The yard is irrigated and artfully illuminated. The crew kept their word about timing and even worked weekends to get the job done! None of the workers stand around or waste time--they are all diligent and polite. We and our kids loved having them around. To top if off, the best pressure washer we've ever seen left our house, driveway, screen porch, deck and even our garage floor spotless! Thank you John Spivey and Gardens of the Carolinas for another job well done!!!

John's crew is professional, arrive timely every day and stay late. They worked hard through the very hot months during the summer. Two weeks prior to the start date, Mike came out twice to spray and throughly kill the existing crab grass and weeds. Then the project took off from there. The grading began. A small cheek retaining wall began to take form which and was wired for inset lighting. Trenches were dug for the installation of drainage pipes. The walkway was framed. Pavers were laid at the top of the walkway. Concrete was then poured into the walkway frame and later stained taupe. Plants and a beautiful Japanese Maple were planted, mulch applied and finally the sod was laid. Lighting of the walkway and tree were the final touch. We look forward to phase two with Gardens of the Carolinas...the backyard!!

John Spivey and his crew did an outstanding job. As we got into the project, we discovered a number of problems that occurred as a result of previous projects that had not been site approved or inspected. John dealt with each of these problems, finding solutions that solved the problems to my benefit and following up to insure the project was completed as requested. This project required relocating my septic tank and septic lines, reworking the piping in my crawl space, repairing a significant amount of my lawn irrigation, removing an outdoor lawn and garden shed, repairing and installing low voltage lighting, removing an improperly built retaining wall, replacing and repairing an improperly installed walk, removing and reinstalling and expanding an existing deck.