Custom Gardens LLC

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Ellen came to my house at my request to do some long-range planning for my garden. She and her crew had come last fall for some end-of-summer cleanup (which made cleanup in the spring much easier, by the way), and they were very professional. But lots of companies can do landscaping. What Ellen also does that I especially wanted is help me make a plan so that I could do the work of designing and maintaining my garden (mostly) myself. I've been trying to develop my garden for years, but not being a professional, I have to admit that while I've learned a lot along the way, it has been difficult to do on my own--I needed someone to consult with, help me develop a master plan and answer questions along the way. Ellen has done just that--I discussed with her what I liked and what my 'vision' for the garden was, and she helped me develop a framework to use, and got me started with a plan. I fully intend to have her come back in a few months' time to do some more planning and development. They say that gardening is the slowest art form of all, so I feel especially lucky that I can have Ellen guide me in applying that art.

They did a fabulous job! Not only does the new work look wonderful, but Ellen reviewed the progress of the plantings that had been done last year and made suggestions for their continued health and growth.

Ellen and her team accomplished a lot in a brief time. I am very pleased and look forward to using them again in the spring.

Ellen is fantastic! Throughout the whole process she was attentive and clearly knows and cares about her business and plants. Because I maintain my own garden and love plants (but am an amateur, alas), I definitely did not want your run-of-the-mill landscape company that would raze my garden, put in generic plants just because that's what they always do no matter the location or application, and not be able to give me advice or guidance about future direction. Ellen came for a consultation and discussed in depth my needs and vision for the garden. Her crew came for two subsequent four-hour sessions to clean up (she oversees this process). I will be having her come in the spring to create a plan for what to plant next year. There were some delays at the beginning due to weather, but that happens in any profession that depends on good weather to complete the job, and throughout Ellen was responsive, keeping in touch to let me know where things were. Well done to Custom Gardens!

I had Ellen planting my front yard in June this year. The planting of these trees and shrubs were part two of the project. I wanted more privacy in my back yard so Ellen helped me with picking the right trees and shrubs. Ellen and her crew came on the scheduled day and did a great job with digging and planting the new plants. The back yard looks much much better now and all I have to do is wait until these trees grow and getting bigger. I can't wait to see them bloom next year. After the job was done her crew cleaned up very nice.

I had a very good experience with Ellen, President, from start to finish. At the beginning Ellen is spending an hour to look at the area which need work. She asks many important questions about my ideas I have for the front beds, what kind of plants I would like, what my favorite color is. She would ask if I need deer resistant plants and take pictures about the location of the area to pick the right plants for sunny or shady spots. Then she sends you pics with her suggestions about the plants. Ellen and her crew came on the scheduled day. Her guys did a great job with digging, I have very bad soil, planting and mulching. When they were done they cleaned up very nice. When I have a question I can call Ellen any time and she would give me good advice how to take care of my new plants. My beds in front of the house look really great. All the plants go so well together and the whole front yard looks nice and clean and not cluttered.

Ellen was prompt, professional, and really listened to our needs. She met with me just days after I first contacted her. She came out and spent close to an hour touring our property, letting me know about all the different plants (we had just moved in and definitely had no idea what we had), and listening to what we would like to do. We told her our budget was between 5-6k and she came up with a plan to give us a mixed evergreen and deciduous privacy screen with differing colors, textures, and heights. She wrote down our likes and dislikes and even asked our two year old what she would like - and impressively enough was able to find a blue tree to incorporate into the plan! Over the course of a couple weeks she sent us a number of pictures of plants that met our needs (low maintenance, deer and disease resistant, pretty, and somewhere in the 4-10 foot range). We told her which ones we liked, which we didn't, and gave her a general ranking of our preference. She also suggested moving plants from other areas of the yard where they were overlooked or struggling to stay within budget. When Ellen and her crew came out to complete the project, they first laid out all the trees and shrubs for our approval before planting. After realizing there were areas where we didn't need as much screening, she suggested moving some of the extra plants to areas of the yard where we had hoped to complete additional projects down the line. The end result is a gorgeous undulating privacy screen at the back of our property, plus a head start on a couple other projects that we had hoped to complete in the next few years. The end price was almost exactly on budget - despite the fact that we added on a number of small projects at the last minute (additional mulching of other existing beds, creation of new mulch beds, some trimming of overgrown shrubs, etc.) and got a head start on future projects. We definitely plan to use Ellen again.

During the initial consult we discussed my observations about the appearance of my front yard, and what the yard could look like in the future. Our discussion was informed and practical, and we quickly arrived at a general game plan. One the first day they weeded and edged a planting area around my mailbox so that I could get an idea of how the rest of the front yard could appear. On subsequent days they removed a considerable amount of old and overgrown bushes and weeds. As the work progressed we had a further discussion about relocating several plants to improve the appearance of the yard, The crew followed the plan with a lot of hard work and the end result was much more attractive than before. They removed an unhealthy birch tree without any damage to nearby plants. We also discussed the addition of a blue spruce tree and some witch hazel; these were planted with good visual effect. After they were finished I followed watering instructions and all the plants appear to be healthy, and the new grass is coming up very well. Besides having a much more attractive yard, I also have considerably less weeding to do now.

Looking forward to working with Ellen again this year. Please see my review from October 6, 2012. Ellen accommodated my schedule by meeting with me on a Saturday, in support of my hectic work calendar. We had a great discussion about the landscaping to be done - and I look forward to her and her crew taking care of my property in a few weeks - and making it look as gorgeous as it did last year.

I contacted Custom Gardens LLC after finding them on Angie's List - and Ellen, the president, responded in less than 12 hours. Her professionalism and prompt attention was a tip-off to the wonderful experience that was yet to come. Ellen worked with my schedule to set up time for a consultation. Like most, I'm a working professional, and her willingness to accommodate my schedule was terrific and highly appreciated. From the first phone call, Ellen made it clear that Custom Gardens focuses on the individual needs of every client, landscape, and budget. In preparation for our consultation, I put together a collection of landscape photos that appealed to me. Having a new construction home is a bit daunting when it comes to deciding on a landscape plan - you're working with a literal blank canvas. Based on Custom Garden's website, I could tell that Ellen's approach was far different than the few landscaping companies I'd dealt with before. Rather than coming in with a formulaic plan, Ellen works around a few key principles: aesthetic design, environmental and budget considerations, and client maintenance preference. I know there were others - but those were the key points that stuck out for me. When Ellen came to my home, she spent a great deal of time listening. Listening to my preferences, my ideas, and my ultimate landscape goals. She took PAGES of notes - which really indicated to me that she was actively understanding me and my home. I couldn't have been more thrilled with the approach. After our sit-down, Ellen and I walked the property. She identified the few plants that the builder had installed, and made recommendations on their ultimate placement. When she couldn't definitively identify a tree, she pulled a leaf from the tree and traced it's outline in her notebook. I was impressed by her horticulture and botany know-how. Based on our conversation, Ellen was able to nail down exactly what I was looking for - even though I didn't know what "it" was. With a can of lawn spray paint, we worked together to outline various flowerbeds and features right on the lawn. This was hugely helpful in allowing me to fully visualize the plans. Ellen also suggested ways in which I could save - and what manual labor my husband and I could complete to stay within our budget. Her honesty and integrity really came through - and I really appreciated it. She also took the time to explain the principles of landscape planning (i.e.: designing with long term plans and goals in mind, as opposed to filling in absolutely everything all at once). Based on budgetary constraints - my husband and I decided to work with Custom Gardens LLC in the spring for a full design and installation of our front yard. We cannot wait to see everything come together, and there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that we will employ Custom Gardens' services for all of our landscaping needs moving forward.

Ellen Covner, the President of Custom Gardens, LLC, is wonderful ! ...from start to finish it was a great experience. Here is my story ...The weeds around my property were "out of control" and the plants desperately needed pruning. I have a lot of experience with landscapers, and was still looking for "the one" - I want to have a long term professional relationship with. This season I had not found anyone to date. A few days before Memorial Day weekend, I signed-up for Angie's List ..and Custom Gardens, LLC caught my eye. I liked the write-up and planned to give them a call. Well, it was Thursday (2 days before Memorial Day weekend) and I was having guests over the weekend ...my property looked terrible, so I thought why don't I give Ellen Covner (the President) a call. It was fortunate that she had an opening that Thursday afternoon. I liked Ellen immediately, she was professional, open, and a delight. While walking around my property with Ellen, I talked about what I wanted done as soon as possible (make my property look presentable) and my thoughts for the future. Ellen listened and we had a great open conversation about landscaping ...she talked about options (which demonstrated that she was knowledgeable), but said in the long run, we would collaborate to make sure I was happy with the vision. After we were finished walking around my home, we sat down in my living room, during which time Ellen clearly explained the pricing. We came to an agreement for the pricing of the first stage (which was to make my property look clean and neat), and she and her team (2 great guys) miraculously arrived at my home the next day, during which time they worked very hard and did a wonderful job. As I was home, Ellen engaged me a few times to obtain my opinion as to whether or not a certain plant was pruned to my satisfaction, and when my response was that I wanted a little more done - she was very accommodating ...it was like a partnership :-) Also, I need to mention that I also asked Ellen if she could clean my large screen-enclosed porch and furniture (there was a lot), and she said "yes", which was great, as I had so much to do to get ready for the holiday weekend. When they were finished, I was so happy with how my property looked. I plan to continue engaging Custom Gardens, LLC as my landscaper, and highly recommend Ellen and her company.

Ellen arrived as planned with 2 workers who weeded and prepared the site. I had given her general ideas about plants I like and don't like and she was free to make the specific selections. As she had explained, she set plants out and moved them around before planting, relying on her experience and creative eye rather than a pre-determined design plan. The work was done when scheduled and completed on time in about 2 days. I felt the cost of the project was fair and turned out to be well within the estimate. The new garden is a huge improvement. Many plants are small and need a few years to fill the space as I imagined it would look. The additional plantings in front of the wall are also a huge improvement in the overall appearance of the area. Ellen advised that she will replace plants that don't survive. I would definitely work with her in the future and recommend her services.

The owner made wonderful design recommendations. She is great with follow through and her people are great as well. If she can’t do it, she subcontracts and finds the best people to do this.