Classic Nursery & Landscape Co.

Using Classic Nursery, we made some significant changes to our landscaping last year, including outdoor lighting. The company and everyone there with whom we interacted was a joy to work with. They're creative, responsible, professional, timely, and use great communication. Our outdoor lighting recently went out when we were doing fall hedging. Classic Nursery immediately returned our call asking them if they could help and then proceeded to come out and fix it right away. We couldn't be happier with both the results and the experience.

From day one, Alan and other representatives from Classic Nursery were extremely polite, prompt, and professional. We had quite an extensive project, where we remodeled a basement room, replaced a deck, added hundreds of square feet of cement patio, installed irrigation, and reworked our landscaping. We had multiple companies doing work at the same time and Alan's team integrated perfectly with everybody else. They were able to come in at various times during the project to haul away existing materials, prepare the land, or do whatever else needed to be done before the final landscaping was put in. Not only that, but Alan actually provided invaluable assistance to us in planning other aspects of our project that weren't even landscaping related. Alan and his team were very clear on what would be provided and within specific time periods. Additionally, they came in after the project was completed to make sure we were still happy with everything and tweaked some things for free. The design that we received was wonderful and we are so happy with the outcome. The price of the work is slightly higher than other bids that you may receive, but you get what you pay for. I feel that we received extremely high quality and workmanship for the price that we paid. Also, it's important to factor in the year guarantee on any plantings into your price comparison. We have a smaller project coming up and we are using Classic Nursery again for the work. We were simply amazed and the level of customer service that Classic Nursery provided. They have won a customer for life and I would have absolutely no hesitations recommending them to anybody. I have already done so with other neighbors in our neighborhood and they have had similar experiences with Classic Nursery.

Classic Nursery was a fantastic partner in our yard project. We visited the nursery one weekend because we wanted to find a single ornamental tree to place in a newly cleared back yard space. We were immediately impressed by the level of knowledge with the staff, and decided to schedule a discussion with the landscape team. They came to our house and spent time looking at our interior decorating style, along with getting to know how we used our back yard area. Once we had a rough design in mind, they helped refine it, and provided a detailed landscape plan to help us visualize the project. The team was 100% reliable, clear in their communication, and always arrived on time. The work was done in a very professional manner, and we were kept informed of daily progress, plus the landscape crew helped us coordinate our other projects including the trenching of gas and electrical lines. The finished project is gorgeous, and we have received many compliments from neighbors. On the day of our final walk-through with the landscape designer, one of our neighbors spontaneously stopped by the say how beautiful the work turned out. I would give Classic Nursery a strong recommendation. We will definitely be working with them again on our front and side yard projects. There aren't many contractors that I would consider "partners" on projects. So many of them seem to regard customers as source of revenue and little more. Classic Nursery truly behaved as if they were doing the work for their own family, and we'll gladly invite them over to celebrate our back yard project completion once we finish building our deck later this summer. They're in demand for good reason, and it was worth every penny.

In March of 2014, we hired Classic Nursery and Landscaping to help us create a functional and enjoyable outdoor space on our lot in West Seattle. We decided to hire Mr. Burke based on reviews that we found on multiple websites, and our personal meetings with him. Please allow us to share our experiences to caution any future potential customers of Classic Nursery and Landscaping. From the very beginning, our project was plagued with blatant omissions, oversights, short-cuts and cover-ups. To this day, we, the client, are still trying to rectify the mistakes left behind by Mr Burke and his crew. We felt that there was a serious lack of communication and quality control, and discovered that Mr. Burke?s crew was extremely inexperienced, unqualified, improperly supervised and deceitful. It was an extremely frustrating experience and we are highly disappointed in this company. We understand that mistakes happen during construction, but to intentionally cover up mistake after mistake in hopes that the customer does not notice, that is not OK. It is dishonest. We write this review not as disgruntled customers, but as honest consumers who wish to share our experience with this company. Even though our experience was extremely frustrating, stressful, and disappointing, we tried to maintain an optimistic and positive attitude throughout the process. We even sent Mr Burke the occasional email during the project, thanking his crew for what we thought was a job well done, only to be thoroughly disappointed when short-cuts and cover-ups would surface. The constant and continuous buffoonery of Mr. Burke and his staff actually became quite comical to witness. So we write this review to respectfully provide a warning to the kind reader and to look past the ?excellent? customer service and the superficial front of Mr. Burke. If the kind reader is still considering to hire Mr. Burke and Classic Nursery and Landscaping as their landscaping architect/contractor, even after reading this review, we highly encourage you to explore other options. - Steve Swenson

They were very responsive, but the project itself was just too expensive for us. They were great. They were extremely helpful and gave us ideas that we could do on our own. They got back to us very quickly and was very detailed about what would need to happen. He broke down all the pricing.

I like the fact that they are very aware of the types of plants that grow in the Northwest so they did their best to use local plants. They did a really good job of making the garden fit the house. They were very professional, always on time and were within budget. My interaction with them was great. They came to my house, we had an interview with them and they presented their plan and their budget. Once we agreed upon that we met with them at the nursery and picked out the plants we wanted to put in as well as other materials. It was all very well done. I was very happy with them. The price was very good and they were always on time. They were very professional.

We initially hired this company to draw a plan for a deck and landscaping. We were so impressed that we hired them to do our landscaping! After signing a contract with them we noticed that almost 1500 dollars worth of plants from the drawing was not on the bid for an unexplained reason. Despite requests for these plants and voicing willingness to pay for them, we got a phone call the day of installation saying we had never made a plan for the back fence line where the plants were missing from. I am frustrated at the dismissive nature of this company as I have months worth of emails proving that I did address it. At one point they told us that it was hard to fit everything in to our space, however I was not asking them to follow something I had designed - I was asking them to follow something THEY had designed. If it was impossible to implement - they should not have designed it that way. I never got an answer as to why so much material was left out of the bid... it makes me think that it was an attempt to get more money from us in the end. To their credit they installed the missing plants at no charge when we voiced our frustration. However they refused to do the lighting we had agreed to in the contract, they refused to do a final walk through of the job and essentially dismissed our frustrations as 'contractor fatigue'. I will not work with them again or suggest them to friends and family. This is to their loss as I have many people who are looking to do something similar to their yards and I would have recommended.

Our backyard was a hot mess; drainage issues, grass that wouldn't grow after multiple french drains, plants that wouldn't thrive, a crane fly playground...it was ugly. Alan Burke came over for a consultation and gave us multiple solutions to ammend the situation by offering his "Good, Best and Very Best" options. He clearly had a vision for what our backyard could look like and walked us through every step. He was always available for questions, his crews were extremely professional and responsive and the result....we now have a stunning,one of a kind private oasis. We felt very comfortable leaving the implementation in his hands. We would highly recommend the services at Classc Nursery & Landscape Co.

Classic Nursery was one of the best vendors I have ever worked with. The work I contracted them for was done perfectly, and in a timely manner. My yard, which was a disaster after recent construction, is beautiful. I had no idea what I wanted but they drew up ideas with me based on my vague ideas of what I thought it should look like. Honestly, it turned out ten times better than I expected. The crew was here for a couple of weeks and they were really nice...friendly with my kids and such. Classic was very good at communicating with me about who would be there and at what times. They finished in a timely manner and were professional throughout. Not only do I love it, but my neighbors love it too. We live on a new street and Classic has taken on other jobs from neighbors who wanted to know who did ours. I don't usually write reviews, so here is why I am doing it. Classic has been really awesome for me in terms of helping me plan the rest of my yard--even beyond work they do. I wanted some fencing put in and I called Alan and he actually wrote a draft email for me so that I could get exactly the bid I wanted. Then I called him for some small maintenance jobs for our Homeowners Association. He wasn't able to do them because it was a very small job but he again wrote up what we needed and helped us find a vendor. Finally, he is helping me negotiate some permitting we need from the City. One more thing worth noting, we had some drainage issues in our garden--Classic came out three times to help me fix the issues, even though it was well beyond the scope of their work. These guys are top notch!

Work was well done except that an area that I asked to be straightened was never fixed even after multiple requests. The young man who interacted with me could have been more professional.

Came to look at my yard and give an estimate. Discussed different projects on my "wish list" and what the priority of the projects were. Discussed my budget this year for some smaller projects was $4000-4500. Estimate came back at $22,000 and had upsold everything we discussed. For example, I wanted to simply expand my concrete patio slab. Estimate came back with jackhammering out the whole patio and replacing with an intricate paver design. That was just one item. I don't trust them and would NEVER recommend them. Came across sleazy.

I would say it all went pretty well despite the terrible weather we were having at the time. I think it was pouring rain every day - not exactly pleasant working conditions. They relocated some of the existing bushes to the side of the house, excavated the front yard, amended the soil, installed a rockery and flag stone paths and then planted everything. They then mulched it all with fertil-chips - chicken manure mixed with wood chips I think. Since I am writing this review a bit late, there have been a few issues with it. For instance, some of the plants died (I think the soil was supersaturated when they were planted - not their fault) but they have a 1 year guarantee so I can get them replaced - not a problem. I just need to get over there one of these days. The only other issue is the existing soil was very poor. They did add some soil amendments but I don't think it was enough. A lot of the things aren't growing as well as they should. For instance, I planted some thorn-less blackberries in the front and there were two left over so I planted them in the back by my raspberries. The ones in back are three times the size of the ones in front. We will be continuing to fertilize everything this summer and we will start trying to build up the soil more this fall. I think that was my biggest disappointment but not something we can't take care of with time. On the positive side, the area next to the house where they transplanted some of the existing shrubs etc. from the front is an unexpected surprie. It has a tropical look to it and was absolutely gorgeous this spring. Also we appreciated their professionalism and attention to detail. Mitch, the job foreman, was very conscientious and a pleasure to work with. Both he and Sam had many wonderful suggestions which we incorporated in to our landscape. All in all, we are quite happy with the way our front yard looks and have received many positive comments from neighbors and others just driving by on how great the yard looks. We will definitely hire them again when we are ready to begin our next phase.

We got plants from Classic Nursery. They have a great collection of plants. Although they were slightly on the pricier side when compared Swamsons in Ballard, the quality of the plants so far have been great. The staff there was very helpful, courteous and took the time to explain our options. We will definitely shop there again.

You couldn't ask for more or better service. Once they were not even open. Someone had just stopped by to check something but he waited on me and was very helpful. Another time I arrived just as they were closing and they let me get the plants I needed anyway. Always the best customer service whether it is on the phone or in person. Quality of plants I purchased were excellent. Once I picked out a particular plant and they said they wouldn't sell it to me because they did not think it would live. Bravo.

Great! We could not believe all the excellent work done in spite of the torrential rains of March. Now, with the sun shining, our back and side yards are gorgeous. We plan to have them back to do our front yard next year. Sam gave us good contacts to have a new deck built and trees removed. We shopped around, but his friends had competitive pricing, knew what they were talking about and did excellent work.

I've used them before, years ago. They're good. I don't have much to compare them to. They're not cheap. They're fairly expensive but they are thorough and do a really good job. The design is good and they're knowledgeable.

We LOVED working with Guy to plan the project. I came in with a pretty fleshed out vision (complete with graph paper drawings and collages in MS Paint), and Guy listened, was very upfront about cost, very detail oriented, and he suggested several changes that made the end result look polished. We left the materials (gravel and rock) up to him, and they were perfect. He subcontracted the fence (a coincidence: we'd gotten bids already, and he already worked with the one that we thought was the most professional and came in with the lowest bid. Nice.) and I appreciated not having to coordinate between the two crews. Zero surcharge for that piece, which was really nice. We had two Classic guys and 4 fence guys do the work, they worked 4-day weeks for two weeks, and then they were done. The skid steer drivers were AMAZING to watch in action -- experts. The price was not small ($13K), but in line with other bids and I would do it again in a heartbeat. They were so easy to work with, and even a year later I don't have a single complaint. I love looking out the window and seeing our side yard, and I love walking along the path and tending to the plants. We had to do a lot of watering last summer, especially to get the big three mature plants re-established, but I anticipate a lot less this summer, we chose non-thirsty perennials (and a lot of bulbs, the tulip and daffodil show this spring was spectacular). Classic Nursery was a referral from a neighbor who worked with Guy on a truly stunning & enormous remodel. Ours was tiny and functional by comparison, but we were treated so well. (Note though, this review is for the design & landscape services. The actual nursery is terrible. I had a $50 gift certificate and it's still unspent, even after several visits I couldn't find anything I wanted to buy -- everything looked in miserable shape. For plants, I vote Molbaks or Flower World, or else trying to find bare-root plants online.)

From the very beginning with Amy, their landscape designer who not only has a keen eye for placement of plants but who also listened to my requests and needs, to Don their nursery manager who helped in many ways to make sure the plant materials I wanted were top quality and available, to Mitch the crew foreman who was hard working, knowledgeable and meticulous with the installation to the owner Alan, who has given a new meaning to the word customer service our experience has been wonderful. The expertise of the design, the plant material knowledge and the hard work and care of installation has proven Classic Nursery deserving of the praise and accolades it has received throughout the years. Customer service seems to be lacking in the service industry these days but not when you're dealing with Classic Nursery. They are a company I would be extremely happy to recommend.

They never returned my call so they must not be interested.

The model for this company is to have a supervisor interact with the customers. The supervisor and the customer agree on the work to be done. Then, the supervisor tells the workers what to do. So, you pay for a work crew and a supervisor. The supervisor mostly spends his time doing other things while the workers are doing the job. It's mostly up to you to find the problems. There were problems. The problems were fixed, mostly. Next time, I think I will use a company where the supervisor, the person who you agree on the work with, is also a worker.

This is a project we've been planning for a year. We contacted and interviewed 6-8 landscapers and am glad we stayed patient and went with Classic Nursery. They fit everything in our checklist in terms of level of detail, responsiveness, easy to communicate, value and quality of work. Other "A" rated landscapers didn't meet my list of must-haves. We have a lot size of 13,500 sq ft of which probably just under 1/3 is the front yard. We have large mature Douglas Fir trees, no grass and stone steps leading to one portion of the back of the house. We've lived in the house for two years and hadn't done any work in the front yard. It was a hodge-podge of plants and was overgrown in some areas. It was quite ugly and we wanted to create a cleaner, brighter and easier to maintain yard. Working with Classic was very easy. Unlike other landscapers they created a general plan with suggested plants before we signed a contract. They also included a 20% plant discount at their nursery which we could use for the following year. Other nice add-ons was a one year warranty (with check-ins) to make sure the yard was still healthy. They're also very open to following up on questions. We're very pleased with our front yard. It has a great mix of variation, color and ease of maintenance. We're anxious to see how it looks 12 months out once plants have matured.

We originally contacted Classic Nursery in the mid-fall. Sam Millar, a designer there, came to meet with us and discuss the project. It was clear that our initial goals were too lofty, but Sam was the only contractor who we had review the project that seemed ready to work with us on our budget and design requirements. Initially his ideas would have put us about 50% over what we wanted, but he was quick to offer alternative suggestions. He came out to the property multiple times and never complained -- by the end we were so happy with his involvement that we were happy to pay a bit more than other bids to work with him. The crew (two guys) that came out to do the work was excellent. They were dedicated and seemingly tireless and they had a great attention to the details of the work. Sam came out twice to inspect their work and make sure that we were on board with everything that was happening. They even made a few on-site design decisions that turned out to be pretty fantastic. We have an underground sprinkler system that they re-routed for us. They stacked the removed bricks neatly on our property so that we could have them for future use. Classic Nursery thought about all the details -- like which direction to slope the patio, how high to make the repaired/replaced retaining wall, how to reroute the irrigation system, and what plants to remove to make sure everything fit together in the end. Sam's attitude and customer service more than made up for a slightly higher bid price for the work, and the result is an outdoor space that we absolutely love.

They have done the first half of the work. We are waiting for a city permit to do some decking. They have been every responsive, but they have not completed the work. Sam Malar has been very flexible in choosing options like various planting options. He is good at understanding your needs.

It went great. We were communicated with well for the whole process, and we love how it turned out. It was well organized from start to finish.

They were on time and on budget. They are very resourceful. I encountered drainage problems that were caused by another contactor and they jumped right in and figured out how to correct the problem. After interviewing five other firms they stood way above the others.