After my new puppy tore up my luscious but overgrown back yard, I hired Mike from Personal Gardens to help. Not only did I want an extra-ordinary design, but I needed one that might discourage my puppy from ruining the new garden too.
I would have been happy to just let Mike use his own aesthetic sense and create what he thought would be beautiful, but instead he continually asked questions about my preferences. In the end, he transformed my back yard into a truly personal garden. Now, when we go into the garden, it feels like we’ve taken a little vacation and are in a totally gorgeous and fascinating environment. We just love it.
The photos I’m including were taken when the plants were new and not yet in full glory, but they will give you an idea of how unique my personal garden is.
About Mike: He is a true artist. He can take a pile of rocks, or even just two large rocks, and in only a few minutes find a way to configure them so that they are like an intriguing sculpture. He took a piece of large pottery I already had and placed it perfectly turning it into a birdbath. He is also an excellent businessman — he promptly returns calls and emails, arrives on time, meets deadlines, makes jokes, and sticks to the budget.
And let’s not forget about the backyard neighbors! Mike made a point of contacting each of my neighbors letting them know what our plan was and getting permission to go ahead if it might affect them in any way. Neighbors on both sides were lovely and happily agreed to the changes including a new fence on one side and a repair to the fence on the other side. But, the neighbors behind me were a nightmare. Mike, however, remained patient throughout the ordeal politely dealing with them through multiple frustrating meetings, long emails filled with false and rude accusations, and unreasonable requests. Thankfully, despite them, in the end we were able to build the garden exactly as we had planned.
Over the past four years, I have renovated my entire house from the basement to the third floor. Like many renovations, much of it was a horror show including several instances of bad workmanship causing structural damage to my house, two examples of being ripped off for thousands of dollars, and at least two specialists who were a misery to deal with (one literally had tantrums and the other had an alcohol problem.) Although the work was eventually accomplished, when I look at it now, the bad memories often surface. Personal Gardens, however, has left me feeling thrilled every time I look at my gorgeous new deck, fences, and garden; not only do I appreciate it’s unique beauty, but I have wonderful memories of the whole process because Mike and his crew were all lovely people who knew exactly how to do their jobs, were a pleasure to have around, and all were happy to play with my crazy puppy. Personal Gardens is a class act and I highly recommend them.
- Approximate cost of services:
- $20,000.00