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Federico Herrera Landscaping & Garden

Federico is absolutely awesome from my experience. He has  revived and reshaped my garden and made all the plants healthier. He has done slate work, and made a muddy area of my back yard much more pleasant to walk on and look at by way of  very economical compact sand surfacing, done in multiple colors (his design, far better than the design I was originally thinking of).   So far I have had two neighbors ask for his contact information.  Caveat:  his English is not great, so it helps if you speak Spanish.  Now, I like Federico so much and i really want him to succeed in his own company, so I will be happy to help translate until he can find someone he can hire for his company who can do that. You can  call him at (408) 794-5843 if your Spanish is good.  Or email him at [email protected] and I can help translate. If you are close to the corner of Hamilton & Parker you can come by and see some of ongoing work he is doing for me (206 Hamilton).   posted: 5/21/23

 

Laurie Schofield and Mary Lou Hadley - landscape designers

I hired Laurie Schofield and Mary Lou Hadley several months ago to design my front yard and backyard landscaping after several attempts to do it myself. They came highly recommended from friends in San Jose. Laurie and Mary Lou spent hours with me to make sure they understood my needs, likes, dislikes, and even my allergies before they started. Then they came up with several concepts for each area and worked with me to refine their designs for a low-maintenance, drought-tolerant landscape that looks beautiful and has interesting characteristics and color in every season.  They handed off the planting and prep plans, but didn't stop there. They gave me the names of 3 contractors who could do the installation, stopped by to check and place every plant as they arrived (multiple times for the front yard, since some plants were on back-order), and generally worked with the installation contractor throughout the process to ensure that their designs were implemented properly.  I can't believe how much time and caring they put into their work!  I trusted them completely, in fact, to work on my front yard while I was away on vacation. They are truly amazing!  

Laurie and Mary Lou have been in business together for about 5 years, so their fees are very low compared to other designers I interviewed (although I've advised them they should raise their rates!).  I strongly recommend that if you want a professional, thoughtful design that will give you pleasure for many years, hire Laurie and Mary Lou!  (cjasper - Dec 2015)

Laurie Schofield
[email protected]
650-906-0687

Mary Lou Hadley
[email protected]
650-430-9844

Ned Patchett Consulting - landscape construction

After Laurie and Mary Lou handed off the landscape designs for my front yard and backyard, I hired Ned Patchett to do the installation of the plants and irrigation. There were a few things I wanted done beyond the designs from Laurie and Mary Lou (such as vent well covers and diverting the downspouts away from the house), and Ned worked with me to work those into the plant designs. He also reused some large rocks we already had instead of disposing of everything and buying new ones. He was very flexible and collaborative with both me and the designers.

In addition, Ned suggested that we replace our 10-year-old irrigation controller with a new one that includes a solar sensor that adjusts the amount of watering done based on the weather (rain, temperature, humidity, etc) on a daily basis. We did, and I'm sure that will save both water and money in the coming years, since we also got a rebate on the equipment from the Santa Clara Water District. After Ned installed the backyard landscaping and solar sensor, I decided to have him convert the rest of my irrigation (side yard and courtyard) from sprinklers to a drip system, so he took care of that, too, while working front and back yards.

Ned's crew is always working on multiple projects at once with a lot of mixing and matching going on. So while he was waiting for something to be delivered to me, his crew would work somewhere else for a few days and then come back and finish as things got delivered. He did work with me on scheduling things I wanted to be around for - things where a decision needed to be made or where I had something to say about placement. Other than that, I just gave him access to my yard and trusted him to come and go as he saw fit. So if you hire him, be aware that his crew's schedule is a little crazy so you're not frustrated by the coming and going. And I do recommend that you hire him!  He's very nice to work with and does a very professional job. His crew has told me they like the sense of completion, so there will be nothing left unfinished and no details overlooked. (cjasper - Dec 2015)

Ned Patchett Consulting
Certified Arborist WE-4597A
[email protected]
650-400-0020

Astrid Gaiser

I highly recommend Astrid Gaiser. She is a local MLN resident and a very talented landscape designer. She is very organized in her work and detail oriented. Her project always look so polished and well thought out. She listens well to what your vision is for the property and will give critical feedback and pull all aspects (style, cost, size, cohesion, utility of space, etc.) together so beautifully.  Its amazing!  She can do it all! :) 
www.astridgaiser.com. (Recommended by Katharine Turkle 9/2014)

T. K. Landscapes

We recently used T. K. Landscapes for our front yard: pavers/stone work, irrigation, replacing trees, and all other landscaping related jobs. Tony and his screw had done a great job with reasonable price. I'm very happy with him. Let me know if you want his info. (650) 444-3235. (Recommended by Hien Do 9/2014)

We called Tony and he was able to come out the next day and remove the sod in our backyard.  His crew did a great job and was quick.  The price was reasonable.  I will definitely be calling Tony when we decide to plan out our new landscaping/patio.  Tony also mentioned that he is finishing up a large job for another Monta Loma resident just a few blocks away (Recommended by Ted Lohman, Mardell Way 5/2015)

Lois Miller

I've used Lois Miller for the design.  She can recommend contractors she has used.  http://www.loismillergardendesign.com/. (Recommended by Caeli Collins 9/2014)

Jana Warren - Warren Garden Maintenance

 

UPDATE Sep 2015 from Jana Warren:  "I retired in July, and will shortly be leaving this area.   If you know who posted me, I would really appreciate your letting them know that I am no longer available.   I thank you for your interest and wish you well in your gardening endeavor."

 

(408) 739-2931 or (408) 470-0619 (cell phone) 
[email protected] 
posted 5/14/11 by Ken Victor

Jana's speciality is fine gardening. However, additionally, she is handling all my yard maintenance for now (using some of my tools that she doesn't normally own or need for fine gardening). She is very thorough and quick, and is pleasant, on-time, and responsive to both phone and email communications. I find her rates to be very reasonable and competitive.

Gilberto Aparicio - Yosh Landscaping

(408) 202-6605 - posted 5/13/11

This man is a master of landscaping. He has done dozens of yards for me, and made 100% of my clients happy. He not only has a competent work crew and a fantastic work ethic, he is also an artist and can envision how a yard will look to bring out its best. He does brand new yards, sprinkler systems, fences, patios, sidewalks, driveways, cleaning up an overgrown yard, and regular weekly maintenance. He honors his work and will come back if there is a problem or concern.

Pat Jordan

Comment April 5, 2012 - Re: Gilbert Aparicio & Yosh Landscaping 
I could not find a CA license (or any internet information) for this person or company. Thus, I contacted him directly today and extracted a few details that would be helpful to anyone considering using his services. Gilberto works with (? or for) Fantastic Bay Builders Inc. (CA Lic 887432; General Building, HVAC, Plumbing and Electrical licenses), which does business as Yosh Enterprises. Yosh Enterprises also has a Class B General Building Contractor License (#922418), but no specialty licenses. If Mr. Aparicio schedules an appointment with me to discuss my project, as he promised, I'll learn more about the landscaping portion on this operation. Contrary to the above post, Mr. Aparicio said he does not do small jobs and requires a detailed plan/drawings to work from. Based on PJ's comments, I was not expecting such a response. 
GMason - Thompson Ave

Abel Gonzalez

650.321.4126, 650.218.5285, pleasant, friendly, does a good job.

Andres Gonzalez

(650) 315-5285 (updated phone number 2/28/12), friendly, capable, fluent in English, works for many MLN families.

Note added 6/17/05 (cjasper) - I hired Andres a couple of months ago on the recommendation of several neighbors, and he's great! First he cleared away a lot of the very overgrown vines that my previous gardeners couldn't keep up with (Heather and friend, also recommended by neighbors, but I found her to be slow and expensive). He's been doing maintenance every other week since then (about a month) and is really good. He listened to what I told him about how I like things trimmed but natural looking, and he understood and is doing the right thing. My yard looks great! Andres' rates are very reasonable, and he and his helper are keeping up with everything in a reasonable amount of time. I highly recommend him!

UPDATE: Andres is still doing my gardening, and I'm still very happy with him! Feb 2012

We are very pleased with the work Mr. Gonzalez did trimming a very overgrown rose vine on our arbor gate. He was thorough, careful and did a great clean-up job. We would highly recommend him. (Julie and Doug, corner of Whitney and Anna, Feb. 2014)

Antonio Bedolla Gardening

408-924-0591, friendly, capable, fluent in English, works for many MLN families.

We've been very happy with Antonio for several years now. He takes care of our yard monthly but has also done projects such as installing sprinklers and planting Japanese maples. Julie on Nita (updated 7/25/06 jbaher)

Cesareo Romero

408-930-9467. Cesareo is very friendly, fluent in English, works for some other MLN families, works hard, and offers reasonable prices. (recommended by D. Ragade)

UPDATE: Cesareo's current number is 408-966-2534 (Sonya R.)

Dave Raphael, Cal-Native Landscaping (650) 341-2333

Dave was recommended to me by a neighbor who actually did not hire him. I hired him to redesign and landscape my courtyard because his aesthetics are aligned very closely with mine, and his price was fair and reasonable. He came and gave me an estimate within a few days of my first call to him. Then he virtually disappeared (didn't reply to my emails or return my phone calls) for a few weeks. Eventually, I left him a message saying that I'd done the prep he asked me to do (remove all the trees and plants) and was ready for him. He called me one night and said he had a sudden break in his schedule and could start the next morning, which he did. We're about half a day away from completion, and I'm VERY pleased! Have a look at the process on my web site, if you want. Dave's part starts in the middle of this page. To see the "before" pictures, look here. Posted by cjasper - 12/3/06

Low-maintenance garden beds

• Landscape Design by Bette, 949-4483 - Was very helpful, designed a pretty garden, various colors and textures.

• My gardener is great, and I'm pretty sure he'd do this for you. If it's a one-time thing (he'll get it done and you'll maintain it), he'll probably do it on a weekend. If it's a maintenance thing, he'll schedule you during the week and come every week, every two weeks, or whatever you want. The best news is that he charges $20/hour, which I think is very reasonable. Here's his info (which is also on the wiki): Andres Gonzalez 315-5285

• We use Job Lopez and whatever crew he sends are always great to work with. His cell phone number is (650) 520-9097. Tell him exactly what you need him for and he will tell you whether he and his crew can meet your need. He is a great guy to work with.

John Jacky

650-269-2120 - 650-838-0743 - Same day service -References from your neighborhood upon request.

Specializing in Eichler and Eichler-like Roofs 
Will Clean Roofs and Gutters 
Rake and clear any debris 
Flush drains-drain spouts-gutters 
Replace down spout traps 
Control standing water 
Prune/Trim any over hanging limbs, ect 
Distribute high-low gravel 
Electric leaf blower 
Clean-up

John is my gardener and has done a wonderful job, I would recommed him highly to anyone. 
Sheila Smelser on Thaddeus Dr.

Gilberto Ontiveros

650.306.0268

We started using Gilberto's crew because they mow the lawn next door to us. The guys are always friendly, thorough and efficient. They will do as much or as little as you want them to do. They show up every week on the same day/time. We don't have a lot of landscaping, but a neighbor/friend also uses them and said Gilberto is very knowledgeable about various plants, how to care for and trim them. 
Tonya B, Mardell Way, posted June 2010, but using Gilberto since summer 2008