Enso Gardens Ltd.

I recently moved into a '50s bungalow with a large back yard which had been allowed to get terribly overgrown. I needed someone to tell me what to keep, what to remove, and what to trim, and then design something that delivered a calm elegance while also being relatively low maintenance.

I spoke with several landscape architects before I finally found Siuw at Enso Gardens and right away I knew she was the person I wanted. Not only was her aesthetic sense in keeping with mine, but she was so easy to work with that I knew right away that my yard was going to be totally transformed to meet my dreams.

First Siuw talked with me about my vision, and offered great suggestions. Then she did the design, and was always willing to make any change I requested, occasionally offering suggestions I hadn't thought of but were much better than my own ideas. She worked within my budget and when my dream started exceeding my finances (too easy to do!), she edited her design accordingly and totally without complaint.

Once they started working, Siuw and her crew were there every day, barring weather catastrophes. I was especially pleased to see that Siuw was working alongside the crew, not just telling them what to do and then disappearing (something others I have contracted have done). And she's a perfectionist! I have a water feature that I think she redid 3 times because it didn't look exactly as she envisioned it. Added bonus: my dogs loved her and her crew -- and they, in turn, were all wonderful with the dogs, who hung out with them for hours as they worked.

At the end, Siuw walked me through the garden completely, explained how to maintain and prune the plants, and how to decommission the water feature for winter and recommission in the spring. I'm not a great gardener on my own, but she made me feel comfortable that I can take care of this garden the way it deserves.

Overall, I couldn't be more thrilled. My back yard is totally transformed, with new plantings, including shrubs to provide privacy, a water feature, a "dry river bed" that gives a lovely focus to one side of the garden, a secondary patio at the back of the yard, and interesting focal points every direction you turn. Mine was their last job before winter so many of the plants they put in were already dormant when they were planted, which means I don't yet have the full sense of what it will look like in-season. But I can see the wonderful design and know it will be absolutely beautiful come spring. Thanks, Siuw!!