--- title: "Mystical Landscapes — Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers | Houzz" canonical_html_url: https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/mystical-landscapes-pfvwus-pf~1736964544 markdown_url: https://www.houzz.com/md/professionals/pf~1736964544.md entity_type: LocalBusiness business_name: "Mystical Landscapes" category: ["Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers"] image: https://st.hzcdn.com/fimgs/eb5335b30170f111_3231-w400-h400-b0-p0--.jpg address: "SAN RAFAEL, California 94901, United States" phone: "(415) 455-9161" website: http://www.MysticalLandscapes.com rating: 4.5 review_count: 19 best_of_houzz_awards: 4 followers: 32 last_updated: 2026-09-21 --- # Mystical Landscapes Original Houzz profile: [Mystical Landscapes](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/mystical-landscapes-pfvwus-pf~1736964544) ## Professional summary - **Primary category:** Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers - **Location:** SAN RAFAEL, CA - **Serves:** San Rafael, Novato, Mill Valley, Larkspur, San Anselmo, Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, Corte Madera, Tiburon, Kentfield, Sausalito, Lucas Valley-Marinwood, Santa Venetia, Marin City, Montalvin, Sleepy Hollow, Ross, Belvedere, Fairfax, Lagunitas-Forest Knolls, Woodacre, Bolinas, Alto, Stinson Beach, Muir Beach, San Geronimo, Belvedere Tiburon, Forest Knolls, Greenbrae, San Quentin - **Houzz rating:** 4.5 out of 5 (19 reviews) - **Best of Houzz:** 4 awards (2014–2024), for Service. ## About ### Houzz Badges - Star Houzzer - Recommended on Houzz - 1,000 Ideabook Saves Design and build all aspects of landscaping with specialty expertise in integrating landscaping with the construction process of a home, healing gardens featuring large crystals and heavy equipment operations. ### Services Provided - Landscape Design - Garden Design - Hardscaping - Landscape Plans - Patio Design - Drought Tolerant Landscaping - Site Planning - Pool Landscaping - Custom Water Features - Outdoor Lighting Design - Project Management - Organic Gardens - Pond Construction - Edible Gardens - Custom Bocce Ball Courts - Living Walls - Artificial Living Walls - Green Roofing - Fence Installation & Repair - Landscape Design and Installation ### Areas Served - San Rafael - Novato - Mill Valley - Larkspur - San Anselmo - Tamalpais-Homestead Valley - Corte Madera - Tiburon - Kentfield - Sausalito - Lucas Valley-Marinwood - Santa Venetia - Marin City - Montalvin - Sleepy Hollow - Ross - Belvedere - Fairfax - Lagunitas-Forest Knolls - Woodacre - Bolinas - Alto - Stinson Beach - Muir Beach - San Geronimo - Belvedere Tiburon - Forest Knolls - Greenbrae - San Quentin ## Business Details | Field | Value | | --- | --- | | Business Name | Mystical Landscapes | | Address | SAN RAFAEL, California 94901, United States | | Phone | (415) 455-9161 | | Website | http://www.MysticalLandscapes.com | | License Number | 867549 | | Followers on Houzz | 32 | ## Contact - **Houzz profile:** [Mystical Landscapes](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/mystical-landscapes-pfvwus-pf~1736964544) - **Website:** http://www.MysticalLandscapes.com - **Phone:** (415) 455-9161 ## Credentials **Certifications & Awards** - Marin Water District ET certification. Crystal Award at the San Francisco flower and Garden Show - **Best of Houzz:** 4 awards (2014–2024), for Service. ## Reviews **Overall rating: 4.5 out of 5 — 19 reviews** *Aspect averages:* - Work Quality: 50.0 - Communication: 47.0 - Value: 47.0 ### Reviews **★★★★★ — Lauren Lee, April 2023** > I was very pleased with the work done by Mystical Landscapes. We had a project with retaining walls, a drainage system, stone pathways, a small patio, and some tree planting, as well as repair and programming of our irrigation system, among other things. It completely transformed our yard and improved our living space, due in no small part to Dane's artistic vision and his meticulous management of his staff. > > He gave a very clear breakdown of costs in the beginning that was above what I received from other landscapers. He gave options to reduce cost as I saw fit. He gave suggestions that improved the visual harmony of the yard, instead of simply meeting base requests. I ended up adding other improvements as the project went on because I was so pleased with the ongoing work and his transparent cost breakdowns. > > I particularly liked how we were able to repurpose elements of the landscaping to other areas of the yard, instead of simply throwing things away. It made me feel like we made the best possible use of our budget. Overall, I'm very pleased and will be contacting Dane again for future landscaping projects, as well as recommending him to friends. **★★★★★ — Katy A Leonard, April 2023** > Dane and crew worked with us on an extensive home back and front yard remodel project that included the removal of a large fountain and koi pond, hillside planting, and pool tiling work. Dane’s priority is client satisfaction from beginning to end. We did not know what we wanted or what was possible with our project. He helped us hone our design aesthetic and came up with a plan that was both beautiful and practical for our needs. When challenges came up, as they always do, Dane pivoted design changes as needed while keeping us on budget. Dane also reuses materials as much as possible, such as using excavated dirt from the backyard in the front yard to save us money. Dane's crew is reliable and easy to work with, and we were happy to have them at our home. One of our main priorities was good communication. Dane and his team were always reachable. Even a year and a half later, we could contact Dane with any questions about our project and know he would be happy to help. We love how our project turned out and enjoy it so much whenever we look out our windows. **★★★★★ — Suzanne Kanner, Aug. 2021** > We are more than satisfied with our backyard landscaping project with Mystical Landscapes. The entire process of the project from planning with Dane, seeing its smooth execution and completion was a pleasure. Dane's many years of experience were very evident in every aspect of the project. He listened to our ideas and gave excellent advice on what would work best esthetically and practically, always informing us of cost options during the planning phase. His crew was very professional and friendly. He started the project on time and completed it right on schedule. We are very happy with our beautiful new yard, enjoying it everyday. When our neighbor saw it he said it should be in Sunset magazine! **★★★★ — Jesse Goranson, Sept. 2020** > I worked with Dane on a medium sized project and a few smaller consulting projects. Dane was able to guide us through the articulation of what we wanted from each project. In the larger project that goal was creating a family play space for a pool table that would be a major extension of our outdoor space. He also consulted on improving our entryway, and on sprucing up a small deck area off our kitchen. > > I appreciated Dane’s flexibility in how he worked with us. He had two modes of work: one was consulting, where he presented ideas and thoughts on options for what we could do, and the second was as general contractor where he did the work. While most folks we have worked with are presenting ideas with the idea of selling you on the contracting work, Dane was perfectly fine giving his ideas away and letting us choose if we wanted to do the work with him, do it on our own, or find other options. > > I can recommend Dane’s consulting work, which we leveraged several times and plan to **★★★★ — Bruce and Sandy Smith, Nov. 2019** > Believe it or not , we found Mystical Landscapes on Craigslist and continue to be amazed @ the overall transformation of our steep, uninteresting backyard. Owner, Dane Rose was quick to grasp our wishlist: patio to join several awkward areas, pathways to connect each side of the house, deer-resistant plants and a 20' x 40' flat "play area" for friends and family to enjoy. The project was completed efficiently, well within the planned timeframe. There was some miscommunication as to the size of the patio as Dane's drawings are conceptual rather than precise. His contract was both detailed and concise with payment due dates. **★★★★★ — Kuei-Ling Pomerleau, Sept. 2019** > Bravo to Mystical Landscapes! They did a great job in restoring our garden this summer. Dane Rose, the owner, was very knowledgeable and professional. Together with his wife Jan, the project went smoothly and was completed on time at the highest level of quality. They not only brought life and colors to our garden, but also created a truly mystical garden for us. We highly recommend Mystical Landscapes. **★★★★★ — sansj H, April 2017** > I found Dane and Mystical Landscapes because I admired another garden he installed in my neighborhood. I had a general idea of what I wanted to do with my garden, but Dane improved my ideas and put them into action. He provided a fair quote, an ambitions timeline and creative design/installation ideas. Dane kept me involved throughout the design and installment process. When something was not exactly what I thought it would be, I would mention it to Dane and he would address it immediately with his crew. Communication was easy and honest. Dane was extremely responsive when I had an issue with the new irrigation system coming immediately to fix it. Dane provided what we agreed on and delivered the project on time. I have already recommended Dane to a neighbor and would not hesitate to recommend him again. **★ — Sylvia Stowell, March 2017** > Dane is shockingly unprofessional. As a non-profit children's preschool, we were over-the-moon to hire him. Our teachers and families, alike, were so excited to see to our outdoor garden and play area transformed by his ideas. He had some wonderful ideas but they never came to fruition. After we hired him, signed our contract and paid half the contract amount, he became increasingly hard to get ahold of. On the few occasions he did show up to work, he arrived late in the day, stayed for an hour or two, then left. His attitude became unsavory: boasting that our $5,000 contract was beneath him, unlike the $100,000 jobs he claimed to book. We expected our project to be finished by the agreed date of Friday, March 17, 2017. Instead, we were left in the lurch. He left many unfinished projects including: installing our sound garden, completing a sandbox, and finishing a multi-level sail shade structure. And to add insult to injury many of the things left undone were unsafe for our students. > > Today, when he arrived to work, at 2:30pm, he walked out on his contract. After he quit, we asked him to leave. To our surprise, he refused. We asked him repeatedly to leave, and he continued to loiter, saying: "Go ahead and call the police." So we did. > San Rafael arrived and escorted Dane off campus. **Comment from Mystical Landscapes:** > Hello Sylvia and Readers, > > I am sorry when any client does not feel delighted with us. Sylvia is not happy and that means I failed. I made a number of choices that played into this and I've taken some time to examine what I could have done differently. If you are a home-owner and want to avoid tension with your contractor, I invite you to read on and avoid any of these pitfalls with your designer/installer: > > 1\) I think the first mistake I made was trying to save Sylvia money at the expense of a thorough design process. I loved the idea of helping kids and although I had no business desire to try and transform a playground for $5,000. it seemed like one of the most exiting design challenges to try and make that money go as far as possible. So rather than spending 4-6 hours getting to know Sylvia and the kids and site, I did the consultation in two hours. I think this was a mistake because it did not allow enough trust/rapport to build with Sylvia prior to doing the work. > > 2\) My second mistake was designing a free material to save Sylvia money without first securing that material and verifying that it was free: I assumed that it would be easy to get a tree company to deliver a truck of logs for free for a daycare and, based on that assumption, gave a bid that included me doing work with logs with zero money allotted to finding or delivering the logs. This turned into our project bane: Starting two weeks before the project we called all the tree companies at least three times and no one wanted to bring the logs. I kept Sylvia informed of this process and told her not to worry: I would, at my own expense, go and get logs in our trucks and deliver them at no charge. We did this but still, to my surprise, ran out of available logs. This became a bigger block than normal because the job was so small there was nothing much to do. At full speed we would have completed the job in three days. But with the shortage of logs (I know, it's hard to believe with all the tree work going on) I worked several half-days hoping we would get logs the next day or the next. I started my next job, and told Sylvia that I would be back as soon as their were logs. It was the 14th and our contract said we would be done by the 17th and I still felt confident we could find logs within that time-frame and do our last day. > > 3\) Sylvia had not given me her cell phone and when I called the University of Play sometimes she was there, sometimes she was not and she had to be called by a staff member. I don't think we would have had the misunderstanding we had if I had gone through this process and spoken with her directly on the phone more often. Instead, I chose to send e-mails which were faster but I suspect allowed her questions, which might have come out in normal conversation about schedule etc. to go unanswered without my realizing that there was any tension (e-mail is never as good as in person or on the phone). > > 4\) Another thing I could have handled better was an awkward moment in which Sylvia called from about 30' "What do you think about getting some more umbrellas." Since the only reason I had not designed more umbrellas was to stay within her stated $5,000. budget and she seemed to want to spend more now, I said > "Sure." > "How many do you think we could use." > "At least 15" > I thought she meant for the future but she said > "Ok. I'll buy them," and walked further away. I should have run after her and clarified two things: > 1\) Are you expecting me to hang these? > 2\) Do you want to know the cost, if so, for my labor, before you buy them? I did neither. > I was uneasy about this gray area but I was busy working and she was walking away busy. Normally, a client does not assume that if they buy a new item not in the contract that I will install it for free. I say in my contract "any changes will be penciled in" and address the importance of this. I had by no means agreed to put these up at no charge and she was perfectly capable of doing the work herself or with staff if she did not want to pay me. Later, I sent an e-mail stating that she could put them up herself or I would charge her $350. This was with a $100. discount because I knew she did not have a lot of money and I felt a bit off with the ambiguity. She replied that I should have told her at the point she had ordered them that there would be a charge to put them up and said she did not want to do it herself and would only pay me $200. > > Knowing that we were doing a lot on this job for a discounted price and I had told her that and that I had already bought and installed an umbrella not in the contract, I felt very uncomfortable with the insistence that we do more for less. I agreed to her $200. even as I realized I would need to buy $60. in rope and go buy it to install them. It would be another item done below cost. > > 5\) When writing my contract I left the sound-garden and vegetable garden as undefined items. During our meeting Sylvia told me that she could get lots of donations from her parents and I made a list of things that would be useful to the project. "Rather than spelling this out in detail, let's see what get's donated. I want to use as many free items as possible so your money will go further." Without knowing Sylvia well, writing these line items without much detail (to allow for the spontaneity of donations), became a friction point when Sylvia, a month after I had given her a list of things to ask her parents for, did not present anything. Instead she e-mailed me a photo of an elaborate sound garden where just the materials would have cost $850. with no room for the many hours of labor. She said "I want this," which left me in the awkward situation of explaining why it would not be anything like that. > > 6\) My next choice was to bring all this to Sylvia's attention in a long detailed recording: Why we had agreed to leave the contract vague, that I had given a list of things that would be helpful, and that in general I was not happy that after giving more for this job in discounts and freebies she was using all the gray areas to ask for more - much more - than I could do for the budget. I felt it was important to re-state our intentions, agreements and what I could do or I would end up paying to do the job. At the same time she said that she was getting ready to hire me for stage two. I felt I needed to explain to her that if she was not thankful for the upgrades, demanded free stuff be delivered on her schedule, was angry and wanted more than agreed that there would not be any second round. > > This is where I made another mistake: I still wanted to be involved because it was quite fun to be around the kids and see their enjoyment. But I was not going to sign another contract if my generosity was used. So rather than just thinking that to myself, I spelled this out, which pissed Sylvia off rather than leading to any understanding. I wanted to say "please understand we are doing more for you than any other client and this is not about money - this is the smallest job we have done in years." But Sylvia heard "We don't care about you and you are not worth our time." I think my mistake may have been to try and say anything at all by e-mail, rather than in person and without understanding what feelings were present. > > 7\) When Sylvia listened to my recording she replied that she just wanted to "get the damn job done." I was feeling quite stressed at this point because for some reason our contract due date did not seem to be what Sylvia was referencing. She was impatient and irritated, despite our contract saying it would be done in several days and all our communication about the log issue. I had told her we had spent $600. on our dime, had put in three free fruit trees, had fixed all the leaks in her irrigation at no charge and that we were simply waiting for logs to be available so that we could deliver them free of charge and complete the work. This left me quite alarmed at finding myself with my angriest client, someone who seemed unable to acknowledge any of the extras, and the client who was getting the most discounts for the smallest job all so I could have fun hanging around these kids. She told me she wanted to see me the next day, regardless of the availability of logs, and finish everything else that day. This was not convenient because it was much more efficient for me to supervise the logs while doing the sound garden myself, but I could tell she was quite upset and I never want a client to be upset about a garden or hiring me. So I agreed. > > 8\) The emotion in the air was so palpable it seemed like the best thing to do was to go over everything remaining in detail if we were to proceed so there would be no further chance of conflict. I'm sure you know that feeling when someone is upset and anything at all will set them off. So I did not want there to be anything at all. I knew that in a project this creative and unusual (a sound garden without any drawings using materials I had not seen prior to bidding it) that she could tear holes in everything I did if she wanted to. The question in my mind was: "Is there any way that we can see that we are not the enemy here and that I am actually doing my best and more than most for less money out of good will. Or was I just going to be shouted at. The meeting did not go well. Sylvia was upset about everything and after I listened to her complaints for 10 minutes and apologized for all her feelings, I expressed my issue which was that she had not acknowledged my e-mail and seemed unable to listen, as well as talk. She immediately walked off, refusing to participate in the conversation further, leaving her staff to talk to me. Then she argued with what I and her staff talked about but again refused to talk to me and more importantly, to listen to anything I wanted her to understand. > > 9\) Sylvia had told me "I will make it my life mission to get back at you and yelp you to hell." Obviously I wanted nothing more to do with the job and was in shock. However, I had erected a tall pole that still had three remaining guy ropes to secure it. I felt that even given my feelings and her stated intention to hurt me, that it would be irresponsible to leave the pole in it's present condition in a children's playground. So I told her I would be completing that for that reason at no charge and she initially said "fine." But then, as I was tying the first guy rope she walked up and asked me to sign a contract that would refund her $500. of the $2,500. amount she had paid, that would stop all work now and a few other sentences she had drawn up by hand. "Sign this now," she stated. I explained that I was busy tying the ropes and that I wanted to talk more amiccably and review her language. But she would not listen and insisted that I sign her hand written note at that moment. I said that I was happy to either talk if she would listen or review it later but that I wanted to complete the work on the pole. I'm not sure how I would handle this differently and fortunately it's a very unusual thing so I hope I'm never in this situation again. > > 10\) When I did not sign the contract on the spot Sylvia then said that my energy was too negative for her children and she needed me to leave. Ignoring the fact that she had just promised to devote her life to grinding me into the dust or the fact that the kids and I had been happily chatting, I explained that this would probably be my last time on the job site, that the pole needed additional guy ropes and that I had come here today because she had demanded that I do these very things. I was concerned for the kids, her and my liability if this did not get attended to. That's when she said she would call the police. I asked her to do so. I met the officer at the curb, showed him the pole and said that it was not fully safe and I was concerned for the children. The officer suggested I contact the school district if I was worried about it but said it was not his job to protect the kids, only to keep the peace. I asked him to affirm my concerns to Sylvia that she was putting her kids in jeopardy. She told the officer she would complete the work herself and he captured that on camera. So while I'm not fully happy leaving it that way, I am happy I did all I could given Sylvia's resistance. > > 11\) Next came the choice of what to do next? I've never felt so much rage coming at me in 24 years from anyone, let alone a client. Yet she was obviously upset and I had made some poor calls along the way or we would not have ended up here. I think Sylvia is correct when she said that I was not as professional as I often am. I think that I treated her more as a friend/colleague when I thought it was clear that I was doing the project and some of the work as a gift because I wanted to help and because I thought it would be fun. It's easy to think that this was a mutual awareness, but clearly it was not. It's rarely a good idea to tell a client about their mistakes, yet I thought it would allow the relationship to continue smoother if I let Sylvia know how she could change behaviors that would allow me to be OK with signing another contract at the same discount. Instead, I did behave unprofessionally by pointing out areas I felt she was abusing the good will and contract both to get more for less. > > 12\) I did invite her to follow our contract, using an independent arbiter from the better business bureau, but have not heard back that she is willing to do so. Since she will not respond to any of this in writing or verbally a mediator is the only way to calm emotions down, but perhaps only if the mediator agreed with all her points. Yelp and other review sites are a great way for angry customers to vent their frustrations without having to listen so I hope there is some relief for Sylvia and some catharsis. And for me and everyone else, I think it's beneficial to look at what can go wrong in a professional relationship, and how easy it can be for small things to become big when we are experiencing moments of high stress and see things a bit differently. There are great protocols, such as "non-violent communication," but as always it requires two people to have the skill and willingness to employ them, and the patience and good will to hang in there. I think Sylvia truly believes that I don't care about her or her project and that this means I needed to do more to share my real feelings in a way she could relate to. > > I've already decided to stop doing discounts, or shortening the design process even for good causes, because I find that it makes it more likely I'll treat someone like a friend and not a client and the data is telling me that that does not work. Thank you for reading and I hope that your project goes smoother because I've outlined this in as much detail as I have so that you can see how small things, when one or both parties are stressed, become a source of further distress. > > Best Wishes, > > Dane **★★★★★ — Rob Pavey, July 2016** > We hired Dane to landscape our front yard. We moved in 2 years before and had a very overgrown yard that sloped steeply from the house down to the street. The old yard had some old, ineffective retaining walls made from pressure treated wood. > > We talked with several landscape designers before deciding on Dane. Dane has a refreshing approach to understanding what the customer wants and presenting alternative ideas. Dane has great communication skills. He helped talk us through the potential costs and was focused on spending money on the things that would give us the most pleasure. He came up with a design idea of using boulders rather than retaining walls which really appealed to us (both the appearance and its durability). Dane's style is to have a fairly loose design - rather than focusing on creating detailed plans. Since he does the design and the work he can adjust the design ideas as the project progresses. We went with Dane to the nursery to select plants with a list of plants that we like and made adjustments while we were there. Similarly Dane and I drove together to the stone provider to select the boulders. > > Dane is experienced in the use of heavy machinery and is able to do large scale jobs quickly. Once the on-site work commences he likes to work on that one job with his crew until it is complete - our job was finished in 1 week. This is great in that we did not have to wait with an incomplete job while he worked with other clients. But you do have to be available during the job to give input if you want to make design choices as the work progresses quickly. > > We are extremely pleased with the finished yard and have had many compliments from the neighbors about the new look. We are excited to see how it grows in over the next year or so. > > The finished project included: Regrading the front yard and placing about 20 large boulders, > installing a new irrigation system (with a hi-tech controller that now control the back yard also), planting the yard with a mixture of ornamental grasses and other water-wise plants that we selected, repairing some old subsidence damage to the front steps to the house by doing new brickwork. Dane was very capable of adapting to unforeseen circumstances such as a water line to the house needed to be repositioned. He is a man of many talents. > > Dane has written two books on Landscaping in Marin which we found very useful when deciding what we wanted in our new yard. > > Four photos below: Before, During and After (2) **★★ — Wendy Sadeh, June 2016** > Dane is a mixed bag. He has a wonderfully creative mind, but his execution was lacking. He brought several unique design elements to the project, where if executed well they would have been amazing. > > We had several large communication failures. We wanted a colorful garden and got a fairly average succulent garden. His lump sum contract means that you have to just trust that you will love those high level line items. In actuality you have no idea what you are getting till it is done, if you love it then you will be happy, if you don't you are stuck. In our case lump sum meant if he went over in one area he skimped in another to even out costs. So we paid a huge premium for a potted plant area that was poorly executed. Even though his contract is lump sum he will itemize costs. Where I could confirm the costs he listed, they were 50-150% marked up and he "charged" tax on the marked up value. I found this to be a poor value. > > Here is my review on a scale of 1-10: > > Finished Job on Time 10 > Creativity 8-9 > Small Equipment Operator 8-9 > Execution of Ideas 4 > Quality of work 3 > Communication Skills 3 > Attention to detail 2 > Value relative to results 2 **Comment from Mystical Landscapes:** > Hello Wendy and All, > > Any time I have a dissatisfied client, there is a breakdown on all sides. Usually there was not enough communication to insure that the client fully understands and can digest the details of what will happen and buys into it, prior to implementation. In this case the derailment started early. I was called out to design a fence after signing a contract and, having done that and other things, sent Wendy a bill. She didn't want to pay it. I don't like conflicts so I offered her a refund on her deposit and the chance to work with another contractor. She decided to pay the bill and said she thought things would go smoothly from here. I know that the right fit is important in a client relationship so I would much rather disengage than have any tension if I am not the one for any reason. > > When we bought plants, set plants out and bought pots and set these out, Wendy was with me each step of the way, looking at the options. Because she had resented paying for design, I gave her a few hours at my expense and did not push for extra design time that might have insured that we were more in sync. I had given her a copy of both my books prior to beginning, which go into great detail about my approach to working. In this case, reflecting my strengths, the job was done on time, despite several last minute requests to expand the project. All work was done for the agreed price. Looking back, some items took more time than I thought they would and some items took less. I've never been the high bidder for a total project bid in my career, so I encourage clients not to focus on the fact that some items will be over priced in retrospect and some will be under-priced. It all balances out. > > Wendy told me she was happy with the plants she selected at the nursery, at the pots she and I selected selected, and at the layout when I set the pots out. But as the days have gone by it seems as if she has changed her mind, and her satisfaction has turned to dissatisfaction. This is unfortunately a very difficult thing for a designer to remedy. If a client communicates a reluctance to pay for design, gives clear verbal "yes" and then changes their mind later, it's not balanced for me to pay to undo and then re-do work that has already been agreed to and completed. When I asked Wendy why she had said "yes" to things she did not really like, she told me she wanted to give my artistic eye freedom to do something great. But that's the problem: I do like what we did. But Wendy does not and her preferences are what really count since it's her garden. The only way for me to know what a client likes is if they honestly tell me. I talk about this extensively in my books so I felt some dismay hearing that she had ignored this and had not asserted her own taste. No designer can know what a given client will like without clear and consistent input. I had Wendy rank each plant 1-10 and picked plants she rated 7 or higher. It does not get much clearer than that and this works better than a formal drawing 95% of the time. > > I have invited Wendy to tell me what would have needed to happen in the process for her to give a 10 to each of these numbers. She has not responded and I do not know how I could have done more without either charging her less than any other client or charging her for more design time that she did not want to pay for. Since she gave me a 2 out of 10 for overall value and she spent $50k, presumably she would give me a 10 if I had done everything for $10k instead of $50k. But naturally I can't do that if the materials alone cost more than twice that. We took out a huge stand of 4" wide bamboo, extended the driveway, did an artistic fence, foux painted retaining walls, and amended front and back garden, graded and built berms, mulched, irrigated, added lighting and planted for that. > > Wendy, I do regret that you are not fully satisfied. I also encourage you to explain what you would have needed to happen to give 10 numbers for all categories since if there is a way that you could have been satisfied without charging you less than everyone else, I naturally want to know about it. Your work was done on time, for the agreed price, with $1,000 in un-billed extras and with your buy-in at every step. You paid the final bill as agreed. That was not enough to satisfy your sense of value. I really wanted to make you as happy as most of my clients and I treated you the same way as I treat everyone. > > With good wishes, > > Dane **★★★★★ — Nic Butowski, Dec. 2015** > Dane transformed our steep hill into a usable, functional, and beautiful front yard. He and his crew were efficient, finishing ahead of schedule and under budget. Dane's creative process was seamless with attention to details we would never have thought of but were so happy he did. We look forward to hiring him again in the near future for the back yard. We've done a ton of work to our house and this was the absolute best experience. **★★★★★ — HU-1516106, Aug. 2015** > After searching for a while, Dane was my first choice in contractors to help me transform an uninteresting back yard with a water thirsty lawn into a meditative temple garden. I was not disappointed. The transformation was a success! > > His experience was evident as he listened and then made suggestions. His demeanor is respectful, humble, and honest. He was a very open and creative collaborator, ever mindful of his client’s vision. I always felt that he truly wanted the finished product not only to be a pleasing landscape design, but also to be something that would thrive and that could be appreciated for years to come. > > His broad range of experience and knowledge were evident as he and his crew tackled the multiple aspects of the project from deconstruction, construction, soil amendments, drainage and plantings. Everything was completed in a timely and professional manner. > > He more than met my expectations. ## Selected projects - [Victorian Charm](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/victorian-charm-pj-vj~1107268) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 2 - Description: This garden was commissioned for an elderly mother by her daughter. The goal: give the mother a magical place to hang out in for her last years of good health. The daughter’s primary value was to do things right the first time and never have to replace or repair things. The pictures shown to me by the client in the design stage were in a style that I call Victorian Cottage Charm: white picket fences, beautiful flowers, and a little whimsical. I was initially asked what I thought about the idea o… - [Zen Garden](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/zen-garden-pj-vj~1238011) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 16 - Description: The goals were: -Reduce water by eliminating the lawn. -Create something subtle, yet dramatic, to frame the main view. -Lower maintenance. -Create a context for her to rake the gravel in the tradition of the Buddhist monks in Japan. We kept the plant design extremely simple, in keeping with Zen style: -Rubus Pentalobus is the main plant, serving as ground-cover. -Dark green Irish moss forms the green ground-cover around the stone in the Islands. -Native Coffee Berry is an accent shrub. -A single… - [Condo Paridisio](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/condo-paridisio-pj-vj~1107244) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 12 - Description: The first call I got from this client was a question about fees. Would I be willing to do a $450 project? Since I don’t have any policies about budget other than that it has to be enough to do what the client wants, I said, "Sure." When I got there the number had changed. "What would you do for $5k?" We spent an hour of design time looking at how to improve his little condo garden. I told him that I would have fixed bids for each of my ideas when we met again. On the third meeting he surprised m… - [Pond Design](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/pond-design-pj-vj~1107260) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - Description: My client on this project is a Scotsman. He grew up on a large estate, was comfortable operating farm machinery, and wanted a project that would keep him busy for a few years. He loved a deal, and appreciated every one of my moneysaving ideas. As I took all this in, I was reminded of how different each of my clients are. It’s one of the reasons I begin each design process by asking clients to fill out the extensive landscape questionnaire. It’s job is to help me see a client clearly enough that… - [Contemporary Warmth](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/contemporary-warmth-pj-vj~1107216) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 - Description: The job began with a call asking for a bid. When I asked the client if he had a design, he said “No. The site has so many limitations there is not much I can do with it. I don’t want to waste money on a design when the solution is obvious.” This is a sentiment that leads many people to feel that design is a waste of money. Why indeed should anyone pay money to be told to do the obvious? The reason for this perception is that the ideas we can’t imagine appear nonexistent, creating a state of blis… - [Vertical Garden](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/vertical-garden-pj-vj~1109517) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - Description: While our work on this property was more extensive, the story I tell here centers around the challenge of deciding how to improve a difficult driveway. After taking my class at the College of Marin, the client approached me to give them a price on extending a poured concrete wall along the driveway. The concrete concept was going to be expensive ($3070k) and would require permits and engineering. The bigger issue was that because the driveway was so narrow I didn’t think a wall right next to it… - [Home of an Architect](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/home-of-an-architect-pj-vj~1109526) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - Description: It’s always fun to work with other designers. I did this project for an architect and his wife, who both took an active interest. Here were the goals: -Budget of $70k with some discussion of doing it in stages. -Improve the appearance of the steep ivy and weed covered slopes that abutted the street. -Connect a pathway to an existing set of steps that currently went nowhere. -Generally increase its beauty. -Create privacy in the back garden along with an area devoid of deer. -Improve the way cars… - [Oakland Garden](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/oakland-garden-pj-vj~1109520) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 6 - Description: http://www.mysticallandscapes.com/portfolio/\#/oakland-garden/ - [Sacred Spaces](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/sacred-spaces-pj-vj~1109540) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 6 - Description: I was called out to this property to help with a very narrow scope of work: satisfy the Mill Valley fire department. Brush needed to be cleared. 3’ weeds needed to be pulled and cut. The dry meadow needed to be mowed. I don’t normally do maintenance, but when I arrived, I saw the bones of one of the nicer properties I’ve come across. I wanted to see the property restored. So I took the job. It was a real pleasure to see a home and garden that truly impressed me. I learned that an architect had b… - [Creating a Home](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/creating-a-home-pj-vj~1109533) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - Description: When I began the design process for this client the wife wanted to either have more than a hillside of weeds or move. The husband, whose focus was on investing, was more interested in increasing rent on a vacation rental that was part of the property and improving resale value. Since the poor quality of the landscape was the biggest depressing factor in both rental income and resale value I was able to help both of them get what they wanted. We spent three months and $150k transforming the prope… - [Tam Valley Design](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/tam-valley-design-pj-vj~1109531) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 - Description: http://www.mysticallandscapes.com/portfolio/\#/tam-valley-design/ - [Driveway](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/driveway-pj-vj~1109524) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 3 - Description: Driveways are a key aspect of the landscape. Unlike patios, picnic areas and benches, driveways are used every day in all weather. A good driveway design has several elements: 1. It is big enough, in conjunction with the street, to park and turn around all of the needed vehicles for home use and entertaining. 2. It is pleasing to look at. Many people don't stop to consider the fact that a driveway is often the single biggest element of their curb appeal and home-presentation. If the driveway is… - [Expanding a Small House](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/expanding-a-small-house-pj-vj~1109509) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 5 - Description: My first mandate from this client was to re-do the driveway in the picture below. In a situation like this the driveway surface dominates the view regardless of what else is going on. For this reason I prefer to turn what is essentially a functional eye-sore into the most beautiful part of the landscape. I do this by treating it as a work of art rather than a utility surface. On this job we used stamped concrete with a high gloss finish in colors that complimented the house. You can also see the… - [Landscape Design & Installation](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/landscape-design-and-installation-pj-vj~263854) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 90 - [Garden Design](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/garden-design-pj-vj~760766) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 22 - [Crystals, Sculpture and Healing Gardens](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/crystals-sculpture-and-healing-gardens-pj-vj~218140) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 10 - [From Worst to First on Street](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/from-worst-to-first-on-street-pj-vj~7305732) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 10 - Description: This design had a number of design objectives: • Shift from the neighborhood eyesore to the top garden on the street. • All plants in the front must be deer proof. • Remove the lawn in the front. • Solve crawlspace flooding and eliminate all sump pumps with a massive French drain. • Replace a boxy cracked concrete driveway with a curved stamped concrete driveway in colors that complemented the house-colors. • Bring all gutter water to the street. • Add low voltage lighting. • Double the usable s… - [Novato Makeover](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/novato-makeover-pj-vj~7305731) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 - Description: https://www.mysticallandscapes.com/portfolio\#/novato-makeover/ - [Artistic Fences](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/artistic-fences-pj-vj~7305729) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 4 - Description: https://www.mysticallandscapes.com/portfolio\#/artistic-fences/ - [Upgrading a Swimming Pool](https://www.houzz.com/hznb/projects/upgrading-a-swimming-pool-pj-vj~7305724) - Location: Not specified - Photos: 9 - Description: https://www.mysticallandscapes.com/portfolio\#/upgrading-a-swimming-pool/ [See all 39 projects](https://www.houzz.com/professionals/landscape-architects-and-landscape-designers/mystical-landscapes-pfvwus-pf~1736964544) ## Ideabooks - [Deer Resistant Beauty](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/113098083/list/deer-resistant-beauty) — 7 ideas - [Low Water Planting](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/113097910/list/low-water-planting) — 5 ideas - [A Child Friendly Space](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/113097745/list/a-child-friendly-space) — 3 ideas - [Deer, Drought, Low Maintenance](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/75465199/list/deer-drought-low-maintenance) — 12 ideas - [Playful Tile](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/62766576/list/playful-tile) — 6 ideas - [Low Maintenance & Drought Tolerant](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/62766356/list/low-maintenance-drought-tolerant) — 9 ideas - [Space on a Steep Hill](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/62766075/list/space-on-a-steep-hill) — 11 ideas - [East Meets West](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/57928392/list/east-meets-west) — 5 ideas - [Zen Garden](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52095406/list/zen-garden) — 11 ideas - [Sacred Spaces](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52095361/list/sacred-spaces) — 6 ideas - [Creating a Home](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52094630/list/creating-a-home) — 8 ideas - [Tam Valley Design](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52094518/list/tam-valley-design) — 4 ideas - [Home of an Architect](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52094405/list/home-of-an-architect) — 5 ideas - [Driveway](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52094353/list/driveway) — 3 ideas - [Oakland Garden](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52075462/list/oakland-garden) — 6 ideas - [Vertical Garden](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52065435/list/vertical-garden) — 3 ideas - [Expanding a Small House](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52065257/list/expanding-a-small-house) — 5 ideas - [Victorian Charm](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52065091/list/victorian-charm) — 3 ideas - [Pond Design](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52064948/list/pond-design) — 5 ideas - [Condo Paridisio](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/52064718/list/condo-paridisio) — 6 ideas [See all 45 ideabooks](https://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/users/danerose) --- *Source: Houzz professional profile. Reflects the profile as of 2026-09-21.*