The Brooklyn Garden Club Inc.

When we acquired our property in Stone Ridge a few years ago, the landscape was in dire need of rehab. Random piles of material from unfinished projects surrounded the house, making it difficult to even conceptualize how to get started. Thankfully, we knew FireDean through mutual friends and had heard about his excellent work. Once we understood more about his skills and experience, we asked him to come up with a plan. Our house is situated on a steep hilside which meant all the outdoor living space would have to be constructed on very challenging terrain. Further, it was clear we needed a lot of stone work. Thankfully FD's team are masters when it comes to hardscape design and plant / tree installations. They radically transformed our property from an overwhelming mess into a beautiful, welcoming environment. The photos speak for themselves!

Months before FD's team began working he designed and presented a comprehensive plan for our yard complete with 3D walkthroughs and dimensional drawings and a breakdown of costs. Once we greenlit the project he began the process of transforming our very flat, weed & flood prone farm land and into an entirely new landscape. Swales, berms, gentle contours and curves along with a series of meticulously constructed natural stone walls took what had been bland, bare and/ or weed filled areas and made them into lush outdoor living spaces. This included a garden entrance to our colonial style home, two serpentine walkways, a flagstone patio and a driveway with a 'dry creek' on either side for drainage. And lest we forget -lighting and irrigation for all of it. To be clear it was not cheap! In the end however his work ethic / integrity, the laborers and artisans he employs ultimately won us over. An example of this was when he and his team used their machines to harvest massive boulders from the surrounding woods and then fit these so that they blended seamlessly into the stone walls surrounding our patio. Additionally his tree guys removed 3 ginormous Black Walnut trees from our property . One of these required maneuvering large limbs between power lines from 80ft above while the guys on the ground managed passing traffic. Thankfully it all was done without incident! That said, we assumed they would remove the stumps for all 3 trees but one was left behind forcing us to deal with it through another contractor months later :-( In some areas the grass seed he planted has not grown in as vigorously as it should have given the expense and time spent. Still it's been a year since we started and a pleasure working together throughout. I wouldn't hesitate to hire them again.

FireDean and The Brooklyn Garden Club team delivered us the kind of beautiful garden you mostly see in magazines. We are delighted at the result and enjoy it day and night even in the winter. His ability to listen to our thoughts and to translate them into a creative design set the stage for an ambitious outcome . Beginning with a deer fence that blended into the background, we watched as they transformed our neglected overgrown hillside into the spectacular view we have now. Due to the unprecedented rainfall while the work was being done, there were many days when our yard was little more than a soup pit. Despite all this, a pandemic, and a labor shortage, the end game was nothing short of magical, with contoured planting areas, pathways, and patios. We are looking forward to working with FireDean in years to come as he offers biannual maintenance.

FireDean was recommended by my Mom whose home in Park Slope he had done. He and his team did not disappoint. Not only did the design meet my own expectations for the construction and hardscape aspects, but he also considered my wife's requests for additional perennials and incorporated these into the vision. The end result was a total transformation...killer terracing and stone work, flowering shrubs and trees...Its the gift that keeps giving and the overall vibe feels truly inviting. We look forward to enjoying it with friends and family for years to come!

FireDean's Brooklyn Garden Club turned hot little mess of a backyard into a garden oasis. When he arrived the space was a flattened mix of silt and construction materials. Even the weeds seemed like they were struggling to survive. After we met on site he came back some weeks later and presented a comprehensive design that incorporated his ideas and our own. Decisions were made in March and by early May 2019, we had something akin to an enchanting hillside cottage garden. Wow.

I hired FireDean's Brooklyn Garden Club to come up with a plan for our Brooklyn brownstone home and another rental home we own nearby. He delivered everything on time and on budget with stunningly beautiful results. Considering winter was fast approaching and I was simultaneously overseeing a major renovation project, it was a relief to see he could do both garden installations at once and I didn't have to worry. His work included designing and building complicated flagstone patios, several 70ft tree pruning operations, fence installations around both, many tons of concrete demolition, terracing, full lighting system, irrigation...the whole nine. End result was not one but TWO absolute transformations. No drama....Highly recommend. I'm also hiring him to do pruning in the spring!

When we met with FireDean, our backyard was a dark, wet, grassless mess. He listened to our ideas and proposed better ones turning potential liabilities (a slope and an old concrete patio) into assets. In the end, he created a wonderful design complete with beautiful stone work and cut out three ugly trees that brought in a lot of light. He listened to us and made sure the garden had lots of perennials and he worked quickly and diligently, completing the project within the tile frame we set at the beginning of the project. We couldn’t be more happy to recommend his work!

FireDean (The Brooklyn Garden Club) re-imagined our yard in a way we hadn't even considered. The end result was like day and night. The new landscaping not only highlights our home's historic architecture but dramatically improves its curb appeal year round.

We love FireDean and his team! They always make our outdoor spaces look beautiful. FireDean takes great care in selecting plants that make our yard look great. He also went out of his way to teach my children how to put together a vegetable garden!

Firedean and team are amazing to work with. They did an amazing job on our backyard. Firedean consistently communicated clearly with us throughout the process. His design was reflective of what we asked for from the beginning. Would recommend The Brooklyn Garden Club to anyone looking to have their backyard done!

"Thank you so much for you and your teams hard work! You did an amazing job - from inception. You listened to us, took our feedback and created the backyard oasis of our dreams. "

FireDean gave our garden life again! After a whole house renovation with the contractor using the garden as a dump site, we needed to start almost from scratch. We decided to go with perennials and add annuals ourselves. He and his team dug up everything, beefed up the soil, and emailed suggestions of what to plant. One thing that particularly thrilled me was his creation of little hillocks in my perfectly flat yard. He placed the plants for our approval before digging holes and discussed any additions that would work in the scheme. One plant in the front yard doesn't seem to be doing well and he said he would come and replace it for us. Thank you so much for all your hard work! M&M