Leigh Designs

I couldn't be happier. What I started with: A lawn of weeds and a yard that gets full sun all day. What we ended with: No more lawn of weeds, a beautifully designed zen like yard with plants that will stay green all year and will sprout beautiful flowers 2/3 to 3/4 of the year. Plus a red tree. She helped choose plants that would flourish in our strong sun yard while still sipping water. She laid out where the plants should be installed and worked hand in hand with the landscaper. I'm very happy with the results.

I am a professional gardener in the East Bay and SF, and I have recently had the pleasure of doing maintenance for a few gardens landscaped by Leigh Designs. The plant selections are excellent, consisting of dependable, low-maintenance plants that fit the climate as well as the recent drought situation. The layouts are beautiful and unique. As a maintenance specialist, there is nothing I like more than to work in gardens where everything is in the perfect place and there are no uphill battles (i.e. water hogs, invasive plants, size conflicts). I highly recommend Leigh Designs to anyone who is seeking that "finished" look you see in magazines, that also provides a manageable, harmonious outdoor living space.

Before working with Leigh, we struggled with developing our back yard for many years. After speaking with her, I could tell she had a good grasp of what we wanted and she delivered. She offered a lot of great suggestions that we had never considered. The process with her and the landscape contractor she works with was very professional. Our backyard was an uneven hodgepodge mess. It is now transformed into a beautiful, cohesive, drought tolerant garden. Without reservation we highly recommend Leigh Designs!

I can't say enough good things about Leigh! I wanted a landscape designer, because I knew I needed someone who had a good eye and was able to visualize what was best for my backyard, but wasn't sure how to start. I looked at some reviews of landscaping companies on line but they only seemed to emphasize the construction part of the project. Then I saw a review from someone who hired a construction firm to implement a "Leigh Gronet design" - and I said - that's what I need! So I went on Leigh's website and was impressed that she had done plans for homes in my area. Leigh is very easy to work with and has great design ideas. She listed to what I wanted and managed to incorporate all the elements I desired, plus she suggested some elements that were perfect. She delivered plans and explained all the plants that she had selected. Leigh also project-managed the construction end of the project with Dagoberto Garcia. Again, that part went very smoothly. All the pieces of the project came together at the right time and the end result is absolutely great, better than I even imagined. It is almost like I have an additional room in my house, because the backyard is now so usable and comfortable. Leigh is great - I am so glad I hired her!

Leigh of Leigh Designs was so perfect in creating beauty where there was none. Her creative design replaced my boring and work intensive front lawn. My, not so beautiful patch of lawn, was becoming a burden several years before the recent concerns about water conservation. Leigh's design added "drive-by appeal" to my property with the addition of drought tolerant plants and large rocks. Leigh created interesting textures, amazing colors and perfect plant placement all of which has lasted. Five years later my neighbors continue to compliment the design! Working with Leigh on this project was a good investment in my property and very simple for me as Leigh was so professional in getting the job done.

We knew the look we wanted, how we wanted to use the space and a few plants that we liked. Leigh took these elements and turned them into a vision that fit our esthetic, our lifestyle and our budget. She actively listened, clarified and suggested possibilities as she guided us through the planning process. Her plans included virtual concepts of how our landscape would look after it was installed. Her drawings were thorough and keyed to colored pictures of plants and materials. We could actually see what we were designing with her. She researched every element of the project and made sure that it was all structurally sound. She was patient, flexible and informative when we wanted to make changes. She is an incredibly reliable, ethical and timely project manager. Working with Leigh was the best collaborative experience we had during our two year remodeling project. We came to her with the basics and she made our outdoor dream come true.

Leigh is a creative professional who will bring to your project all the depth of knowledge, organizational skill, and creative flair you want for your project. Best of all, she's not afraid to respectfully disagree if she sees you are not seeing the full potential for some element of the work. She has close, productive relationships with the contractors who install the landscape and hardscapes, and this is key. She doesn't duck out once the project starts like some designers do. She is your advocate throughout the process. Her virtual design offering enables you to see it all before you commit, so you can move forward with confidence.

Leigh carefully listened to what I wanted for my garden and came up with a design that perfectly met my wishes. I had my lawn removed which had been beset by raccoon problems for years (and also because of the drought) but wanted to maintain the park-like setting that I so loved. She suggested (to my horror at first) artificial turf. This is not astro-turf! This is lovely, soft, real-looking and feeling, and is also environmentally friendly. Leigh's design incorporated flagstone and boulders that melded well with existing rock. She understood my desire for a variety of plants that contained different textures and colors. I love the result! The garden is like an additional room in my house, so comfortable, welcoming and beautiful. I feel compelled to amend my review. Although everything I said in my original review is correct, the fact is that I believe Leigh did not adequately consider the weather conditions in my garden before suggesting the plantings. For example, her design included very many helebores, shade-loving plants. My garden gets a great deal of hot sun and many of the helebores are frying. When I emailed her and brought this to her attention, she seemed unconcerned and told me I could move them if I wished. So my concerns are twofold: 1. that she did not carefully consider the climate before designing for the plants and 2. when I brought this to her attention, she kissed me off.

Leigh is terrific to work with! She was very collaborative, sensitive to my tastes and produced an amazing design for my garden - all within a very reasonable budget I still get compliments all the time!