Rue Group, Inc. / Kathryn Rue, Landscape Architect

We could not be happier with our backyard renovation with the help of Kathryn and Amanda! We took a very plain section of our backyard and were able to add a workout shed, pickleball and basketball court, deck, and beautiful planting. Kathryn was crucial in helping us think though how we were going to use the space and maximize what we get out of it. Her experience is so apparent in everything she does. Cannot recommend enough!

We have a very special piece of property in California. Adjacent to a lovely pool, spa area and extensive outdoor entertainment spaces was a large lawn area, orchard and hillside where our children roamed and played. With our youngest now in college, we wanted to transition the lawn area and orchard area into a very special place. Kathryn worked with us for over a year in developing a spectacular plan to utilize the area in magnificent ways by establishing even more privacy, amplifying the great views and and creating an ultra resort like feel. We Then worked with her and her team of contractors to complete the project. Now finished, we could not be happier. Her ability to execute our vision in a superbly unique way was amazing. She created an extensive set of pathways through the orchard and throughout our property to expand its use significantly. An extensive Luxor lighting system creates an amazing experience at night and the wide range of trees, shrubs and plants she specified make the area very special. Overall, my wife and I could not be any happier with the outcome of the project or the experience of working with Kathryn.

Kathryn and Amanda were always responsive and helpful. Most important, they listened and understood what I wanted in my front yard landscaping plan.

Kathryn and Amanda, Rue Group, Inc. were so professional, reliable, knowledgable, and helpful in helping us create a design for our small front yard. They made it fun and such a great experience. She is truly an expert with trustworthy experience, and a great listener to hear our needs and wishes. She worked hard with us to help us find exactly what would look great and still fit in our humble budget. We are so pleased with her design. She was very gracious and patient, always going the extra mile to work with us. She did a lot of educating, too, as we had no idea what is involved in successfully landscaping a little front yard for years of enjoyment. We had a great time working with this company! Looking at images for inspiration, thinking through the lovely plant palette she created, and the visit with her to the nursery were some of the highlights for me. Plus, she created trust. So important!

We did an entire redo of our landscape. Kathryn has an awesome eye for design, willing to be flexible regarding budget and also what would work for our town's microclimate. Great with follow-up and any questions I/my husband had. Would definitely use her again.

We have used the Rue Group initially for landscaping our home in Yorba Linda 20 years ago. We have received many compliments on the overall look and specifically on the beautiful hardscape of the back yard. The Rue Group was exceptionally good to work with - paying attention to details and keeping the progress going as planned. Then 3 years ago we lost some trees after the drought and decided we wanted to re-do the plants before our daughter's wedding. The Rue Group made sure the dead trees were removed without even a scratch on the nearby aluminum fence. And though the time was short, they fininshed everything in time for a perfect wedding party! I would highly recommend them for beautiful designs and attention to detail.

This was a journey, landscaping our front yard after 30 years of "average." Kathryn's knowledge and expertise of design plus her experience of being on the construction side made her extremely credible and attractive as the right choice for our project. She fine tuned a set of developed plans, taking the time to explain the tweaks and the benefits. She worked within our budget, always keeping us abreast in the construction phase. The crew she works with was always very neat, professional and responsive to our needs. Kathryn had a vision for the end product which coincided with our vision! The hardscape, plant selection and placement and long term viability i.e. drought resistant were spot on! We asked her to look 20 years into the future and plan something that will still catch eyes and look spectacular. Kathryn hit a Home Run!! We will definitely use her services when we re-landscape our rear yard. We were so blessed to have her creativity and attention to detail.

Thanks to the Rue Group I now have a house that looks like the Ritz Carlton on the outside. I now have some major catching up to do on the inside, so that is my current project. Kathryn and Amanda had their work cut out for them when they signed on with my wife, Anne. Anne was a perfectionist and enjoyed being involved with every detail of the project. Anne was also facing the challenges of metastatic melanoma and without fear knew that her 61 years here on earth were most likely coming to an end. The Rue group created a living legacy, one that I can marvel at each and every day and night. Anne would no doubt say that Heaven has the only advantage.

We worked with Kathryn on design for our new home. We are delighted with the result. She took the time to learn what we wanted and created a plan that was on time, under our budget and exactly what we were looking for

Kathryn is somebody who can look at a space and see things that would never occur to me. Actually, I did have some ideas, and she wove them into a plan for our backyard that we are enjoying immensely - particularly since it's spring and the plants are growing in. She has a wonderful group of contractors and resources, and everybody we worked with was professional and nice. I don't remember many times in where I have had work done and the crew showed up - on time - and did what they said they were going to do.

My husband and I used the Rue Group over 20 years ago to do the landscape and hardscape when we were remodeling our home. The hardscape is still pristine – paver driveway and patio, patio cover above the roof line, a gazebo and barbeque island. After loosing some trees to the recent drought, and seeing bushes that were no longer manageable by pruning, we needed to consider re-landscaping. Kathryn’s team helped us remove the large trees from near a fence line without so much as a dent on our aluminum fence. She redesigned our landscaping to make it more drought tolerant and easy-to-maintain, a highly desired outcome as we near our retirement years. We still have plenty of yard color, and the new design is fresh looking yet fits into the neighborhood style and compliments our house design and color. The contractors she recommended were excellent. They were willing to work with what we already had for sprinklers and lighting, modifying those systems to accentuate the new landscape design. All in all, we felt that we received great value for our investment, have a lovely home exterior in both back and front that is easy to care for. We should also add that all the changes were done under a changing timeline after one daughter decided to get married and use our backyard for the rehearsal night. Everything was done on time and looks beautiful. We recommend the Rue Group without hesitation, and have offered for Kathryn to show our property to prospective clients any time!

We were initially drawn to Kathryn’s horticultural expertise, based on the photos on Houzz. Now with nearly two years of growth we can say the results are amazing! We knew we needed a landscape architect for our very difficult hillside property which contained a lot of inaccessible areas. Thanks to Kathryn’s design concepts, the front and back yards have been transformed into beautiful, inviting, and highly accessible spaces. We have honestly spent more time in our back yard in the last year than we did in the previous ten! The project from conception to finish was large, taking nearly three years to complete, and included relandscaping of both front and back yards. The effort included removing an existing pool, installing a new pool, reworking the existing hillside to create tiered patio levels while preserving our mature trees, replacement of an existing covered patio deck structure, and the installation of electric, gas, water, drainage, and irrigation lines supporting the new landscaping. Our decision to have Kathryn also do our project administration was essential. Despite a difficult county permitting process, Kathryn was able to coordinate workflow so that downtime on this very complex project was minimized. Kathryn had excellent recommendations for contractors and professional support personnel for every phase of the project. Without exception, all the companies we worked with were first-rate and consummate professionals in every sense. In addition Kathryn walked us through the very confusing process of selecting compatible materials for patio surfacing, walls, lighting effects, and of course she put together an amazing set of plantings that are glorious to behold. Throughout the entire process, Kathryn and Amanda kept everything moving forward, and kept us fully informed at all times. You can trust the Rue Group to listen carefully to your needs and desires, and transform them into reality. Don’t be surprised if you consider them part of your family right away- they really care about each and every project, and it shows!