Hortus Oasis

We have a very nice yard but had some areas that were not as nice as we wanted them to be. Stephen listened to our concerns and desires and suggested plants. It was very helpful and we now love the areas he helped us with! He also gave us referrals for a master mason and an architect to help us complete the areas.

I reached out to Stephen Pategas, as we knew that we needed a solid design for our new construction project, that would address both practicality and curb appeal. The lot we had bought was nothing but sand, mud, and weeds, plus it featured a serious slope (hills of Clermont). In addition, it was hard to envision plants and trees when we barely had the foundation for the house going. So, we decided to call in the professionals! Stephen was able to address the practical matters, such as drainage and future parking, and combine them with beauty and elegance. The design he came up with truly compliments the design of the house. The straight lines of the dwelling are repeated in the walkways and flower beds, which has a very cohesive effect. To offset any starkness, and to bring in a bit of softness, he added back in the use of (Florida heat tolerant) flowing ornamental grasses. To top it all off, an accompanying lighting plan makes the yard sparkle at night. All in all, we love our new yard, day or night!

I would highly recommend Hortus Oasis. Kristin assisted us with a landscape renovation in our backyard and developed a well thought out plan based on our preferences and vision for what we wanted. She was very proactive and saved us in the long by doing a thorough bidding process to assist us with selecting the best landscape company at the best price. Hortus provides detail plans on the layout of the garden, a portfolio of pictures of what is in our garden and detailed explanations on how to care for our garden for years to come.

This is the second time I have used Hortus Oasis. They are the best. Kristen takes the time to listen to your design goals and presents a plan that’s on target. This time I hired them to also assist in finding the appropriate company to implement the project. I could not be more pleased with the outcome.

We have lived in our home for 4 years and never really liked our landscape, plus we had major drainage issues. We worked with Stephen & Kristin to design and re-landscape our home, including installing new sod and plant materials. We really had no idea what we wanted and Kristin was able to provide us with information and pictures to help us come up with a design to meet our needs. She even took us to a place to see the plantings so we didn't have to imagine what they look like in a yard. She also had to work with drainage experts to help redesign our front yard to allow for better drainage. She followed the project from start to finish, visiting the site as needed, and helped us select a landscaper who was excellent. We highly recommend Hortus Oasis for landscape design.

I needed a Landscape Architect for a paver project that required water runoff mitigation plan. I looked for quite some time and found Hortus Oasis. They came highly recommended and was rated extremely well. I called them on a Friday and to my surprise Stephen was able to meet me early Monday. He was meticulous and through with his measurements, observations, and what I needed as a client. He understood my challenges and what my final outcome need to be. The next day he hade a plan and the drawings to meet all the requirements. I was shocked how quick and professional he accomplished the Plan. His communication with me and the town planners was amazing. He made sure all details were taken care of. Hortus Oasis exceeded all me expectations. Thank you Stephen for your help - it was a pleasurer working with you and your company!!!! Chuck Tompkins

I had a great time working with Kristin on a design to re-landscape my townhouse. My property has interior courtyards and a substantial back yard. Kristin designed a beautiful plan that responds to the open indoor/outdoor nature of my home and provides pretty focal points for each interior vantage point. The plant selections harmonize with the qualities of the park-like setting of the neighborhood I live in. The work proceeded per the agreed upon schedule. The quality of the renderings and the thoroughness of the bid documents will help me to describe the contract work well and obtain competitive bids. I am really looking forward to the implementation of the plan.

We haven’t done anything with our landscaping since building a home 15 years ago. I was referred to Hortus oasis by a landscape professional. So I called them and the owner Kristin Pategas responded immediately. She was very professional, very knowledgeable, a good listener as we had a lot of personal choices that we imposed. We also had a lot of restrictions on her design capability for elements that we desireD to see in our landscape. She put together what we believe is a perfect blend of her creativity in combination with our ideas. I felt that they were reasonably priced and a good value for the wonderful service they provided.

We had been looking for a landscape architect for months. All other places that came out were landscapers that had no interest in helping with design. We knew we found the right match when we met Kristin. She is extremely knowledgeable and professional with a very high attention to detail. She listened to all our wants and needs and incorporated them into the plan. She thoroughly explained the end-to-end process to help set expectations. She was responsive to all questions and concerns along the way. Our curb appeal is outstanding and our back yard is like walking into a beautifully maintained park. We absolutely love our yard and just won our neighborhood “Yard of the Season” competition. I would absolutely recommend Hortus Oasis!

I had a great experience working with Stephen and Kristin from Hortus Oasis on my garden plans and I am looking forward to completing the implementation of the plans. They are very knowledgeable and mindful to every detail, to make sure nothing is overlooked. I would highly recommend working with Hortus Oasis if you are looking for a team that knows what they are doing!

Stephen was great. Very clear, prompt, and professional communication. He walked us through each stage, and his years of experience and expertise in his profession were very apparent. We particularly appreciated his timeline flexibility in regard to planning the different stages of work. Would absolutely recommend.

I grew up gardening in Winter Park but spent 30 years in Maryland learning how to grow Japanese Maples and Peonies. When the time came to retire, I returned to the Orlando area and quickly realized that all I remembered about Florida gardening is that the grass grows twice as fast and still needs mowing in November. My dream growing up was to have a fully landscaped yard that would provide a sanctuary for birds, an oasis for butterflies from the chemical warfare being waged in neighboring yards, and that might inspire my neighbors to understand that there is more to having a lot than having a place to locate a house with a couch situated in front of the tv. I knew I couldn't do this alone so I researched and found the completed projects based on the designs by Hortus Oasis. Kristin came to our house, listened carefully, and within minutes was making design suggestions that would meet our vision. There was one particularly vexing location that she immediately realized could be transformed to entice neighbors to visit and notice the garden. She solved problems with water drainage, found a place for me to grow orchids and raise seedlings, located a small vegetable garden out of sight of the road, created a wildlife garden leading to the lake, and, as the star attraction, designed a Japanese style garden for our front yard that will provide a beautiful view from the sewing room and bring some serenity to our home and our neighborhood. The entire design incorporates native and other Florida friendly plants that will create a sanctuary for the wildlife in our area. We are looking forward to working with Kristin throughout the next year as we implement her very thoughtful and beautiful design.