![]() | Melissa MacDonald, Landscape Architect |
7 Houzz Awards
5 Houzz Badges
Contact Info:
Melissa MacDonald
Available Upon Request
Arlington, MA
Available Upon Request
Arlington, MA
Typical Job Costs:
$50,000 - 500,000
Category:
Creating Beautiful & Functional Outdoor Environments in Boston
page_type: prop_plus_profile
Melissa MacDonald, Landscape Architect is a Boston area design studio that creates beautiful and functional residential landscapes and gardens that our clients love.
As a sole practitioner Registered Landscape Architect and LEED Accredited Professional, Melissa enjoys the ability to nurture client contact and quality assurance throughout a project. She maintains established connections with excellent contractors in the Boston area.
In addition to her keen understanding of grading, drainage, construction and design, her foremost love is plants. She enjoys using native plant species in her work and strives to improve a site's existing ecosystem while meeting her client's goals and wishes.
Melissa is a native New Englander with a masters in landscape architecture from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. She is also a painter whose work is often based on abstracted patterns found in the natural world.
Services Provided
Custom Bocce Ball Courts, Custom Fire Pits, Custom Water Features, Dog Run Construction, Drought Tolerant Landscaping, Edible Gardens, Garden Design, Hardscaping, Landscape Design, Landscape Plans, Living Walls, Natural Swimming Pools, Organic Gardens, Patio Design, Pool Landscaping, Project Management, Rooftop Deck Installation, Site Planning, Swimming Pool Design
Areas Served
Arlington, Bedford, Belmont, Brookline, Cambridge, Concord, Jamaica Plain, Lexington, Lynnfield, Melrose, Needham, Newton, Somerville, Wellesley, Weston, Winchester
Awards
Registered Landscape Architect, Massachusetts LEED Accredited Professional
26 Projects for Melissa MacDonald, Landscape Architect

Arlington, MA
Family Garden in Arlington
26 photos

Cambridge, MA
Arthur Astor Carey House, Cambridge
16 photos

Belmont, MA
Hillside Contemporary
5 photos

Belmont Hill
13 photos

Lexington Cape
9 photos

Quincy, MA
South Shore Waterfront Landscape
19 photos

Arlington, MA
Arlington Oasis
14 photos

Milton, MA
Milton c. 1683
16 photos

Somerville, MA
Somerville Bamboo and Ipe Sanctuary
17 photos

Arlington, MA
Arlington Heights
5 photos

Cambridge, MA
Huron Village, Cambridge
14 photos

Lexington, MA
Lexington Arts and Crafts Garden
16 photos
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31 Reviews for Melissa MacDonald, Landscape Architect
4.9|31 reviews
Work Quality5.0
Communication4.5
Value5.0

HU-593848668
Relationship
Client
Melissa came up with an incredibly beautiful design for us. We had a huge project which encompassed the entire plot of land around our home, (including new pathways, steps, ourdoor kitchen, etc), and she pulled everything together in a stunning way. And she came through for us by providing paperwork in an expedited way when we were in a pinch. We are thrilled with our result.
November 20, 2020

Adrian Leone
Relationship
Client
Melissa was delightful to work with and made a beautiful landscaping design. She incorporated some interesting varietals. Looking forward to watching the design through the seasons.
October 27, 2020

jbrown68
Relationship
Client
We had a nice-sized backyard that was never used because it was unappealing and hot. We had no idea what we could do with the area, so we turned to Melissa MacDonald. Melissa completely transformed our backyard. It is now a place we use every single day--we work out there, we play out there, we hang out there.
She listened carefully to all our wants and needs--fenced-in for the dog, shaded area that didn't block sunlight into the house, area for a vegetable garden, privacy from neighbors, and lots of plants. She came up with a few designs and worked with us to revise them to include everything we wanted. She was terrific about reusing things we already had (the bricks of an old patio were used elsewhere, trellises we already had were incorporated). She thought about things we hadn't even considered (drip irrigation, automatic lighting). She was easy to work with and meticulous in her follow-through. Highly recommended Melissa as a landscape architect!
August 30, 2020

Comment from Melissa MacDonald, Landscape Architect:
Thank you for your review! With our strange new Covid world, I am finding that my clients are more appreciative than ever to have a beautiful, functional outdoor space to expand their options for where to hang out at home. I'm glad to hear that's true for you. That was our first Sail Shade that we have installed and I think it turned out well!

mary hennings
Relationship
Client
Melissa created a landscape design for our house that was both tasteful and distinctive. The project was a large one. She was able to reuse a number of mature shrubs and specimen trees is a creative way, complimenting them with new plantings. She was great to work with, not only a wonderful designer, but collaborative, budget-conscious, and timely. We'd engage her again!
December 4, 2019

Adrian Ray
Relationship
Client
Great experience from design phase, getting quotes to project execution. Detailed plans helped in getting competitive bids. Melissa visited the site multiple times to check on progress and to make sure that quality work was being done. She also provided help with getting approval from the wilderness commission. Overall, very happy with our new backyard. Would hire Melissa again and recommend her without reservation.
October 24, 2019

Steven Edson
Relationship
Client
We hired and recently completed a combined hardscape and landscape project with Melissa MacDonald. She is a total professional and understood what we were trying to achieve and her proposed plans fit perfectly into those requirements. Its rare to meet professionals who can deliver on what they promise. Melissa is one of those people. She is on time, very knowledgeable and intuitive, listens well and excelled with her part of the project. We needed someone to help us take 1/4 acre lot with house and help us make it inviting (curbside appeal) while making it relatively easy for maintenance and most importantly, make it beautiful to enjoy while we spend time outside. The other criteria that Melissa brought to the project is her thorough understanding of plants and trees. We love flowers and wanted to make sure we had blooming plants through out the Spring, Summer and Fall while keeping within a certain color palette. We are completely happy with her plant choices, size of the patio and placement of plants, trees and bushes and custom shed for additional privacy sight lines from neighbors. We are excited and looking forward to next Spring and Summer to watch the different areas of the garden bloom and grow.
We definitely had a set budget and could have done a lot more, but we were lucky to find an excellent landscape/ build company who did everything we needed for almost 1/2 the price of many landscapers we got estimates from. Melissa worked well in several meetings with the landscaper and advocated for our combined vision of the property.



October 24, 2019Last modified:October 24, 2019

Sherry Simmons
Relationship
Client
We hired Melissa to help us overhaul our entire yard. We knew we wanted to redo the two beds in the front, create a bluestone patio on the side of the house and add some trees. Melissa helped us find ways to refresh the plantings throughout the yard and make the new features work together. She put the project out to bid and we were able to contract with a fantastic landscaping company. We couldn't be happier with the end result. We would highly recommend Melissa if you are looking for someone to help bring your landscaping ideas to the next level!
October 21, 2019

J Bruce
Relationship
Client
Melissa is a talented and very thoughtful landscape designer. Her discovery process helped us unearth wishes for our landscaping that we hadn’t been able to articulate ourselves and add a few elements we hadn’t thought possible. Her patient approach then helped us hone a wonderful plan for all of our tiny plot of land: backyard garden, safe play space for our daughters, front yard, front door entrance path, driveway, lighting, a shed, and even a space to store those two kayaks we hope to buy one day. The final design is both beautiful and functional, and was completed on schedule. Plus, Melissa added a range of touches we could have never thought up on our own. For example, she figured out how to add a play structure for our daughters in our backyard, even though we don’t have the space for swings or slides. She also was a huge help after construction started when we stumbled into a series of problems with the pitch of our our property and difficult drainage that was causing our basement to flood. Highly recommended!
December 29, 2018Last modified:December 29, 2018

rharley60
Relationship
Client
Melissa developed and supervised the implementation of a landscape plan to accompany our 2017/2018 home renovation and, from our experience working with her, we cannot recommend her highly enough. She is extremely knowledgeable, has creativity and vision for how outdoor spaces should look and feel, listens carefully to what her homeowners need and want, and is a responsive and effective communicator. We already had quite a few perennials and shrubs in established beds our yard, but the plantings needed to be moved during construction and then repositioned to a new design when renovation was complete. Melissa worked with me to determine where each plant should go in the new design and offered suggestions about new plants to add. Her suggestions were spot-on to what we needed, as was her help in suggesting a landscaper to do the work and in supervising its completion. The result is an lovely landscape that we enjoy very much.
September 13, 2018
Comment from Melissa MacDonald, Landscape Architect:
Thank you so much for the review! We certainly had our work cut out for us, didn't we? Do you realize that we incorporated over 140 transplants into the new design? It was fun to work with you, being the passionate and knowledgeable plantswoman that you are. Happy Gardening!

Wanda McClain
Relationship
Client
Melissa totally transformed our outdoor space. After a pretty extensive renovation on our property we hired Melissa to develop a design for our entire lot. She is an incredible listener and designer who interpreted our wishes into a beautiful reality. We could not be happier. I highly recommend Melissa MacDonald!
June 15, 2018

Margie Gibbons
Relationship
Client
Melissa's first design for our backyard was so successful, we hired her to design our side yard two years later. Her sensitivity to the screening challenges combined with her extensive knowledge of plant varieties were again top notch. Melissa stayed within budget, managed the bidding process and oversaw the installation. We were delighted with the entire process.
December 27, 2017

Erin Malone
Relationship
Client
Melissa designed and helped the landscaper to plant a beautiful and unique side yard. She listened to our ideas and offered great solutions for our need to create a beautiful privacy border between our neighbor in a challenging area. Melissa incorporated our concerns into her recommendations and had a great working relationship with the landscaper we hired with her advice. I highly recommend her.
December 19, 2017
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