Ruth Consoli Design

I was very happy to work with Ruth on our extensive landscaping project in summer/fall of 2020. Our project required a landscaped border across the back of our property, about 250 feet. A public trail was put in by the township and we were looking for some privacy, but not a complete privacy screen since we enjoy people. We also wanted to maintain a pastural view of the area. Ruth listened carefully to our desires and thoughts, color preferences and our desire for compatibility with the surrounding area. She also included my husband's personal preferences. The first design she made gave us many new ideas for plants we had not considered. Then we worked together on modifications until I was very pleased with the uniqueness of design and variety of plants. Once the project was complete, Ruth came to see if everything was satisfactory and to give guidance on plant care and pruning. She was extremely helpful and I felt that her price was very reasonable for the amount of space we needed to cover. Our neighbors have been resplendent with praise of our beautiful property.

Happiness is a Ruth Consoli landscape design! From planning, to planting, Ruth made sure that every detail was professionally done. We had a tough job for her; new build, clay soil, high winds. We're so grateful that she didn't run and hide from the job at hand. We could not be more pleased with the finished job! We were HIGHLY recommend her!

I chaired a committee to look at the possibility of renewing a 25+ year old landscape in a townhouse community. Being part of a HOA presented some challenges in respect to the community buying in along with the aging and overgrown landscape. Ruth Consoli Design was selected after meeting with three designers. Her manner in which she goes about her business is exceptional. Her design met the criteria we presented, she took the time to explain it to our residents at our yearly association meeting, and executed it with oversight of the landscape company we hired. She also is extremely responsive to questions that arose during the planning, explaining and installation. There are 27 buildings in our community and after the job she did on the first building, which was used as a pilot, we would have no problem using her design and oversight in the future. First class and very professional. We came in under budget and on time which is interesting considering the COVID implications.

We own a 3-acre hilltop setting that after 20 years of limited care, we found overgrown with invasive weeds and tired from overgrown shrubbery that had been severely damaged by deer. After many tries to make improve using our lawn contractor, we finally reached out to Ruth Consoli Design for professional assistance. Ruth has been a god-send, providing amazing professionalism, experience and knowledge of how to combat both the invasive weeds and the deer problems. Working closely with her over a period of about 4 weeks, we successfully developed a phased plan for improvement. Through the summer, we successfully eradicated the dominant weed problem (mile-a-minute, poison ivy, honeysuckle, etc.) and then finished two phases of native and varied, deer-resistant plants in our foundational areas, and along our curbed driveway (>1,000 foot long). Ruth conceived of the plan, worked with us on approvals and budgets, selected the landscape contractor and then worked in a hands-on fashion to direct and supervise all site work, soil additions, nutrients, planting, mulching, layout and the like. The result has been nothing short of amazing! We would highly recommend Ruth to anyone seeking an affordable approach to having professional, top quality landscape design services, especially in a situation where terrain, weeds, deer, and overgrowth problems exist. Her approach is always one of full transparency, careful attention to cost and top quality service!

We hired Ruth to prepare a comprehensive landscape design for our new home. Ruth has been fantastic to work with and we are thrilled with the outcome! Ruth very carefully considered our desires and style in preparing the design and making plant selections. Additionally, Ruth conducted extensive research and provided extremely thorough planting and care instructions, which has been extremely helpful in implementing our plan. We are excited to continue working with Ruth to execute on the comprehensive plan. We would highly recommend Ruth to others.

Had the pleasure of working with Ruth on a multi phase landscape project in Hershey, Pa. Ruth is very organized and thorough having everything in order making the construction process flow smoothly. Her attention to detail and eye for design is evident in the process. I especially appreciated her detailed project outline and availability via email or by phone. I would not hesitate to work with Ruth on any other landscape project.

Ruth is a thoughtful and caring landscape professional and it is evident in her work. She has a sensitive eye for the natural environment and skillfully uses her extensive plant knowledge to creatively execute her designs. Ruth has provided landscape consultation for me throughout the years and continues to develop her knowledge for innovative landscape and container designs.

Ruth's professional designs and extensive plant knowledge have been a great asset for my needs to have a design developed. She doesn't just quit at the design process she follows up to review the plantings after they have been established.

I hired Ruth Consoli Design to create a "master plan" landscape for my entire property. I wanted to create more curb appeal for the house, more visual interest in my yard, I wanted thoughtful use of drainage and sloped areas and deer resistant plants, and I wanted to use native plants which create habitats and food for animals. She delivered excellent results in each of these desired areas. I decided to hire a professional designer because my house was recently built and had the bare minimum foundation plantings - I was going to be starting from scratch and I wanted a thoughtful, well-organized plan. I worked casually with Ruth over the period of a few months to establish what I was looking for in the landscape design. She came to my house and made measurements and sketches of the property. I requested a few revisions to the plan and they were quickly incorporated in the design. In additional to the living landscape elements such as trees, shrubs, and perennials, she also helped me plan the locations of future porch/patio space, a shed, a fire pit area, and a vegetable garden. I was planning to do the landscaping work myself over a period of a year or two, so I did not need to hire any additional services after the design was complete. At the end of the contract, I was provided full-size printed drawings of the plan (which included 43 different species and almost 200 plants total), lists of plants and materials that I would need to do the job, and lists of tree farms and nurseries that sell the plants I selected. Ruth went above and beyond what I expected by helping me find some of the more difficult to find plants. I am very satisfied with the finished product and I would give Ruth my highest recommendation for landscape design services.

Ruth did a whole landscape design for us. Excellent job. Gave us a couple different options for each spot and definitely knows her plants and placement. On paper we were like no way this will look good but we have been doing a section at a time cause of cost and as it is coming in were like WOW!!! We are staying to plan and it is paying off. We needed outside the box thinking and couldn't be happier

Ruth has been a fabulous person to work with! We put in a pool and wanted to landscape around the pool with mostly native plants. Ruth was highly recommended to us from our landscaper on her plant knowledge. She did not disappoint! She listened closely to our desires with what we hoped to achieve with the plantings. She took into consideration the type of property we have and chose plants for us that "fit" with our house and location. The end result is beautiful! In addition, she provided information on the plants and how to care for them. We were so pleased with the plantings around the pool that we have continued to work with Ruth as we move beyond the pool and continue to make the landscaping around our home both native and attractive. She treats our landscaping as if she were landscaping her own home.

We at Earthtones Hardscape do hardscapes and when its time for plant knowledge, installation and after care Ruth Consoli is whom we have worked with for a number of years. Professional, knowledgeable and our only call for designs. Highly recommended. Jeff - Project manager Earthtones Hardscape

I have had the pleasure of working with Ruth as my landscape designer. I recently bought a house that has a very complicated property with lot of trees, bushes, and overall disarray. The plan she designed clearly showed a lot of thought taking into account the overall atmosphere of my home. Her design included an immense amount of detail with suggestions for removal of plants, possible transplants, and potential new plants. Ruth has a large base of knowledge of possible plants, including natives. She even provided pictures! We have continued to work together and she has been extremely helpful in providing valuable suggestions as I continue to transform my property.

Ruth's design was great. She was easy to work with to incorporate our desires and some existing plants. After the planting, her follow-up with us was very helpful, both in printed notes to help us care, and also on-site visits with helpful hints. we are very pleased with our landscape design and now in its third season, we enjoy it everyday.

As part of a hardscape project to build a new paver patio, sitting wall and steps, our contractor had given us Ruth Consoli’s name if we were interested in doing more than just re-grading/re-seeding the lawn. After our initial meeting we were convinced that she knew just what we were looking for and felt very comfortable having her provide a landscape plan for the new area. Ruth’s expertise in choosing just the right plant for the right area was invaluable. In many instances she provided multiple options for the same space. Along with these options were pictures and recommendations based on sun/shade requirements, what works best for privacy, how it stands up to wind, snow, etc. This was exactly the information we needed to make an informed decision. And making last minute changes was also no problem for Ruth. We requested changes to hide an air conditioning unit after the design was “final”. We added two extra trees after all the planting was complete, which required repositioning and transplanting three additional plants in addition to the trees. Again, no problem. Ruth was on site for the initial consultation meeting, for the design review meeting, when the actual plants arrived, after all the plants were installed, when the two new trees needed to be added, and for a final pruning and staking of the trees. And she wasn’t just supervising. Often times she was there with a shovel, sledge hammer or some pruning tool in hand. The finished product? The results can only be described as transformational. The area that was once a veritable eyesore is now a beautifully landscaped patio. Many of our neighbors, and even people driving by along the street, stop to comment on the beauty of the area. We are more than pleased with the look of our new patio area and a great deal of the thanks goes to Ruth Consoli Design. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her to anyone looking for a professional, yet personal, landscape design.

I just can't say enough about the talent for landscape design that Ruth exhibits in her work! The attribute that I appreciate about Ruth as much as her talent is her ability to truly listen to what her customer wants. I started by telling Ruth that, as much as I wish I was an amazing gardener, I seem to have a bit of a black thumb. I asked her to help me find the colors and textures I wanted in plants that were, for lack of a better description, difficult to kill! I am sure with all the beautiful options at her fingertips there were times that she would have wished to place a different plant here or there, but through the whole process, she never forgot whose garden it was - and because she was such a great listener - I am proud to report I have every single plant she designed for me - alive and well in my beautiful backyard!

Ruth had great patience at the beginning of a several stage (read: years!) project that I took on. While I have capable skills for the physical aspect of landscaping, I have found that I lack the necessary skills, vision and creativity that Ruth brought to the project. She was very good at asking questions in regard to what I was looking for both in appearance and maintenance (very important to me as time is a precious commodity in spring and fall!) and an overall "feel" to each stage. Ruth was very good in creating a cohesive "look" to each stage ensuring a good tie-in throughout the property as I tackled each stage. She has a great sense of color, texture and overall design and pushed me where she needed to in order to achieve what I really needed....all with a great attitude to boot! As I am winding down the final stage (yeah right!?!) I am thrilled with the overall results for my house and landscaping. I do highly recommend talking with Ruth and planning out your landscaping needs.

With the thought of improving our home’s resale value we contacted several landscape companies for a proposal on improving our home’s curb appeal. We told the designers that we wanted an attractive but low maintenance design. After reviewing designs from several professionals it was no contest. Based on meeting design requirements and aesthetics, Ms. Consoli’s design won hands down. She delivered an attractive, functional and well thought out two-phase plan. It has been a little over a year since we implemented phase one and hope to implement the second phase in the near future. All plants are thriving save one (the one the landscape contractor decided to put in place of the one that Ms. Consoli specified in her design). If you’re considering getting landscaping done we strongly encourage you get a design from Ruth. You’ll not be disappointed.

Ruth has been wonderful! We hired her to help us redesign our backyard including hardscape and landscape for our mid-century home we bought two years ago. She really worked with us to understand our style and logistical needs and developed a design that was a perfect fit. She has worked with us every step of the way to make the project become a reality. We've expanded now to the front yard and she provided us with yet another wonderful design and continues to help us through the process. We highly recommend her!