Ann Brooke Landscape Design

Tintori Castings has had a long term relationship with Ann Brooke, one of our favorite designers. We were heartbroken when she moved out of the New York City area, until she kept calling us to produce fiberglass planter projects for her! From Washington DC, to the Tappan Zee Bridge neighborhood, we are still making planters for Ann's designs. She has always been involved in the start to finish process of making sure the landscape plan works for her client's space. She is detail oriented and precise, which makes it easy to give her planters that will work in her spaces. I loved reading the reviews here to see that her clients agree with us: she's a delight to work with. We look forward to getting a message from her for a client space that needs our planters....

Ann designed our landscapes at both our New York and Maryland homes. She is extremely easy to work with, has an amazing eye for design/layout, and plant selection. She also manages the work crew and has a high standard for their execution. I'd give Ann the highest recommendation possible for landscape design.

We were lucky to be introduced to Ann Brooke by our architect. She has contributed so much to our landscaping project after a home renovation in Rockland County, NY. We live in a cozy 1860s house with a small garden but large opportunity for a complete re-think. She helped solve problems including drainage and privacy, and beautifully designed patios, stone walls, paths, and gardens. She is creative, knowledgeable, experienced and also works with a dependable crew. She has our highest regard and we enthusiastically recommend her.

For twenty-five years I have partnered with Ann in shaping and reshaping the ten acres of our home in the Berkshires. Over this time, we got to know and trust the land, each other, and a remarkable and intuitive shared design process emerged. I have learned so much from her, and my property has the feel of gardens that have been there forever. I can't praise her enough.

Had a great experience with Ann - she was very accommodating, very thoughtful and great to work with. She often came many times to ponder the site for ideas. Every aspect from design to implementation was great. Highly recommended!

We recently bought my in-laws' weekend house in Katohan, it's a modest mid century modern house on 10 acres of land. We knew we wanted to put in a pool as well as rethink some of the landscape decision my husband's parents had made 30 years ago (my in-laws still use the house with us so we needed a plan that everyone would embrace). Ann immediately appreciated the house and what we wanted and understood the dynamics of the land. She put together a fantastic overall landscape design, and walked us through what to do first. She agreed as to act as GC for the pool and outdoor shower construction, and supervised the work perfectly. She brilliantly suggested that we transplant my father-in-law's dozen blueberry bushes (which had been in the middle of the yard) and add a greenhouse and an enclosed set of planting beds. Ann made it all happen beautifully. We have several additional projects that Ann has suggested and I look forward to continue working with her. She has a fabulous vision. I would recommend her without reservation, no matter how big or small your project may be.

I moved into a new house that required lots of structural work, and I was intent on getting a landscape design, too. My husband and I had very different design ideas and a budget that fluctuated as the interior renovation turned into a bigger project than planned - nightmare circumstances for any designer. Ann's professionalism, knowledge, excellent sense of humor impressed us at every meeting. When, after listening to us describe two completely different visions for the same space, she said she 'got it' & she truly did! Ann's beyond capable, has great vision and the patience of a saint! Ann's design was the perfect balance; it was designed well, holistic, took into account native plantings, considered the way our three children would interact in it and with it; and was presented in stages as a way for us to start the project when we weren't quite sure of our budget.

Ann rescued my garden from dull to one that has personality and beauty. She is very knowledgable about what plants will grow in your area and your soil. Very professional and helpful even after the job is finished. I would definitely hire her again. Piermont, NY

We have a very tight front garden/driveway space in front of a 100+ year old house. Years of frustration trying to deal with drainage and aesthetic issues came to a head when the garden/driveway needed to be excavated due to a sewer line collapse. Ann not only managed the excavation and restoration with the sewer line replacement, but redesigned the drainage and designed and managed the project to put in a new stone garden wall, saving and making use of the mature hydrangea and rhododendron already there. She had to line up and work with multiple contractors (some with big machines and trucks) in a neighborhood with narrow streets where all the houses are pretty close together (no problems with neighbors). The result is a much better use of limited driveway space, vastly improved drainage and way better street appeal for the house. Much of the cost of the project went to the emergency work tied to the sewer line, but the restoration, new drainage, garden and driveway came in at very close to the original estimates. The project finished before winter in spite of interruption by Hurricane Sandy. We are more than satisfied with the end results.

Ann recently designed our frog pond out of what had been a mess of a high maintenance garden. Now it is a tranquil mini-lawn with a wonderful pond in the middle, and a spot to view it from. The design is low maintenance, and we're so happy with it. She strongly recommended an iron edge for the lawn, and though expensive, was worth it for its crisp edge. I thought we could keep the lawn edged ourselves, but her good counsel spared us that constant work. It was definitely worth the money. The first project Ann did for us was to redesign our front entry/walkway/garden, and 25 years later we're still thrilled with it, and the drainage works. Ann knows her plants and is delightful to work with. I will try to upload a recent picture of it.

I have been working with Ann on specific areas of our upstate NY garden since early last year. She came highly recommended by the stone mason we work with in the Berkshires. We have lived in our place for 17 years, love gardening, but struggle with problem areas and how best to re-design, rework spaces. Last year, Ann transformed our stone side porch and designed a new kitchen walkway and edging for the kitchen garden beds. This year, she regraded the land beyond our pool, is working with us on new plantings/beds around the house as well as designing a new fence for our perennial garden. This Fall, I plan to work with her on re-establishing a long mixed native tree line down by a lower pond. She is a very intuitive, creative, client centric designer. She's a really good listener, is flexible in how she thinks about ideas and can work with you real time on areas of your garden that frustrate you. Those qualities are surprisingly rare in the landscape world. Many designers insist on doing an expensive full landscape analysis of your property first and then tend to impose their aesthetic vision on you versus working collaboratively to understand your priorities and wish list. Ann is very straightforward, super responsive, reliable, professional and can integrate a family's various views into a single design really well. She has also significantly expanded my planting horizons, introducing me to new varieties of shrubs and perennials. She has an extensive plant knowledge as well as many wholesale contacts that she works with to locate planting material. And I really appreciate her ability to solve problems and think about design real time in the garden. It's been a back and forth discussion with wonderful results.

This is the second time we have used Ann, the first being 13 years ago. We were thrilled with her first design and follow through for us. We are equally thrilled with her work this time. We had a very large amorphous space that was in great need of definition. Complicating matters was the fact that there were virtually no trees or other natural elements to help define the space. Ann's vision was masterful in dividing the space and in creating a beautiful and natural looking space with absolutely lovely plantings. it is always a pleasure to work with Ann. Her contractors are always excellent and are people she knows well and who know her expectations. She is also conscious of cost and lets you know up front what you can expect to pay for each aspect of the work. We recommend her without qualification.