Verdance Fine Garden Design

I wish I had looked at the Yelp page for Verdance before we had our Zoom meeting with the project director of this company: "Verdance Landscape Architecture brings life to fine Peninsula homes and estates with project budgets of $250K or more". This "budget" threshold could have easily been explained to us during our Zoom meeting but the director, Caitlyn, danced around the subject and recommended going to their "blog" to see if we were the "right fit".

We clearly explained that our budget was $100K - $150K. Later that day we were informed by an email that we weren't a good fit and we were left wondering why an initial on-site consultation wasn't even approved. The project director told us we had clearly defined ideas for what we wanted and that maybe this would disqualify us. We were befuddled by this because we definitely want, and need, professional advice.

When scheduling the Zoom meeting we marked the box of our proposed budget. We may not have $250K to spend on re-landscaping but that doesn't mean our time isn't just as valuable as someone who does.

If you are looking for a landscape designer who both knows what he is doing and is a pleasure to work with, hire John of Verdance Landscape Architecture. When we were looking at designers to completely redo our front and back yards we considered 20, spoke with 3, and liked 1; John. From the moment he walked onto our property John was able to point out things we had never considered; a patch of prime growing area buried under concrete, ways we could minimize the sound from the neighbor dogs, the views looking out from the different windows of my office - the list goes on.

In talking with us he learned how we wanted to use the space, even helping us gain more clarity for ourselves. He looked at the inspiration photos we provided and combined them with everything he knew of our space, goals, budget, gardening skills (essentially none), and personal tastes to present two preliminary designs. Then he patiently talked over both of them with us to come up with a final plan, something that felt uniquely us and perfectly aligned with how our needs would change through the years, as our family was just a few months away from growing to three.

It is rare to find a designer with the skill to deliver something both so personalized and practical. It is reassuring to work with someone so professional. It is a delight to work with someone who stands as a genuinely good person. John is the rare craftsman who is all three. We would hire him again for the job in a heartbeat.

John Black and Verdance were amazing to work with. Not only does John and his team have amazing vision, but they were able to visually translate our thoughts and feelings into designs that were perfect. On top of that, John helped us in taking bids and choosing the right landscaping company for us. Between Verdance and the landscaper, the end result exceeded our expectations! We HIGHLY recommend Verdance and will never use another Landscape Architect. Thank you, Verdance!

John designed our garden in the summer of 2011, and it still brings us joy to look at. I chose John after interviewing three other landscape designers because I loved the garden that he created at my friend's house on a similar size lot. Our original yard featured a large tree and mostly grass, which did not grow well because of the shade from the tree. John asked thoughtful questions about how we used the space and what we were hoping for in the new garden.

The result is amazing, with hardscape that includes a stone patio, two fountains, pebbled paths and a BBQ area. The plants were chosen carefully and have thrived in the eight years since installation, including lush ferns, camellias and two maple trees for fall color. Our new garden is a pleasure to look at in all seasons, and we were delighted with our experience working with John.

Would give 10 stars if possible. We hired John to design a living space extending our mid-century remodel into the outdoor as an active escape and entertaining space. John not only gave us a beautiful solution; he studied us, and our values, delights and emotions to craft a space that not only exceeded our needs, but also our unrealized desires. It is rare to find someone that can fully wear your own thoughts and ambitions and materialize them elegantly. I could not recommend him more highly.

Dear John, I do not know how to thank you all enough for words could not describe the happiness and pride that this realization of the project has brought to the family and us. Thank you so much for helping this vision come to life; it is truly spectacular; my husband and I could not be more pleased with the way it has turned out. This second Spring has brought renewed pride in our garden with all its glorious blossoms. The birds and bees could not be happier in it's natural habitat garden.

There are so many reasons why John Black of Verdance should be your first choice when it comes to landscaping projects. His ability to translate your ideas and vision into a reality at a cost efficient point is unparalleled. Excellent style regardless of application, timeliness, and a willingness to be flexible and change as the project moves along defines the experience of using John for your project. Absolutely five stars all day long. Why would you go elsewhere?

Although I didn't work with this company directly, when I inquired about services I received a prompt and thorough response. My project is so small that I had been facing barriers trying to secure a company to work in my patio. John was very honest about my small patio and provided me with great referrals that would be better suited. I am so grateful for his additional assistance instead of others who simply turned me away!

John worked with me and the crew from the HGTV show Landscape Smart in the renovation of my yard. From the start John showed his creativity, expertise and willingness to go the extra mile. My wife and I really enjoyed working with John and appreciate the results everytime we look out our windows and into our backyard. The intensity of the filming process put us all under a great deal of pressure but John was always cool and easy going while being decisive and committed to the quality of his work. For anyone thinking of hiring John for landscape design.do it now.

John really listens to his clients and turns their ideas into a vision that is both creative and practical. He helped us convert our outdoor patio into a peaceful and beautiful space - a place we now frequently use and love. He came up with a bamboo arrangement that is gorgeous and blew away our expectations. We love sitting outside but the space was not inviting due to a combination of obvious and intangible reasons - including afternoon glare from the sun.

Now we love the space and the bamboo filters the rays just right. Working with John is as good as it gets. He is a great listener and really cares about his clients. He is professional, conscientious, and exudes integrity. He artfully adapts his vision and creativity to the needs of his clients and makes them feel good. My wife and I do not come across people like this very often which is why we took the time to write this review.

We recently worked with John on a major renovation of our backyard, including a new pool, a rebuilt patio with arbors and a built-in BBQ, a new artificial lawn and almost all new plantings. He was incredibly helpful throughout the process: he listened to and identified our needs, he designed a dramatically improved outdoor space, and he helped ensure our contractors were effectively delivering on his vision.

We particularly appreciated his up-front process of asking us questions about how we'd use the space and helping us focus on where we'd get the most out of our yard. We had worked with another designer briefly and couldn't figure out why we didn't like his design, but when John came in and showed us his design we were much more excited about the project.

He was able to understand our style and create an outdoor space that fit with our home and was an extension of our indoor style. And he was very thoughtful with both the overall layout and flow and the specific details, such as the wattage of a down-light to set a mood. We really enjoyed working with John and are very happy with our new backyard. We'd highly recommend Verdance.

John was fabulous to work with to design my pool, hot tub and new landscaping. He was creative, asked great questions, worked very collaborativly with us, and delivered all the details I asked for. He has great follow up and client service skills. I have recommended him to many neighbors since.

Oh my goodness! John Black at Verdance Fine Garden Design is beyond amazing. He transformed my field of ugly overgrown weeds into an unbelievably gorgeous garden! He had a vision that I never could have dreamed of, and he brought that vision to reality so beautifully and seamlessly that it far surpassed my wildest expectations. He found a brand new product to use for the patio, which turned out perfectly.

Every little detail, down to the precise placement of plants, the fountain, etc. is a work of art. This man knows what he's doing-- oh boy does he know what he's doing. On top of all of his genius qualities, he's an extremely bright and affable guy who was absolutely delightful to work with. Words cannot adequately describe what a wonderful experience it was to work with him, and I cannot recommend him highly enough! I wish I could post before and after pictures here-- so you could see for yourselves! (He's going to post them on his website-- check it out!)

We remodeled our house which left us with absolutely no garden or deck. We were excited that John agreed to help with our project despite the fact that our yard is not that large. He designed a truly spectacular deck off the back of the house that fits perfectly with our small yard. He also helped us plan all of the landscaping design and gave us a detailed layout. He was very responsive and easy to work with. If you are looking for someone to create your yard who is easy going and responsive, John Black is your man!

We hired John to re-design our backyard in Spring 2008. Knowing we didn't like what we had, but not exactly sure of what we wanted, we relied on John's expertise to help us create a backyard that has exceeded all our expectations. John is very creative, a great listener and extremely flexible. He worked within our budget and timeframe, and treated our project like it was his own. You can tell he loves what he does and is extremely good at it. We'd hire him again in a heartbeat!

We hired John as our landscape designer after interviewing several other designers. The reason we initially selected John was his approachability, his willingness to listen to our concerns, and he shared our passion for craftsman style homes. From day one it was clear that John's sole purpose was to provide us with a plan that achieved everything we wanted (and that was a lot!) within a budget that we could afford.

We wanted a sustainable garden, with California natives, a vegetable garden in our very shady backyard, and lots of color and style that fit with the craftsman atheistic of our home, a tall order! John exceeded our expectations on every level. He very respectfully steered us in the right direction with plant choices and enthusiastically shared the design reasons for those choices; he helped us find creative solutions for our desire to have a space for vegetables; and he doggedly worked to find a contractor who could deliver the design on our budget.

The results are outstanding. We are literally enjoying our yard every day. We have had surprising and wonderful changes in colors from season to season, something we really hadn't thought of; thankfully John did! Our initial impression of John did not do him justice. We came to realize that John is approachable and listens because he cares about providing his clients with a garden that surpasses anything they can imagine. We regularly recommend John to neighbors stopping by to admire the change in our garden and wholeheartedly recommend him to Yelpers too!

John went above and beyond.that's for sure! He truly is passionate about his projects. We were on a very limited budget but our needs still called for someone with expertise, honesty and pride in his work. John was all that. It was easy working with John (it didn't even feel like "work"). He listened to what our pain points were, took in our capabilities on the spending part.and off he went and treated our project like it was for his own home (and wallet).

John was the landscape designer we worked with as a participant in HGTV's Landscape Smart. We really lucked out by being able to work with John. My husband and I had a general idea of how we wanted our backyard to look, but John took our scattered thoughts and produced an amazing, detailed design plan. John's creativity, enthusiasm (working in the rain even with a bit of the flu!) and knowledge was truly impressive. John's expertise in architectural and landscape design was very evident in this project - from the precise drawings of our built structures to the detailed plant map complete with biological names.

On top of all this, John is a really great guy - very friendly and energetic. We would definitely work with John again and would recommend him to anyone considering a landscape makeover!