Ginkgo Leaf Studio

Jim created a beautiful hardscape design for our mid-century ranch. He incorporated all of our requests and brought the various living spaces to life independently yet flowing with each other.

Whether you are local to Ginkgo Leaf Studios or across the country, I can’t recommend Ginkgo Leaf Studios enough for your landscape design needs! Even though we were hundreds of miles apart and my design consultations were completely virtual from beginning to end, James at Ginkgo Leaf met and far exceeded all of my expectations! He listened to what I was looking for in a front yard design and worked his magic to come up with a design that completely blew my mind!

What James presented me with was a stunning design for my front yard that made my home the envy of the neighborhood. My home went from being your typical, boring, outdated mid century ranch to an upscale mid-mod showcase with stunning curb appeal.
Ginkgo Leaf Studios truly knows the difference between average and extraordinary!

Jim and team did a fantastic job of navigating the pandemic to design and install our beautiful new lower patio. Ginkgo also redesigned and installed old landscaped areas, fixed up our upper patio and solved water drainage issues we were experiencing. Ginkgo exceeded even our lofty expectations.

Ginkgo Leaf Studio designed the front landscaping for our 1950's ranch home. We have some unique design requests, as part of the goal of this landscaping project was to make our front accessible for a child with disabilities, which included modifying the driveway and front walk into the house. The design captured my desires for an informal look with native plantings and the need for structure and presence in our home.

We had the front planted this year and enjoyed the color combinations, year round interest, and really thoughtful addition of plants that will engage our son through texture, scent and sound. The work of Jim and his team is professional, planting recommendations were very creative while working with what was existing, and the quality the work is unmatched. The project has given this home a new life and has made our home not just accessible but inviting.

We contracted with Ginkgo Leaf Studio to initially provide us with a landscape redesign in conjunction with the removal and replacement of a retaining wall which was leaning almost 5 inches. We wished to add a walkway from the front of the yard to the back, add plants, landscape lighting, and to incorporate a firepit with a limestone overhang that was seen in a photograph some 6 years earlier.

The project would be challenging because 1) the design had to blend seamlessly with the existing landscape and a house which is extremely unique with its large triangular windows and 2) being a lakefront property there was a restriction that no paved development closer than 75 feet from the water. We liked the design so much we made virtually no changes.

We then hired Ginkgo Leaf Studio to secure competitive bids and supervise the project. We were extremely happy with how the project went and euphoric with the result. We would have no difficulty recommending Ginkgo Leaf Studio to anyone.

Jim transformed my yard and exceeded my expectations. He started by interviewing us to understand our lifestyle and then designed a landscape plan. We were provided with a master plan, very detailed, along with a color copy book of every plant and flower used in the design. I will always be able to tell friends and family the plant names and can see how the plantings are expected to look in every season. Jim designed a beautiful rock creek bed that controls the water run off from the adjacent wooded lot.

The landscaper Brad Mayer was excellent and recommended by Jim. Jim and his crew were on site several times to check progress and we had them choose the plants also. The result is very beautiful we sit in our yard and enjoy the colorful plants and wildlife. I am very pleased with all the work and follow up completed by Jim and the Ginko leaf team

Jim designed a compete landscape plan for our new home and it was beyond our expectations. His architectural background and understanding of historical houses pulled those elements into the design of the patios, walkways, and planting beds, creating a smooth transition and flow from the house out into the landscape. He knew what plants/cultivars to avoid in this area, even if they are sold in the nurseries. Jim also had some great recommendations for unique hardy plants and shrubs. He creates landscape designs that are beyond the common cookie cutter approach.

We love the plan Gingko Leaf Studio created for the yard of our newly built Arizona home. The designers listened attentively to our numerous preferences and needs and put it all together in a fresh, creative manner, perfectly balancing our desires for low maintainance and low water use yet lush desert landscaping with light contemporary-industrial touches and perfect geometric angles for taste and decency.

We gained privacy while maintaining our gorgeous mountain views. Jim and Kristin even proposed a tortoise sanctuary, and we are so excited to add the cute little guy to our backyard and our family soon. We are so proud to have our own unique backyard botanical garden, quite unlike the run of the mill yards with polka dot and straight line layouts and all the common flora we see everywhere in our town.

Well worth the investment! We thought selecting options and building our own home would put us in heaven, but now the landscaping has doubled our paradise. I can't wait to get home from work each day to enjoy it.

Jim and his team were very helpful through our entire landscaping project. From the original concept and design through project management and job site supervision until the final phases. Ginkgo Leaf provided key information about all aspects of the project. The next time we consider an outdoor project, the first place to begin is with a call to Jim.

Our adventure with Jim @ Ginkgo Leaf has been such an exciting journey. We started our design consultations in April 2015. Over the next few months we bounced ideas back and forth, finalized the requirements, budgets, graduated from conceptual sketches to hand drawn plans then finally to CAD layouts. Over the next two years for the execution we worked with Jim & Kristin on budgets, coordination/supervision of work with all the subcontractors (concrete pours, irrigation, landscape, lighting, etc.), planting layouts, last minute tweaks, and we saw the front project to completion.

A prime requirement of this project was to be able to phase portions in, and Jim led us through the maze and not once did we ever have to rework an area or step on prior work. The plants have been in for one growing season now. I am continually amazed, and cannot wait to see the yard at the three year mark - when things have really filled in and matured.

Some of the unique touches include a printed plant portfolio, plans worthy of framing, attention to the growing seasons so that something is always interesting, and a genuinely fun adventure with collaboration at every step of the way. Thanks Jim & Kritsin. Looking forward to starting work in the back.