Landscape Architect reviews in Palo Alto, California

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.

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.

California natural was our goal for our flat one-acre property. John designed a beautiful garden for us that is low in water use and high in ‘wow’ factor. It’s more beautiful than we ever imagined. Throughout the process from initial design to contractor selection, to permits, plant placement, and finally post completion follow-up; John, Ran, and Kaitlin have been on top of it all. Any questions or concerns were addressed promptly, even if it was a contractor or permit issue, they found the answer or at least kept us updated if it was out of their control. Their results exceeded our expectations, if we had another yard to do, we’d hire them again in an instant!

I've been designing and building homes in Palo Alto for years, with a particular obsession with the hardscapes you find in Silicon Valley properties. After just walking a home that Verdance did a few years ago, these guys are masters of the craft.

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.

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.

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?

John is a terrific designer. My wife and I hired John a few years back to completely re-do our front and back landscaping. He was given the challenge of designing something that fit into a small, oddly shaped footprint with a gentle slope towards the back of the house. The best compliment I can give John, outside of how happy we were ourselves, is what I saw when I returned to the house two years after we sold... The garden in the front yard not only remained exactly as John designed it but was absolutely flourishing! In the back yard, the deck that John artfully designed to flow from the second story down to the ground was untouched and still made the whole space come together; the fruit trees were either flowering or bearing fruit. The new owner had done absolutely nothing to change the design!! He cited the landscaping as one of the most pleasant elements of the entire home.

I would recommend John and Verdance to anyone who asked me!

It has been 4 years since John designed my beautiful backyard landscape which was installed in 2014. It’s my pleasure to say that I still love going out to my backyard every day. Whether I go out to do light gardening or enjoy a meal outside, the surrounding scene created by John is incredibly relaxing. My backyard has a special name “A French Garden” which was given by a landscape installer who absolutely admired John’s design. John is very knowledgeable of plants, trees, zones and landscape materials that would bring out the uniqueness of each desired landscape. He is an advocate for water conservation by using drought tolerant plants. In my garden project, he was very attentive in listening to what I liked or disliked in a landscape style. He took my vision and transformed it to a perfect, beautiful French garden. His design was well thought out in detail from the pathway, gravel size and color to the border stones, Provence fountain and planters. The outdoor grill area, the arbors, the pavers and the lighting was also wonderfully planned. Everything just tied together harmoniously. There was a lot of decision making but I wasn’t overwhelmed as John and his team helped me through the decisions and selections of landscape materials during the project. I am delighted to recommend John for your landscaping project. He is truly creative and talented in the landscaping design. If you would like to read my 1st review on John’s work, you can find it in Houzz under Verdance Landscape Design.

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!

He happens to be my father but darn good at what he does! He was born and raised in Palo Alto and has had repeat customers for over 30 years. If you want a quality opinion and things done right call my dad (Joe).

Bay Area + Welcome - Customers in Palo Alto, Los Altos, Atherton, Woodside, Los Gatos, Mountain View, Willow Glen, Campbell , Santa Cruz, Aptos, Carmel, Monterey, Windsor and more ..

Excellent place