Design My Yard

I wrote a long critical review of Design My Yard on Angie’s List. This review will not be that long. If you’re considering landscaping your yard, I hope this is helpful. I don’t take pleasure in writing such reviews, but if I were you, I would think long and hard before using Design My Yard. The long and short of it is that Design My Yard made a couple of huge mistakes in my project: the irrigation system was not re-​zoned to the new beds and grass, as I requested; the trees were planted too deep according to every reputable guideline; and the landscaper lost my revised plant list but nonetheless began the installation (there were other mistakes as well).
I probably would have left a less negative review had the owner handled the tree problem differently. But she handled it poorly. I sent her a picture of one tree, and she admitted that it was planted too deep. (Until my arborist told me, I had no idea you’re not supposed to bury the root flare of a tree. Just search the Internet. Even the City of Austin has a educational video explaining this. Burying the root flares is terrible for the health of your trees. Apparently, many landscapers do not know this.) Instead of coming out and inspecting the trees and large shrubs she planted, the owner sends the installer who planted them in the first place. I told her in an email I hoped she came out. So I leave work and meet the installer at my house. He does not understand why the trees should be replanted (that’s the only option) and says it’s okay if you bury the root flare. This is contrary to what my arborist explained to me (he’s been taking care of my other trees for 15 years) and the literature from other certified arborists on the Internet. Keep in mind this is roughly 1 ½ months after the landscaper planted my trees. I end up replanting the trees with the help of my brother after realizing that they were still too deep after the installer replanted them. I understand contractors make mistakes — it happens — and you can’t always micromanage your help. But you don’t expect major mistakes when you hire a «professional,» and even if they make such mistakes, you expect a professional response when mistakes are brought to their attention. My problem with Design My Yard is that they made major mistakes and that the owner’s response to this was defensive (at least with respect to the trees), not to mention unprofessional.