What our clients are saying about The Artist Garden

I’m absolutely delighted at the beautiful, peaceful yet vibrant garden that James has so thoughtfully designed and built for me. I had spent years imagining this terrace garden, yet what he produced far surpassed what I had envisioned. The most exciting part is that the garden will grow and change over time, and James has put a lot of thought and creativity in how the garden will continue to evolve and become even more beautiful over time. Last but certainly not least, James is always a pleasure to work with. He has a unique ability to intuitively understand what the client is trying to accomplish and, by getting a feel for the client's personality and psyche, his designs resonate even more deeply with the client and a very harmonious working relationship is formed. He is also very hard-working and a very warm person to work with. I would wholeheartedly recommend him to anyone interested in having a garden designed.
– Aditi Banerjee, NYC

James Stephenson did an excellent job of completing the plans I designed for a large Brooklyn Heights residential garden, including completing brick and stone terraces and walls, fencing the perimeter, finding plant material including a large pear tree, installing a drip irrigation system as well as outdoor lighting, receiving and installing 4 large custom pots set on piers with built in irrigation, and of course planting these containers with a blend of colors and textures. This space is framed by a dark green 25’ x 30’ rectangular cedar fence, made up of different heights with various sizes of trellis on its surface, and all built by James and his men. A major visual axis runs through the formal rooms of this residence through a pair of new French doors to the new rear garden and outdoors across 3 stepping stones set in low ground cover, then over a sandstone walkway, across a large herringbone brick terrace to an oval shaped convex retaining wall and finally stopping in a plant bed set with hydrangea trees under planted with pink roses. Every brick was set as drawn in the plan. James found a brick that mediated between several colors present at the site. The larger sandstone terrace material had to be specially ordered from Rhode Island and cut to fit specific shapes from semi circles to large and small squares, and all fit together as drawn in plan.

James was easy to work with. He always took the time to fully understand the intent of the plan and made sure to follow the basic design concepts through all the particulars. The plan was demanding, and even though we worked long distance, James called consistently to confirm any area of the plan that needed clarification. The results are very satisfying.

Elizabeth

Thank you James for the great job you did renovating our sad, worn-out garden into a garden space that is beautiful and the envy of all my neighbors. Everything from the materials used to the craftsmanship is top-notch!

My wife and I wanted a complete gut re-model of our backyard… from demolition of the existing garden to design and construction of a new space. To make matters more challenging the only way to access the garden was through our apartment. We interviewed several landscaping companies and it was clear from the start that James was the right choice. He had great ideas for the design of the garden that addressed our needs and he managed to incorporate everything we wanted within our budget. He and his crew worked very hard through a very hot summer… hand carrying everything with great care back and forth through our apartment. I’m pleased to say the completed garden is everything we wanted and we couldn't be happier. On a side note, we replaced a wooden deck with blue stone and the drainage was immediately put to the test with Hurricane Irene… it came through with flying colors.

If you are looking for a great designer and landscaper, look no further than James Stephenson.

Many Thanks,
Brad and Sharon Buckwalter

The Artist Garden transformed our garden into our favorite room in the house. The design and craftsmanship were all great. Terrific attention to detail. The project was done quickly and efficiently. We highly recommend James and his team.
– Gabe and Jolie Schwartz, Brooklyn Heights

James and team were fast, efficient and artful. They built a beautiful fence, planters, and bluestone floor. And, very important for us, they had ultimate respect for our home, through which they had to drag tons of dirt and rocks. I recommend them highly.
– Joel Kades

Hello James,
We love our garden and everybody is amazed by the work you did. We could finally enjoy it a bit yesterday before it started raining again.
Franck G. Poisson
Accenture, New York

Dear James,
We want to thank you for the stellar job you did, transforming our backyard from garbage dump into a little oasis. We saw you and your crew working a couple of houses over, and we were impressed by the care and precision of the work. When we started working with you, we were immediately impressed by your creativity and flexibility. You did a fantastic job on our bluestone patio, landscaping, and fence. You also went above and beyond: After a rain, you noticed where water was pooling, and you installed three dry wells. We had no idea that the dry wells were necessary, and we were grateful to you for putting them in. We were also thrilled that you did it because it was the right thing to do – and did not raise it as an ’extra.’ We recommend you to anyone considering landscaping work in Brooklyn. Thank you, James!
Best, Leslie and Ari

James,
Fred and I wanted to thank you so much for work in our backyard! You’ve transformed it into something so beautiful and functional! You really did an outstanding job. Thanks so much and we’ll be contacting you for the front garden and blue stone for sure.

Thanks again for all your hard work and efforts into building an amazing garden. We will be enjoying it for many years to come!
Regards, Isamu & Susan

Just wanted to make sure you know that my garden is perfect! Even the nasty insects are ok. I love the garden and your stone work really comes across as the frame, the structure, that makes it all work so well together.
– Best, Betsy

James did a fabulous job designing our backyard this spring. He worked within our budget while using first-class materials and taking all the time necessary to get the job done right. You can’t make a better choice.
– Jonathan Perkel

I have had the pleasure of working with James on several landscaping projects in my garden over the past few years. As an artist, he is wonderful at helping you to envision exactly what a space needs and, as an experienced landscaper, his work is excellent.
– Carol Costello

Dear James,
I wanted to express how thrilled I am with my beautiful little oasis. I love walking out on my deck & looking down at the garden. It has made such a difference! Our backyard was a total shambles & the work you put into it was nothing short of fabulous.
Thank you for not only a beautiful final project but additionally, I am very grateful that you have helped me keep it going as it has. Your follow through with the garden only says to me how much you really care about your work & want to see that it remains as you envisioned it (as well as me).
Thank you again & I look forward to our next project together!

Dear James,
I am writing to let you know how pleased we are with the work you did in our garden. We are pleased with the result, which is lovely. We are even more pleased with the quality of the service you provided. You did your work quickly, efficiently, thoughtfully and neatly. You answered our questions on what to plant and how to care for the plants. You went the extra mile to respond to our request to take away some items that we needed to discard. And best of all, you did all of the above in very friendly manner that made working with you what it should be, a gardening experience, rather than a monetary transaction.
Thanks again.
Sincerely yours, Shelly and Mei

Thanks so much for everything. We are very happy with our gardens, look forward to seeing you in the spring time.
– Jane

We love the garden and the mulch is wonderful. We eat out every night and it has really changed our space. Its amazing to see the kids in the space and KW often takes a flower from the garden to put in a vase in her room.
THANK YOU SO MUCH for such a BEAUTIFUL garden.
– Lara Temple and Alan Winchester

Hi James,
I just want to let you know that we are really happy with how things came out in the garden. It’s just such a different space now and I am so excited to see how things bloom in the spring. The trees in the back make all the difference and there is now so much more variety. But again - it looks GREAT!! I wish we had done this years ago. THANK YOU FOR THE BEAUTIFUL WORK!!!
– Judith and Michael Feldman