Kate Michels Landscape Design

I have recommended Kate to several of my clients over the years. She is a talented landscape designer who listens to the clients, creates beautiful gardens, and follows up with on all the details. She is easy to work with and always has a solution! She has done gardens for me that range from large rolling hillsides with multiple homes on a property to a small intimate courtyard garden in the city and they were all lovely. I would highly recommend Kate for any landscaping project!

Kate designed and oversaw the implementation of a complete transformation of our backyard. For many years our yard consisted of a poorly maintained brick patio, a concrete courtyard where our children (now grown) played basketball, overgrown terraces and pots filled with scraggly bushes and flowers. The yard was dreary and uninviting. After visiting our home a few times and taking careful measurements, Kate drew up plans to change everything. The plans were sketched out in detail and were accompanied by full page descriptions of each plant that she recommended so that we could see exactly what she had in mind. The price for her design work, as well as for the landscape contractor, was also reasonable. We loved her ideas and gave the green light for the work to commence. The entire project took about one month. The brick patio was replaced by large pavers, placed diagonally, with hearty green ground cover filling the seams and making a lovely pattern. The concrete was covered by similar stone pavers, carefully chosen to complement the travertine of our adjoining kitchen. The terraces were replanted with a variety of flowers and flowering shrubs, chosen to provide a diversity of colors and blooms throughout most of the year. At our request she also planted several fruit trees and a few herb beds. She accented the open areas with potted plants, again chosen to maximize color and variety. A full irrigation system was installed. Kate also designed and oversaw the installation of landscape lighting that allows us to enjoy the yard in the evening. We were very pleased with Kate's services. She is passionate about her work and very knowledgeable about the suitability of a large number of plants in the unique San Francisco climate. She was a pleasure to deal with and did an excellent job.

Kate really helped us transform our property. She combines inventiveness with her very thorough knowledge and truly worked with us as clients to understand our desired outcome. Kate was always very organized and clear about budgets, offering multiple options and was a joy to work with. Very thoughtful work. She is an outstanding individual and professional. We could not recommend her more highly.

Kate completely redesigned the landscaping of our hillside lot, turning it into a wonderful place to entertain as well as enjoying quiet moments. Her design made the most of the best features of our property and combined a low maintenance garden with the opportunity to putter around as an amateur gardener. She did a meticulous job of planning and managing the construction process. She is very efficient, communicates very well and is cost conscious too. I have complete confidence that her design and execution are sound and beautiful. We will be grateful to her for years of enjoyment..