Yard Maven

Akiko is a wonderful collaborator. She carefully asked for my color and design preferences and then returned with multiple choices. She expanded the choices beyond what I originally was thinking of to offer some variety and options. I never felt like I was being taken somewhere I didn't want to go, but always felt that her expertise was giving me more informed and carefully curated choices.

3 years ago Akiko took the scrubby grass in our front yard and turned it into a gorgeous, drought-tolerant landscape that is easy to care for, beautiful, and bee friendly. In addition, she has helped us take our back yard from pretty darn good to absolutely amazing. We continue to work with her on quarterly maintenance that keeps everything in tip top shape. I wish that every contractor we worked with was as hard-working, conscientious, reliable, talented, and flexible.

Yard Maven designed my garden and continues to work with me on ongoing maintenance and additional projects. I cannot recommend Akiko enough. From the original consult when she really listened to my ideas and desires for the look and feel of my garden, as well as assessing my needs for maintenance and sustainability, to the design process, to supervising the project implementation, to ongoing maintenance and ornamental pruning, I have been extremely satisfied by both the work and the value for the service Akiko has provided to me. She not only designed a beautiful, pollinator-, water-, and child-friendly garden, but also worked really well with my landscape contractor (who she recommended) and my arborist (who recommended her to me). The ongoing maintenance and irrigation instructions, as well as the periodic e-mails she sends about adjusting irrigation and the likes are some of the perks Akiko provides to her clients. I have recommended her to my brother and several friends based on my outstanding experience of working with Akiko.

I highly recommend Akiko Komori. She is a talented designer --both knowledgeable and skillful in translating client's goals into reality. She worked closely with us to redesign our front garden-truly a transformation that is beautiful, practical, and water-wise. She was highly skilled throughout the design and installation process, working within our budget and priorities. On a personal note--she is a delight to be around.

I recently started photographing Akiko's work. She has a great sense of spatial orientation and gardenscape style that can turn any plain yard space into a relaxing sanctuary. Her style is natural, soothing and therapeutic. If your yard needs a little love, Akiko is your gal!

Akiko started taking care of our yards in September 2009. We had just bought the house; both yards showed signs of neglect and most of the surface was covered by a lawn. When we first contacted Akiko, we expressed our interest in a drought-tolerant landscape. She developed a blueprint which accommodated our desires and kept most of the trees already on the property. After almost eight years, Akiko is still our guide and helper in developing what has become a beautiful and mature landscape, with “Mediterranean flavor”. She does regular maintenance and remains an invaluable advisor in all the different issues involved in keeping a garden in good condition: renovation of soil, selection of the plants that are appropriate for our climate, watering system and schedule, and where to find the right supplies. She directed us to the right person to diagnose and treat distressed plants and trees, suggested a business to install a dripping system, and recommended an arborist to check the condition of our over thirty years old orange and fig trees. She has taught us to be patient with our plants and to let ourselves be surprised by the ones that seem to languish but are just waiting for the next spring to come back to life. For all the plants, Akiko gave us a list of options and, after discussing the pros and cons of each one, we made the final decision. To anyone looking for a landscape gardener with an exquisite sense for shapes and colors and a deep knowledge and experience with our great Southern California gardens, I would recommend Akiko without a doubt. Just tell her what you want and then let her guide you through the experience of seeing your garden grow and mature.