Garden Stories

I highly recommend James Wilson, Garden Stories. James transformed my garden and patio area into a magical space. There were a number of problems to solve with respect to water and elevation changes. James crafted great ideas and solutions. He was flexible and responsive. The project took a few twists and turns. Being able to problem solve with him and incorporate his ideas and suggestions of the subcontractors he hired resulted in a much better end result than I had envisioned. Everything was completed within time frames established. The subcontractors James works with are top notch. This project was extensive; involving moving a tree, moving a large shrub, all the patio replacement and grading, installation of irrigation, new cement stairs and lighting (so cool). James managed the project well. I would choose to work with James and Garden stores in the future.

After moving to Portland from the east coast, we wanted an expert in local flora to help us design our garden. Luckily, we found Garden Stories! James has a deep knowledge of plants, especially native, sustainable and low-maintenance options. He is a thoughtful designer that really listens to your needs and wants before drawing a plan. We are so pleased with our garden and get compliments from passersby all day long! Will definitely be calling again.

Garden Stories recently completed the full redesign of our front yard and we couldn’t be more happy with the final result! James is extremely knowledgeable and was very communicative throughout the process: from surveying our yard to providing sketches for collaborating on different ideas. His planting plan translated exactly to what we wanted: a sustainable design that took into account the style of our home and respectful of the PNW weather. We look forward to working with James again for the next phase of our project: a complete redo of our backyard.

Having lived in apartments my whole adult life (and killing many house plants) I had no idea how to approach the garden and patio when we purchased our first house. Luckily, we found James. Although it was a smaller project, he was super attentive, consultative, and collaborative. He provided a strategy for our very sunny lot and desired level of effort to maintain. I especially appreciate his patience with my complete lack of knowledge of plants and flowers. We've loved watching the garden continue to grow and spending evening on our new back patio.

My husband and I hired James of Garden Stories, to handle (what was for us) a big and intimidating project. We'd bought a house on sunny and exposed corner, the front and side yards of which were filled with weedy grass and a steepish slope (of about 5' at the max). Having never hired a landscape designer, we felt extra leery of the whole thing. What wonderful good fortune that we landed in the capable hands of Garden Stories! James took in all of our hopes and concerns with patience and respect. He gave us reasonable estimates with respect to time and budget right from the beginning. He was wonderfully flexible (and patient!) in helping us to understand our project better and in answering all questions and concerns. James created an awesome plan for our challenging site that was affordable, on-time and on-budget, AND beautiful. He hired and oversaw the contractor (which placed boulders on the slope and installed a gravel path). He installed all the bushes and plants and took care of a last-minute addition that I'd not thought of till the end. Our new landscape is in harmony with our home and the way we live, and -- so important -- honors the characteristics of our little part of the Pacific Northwest.

We have worked with Garden Stories on several projects recently and have been impressed with their involvement, dedication, and desire to provide a design that is efficient yet functional. They deliver great bang-for-the-buck. Garden Stories has been great at communicating and being willing to work with us to make on the spot changes when necessary. Our projects together has run smoothly and we appreciate that. Thanks Garden Stories!

I hired James to create a plan for a patio and improved drainage in my back yard and then to coordinate with the landscape contractor on the installation. He did an excellent job. He gave me a comprehensive plan and then adjusted it to better meet my desired final product. I would hire James again.

I hired James to do an extensive re-design of both our front and back yard and we are very pleased with the end result. Our front yard faces south and includes a steep slope, while the back is flat and shadier. After a handful of discussions, James developed thoughtful plans, helped me locate a professional to install the stone work and then he personally handled all the planting himself. The change is dramatic and we get complements on it all the time. I've since had him out a few times to give me maintenance advice. He has always been responsive and punctual and his knowledge of plants is superb. Nice guy too.

Summary & Headline: James at Garden Stories is professional, honest, hard working and trustworthy. I would highly recommend his work for landscape design/build project needs. He outperformed our expectations on all levels. Detail: We interviewed and received proposals from three landscape design/build firms related to the removal of the grass in our front yard and the installation of a low-water, low-maintenance, climate-suitable planting arrangement. We chose Garden Stories for three reasons. First, James provided a design that was the closest to what my wife and I described in our request, which we believe was because he spent the most time with us surveying the site and listening to our needs. Second, he proposed a budget that fit within our guidelines. Third, he proposed plantings that were the most in line with the look we wanted (low maintenance and able to withstand extreme summer western facing sun). James' proposal was all inclusive - full design work and construction work - and we executed a contract for both services. Once we signed the contract, James delivered on all of his deadlines. He sent us design plans (and revisions) on the dates promised, started digging up sod on the day he promised and ultimately completed the project on schedule and on (an adjusted) budget. While we did end up spending more than originally anticipated, it was our choice to do so. James carefully outlined the change in scope for adding plants/materials to the project and left us with the choice to pursue those options or not. Throughout the process he was courteous, listened with a patient ear, and worked hard to ensure we ended up with a product that made us happy. James completed 100% of the work himself in our job and I should note that he did a very nice job cleaning up at the end of the job also. It's now been 9 months since the installation of our low-water garden and it looks fantastic. James just completed another "check-in" with me to walk the yard, answer any questions and see how things were growing and processing. Overall, we had an excellent experience working with James and will surely use him again as we tackle more home/yard landscape projects.

James/Garden Stories to a wonderful job landscaping my front and backyard. I knew more what I didn't want than what I wanted. Yard had areas of full sun to full shade. He listened and gave me a low maintenance/drought tolerant landscape with a lot of variety. This is going to be a spectacular place in a few years. James was a pleasure to work with on this undertaking and I couldn't be more pleased. Had a great contact also for front fence and backyard pergola that also did a beautiful job. I would highly recommend him without reserve. Thanks James! Deanna Berman

James took the lead on a landscaping project beyond just landscaping. In addition to landscaping, paving, and creating a rain garden, he also coordinated contractors to remove trees and build a retaining wall and fence. He responded to emails in a timely manner and was the point person for all projects. James knew exactly the native, hardy plants that would fit our space and us. We are thrilled to have a back yard with more beauty, privacy, usable space and better drainage. Looking forward to using it for summers to come.

Working with James on my front yard was an absolute pleasure. He is not simply a professional landscape designer, but a true artist. He listened to my needs (low maintenance, drought tolerant, wider walkways) and developed a beautiful plan. As I am an avid gardener myself, he allowed me to very much be a part of the process as it unfolded. He has superior plant knowledge and exposed me to many species of which I had never heard. James worked efficiently and carefully. It is clear that this is a labor of love for him and not just another paycheck. In the end he created a personalized front yard for me in the time frame and budget that we had discussed. It is extremely easy to maintain, it has a natural meadow-like feel, and makes me smile every time I pull in the driveway! Thank you James!