Cropley's Garden Center & Landscaping

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They are very knowledgeable, helpful and friendly.

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Jim came over and we laid out the plan to replace the old broken stone steps and build a retaining wall. In preparation, I had taken down eight trees with a tree contractor, which were our current erosion control for the hill in front, and it was Jim's idea to replace that control with a dry rock river bed to conduct the water. We also anticipated and discussed other aspects such as a new sidewalk and landscaping, etc., It got complex, and I frankly didn't know where to begin, and how much I could afford at each step. Jim came back and presented us with an amazing array of information, very accurate, very efficient, all neatly tucked into a folder. I have never worked with such an efficient and helpful contractor. The folder contained information about him as a contractor such as his license number and other credentials. He also included a worksheet outlining the larger view of the job broken down in increments and priced according to each increment so that I could pick how I wanted to begin, proceed and stop, and plan finances with each step of the way. He included a sketch of the work to be done, pictures of other work he had done and some catalogues to look at and we took a few days and at least one more visit with him to make decisions. I couldn't decide on what steps I wanted, and a large part of that is because pictures in books do not accurately portray what the real thing looks like. All I knew was that I wanted real quarry stone for the steps. A few days later Jim arrived in our driveway with a truck hauling actual heavy full scale steps from the quarry so i could see them in reality. I know this entailed a good amount of extra time and effort on his part to do, and I knew immediately which steps I wanted. We went ahead with a contract, and work began. Jim and his crew arrived at eight thirty promptly every morning and worked steadily every day until the job was completed, with one interruption for a couple of days due to weather. They did not interrupt our work to run back and forth to other jobs. When he left, the yard where his equipment dug things up was raked, graded and neat and clean, ready to plant grass next year. In short, he was efficient, honest, accurate, and went out of his way all to help us envision what we were going to be paying for. The work is professional and thorough and the steps are really beautiful.

The pavers were installed in a random pattern with a soldier course on each side and Belzik edging stones to keep the mulch in the garden area on both sides of the walkway from spilling into the walkway. My neighbor watched the men work and remarked how they were very organized and worked without extended breaks. The job was done sooner than expected and Jim even planted grass sod on the outside of the walkway instead of just throwing out grass seed on the dirt. A beautiful job that makes our home look so much more welcoming.

,Jim was always on time or early to appointments, explained everything very well, and delivered the job the week after the storm and lost power delayed the project one week. He went beyond expectations by laying down sod next to the walkway on a slope to the lawn level, because the project was completed too late to plant grass seed before winter. The job went very well, and we are very pleased with the walkway. We look forward to having the landscaping installed next Spring.

It went very well. Jim and his crew have a ton of experience laying patios, walkways, walls, and landscaping spaces. Jim helped us decide on the type of paver to use, that would go with the house. He designed a wavy layout rather than a dull rectangle, and also designed a built-in firepit in a a different color stone. They built 3 gorgeous steps where the decking had been. The guys were all very professional and cleaned up after themselves nicely. Hopefully after this hard winter, we won't see any cracking, but if we do, Jim assured us he will return and fix any problems with no charge. There were no surprises or hidden costs to the project. We even called them a few months later to completely replace our front walkway and steps which also went very smoothly and quickly. It looks terrific now (well after all the snow melts!).

I stopped by the garden center looking for a series of plants and shrubs to plant in the front and side of my house. As the house is set back in the woods, the planting beds are primarily shaded and we have issues with deer eating everything in sight. I am not a gardener so I was hoping for some direction on types of plants to use. The nursery workers spent a considerable amount of time working with me to put together a collection of evergreen shrubs, annuals and perrenials for maximum impact and interest all year round. They suggested several plants I would never have considered (but love now!) and they cautioned me about some plants which deer would demolish quickly. Without seeing the planting beds, they were still able to help layout a pleasing garden which I love. When I then had a fungus problem, I clipped a couple leaves and they diagnosed the problem and gave me something to treat the problem.