Art & Linda's Wildflowers

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Was not very professional. I requested a layout of the beds and how the plantings would go but was told they weren't needed and is not how he does things. Insisted on bringing his dog with him in my yard and since I had dogs didn't think it was a good idea. I was hesitant to use his services based on his criticizing my yard.  I wanted to treat myself finally after years of hard work and putting the kid thru college it was time for me to enjoy my yard,  After agreeing to a price he came over a few days later to apply herbicide to the beds. Weeks passed finally a phone call to ask if the grass was dead. I was told he would be coming shortly to begin planting. Another 3 weeks pass with no communication or explanation. I receive a phone call after returning from work and ready to begin the mowing for the week that he is coming tonight to plant. No advance warning nothing. He says he has the plants in the car and he'll just stop over. I told him I really would have appreciated some type of heads up, and I was exhausted from work and wasn't ready tonight. He proceeded to tell me " I have ladies all the time who have had bad days, I know how to deal with you." Unfortunately that is not how you "deal" with a modern independent woman. He has made attempts to deliver plants for me to do the planting myself but at this point in time I would rather not. The stress in dealing with a man such as himself isn't worth it. I really don't want to hear sob stories about how no one wants a broken down old man like yourself. He used those exact words. If there was some way I could have dealt with LINDA of Art and Linda's I may have been happier. I am not sure that this man has a clue on how to talk to smart capable women.

I really like the work and the philosophy of using only native plants because hey belong here and attract and provide food for wildlife.

He is very knowledgeable about plants. He is very good and friendly. He does very nice work. They work even when we are not here. They are pretty flexible. We are overall very happy with them. His price is pretty reasonable. He is not that responsive. I have had trouble talking to him about my plants some times. He is very casual, but the landscaper is professional. We will continue to use him in the future.

He's been out several times. We've had a lot of rain, so it's been hard for him to come out and fnish the work, which is fine, we're not in a big rush, and we are happy so far with the work he has done.

It went fine.

They seem to be the only company in the area that does native species.

One of the interesting features in our yard is a large rock garden, long-neglected and given over to day lillies and weeds. Art literally filled our driveway with plants which he used as a sort of artist's palette, picking and choosing from the vast selection of native plants and wildflowers to create a truly unique design that brings out the best of the hardscaped feature. He also transformed our back yard from a muddy expanse of half-dead grass (thanks to our dog!) into a beautiful and functional play area bordered by native shrubs and watered in part by a very clever rerouting of rain from our garage downspouts. In all, he selected and planted nearly 100 native plants of over 75 different species, and even helped us get our back yard certified as a wildflower preserve. Art is truly an artist, not a contractor. Don't expect elaborate drawings and plans, ala carte plant lists, or the like. Instead, trust in his vision and his commitment and you will reap the reward.

Very smoothly. If there was a higher grade than "A" for responsiveness I would give it. Art did a wonderful job, and has had amazing follow-up. He has called to see how the plants are doing, and sent additional information about the plants in the mail. The landscaped spot was very challenging, but he did a great job.

My perennial garden, with which I replaced the front lawn about 8 years ago, had gotten overgrown with native grasses and nonnative plants. I called Art, whose work I knew from reading stories about native plant landscaping, and asked for help in getting it back under control. He came out to check the site within a day or two, then came back to take another look and discuss a plan. He asked about my budget and respected it. He also admired some of my native plants while pointing out others that were aliens and had no place in the kind of "prairie garden" I wanted (although he kindly allowed me to keep a few things I wanted, even though they didn't belong). He directed me to a garden in my area that he had designed. While I always check everything out, get references, check insurance, etc before employing any contractor, I didn't even check Angie's list this time. It was so clear that Art was the person I wanted. No contract, no "landscape plan"--within days Art came out, cleared all the messy, overgrown plants, and I came home to an incredible, diverse, beautiful native plant landscape. AND--he dug up and potted my excess native grasses, which he will distribute elsewhere, and considered them an even exchange for the new natives he planted. Unbelievable. He left me lots of written information about what he had planted. I can't say enough good things about Art--I agree with reviewers who said "trust him."

My perennial garden, with which I replaced the front lawn about 8 years ago, had gotten overgrown with native grasses and nonnative plants. I called Art, whose work I knew from reading stories about native plant landscaping, and asked for help in getting it back under control. He came out to check the site within a day or two, then came back to take another look and discuss a plan. He asked about my budget and respected it. He also admired some of my native plants while pointing out others that were aliens and had no place in the kind of "prairie garden" I wanted (although he kindly allowed me to keep a few things I wanted, even though they didn't belong). He directed me to a garden in my area that he had designed. While I always check everything out, get references, check insurance, etc before employing any contractor, I didn't even check Angie's list this time. It was so clear that Art was the person I wanted. No contract, no "landscape plan"--within days Art came out, cleared all the messy, overgrown plants, and I came home to an incredible, diverse, beautiful native plant landscape. AND--he dug up and potted my excess native grasses, which he will distribute elsewhere, and considered them an even exchange for the new natives he planted. Unbelievable. He left me lots of written information about what he had planted. I can't say enough good things about Art--I agree with reviewers who said "trust him."

Working with Art is different than working with other landscapers. He is very aware of the micro-environments proper for each plant and he is a perfectionist. He also marches to his own drummer, if you have a strict plan then don't expect Art to follow it. Instead, let him do his thing, sit back and wait for the plants to fill in, and then be very happy with your native garden. Art is a dear character who will nurture your garden very well if you let him.

Initially, he came and cleaned the area, removed weeds and unwanted plants, and planted native plants that used to grow in the area 300 years ago, such as native grass and false blue indigos. He does specialized gardening, and he's just the best. He has a great deal of talent and concern for good quality work. He always comes himself to check the progress and supervise the work. I pay every 90 days.

At the initial consultation, Art had left some books for us to look at to see what we liked. He came out again one day to talk to us and see what kind of plants we liked. We flagged out the beds and then he and his team came back on another day to spray herbicide. After about three weeks, they came back and installed the garden in one day. We love our garden. It is not even grown in yet, but we can see how great it's going to be. There was no plans drawn up, but it looks great. There are artistic compositions of logs, rocks and wood chips that are just so neat, even without the plants. We are very impressed with Art's knowledge of plants. We gave him a budget and he stayed within it and actually slightly under. In hiring Art, you have to realize that you are hiring an activist and an artist. You need to be flexible, but the results are stunning. This is a small business and it feels like it. Very personal touch and he really listens to your views.

At the initial consultation, Art had left some books for us to look at to see what we liked. He came out again one day to talk to us and see what kind of plants we liked. We flagged out the beds and then he and his team came back on another day to spray herbicide. After about three weeks, they came back and installed the garden in one day. We love our garden. It is not even grown in yet, but we can see how great it's going to be. There was no plans drawn up, but it looks great. There are artistic compositions of logs, rocks and wood chips that are just so neat, even without the plants. We are very impressed with Art's knowledge of plants. We gave him a budget and he stayed within it and actually slightly under. In hiring Art, you have to realize that you are hiring an activist and an artist. You need to be flexible, but the results are stunning. This is a small business and it feels like it. Very personal touch and he really listens to your views.

We have little complaints about the installation of the garden, however we stipulated from the start that we wanted ongoing maintenance. For a new native garden, it's critical that close maintenance is required until the plants are well established. This company agreed to this stipulation prior to installation. But they never lived up to their promise. We called several times over the season for maintenance work to be done - someone showed up once or twice but did little. By this time, unwanted thistles and weeds were crowding out the native plants. Art and Linda's never responded with any serious attempt to maintain our new installation. Also, Art said that he grows his native plants himself, yet in a flat of plants with his company's label, we found an overlooked tag that said ''The Natural Garden''. The Natural Garden is a nursery in St. Charles and has no affiliation with Art and Linda's except for being their supplier! Untrustworthy company!

They got an A overall because of their excellence of their work and the care and concern of picking the proper plants. I would definitely recommend them. I worked with Vicky.

I CAN'T SAY ENOUGH GOOD THINGS ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE WORKING WITH ART. HIS PASSION FOR NATIVE PLANTS AND RESTORING WILDLIFE HABITAT IS VERY HEARTFELT -- TO THE POINT WHERE HE SIMPLY DOESN'T CHARGE ENOUGH MONEY. HE HAS AN ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVIST'S COMMITMENT, THE EYE OF AN ARTIST, AND THE KNOWLEDGE OF A TRAINED BOTANIST. I WOULDN'T EXPECT TO BE ABLE TO BOOK HIM AS QUICKLY AS WE DID. HE HAPPENED TO HAVE A LITTLE WINDOW FOR OUR LITTLE JOB. HE'S VERY BUSINESSLIKE. WE HAD AN INCIDENT WHERE I TOOK OUT HIS SIGNATURE RIVER PEBBLES. HE WAS NICE ABOUT IT BUT HE SAID THAT IT HURT HIS FEELINGS FOR ME TO MAKE A CHANGE TO HIS COMPOSITION WITHOUT TALKING ABOUT IT TO HIM FIRST. WE WERE ABLE TO HAVE A GOOD TALK ABOUT IT AND HE TOLD HIS MEN TO TAKE OUT THE REST OF THE PEBBLES. EVERYTHING TURNED OUT SO WELL THAT OUR NEIGHBOR HAD HIS YARD DONE BY ART. THIS NEIGHBOR HAPPENS TO WORK WITH HIGH-END LANDSCAPERS (SUPPLYING ROCK) SO THAT'S SIGNIFICANT.