Walsh Landscape & Design

I contacted a half dozen landscapers for this project. Vince Walsh was there the very next day to scope it out. He was the only one who would take care of removing the old fence and installing the new one, as well as doing the garden work. His materials prices were just what I found on the Internet and his labor costs were fair. What I had in mind for the fence - matching some of it to my neighbor's 6-foot solid panels but using 4-foot shadowbox on the other sides of my yard - was a bit unusual, but Vince recognized what I wanted and, together, we came up with an excellent outcome. Vince removed almost all of the vinca and some of the Boston ivy which had taken over much of my yard. He suggested working with the ivy as a groundcover in a defined area at the back of the yard and adding appropriate shrubs to take advantage of it and the existing contour. He used rocks (hidden in the overgrowth) left over from a prior patio excavation to make a wall in front of an existing mound (also left over from the years-ago patio excavation) which really sets off that whole rear section. Vince revamped a curving flowerbed on one side, incorporating existing Belgian block edgers. On the other side, where the vinca had taken over, he created an extensive new curving flowerbed including an existing red maple and a disappointing forsythia, which got severely pruned in hopes of a better spring. The vinca had taken up more area than looked good for the new flowerbed, so we decided to reduce its size by installing sod. The resulting-sized bed is in much better proportion to the yard. In addition to the forsythia, Vince pruned the lilac, butterfly bush, and wisteria. Even though he really liked my climbing rose (which bloomed for only one week a year and was growing crazy), he came around to my way of thinking and removed it, replacing it with two Concord grape bushes/vines. He also cleaned out an overgrown freeform flowerbed in the middle of the yard as well as reworked another bed along the side of the house. Vince was enthusiastic about my desire for perennial plantings which would attract birds and butterflies. He is also keen on year-round color and interest in the garden. He backed off on some suggestions which didn't thrill me and then came up with satisfactory replacements. He refrained from tearing out my favorite pokeweed and also had the grace to admit that it ended up looking very attractive when it reached its full size against the new wood fence. We discussed my preferences so much that before I went overseas for a 10-day vacation in July, I gave Vince permission to purchase, install and maintain the new plantings while I was away. I came home to a lovely backyard garden retreat which I think the birds and butterflies are already enjoying more than before, even though the seeds and fruit aren't even really ready. Not only did Vince come to my house the day after our initial contact, he was ready to get to work very soon, fitting my job into his existing schedule. He works every day. He had a helper for part of the fence, but the rest of the time he's a one-man operation. When I first interviewed Vince, he encouraged me to take my time and talk to as many other contractors as feasible. He said that most people come back to him. Well, that sounded a bit cocky, but I ended up having no doubts about who to go with. He knows what he's doing, but he listens to me. At first I thought his labor costs were a tad high (I had no previous experience with this type of work), but I get more than my money's worth. Vince does a lot of extras: For instance, he took a couple minutes and cleaned out my shed rain gutter which had little trees growing in it; I would have had to get out a ladder and then made a mess (I've done it before). He also found buyers for an old wood stove that was taking up valuable space in my shed and helped load it into their truck - not an easy job. Before I hired Vince, he invited me to look at a property which he's been working on for years, making it just the way the owner wants it. I was a little intimidated because that customer's house and grounds are much bigger than mine, but Vince's enthusiasm is contagious and his understanding is encouraging. If someday I want lighting or water features or more hardscaping, he can do that. If I don't, that's okay, too.