MLS Landscaping

MLS Landscaping did an excellent job for us. We just had a pool put in and needed sprinkler repair, sod replaced and landscaping installed around the pool. Mike and his crew were very professional, came in and got the jobs done efficiently. Mike listened to our ideas, offered advice and made some suggestions that really improved the end result . I cannot say enough good things about MLS Landscaping. We highly recommend them!

The re-mulching that they did was really well and putting down the grass came out really well too. However, I was a little bit disappointed in them because they didn't really stay true to the quote and the plants they were putting in the garden. I had to ask them where certain plants were and later on they told me that they decided that it would be best for them not to put them in and do put different ones in. The communication wasn't really there with that company. Some of the flowers died within a week and I asked if they could replace them, but they wouldn't do it for free, which I thought was not good business.

This will be a mixed review for MLS Landscaping (MLS) because
overall we were happy with the job they did, but there was one area of dispute
that soured our overall rating.

Update 5/20/13 - Would not recommend working with this company.

We had MLS come out to give us a bid on our
landscaping based upon a reference from the neighbor next door. We needed soil
and mulch maintenance on our beds, trees trimmed, beds fertilized, and
landscaping in the front beds. In particular, we needed to partially replace a
row of about 12 bushes in one bed where 6 or 7 of the bushes were worn out and
needed to be replaced. We discussed with Mike, the owner of MLS, that we wanted
to take out the bad bushes and blend in new bushes of equal type and height. He
did not seem to have a problem with it, or did not mention that it would be a
problem. As you can probably guess, that did turn out to be a problem. In
addition to the back bushes, we wanted a second row of smaller bushes as well
as some front color.
After a little negotiation, we settled on a price of $2,295
for all the work noted above. I considered the price a little high but not
outrageous based upon two other bids that we had obtained. I felt it would be
worth it to have a professional job done and to work with an established
company that would be around for future projects. It’s hard to find a good
dependable landscaper.
We signed a contract on April 4th and the work
was scheduled for May 13th, which shows you that this company is
established and used by a lot of people in the Houston area. The work was
completed as scheduled, but when I got home that night the first thing I
noticed was the back bushes. It was not a uniform row of bushes. Instead of
blending in bushes of similar type and height, MLS simply took out the old
bushes and added a different type of bush that was one third the size of the
existing bushes. So what I was left with was a row of short, tall, short, tall
bushes. It did not look good. The rest of the landscaping was good except that
we wished it presented more color [Mike tells me that it will as the different
plants bloom, so that should not be a problem].
Mike did not discuss the completed job with my wife, but
rather just sent me an email invoice that night for the remaining amount due. I
emailed back that we were disappointed with the back bushes. His response was
to tell me that if I knew landscaping I would not be disappointed because I
would know that the small bushes would fill in over time. I was not happy with
the response because I don’t think the bushes will fill in for at least a year
if at all (see picture) and in the meantime it does not look professional -
IMO. I also would have liked a more conciliatory response rather than an
inference that I did not know what I was talking about. As the saying goes, I
know what I like when I see it, and neither my wife nor I thought the bushes
looked good.

Mowing, edging, weed-eating and my and quot;honey-doand quot; stuff!

His name is Mike Schroeder. I found him in an advertisement in one of the home magazines that they circulate in Sugar Land. I called him and he came that very same day. We went through the property and he gave me some estimates. We talked about the things that I needed. We decided to do it in phases, but the immediate need was for the front landscaping of the house. I wanted to take out some old things that were already here. Then we purchased. He came in and he offered me some suggestions. In about a week he came back and in two days he redid the entire front of the house and it is totally different. It cost me a lot. It was reasonable. He is basically full service. He does everything, not just landscaping. He was very professional, very experienced and knowledgeable, and very polite. He was very easy to work with. He was very good. I got exactly what I wanted. He had a lot of knowledge about what was there and some of the problems I was having and why. I am not a horticulturist so I have no idea what this plant is. He knew what everything was. He knew why it was in a certain condition. It may be too much water or not enough water. His website is pretty extensive with things that he has done before and after so I went onto his website and I saw those. He is very experienced and knows what he is talking about. I would use him again in the future. As a matter of fact he is doing a weekly service for me now. I am thinking that he is offering lawn irrigation and fertilizing once or twice a year in what I am getting.