PARDON MY GARDEN

Overall it was not a good experience. It started off well - Jim and his very able helper Sam got to work quickly, but after 2 days work stalled because they had taken on another job which apparently had priority. Took several attempts until they got back to work while we were with an unfinished backyard. Communication was not easy. In the process we agreed that Jim would take care of our lawn (cutting and re-seeding) and backyard during the fall in exchange for a number of big boulders he hauled from our yard. Again, it took several attempts to have him come over, and we ended up doing much of the work ourselves. Some parts of the job we had agreed on have not been performed despite reminders. Communication and reliability need to be improved. On the positive side, we are pleased with the overall outcome and creativity that Sam put into the job.

EMailed Jim on 7/31 requesting someone to come by and provide an estimate. He requested my address and I gave it to him. I have not heard back from anyone (that was two weeks ago).

I wanted to abate the runaway unkempt look of the front and back yard of my rowhouse, not a manicure or bonsai. I saw a "Pardon my Garden" yard sign and later I looked them up and made contact by e-mail. I explained what I wanted: a quick, efficient tidying-up. They understood perfectly and delivered exactly what I needed. I was present for the back-yard work. The laborer, Marco Antonio, was a man of few words in English, but adequate for the purpose. I invited them to do the front yard at their convenience. When I came back on another day, I was happy with the work and glad it had been done. The house is a rowhouse with a shallow front lawn and nothing exotic, so it was a small job for a landscaping firm, but they treated me well and were pleasant to work with.