Kind Words from Clients

I had just rounded a corner of my yard with an armful of clippings from a long neglected hedgerow, and as my eyes fell on my newly planted entry way bed I had a sudden realization that my garden gives me joy again! After a long time in our home, I was feeling that my yard needed some expert attention and rejuvenation that was beyond my capabilities. I had learned a fair amount “by doing” over the years so I was more interested in finding someone who could help me implement a plan rather than someone who I would simply pay to do a landscape plan for me, so I was delighted when my search led me to Kirsten. The idea of a coach was perfectly suited to what I wanted, and in fact it has been fun, educational, empowering, and so satisfying. I am so thrilled with how it’s all coming together! When Kirsten first came to my home, we spent time walking the property so she could familiarize herself and get an idea of my goals, and her overall philosophy for planning a landscape really resonated with me. She took a lot of time at the beginning to zero in on getting to know me, my preferences for color and shape and feel, my vision and my long term hopes for my property, as well as for how much time and energy I want to devote to being in the garden. This is such a great collaborative approach and has made me feel like my gardens are now really reflective of me and what brings me … joy! She is a patient, supportive, and thorough coach and what I’m learning along the way gives me confidence that my time and efforts are well spent. It hasn’t taken long for me to begin to see a big payoff in how much happier many of my established plants are and how the newly installed ones are thriving. It’s noteworthy how many compliments are forthcoming from family and friends about how pretty everything looks. My garden is happy again, and so am I! Working with Kirsten has renewed my energy for time spent in my outdoor environment and increased the pleasure I derive from it many times over.

Throughout the years Kirsten at Gardens ALIVE Design has been designing and advising on my yard’s landscaping, countless people have complimented the garden.  Neighbors, dog-walkers, passers-by, passing car drivers who rolled down car windows, say “I love your garden.”  One driver even pulled into my driveway to tell me how beautiful the garden is.  Kirsten took care in the design to ensure that various plants peak at different times.  Passers-by remark that they purposely walk by my garden to see what’s growing or blooming now.  What spurred me to write is when a walker told me “Your garden makes me happy.”  Wow! As a self-confessed “plant nerd”, Kirsten has taught me a lot about plants – their needs, care, growth patterns, pruning, and placement. She also takes time to know what I like in a garden so the design fits my expectations. Moreover, we’ve resolved problems of plant disease and soil drainage.  She has such a wealth of knowledge to share!  Most importantly, she’s not only has brought happiness to the neighborhood, she enables me to enjoy gardening.  Thank you. 

I can’t praise Kirsten’s services highly enough! She goes far beyond offering beautiful and efficient landscape designs, providing the incredibly unique service of personalized coaching. It is so empowering to know that you can be as involved as you want in turning your landscape dreams into reality. She has done so much more for us than merely help us transform our yard full of weeds into something truly beautiful and full of promise. I had no idea before meeting Kirsten that her passion for landscaping, and most especially and uniquely – her incredible patience and dedicated skills as a teacher – would end up inspiring me with a deep, life-long love for all facets of gardening. Unlike any other landscape designer that I know of, she has taught us so much about plants and gardening along the way, and really empowered us to be more involved through the entire landscape process – from design to installation to long-term maintenance and enjoyment. Thank you so much Kirsten – for your endless patience and your enthusiastic willingness to share your talents with the world! I am so grateful for the inspiration you provide to get outside and enjoy all the beauty and promise our yards can offer us!

The best pruning teacher I have ever worked with - hands down! Fifty roses to prune and I was completely overwhelmed and intimidated. Kirsten brought deep knowledge, energy and efficiency. I learned so much by observing during the Pruning Coaching appointment. She gently encouraged me to try some cuts on my own and by the end of the day I had gained a beautifully pruned rose collection and new confidence. I also appreciated her very clear and professional processes. Her work exceeded my expectations and was worth every penny. Schedule Pruning Coaching with Kirsten to learn and experience pruning in a new way that makes sense.

Hello Kirsten,  I can't thank you enough for your very hard work, excellent supervision of the workers, lovely choices of plants, and the excellent appearance of our gardens.  I went out on the deck and in the front this morning, in the rain, and smiled and felt so good.  You are amazing!  It has been such a pleasure being part of your commitment to beautifying this earth.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

We'd lived in our custom-built house for many years; however, due to prolonged family illnesses, we had not had time to put in landscaping. I had said numerous times, it would be sad if we didn't landscape until we were ready to sell the place. And there we were, wanting to sell. I had heard Kirsten speak a year or so earlier, and she struck me as a no-nonsense professional, who knew what she was doing and had a lot of energy. When I found myself in a bind to get a landscape plan for the front yard done and installed, I contacted her. She had only a short window of time to work within, but she took us on. She came and talked with us about what we wanted, worked with the hardscape we had already installed and came up with a plan I really loved. She seemed to read my passions and envision what would work and be easy to care for. She provided the plants, which were very healthy and vigorous; placed them with a professional eye; and gave us instructions on how to plant them for best results. She also provided advice for the rest of the yard that would help us get the best price for our house. We planted, watered, and cared for the plants most of the summer. When we put our house on the market, the yard looked great. We got an offer within a week and for more than our asking price. Her landscaping and advice I believe really contributed. It certainly helped our frame of mind and our pride in our home, which I believe played a role. Thanks you, Kirsten! We'll be in touch when we're ready to spruce up the landscape at our new house.

"I live on a half-acre of which a very large proportion is flower beds. For seven years I have planted here, planted there, pinned gardening posts, had many elaborate visions, and even printed out a well-known gardening magazine’s landscape design blueprint for my space and followed it to the letter. But it was never quite right, I was always discouraged, and never felt like I was making any headway, even though I had convinced myself I could do it on my own. Every landscape company I called wanted to have control of the design, the schedule AND the labor (read: $$$). I knew there had to be a way where I could have, with a bit of guidance, control of my own design and the freedom to do the work myself (which I actually take great pleasure in). Enter Kirsten at Gardens ALIVE Design. It was obvious from our first meeting that Kirsten wanted me to end up with a garden plan that I LOVED. One that made me excited, one brimming with plants that made me swoon, one that met my needs of being low-maintenance and absolutely beautiful at the same time. Her seamless procedure took me through blueprinting my space, selecting appropriate plants, and placing those plants accordingly. She then hand-delivered every single one and worked with me, in the pouring rain no less, to make sure every hydrangea, peony, and ornamental grass (just to name a few) was perfectly positioned. Along the way, she provided a wealth of advice that was invaluable – not only does she want you to enjoy your new space now, but for years to come, and she has all the expertise to ensure that next season’s blooms are as beautiful, if not more so, than they are today. This was phase 1 of several for us, but I am already eagerly anticipating our next project. The vision I’ve tried to bring to life for so long is finally visible out my front window – and it’s beautiful. Thank you, Kirsten, for getting me there."

"Kirsten does beautiful work and she is very professional and knowledgeable. She will provide you with as much or as little guidance and help as you want. She did my neighbor's entire entry and it's gorgeous. I am a DIY garden hobbyist so I do a lot of my own plant selection and installation, but she gives me advice when I need it and can also supply plants. I have enjoyed working with her and have learned a lot from her."

"I hired Gardens ALIVE Design to create a garden plan for the new home we built in Duvall WA. We started the plan a year ago and it is just now coming to fruition and it looks amazing! Kirsten is professional, dedicated, knowledgable, and has a lovely eye for plants and design. She was able to take my vision, add to it and make it a reality."

"We really enjoyed working with Kirsten. She is very organized and thorough. She helped us to narrow down our design style and presented us with plant ideas that would work in our space. We love the design she came up with!"

"I had no idea what I was getting into when I started my landscaping project with Kirsten. My large yard was in poor shape with numerous challenges. She worked with me to identify my preferences in color and types of plants, designed a plan, patiently worked with me through changes, and followed through with needed contractors to complete the first phase.She is a good listener, very organized, and passionate about her job. It resulted in a stunning garden and many compliments! Thanks to Kirsten I will look forward to an on-going relationship and phase two! I would highly recommend her!"

"Gardens ALIVE worked with us to create a plan for our front yard. We had no idea what we were doing and having their expertise helped us establish a long term plan. From plant choice to hardscape decisions they were with us every step of the way! They were also extremely flexible when our budget/timeline changed and continue to give us support as we move forward with our project. I was struck by the attention to detail and time that was spent with us in understanding our broad goals. We are so thankful that we have Gardens ALIVE Design on our team!"

"Professional and Knowledgeable about plants, and really helped me outline what was needed for my small backyard. She knows the best plants to put in the right places, plus utilizing the space adequately. I was very happy with the outcome."

"Kirsten Lints of Gardens Alive did a very good job for us. She discussed with us what we wanted to achieve, what plants we liked or did not like, and provided us with a plan and a blueprint for the front and back gardens that we are very enthusiastic about. She provided a lot of information about each plant, and stayed in touch and guided us and answered many questions throughout the two years that the landscaping was done."

"Thank you helping design the landscape for both my front and back gardens. I appreciate how you listened to my wishes and I greatly enjoyed your Design Coaching sessions. Also, thank you for helping to deliver and place the plants. I am extremely happy with how beautiful the back garden looks. I am confident that I will be able to keep it looking just as beautiful in the future since you helped me select low-maintenance plants that will continue to grow lovelier each year. My neighbor was admiring how wonderful the garden looked and asked if we had help with the design. Of course, I recommended you without hesitation! I look forward to planting the front garden in the spring."

"Kirsten Lints has provided excellent services to our transitional housing program. She has made our property significantly more beautiful, which shows the homeless families who live here the value that they innately possess. Her generosity and thoughtfulness towards both the functionality of our gardens and the emotions they evoke has been hugely beneficial. We are so grateful for her design work, but even more so for the relationship she has built over several years of caring for our families through her expertise in design and gardening. Kirsten is wonderful in so many ways!"

"What can I say? She is amazing and so detailed. I was not the easiest client for her I'm sure. Unfortunately I was not really anticipating to do an overhaul on my entire front area of my circular driveway which measures about 120 x 10' approx. - not a small area plus all the planting beds near the front of the home. I thought I could remove a few hedges and shrubs and then it looked terrible. Kirsten to the rescue. Every season there is color somewhere whether it's blooms, daisy's (it has another name - sorry!) or just pretty foliage. I have had the UPS, FED Ex, neighbors and even my new landscaper commented on how beautiful my front area is. There is lots of joy for me when I drive by and pull into the driveway."

"We used Kirsten for our front and rear yards in a new construction house in West Bellevue in 2014 - she was great! Very knowledgeable not only about the flora, but about how to bring the plantings together into a comprehensive plan that is pleasing to see and easy to maintain. With many microclimates around our yard, she chose species that have survived well now several years later. She is enthusiastic about what she does and brings that energy to the design process. Would use again without hesitation - Todd"

"Kirsten did a great job of designing landscapes I am proud to show off! She listened to my needs and desires, and created a wonderful plan I was able to follow."

"I have worked with Kirsten for two separate yard projects and she was great! Kirsten just handles all the details, helps ease the decision-making process when choosing items for the landscape design and was very conscious of our budget, as well. I appreciate her great communication, her ability to design great landscaping and her overall care about creating what would for our tastes and lifestyle. I highly recommend Kirsten and Gardens ALIVE Design!"

"I was extremely happy with my experience with Kirsten and Gardens Alive Design. She took into account not only my budget, but style, color preferences, and the amount of maintenance I wanted to put in to my landscape. Thanks to her guidance, two years later we have a backyard transformed from a bowling green of lawn (and weeds) to an eye catching, functional and inviting space that attracts birds, bees and provides great spaces for entertaining, gardening, playing and storage. Kirsten walked me through the entire process, and worked on a design with me, as well as plant selection. To stay within our budget, Kirsten arranged a wholesale purchase of the plants with delivery, but I was able to use my own labor (meaning me and my husband!) for installation. We received great support along the way, including soil preparation and resources for finding the right organic fertilizers and even diagnosing the few plants we experienced a problem with. Although she did not guarantee plant survivability, she was able to replace plants at no cost to us that did not arrive well from the nursery or at a reasonable price."

“Thank you for the great job, with the landscaping design, for our front entrance area of our home and office. What a difference it has made! You were mindful of our needs with including low-maintenance items and were incredibly communicative along the way. I can see that you definitely have a passion for your business and I really appreciate the way you educated me about the plants, were careful to make sure I was pleased and offered to be of assistance if we have any problems with our new trees, shrubs and plants. You went above-and-beyond Kirsten. Your customer care is impeccable!”

"Working with Kirsten was a wonderful experience! She took the time to listen to my thoughts on what I wanted to accomplish in my backyard and helped guide me to make it a beautiful reality. Kirsten was very thorough and professional throughout our Design Coaching sessions and through the plant purchasing project. She helped give me the confidence to take the project and implement it and the knowledge and resources to further develop and care for my garden. I believe this project was so successful because she took the time and care to learn about me and my family and our goals for the backyard project. I wholeheartedly recommend Kirsten’s services.”

"Kirsten's Veggie Consultation was an absolute godsend! I have struggled off and on for the past several years to get a good vegetable garden going with very mixed results. Kirsten was able to come in, survey my site, ask questions that helped me clarify my strengths and weaknesses as well as my goals, and craft a workable plan for me. She is full of terrific tips on when to work on each step, how to simplify your tasks, and important things to remember. She taught me how to start seedlings indoors and I ended up with such an incredibly successful crop that I gave plants away to my neighbors - artichokes, cauliflower, tomatoes, broccoli! I was amazed at how easy it was after she identified my trouble spots and provided me with a plan of action. I can't wait to start harvesting my goodies this summer!"

"We recently had the pleasure of doing business with Kirsten at Gardens Alive Design. We started the process because we wanted to add to the landscaping in our yard, but since I grew up in Tucson, Arizona and my husband grew up in Syracuse, New York we had no idea what to plant. We came to Kirsten totally lost. She spent a great deal of time finding our needs (low maintenance) and our wants (something that would look nice). She provided much needed help giving us advice on how to take care of our existing plants. After the initial consultation, Kirsten came back to us with a design, a plan on how to implement it, prices and care sheets. We have been so pleased with the end result. Our yard has never looked better! Kirsten's services are excellent and the value is superb. With her knowledge and designs we would have spent lots of money on plants that most likely would have died within a year and would have had to be replaced. I cannot recommend Kirsten and Gardens Alive Design highly enough! Thank you, Kirsten!"

"Over the years I've had a variety of arborists, designers and landscapers in my garden. Kirsten is the first to really listen to my need for a low maintenance garden. The suggestions she made for plants and design were right on target. She helped me see my garden through a fresh pair of expert eyes. I especially appreciated her flexiblity in giving me just the help I needed by tailoring her services allowing me to participate in a way that worked well for me. It was so much fun to work with Kirsten. I'm happy to recommend her!"

"From seeds of kindness, thankfulness grows and so does my beautiful new garden!! Thank you so much for all your thoughful planning, help and encouragement throughout the past year and for spending the time to capture who I am and made it flow out onto my garden! I feel empowered! Kirsten ~ you are the best! Many thanks for your thoughtfulness."

Kirsten is a consummate professional who clearly understands landscaping. She was honest and open during our introductory meeting. We look forward to working with her to create an inviting and beautiful native garden.

"Kirsten very effectively listened and understood my needs for the garden. She helped me formulate the challenge and then provided some excellent resources and creative solutions. She has a great knowledge and memory for plants, and I really enjoyed listening to her talk through some ideas. I felt in good hands with her, she is fun and easy to work with, and I totally recommend her to others."

"Kirsten Lints and Gardens ALIVE Design will rock your landscape project. Kirsten is energetic, upbeat, extremely knowledgeable, visionary yet practical, and just a lot of fun to work with. I can not say enough about her expertise and willingness to work with clients to stay in budget while designing the perfect landscape project. I highly recommend Gardens ALIVE."