Garden Designs by Marlene Deel - Oakland, California

C. C.

Marlene was very responsive to our idea for a Japanese garden as we completely re-designed our front and back yards. She asked us to send her photos of plants or neighbor's gardens that we liked and she took those into account with her design. In addition to the plant design, Marlene also designed sandstone walkways with pathway lights and spot lights for the trees. She went the extra mile when I asked for changes in location for some plants once we could see them in situ and used her designer's eye to train a blue atlas pendulous cedar to curve over a dry river bed. For several more exotic plants she had to search far and wide to find specimens to order. She worked very well with the crew from Calvin Craig Landscape Design who made her vision a reality. We are very happy with the end result and can't wait to see the new yard transform as the shrubs, ground cover, and trees mature.

B B.

Working with Marlene was a great experience. She carefully listened to my ideas and needs, and the resulting design surpassed my expectations. I highly recommend her!

Maria M.

It was truly a pleasure to work with Marlene on my landscaping project. She really listened to what I liked and didn’t like and I appreciated her extensive knowledge on drought tolerant and native plants. She also communicated clearly about her process each step of the way so I always knew what to expect. She delivered on time and within budget. My new landscaping is beautiful and I couldn’t be happier! I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Marlene to anybody who’s looking for an outstanding landscape designer!

Lindsay M.

We worked with Marlene multiple times to help plan our dream backyard. We worked with Marlene because she had such a fantastic vision, and we had seen her work executed in a neighbor's yard - it looked stunning. We had a tricky project as we lost a large tree in our backyard when we built an addition, so we actually designed two separate projects - one with, and one without the tree. Marlene was patient, and took all of our concerns, hopes, desires and plant requests into account when putting our design together. The design is gorgeous and we couldn't be more thrilled to enjoy our patio and watch our landscape grow and mature. I highly recommend her design work!

Faith P. T. A. H.

When Marlene did the garden design for my house in Lafayette, I was enchanted. It was beautiful, like a work of art. Now the crew she works with has just finished the installation of the garden and hardscape, and we are thrilled. The plant selections are perfect, plant placements are already making the yard more comfortable, and our new outdoor kitchen is gorgeous. I’ve gotten so many compliments from neighbors and friends. Everyone on her team was easy to work with and respectful of our property. I enjoyed working with Marlene. She’s capable and creative. I know I will be working with her again on my other properties.

Debbie L.

Marlene designed our backyard patio renovation and lawn replacement, which was installed by Calvin Craig Landscaping (with whom Marlene works) in fall/winter 2021-22. Marlene updated the design started by another designer and improved it significantly - we are very pleased with how our backyard looks! She worked professionally and patiently with the pool company that resurfaced our pool as part of the same job, and helped us through some materials changes (supply chain problems with our original paver selection). I highly recommend Marlene.

Tricia C.

Marlene did an absolutely beautiful job designing our front yard. Now we have a peaceful, beautiful oasis with a water feature, stunning pavers, colorful drought tolerant plants, and a gorgeous landing with a swing to swing on while enjoying the view. We wanted a modern design, and Marlene was able to come up with all of the ideas we couldn’t. She knew what plants to save and highlight, and what needed to go. She opened up our front yard so you can see the house, but yet there still privacy from all of the plantings. She also has great follow up and comes back to check and make sure you’re happy. Her construction foreman Fernando is also of the same integrity, hardworking and knowledgeable skill level, and thinks out of the box as well. I can’t say enough good things or give enough referrals to this outstanding team!

Bob C.

Marlene did a great job designing our garden re-do project. She met with us and got a general idea of what we wanted (with some specifics) and developed a perfect plan for what we wanted. She spent a lot of time in the yard getting a good feel for it and helping decide what should stay and what should be removed. We left some of the existing landscaping in place and Marlene did a nice job fitting the new design with the existing plants.

She has a good instinct for what works for both hardscape and plants, as well as what new material works well with existing plants. She also takes a very interactive approach, asking a lot of questions and using that input in her design.

When it comes to implementation, she worked really well with the foreperson of the construction crew. When we ran into a few problems when some things were excavated, she helped brainstorm solutions that worked.

Highly recommended.