[natickdan]

We have been going through selecting a landscape designer for our project and, in doing so, we met with some of those listed and others not listed. The Villages Palm, McGowan and Tri County Landscaping all have very good and long established reputations in TV and and they where knowledgable and professional in our meetings.

Some suggestions:

Share your budget with the designer. This way, you don't waste either your time or theirs.

Spend time driving around TV to look for designs that wow you. We spent many hours seeking out our designer model to find landscapes that we really liked and used our IPad to take pictures.

Spend time talking to neighbors who have had landscape work done and inquire about their lessons learned. This is invaluable information to have, IMHO.

As mentioned above, you may want to contact crimes against seniors, especially if you are dealing with a landscaper you have not noticed on this forum.

Make certain the landscaper provides you, at a minimum, with their insurance and contact information for their General Liability and Workers Compensation. Many also have a Bond. I share this with you because we spent time with a company that provided a great design, references and an agressive price. However, when pressed, they relented they did not have insurance. IMHO, a home owner would be nuts to allow a contractor to perform work on their property without proof of insurance. It is your responsibility to take the extra step by calling the insurance company to confirm the policy is active.

Be suspiciious of any company that requires a large deposit. I spoke briefly to one company that required a 50% deposit...did I say that was a brief discussion? Those mentioned above generally require no deposit or a 10% deposit.

Check references and don't be shy about asking the reference if they had to do it again, would they choose the same contractor and what went well or what didn't go well during the project.

I can go on and on, but I'm sure other members will provide their input.

Good luck!