Letter of reference: Ethos Landscape Design and Soil Ecology.
We love our home. It is our haven and we have worked hard over the past 12 years to make is a safe place to land for ourselves and our beloved animals. Our one drawback is the natural hill that is our backyard. It is clear that nature never intended to have a house built on her so close to this hill and we struggled with erosion concerns. After several interviews with landscapers and gardeners who all shrugged their shoulders and told us that it was "as good as it was going to get," Orchard Nursery sent us Ethos Landscape and the owner, Jae Koenig.
Simply put, Jae loves dirt. She describes soil in the same way that we describe great wine, using words like "yummy aroma" and "fabulous texture" and "rich color". Jae is passionate about her work and it shows in her results. She is a student of the earth and understands how weather impacts the soil and the plants that are nourished by it. She "meditates" on the irrigation system to get it positioned just right to keep the plants happy and hydrated. Our main area of focus was that back hill and shoring it up with plants that would grow naturally in this area. We also mentioned that our grass in our side and front yards were not the lush green that we had hoped for. Jae and her team worked their magic and thoroughly cleaned up our entire landscaping, trimming and thinning out mostly by hand, and treating the lawns with just what it needed to become the lawns we had hoped for.
Jae and her team also dragged essential soils up to our back hill to fortify it and the plants they planted are thriving from their efforts.
We have always believed that when people find their passion as their work, they thrive and we reap the benefits of their efforts. Jae loves what she does and her tremendous respect for nature and all its beauty is evident in everything she does.
Jae listens carefully to our needs, and has a terrific memory for what is important to us. She is responsible to our needs and stays in frequent contact with us, setting our expectations for when she and her team will be on site and when the work will be completed.
While it is likely that Ethos Landscape is not the least expensive option for landscaping and gardening services, our experience has been that Jae's goal is to strive to create an environment where plants thrive on their own and require minimal attention. We believe that in the long run, Jae's services will actually end up to be less that the standard "mow and blow" gardening services that we left behind and we will be much happier with the results.
We are grateful to Orchard Nursery for their recommendation and are pleased to offer this letter of recommendation for Ethos Landscape.
Jan and Chris
Martinez, CA
Ethos Landscape Design and Soil Ecology / Healing soils, individuals and communities.