Bonnie's Gardens - Silverado, California

Susie Franklin

I had an idea of what I wanted when it came to re-landscaping my new front yard, along with a list of some unusual needs. Bonnie was the perfect person for me to work with to achieve just the look I wanted. Bonnie was completely open to my ideas and was even able to make suggestions on how to make it even better. Since I was new to the area, having a native guide me on what plants would and wouldn't work in this climate zone was invaluable.
Even though Bonnie and I never met in person, through her excellent communication and fantastic team I always felt confident she understood what I wanted and needed to make my landscaping project a success.
When I had questions or felt like a change might be necessary, both Bonnie and Ron were there to help me talk through options and make decisions. I really appreciate their expertise!

Tommy Demos

We recently had the pleasure of working with Bonnie's Gardens and Ron Smith & Co to transform our entire outdoor space, front back and side, from a weedy dying lawn to a beautiful low-maintenance water-wise garden. It took only 4 weeks to remove the turf and plants, re-grade and prepare the sites, complete various hardscape repairs and additions, add new irrigation, new soil, new lighting, and of course new plants! And that includes a weeklong break forced by a surprise rainstorm.

Bonnie and Ron were fantastic to work with, extremely responsive and open to any and all comment, feedback, or request from initial design to project completion. Their prices were very fair for the scope of work, with no surprise additional costs along the way. They also made sure everything they did would meet the criteria for us to get the county rebate for turf removal, and even reached out on our behalf to make sure the plan got pre-approval.

The design and plant choice were exactly what we were looking for and had had so much trouble finding elsewhere. Bonnie (and her on-site eyes, Lisa) know their stuff and picked all kinds of beautiful, lush plants that thrive in our region; plants that are friendly to the environment, low on water usage, and extremely low maintenance, all without giving up the vibrancy and density we were looking for. They even managed to mix two different styles between our front and back yards, a sunny Mediterranean and a shady forest.

Ron's crew, led by Jose Zamarippa, were extremely professional, conscientious, and skilled workers. Though they did an enormous amount in a relatively small window of time, I never once got the feeling that they were rushing any particular part of the job. Every detail mattered. They would leave the site at the end of the day cleaner than when they'd arrived in the morning, making sure everything was accessible and safe for us during downtime. And when new problems did present themselves along the way, as they always do with big projects, Ron and Jose were able to adjust creatively and cost-effectively.

We love the end result and are already getting complements from passersby while the plants are still just taking root. I expect that love to only grow as all the plants do the same, and I plan to add more pictures when they do!

Thank you both!

Kelly Lee

1. To work with Bonnie is to go on an adventure with a creative landscape designer who knows and reveres plants, and will take the time to get to know you and what types of plants work for you in your garden. She searches and hand-picks each one for you. She has an exceptional ability to listen and then create a vibrant landscape with healthy, beautiful plants. You’ll love spending your time there.
2. We also had the pleasure of working with Ron Smith and his excellent team. Their craftsmanship, knowledge, and attention to detail is unmatched. Ron is delightful to work with, and also has an exceptional ability to brainstorm solutions – no matter the challenge.
3. I highly recommend Bonnie and Ron for anyone seeking a truly remarkable outdoor transformation!

Kim Orbeck

We are so grateful to have found Ron Smith & Co. and Bonnie’s Gardens! They installed a fantastic low-water landscape (on around 3/4 of an acre) for a fair price after we were abandoned by another landscape company. While we already had a landscape design, they suggested really good improvements to it. The foreman at Ron Smith & Co., Jose Zamarippa, is very creative and designed a lovely gravel pathway through part of the garden. He also suggested we remove part of a fence that blocked access to a lower part of our yard and replace it with these gorgeous redwood and gravel steps that gently curve around an oak tree and provide a second point of access to the lower yard. We love that staircase! Bonnie from Bonnie’s Gardens is so knowledgeable about low-water plants. She found ideal substitutes for plants that were in our original plan but were unavailable at the time we were installing the landscape. She even worked for us while she was traveling so we would receive the plants before the scheduled planting day! And Lisa from Bonnie’s Gardens, Jose, and the rest of the crew were very patient with us on one planting day when we kept asking to move plants around before we were happy with the arrangement. Ron Smith kept everything going and was always available to discuss any questions we had. He is knowledgeable, fair, and practical, and gave us expert advice on how to handle every situation. And he was so easy to work with, even when we changed our minds about something. The crew was the best – professional, hard working, respectful of us and our property. We give Ron Smith & Co. and Bonnie’s Gardens our highest recommendation. These professionals are skilled, honest, and dependable. Thank you Ron, Jose and crew, Bonnie and Lisa! We LOVE our landscape!

Susan Mack

We are very pleased with Bonnie's design for our garden and found her professional and easy to work with. Her extensive knowledge of plants shows in the choices and variety of the design. She was also able to adapt to changing needs on our part. One of our visitors exclaimed that it looks like a botanic garden. We see that as a very great compliment.
We highly recommend Bonnie's Gardens.

Dennis Garbanati

Bonnie created the garden of my dreams. She is a horticulturalist and artist who listens to what you want and thoroughly plans the garden with you before anyone goes to a nursery. The result is a beautiful garden, in the style that you want, which stays healthy.

Ron, the main contractor, and Jose, the project manager, handle the other aspects of the landscape project, in particular, the hardscape.
Like Bonnie their work is of the highest quality. They do not cut corners. They level and move the dirt to produce the best hardscape layout rather than to save on effort expended. The trenches for the water, gas, electrical, and drains are deep. The zones for the watering system are well thought out. The fountains are well crafted.
Also like Bonnie, they are very flexible, listening to what you want, providing different options for say a pergola, and not funneling you in one particular direction.

The results in our yard were spectacular.

Mark Kertz

It was very easy working with Bonnie's Gardens and Ron Smith & Company. We did a full landscape and hardscape for our front and back yards at our home in south Orange County. Both Bonnie and Ron are patient, helpful and courteous in the planning discussions; they always have time to talk/email, are very responsive and excel at "educating" clients like us, who are new to landscape projects. Everything got done on time, and on budget. No surprises, no long delays between phases of construction.

Their construction crew, led by Jose Zamarripa, was terrific. They are very skilled, precise and conscientious about their work. They worked steady hours from 7 until 4, no evenings or weekends when you are in your home. (Their hours/days may be different for a project at an empty house, but I don't know because that was not our situation.)

They work with botanist Lisa Coyte, who is very knowledgeable about plant species and their suitability for various environments. She was a tremendous help with picking out plants for our property. It was a bit of a challenge as much of our lot gets little or no direct sunlight; Lisa's expertise was very valuable on this point.

In summary, we give them top marks on courteous and helpful planning and advice, commitment to top quality work and very timely installation work. You can't go wrong!

Claudia Tammen

Bonnie does a fabulous job of using native and drought resistant plants to transform a lawn or older garden into a colorful, vibrant place. Using stone and environment-friendly ground covers, she creates winding pathways that can lead the eye to a view or resting place. I highly recommend Bonnie's landscape designs and installations to anyone who want to save water, update their garden, or try something new!