Gentle Gardener Green Design

Virginia Rockwell came to meet with me on site, charged me $300 for the visit and to create a customized plan for my property. About 2 weeks later and after checking in twice with her she told me I'd "have the plan later today".....that was over 7 months ago. Since then she has not returned any calls or emails......A TOTAL AND COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME AND APPARENTLY A DISHONEST BUSINESS

Virginia and her team did a wonderful job designing gardens for our farm house. We chose her specifically because of her portfolio, and she delivered. We are very happy and I recommend her whole heartedly!

Professional, innovative and easy to work with are just a few of the descriptors that come to mind when I think of The Gentle Gardener. As the company’s name suggests, Virginia approaches garden design with a deft touch weaving natural components with stylized elements that create a pleasing cohesion of both. I appreciate Virginia's esthetic and her dedication to native plant materials. Her gardens are timeless, thoughtful designs that not only take in the wants and wishes of this client, but the existing flora and fauna.

We have been working with Virginia on our waterfront property on Lake Anna. She has been a complete and extremely knowledgable professional throughout. From the first meeting, full plans and drawings to overseeing the work to date and the followup throughout. We were looking for someone who would work with the natural environment, protect the lake and help us create a beautiful garden. She was even able to help us get a Virginia Forestry grant to plant additional trees. We look forward to finishing the project in the Spring.

I found Virginia and her team to be professional and courteous. They were flexible with my schedule and delivered the results I expected. I loved their enthusiasm about my project which made my wife and I feel like she was vested in improving our outside space. She listened and understood what we wanted to achieve and helped steer us in that direction. Would absolutely hire again and highly recommend.

We received no value for our time and money. After an initial consultation, I asked Virginia to prepare a master landscape plan with a focus on plant selection. It would be phased, with a topo of existing conditions as the first deliverable. We needed it for Fall planting. She drifted off for a couple of months, then showed up with a contract that did not address what we were concerned with. After a couple of meetings we gave her 50% down, but her next set of questions was again totally off from our needs. She is obsessed with drainage and potted plant arrangements. When we again pressed her on plant selection she provided an exhaustive list of plants FOR US TO RESEARCH. No design, no color or dimensional thoughts, just pick some plants. Her contract was nebulous enough that we were at risk of paying her for her long discussions that led nowhere. We asked to terminate and settle for the topo, but she kept out money and we've never see the first tangible value from our time and money.

I initially reached out to Virginia Rockwell in March 2015 after coming across her profile on Houzz. My husband and I were in search of a landscape designer to help us design and create a master site plan for a garden event venue in Virginia. After weeks of communication with Virginia, we arranged an in-person visit at our property in May 2015 and paid her a total of $450. At the conclusion of the visit, Virginia promised to provide us with an initial sketch of the master site plan within a few weeks of the visit. Weeks passed and we received no follow-up communication from Virginia. I attempted to contact her countless times via email, text message, and voicemail - all to no avail. Four months later, we still have not heard from Virginia. She conned us, wasted both our time and money, and has also tainted our experience with creating our dream venue. My husband and I have sacrificed and worked hard to save enough money to begin working on our event venue. It is truly disheartening that Virginia would take advantage of us and not have enough respect for us to at least respond to our communication. Be forewarned!

The Gentle Gardener created a wonderfully pleasing garden design that was appropriate for our existing yard and then managed the installation within budget and our agreed upon time-frame. Since then, she and her crew have beautifully maintained our gardens according to our needs and expectations. Virginia Rockwell has a wealth of knowledge about native plants and soil conditions, always has imaginative solutions to any problems that crop up. My wife and I have loved working with her; it's been a great pleasure and continues to this day.

We wanted to turn a steeply sloping hillside a field of wildflowers. But how to integrate the field into the rest of the landscaping was a challenge. Virginia came up with such creative solutions that we enjoy every day. She suggested an additional path, widening the other path, planting buffers along the stairs. We would recommend her to anyone as a very creative problem solver. Plus her engagement in sustainable gardening makes her the best in the area!

Gentle Gardener Green Design created 3 garden room designs for the RSOL Designer Showhouse and supplied container gardens for the porches and interior spaces. The designs were beautiful and delighted the 23 other interior designers participating as well as hundreds of guests touring the house and grounds in September/2012. Gentle Gardener met deadlines,worked creatively with others,and designed ecologically sensitive vignettes that melded the architecture with the landscape.

Virginia is a great pleasure to work with on any project. She is extremely knowledgeable and professional and creative. You will enjoy the experience and the results. She created a beautiful environment with a living archway for the 2010 Symphony Designer House in Richmond as well as doing several pieces for the 2012 House as well.