Brende & Lamb Tree & Shrub Care

I was looking for someone to trim my palm tree (in preparation for El Nino 2015 – 16 *fingers crossed*) after getting bamboozled by an Angie’s List suggestion. Not only did B&L respond quickly, they gave me an estimate that was ¹⁄₃ of what someone else bid me.
Today I came home to a wonderfully trimmed palm tree. They also did a great job removing all of the mess from the cleanup. I highly recommend them!

My first review ever. And it’s because Brende & Lamb not only delivered what they said they would but they did it with elegance. Every person I spoke with — from the quote through to the end — was friendly and knowledgable. They did a great job on 4 trees, and left the work space spotless. And, the invoice came in well under the quote — which shows how honest they are. So yes, well deserving of my first Unilocal review.

After going thru the experience of working with an inexperienced and cheap tree trimmer, I was so thrilled to have a knowledgeable team that knew how to professionally trim my large trees in a fashion that didn’t make them look butchered! They were professional, quick, on time and cleaned up well. They are a bit pricier than others. My neighbors also used them across the street and were happy with the results. I would not hesitate to refer them out to clients and friends.

I was impressed by the knowledge of the arborist that came to provide the estimate. He took his time, knew the trees, and made suggestions for me to consider with the work. The folks who did the actual work came on time, were courteous and professional. They did the work promised in a quality manner. I would hire them again.
One note — although they say they take a variety of payment methods online, only paypal worked for me.

These are trained arborists and the crew is amazing, skilled and hard working. Some of the crew have been with them for decades. We have about thirty Redwood trees and several other very large Cedars and they were extremely careful and neat. The guys climbing the trees (probably up almost 150 ft in one tree just know what they are doing from experience and do it so carefully. The house was tarped in a way to protect it and all the little extra bits were vacummed up or hauled away. The big trimmings went into their chipper. They were punctual and did an amazing job making the yard feel so much airier yet with utmost care for the integrity of the trees. They also made the neighbors happy where they trimmed overhanging areas. I would recommend them highly.

Pedro and his crew were fantastic. Competent, clean, and quick. We had a Pepper Tree growing against our living window and due to the height and location of the window were not able to do it ourselves. I called Brende and Lamb and they were timely with both the estimate and work and the crew was outstanding. I would call them again for any tree trimming/​shrub trimming projects.

On a friend’s recommendation we called Joe Lamb from B&L to come to our new property to assess the health of our many live oak trees. We thought one was dying and wanted to be sure the other 15 or so were in good shape. Joe arrived right on time and immediately went to work. He walked the property with my wife and I, looking at each tree carefully. He educated us on all sorts of ways to ensure the health of our trees. He confirmed one of our oaks was mostly dead and showed us the signs of its decline. He then went on to assess our overall landscaping, walking us through various considerations for future tree growth. He didn’t stop with our Oaks. He very thoughtfully looked over our redwoods and other trees.
Overall, I was extremely happy with Joe’s consultation. I feel so much better about our trees and know a great deal more than before. Doing internet research is no match for having a skilled, experienced professional like Joe on the job.
In the end, he gave us some quotes for taking down the dying oak, but also told us how we might save some money by doing it ourselves, then walked us through how it should be done and safety considerations. Amazing.
I truly appreciate Joe’s help and will absolutely call B&L for our future arborist needs.

B&L has been doing routine safety and aesthetic prunings of our huge old pine and our huge old locust for many years. They always do an absolutely beautiful job — we call them artists. Joe Lamb, Blaine Brende, and their crews and office staff clearly love trees and are committed to doing the best for their customers and the trees. Prices are reasonable, protection of surrounding plants during pruning is thorough, and cleanup is impeccable. We’ll be calling B&L as long as we have trees.

Spectacular, gorgeous, pruning of 4 very large trees, one a landmark. Done on time and within budget.
Brende and Lamb have done routine work on 3 cedar trees at a Berkeley property and always done a very aesthetic and functional job. We moved to a new place with a huge majestic (landmark) Monterrey Cypress, 2 Incense Cedars & a Ginkgo that needed a lot of work. We got 3 bids, B&L were right in line, and we chose them b/​c we had some previous experience w the company.
The work, it turns out, was severely underbid and a full crew spent an extra day working, but B&L honored the bid. I doubt i would have rec’d the same from others who were more ambiguous in the wording used regarding how firm their bid was.
Beyond that, the work itself was so beautiful and thorough that in the future i wd pay a premium for it.

I needed an arborist to come out and look at my Italian Cypress.
Brende and Lamb was recommended to me by the Grand Lake Nursery, so I had confidence in B&L from the start.
Blaine Brende came to my house and provided a free estimate.
Along with the estimate, he also explained to me how to handle the issue on my own. He stated that his company likes to empower people to help themselves when possible.
As it turns out, I will do the work on my own, which means that B&L don’t get paid. But they do get a 5 star review for their knowledge, customer service and promptness.
If I ever need an arborist again, B&L is my company, and I will recommend them to others in need.

They trimmed a few trees in our front yard a couple years ago and did a good job. They may have trimmed back one a little more than we expected, but it has grown back fine. However, I believe they are one of the more expensive tree services in the area.

B & L and their crew have pruned and trimmed trees in several locations for us for many years. We are always very pleased with their work and enjoy the difference their work makes throughout the seasons and the years. Their knowledge, bidding estimates, timeliness, pricing and clean-​up are all excellent. They add beauty to the trees.
Joe Lamb earned 6 stars recently for his help with a city sidewalk tree that was leaning. Joe identified the tree, photographed it from several angles and e-​mailed his thorough and professional evaluation. I forwarded the evaluation and photos to the city who removed it in a few months. His words and photos helped me put the city on notice. As the tree was being removed, I could see the rot and decay Joe had predicted was right there in the tree. We highly recommend Brende and Lamb.

Brende and Lamb just finished trimming my oak trees, and I couldn’t be more pleased with the results. They knew how to bring out the beauty of the trees through their trimming. It’s been great to see the transformation of the oaks, before they were heavy and dark, now I can see how the light moves through the tree and catches on the individual branches and leaves.
The branches look natural and balanced, with small windows opening up to catch the views. They really knew what they were doing.
I consider them the artisans of the local tree trimming world.
The crew got along well and really seemed to enjoy their work.
They spread out a large tarp underneath the trees, to catch the branches and leaves, and to protect the garden area below, and also did a through cleaning before they left.
Just a first rate experience, from beginning to end.

Pruned the big tree in an acceptable way. However, trimmed the quince tree almost to the ground… as a result, was absolutely bare of fruit this year; also quasi destroyed the apricot tree.

Ever hired a gardening service and watched it turn into a chainsaw horror show? Brende and Lamb is the complete opposite of that. Their love of plants really shows in their careful work. My trees and shrubs have been rejuvenated. They will also tackle non-​tree jobs, such as a rose bush that was trying to take over the planet. I got quotes from other services, and B & L’s was the lowest once factors such as clean up and hauling were taken into account.

Brende & Lamb wrote me the below email two days after I wrote about my experience with them on Unilocal.I appreciated that they responded and followed up after reading my review.
«Hi.
I was doing some Unilocal research about our company (Brende & Lamb) and saw your posting. I am sorry that you did not get a call back. If you like — we could try again. In the transition from 2009 — 2010 — we may have missed something.
Let us know if you would like us to contact you.
Thanks for your time.
Ben
Brende & Lamb
»

B&L trimmed two trees in our front yard to reduce their fire-​spreading risk — and made an impressive difference to the overall look of the front yard.
We bid the project around with four different companies and B&L quote was considerably below the competition. They completed the work quickly and cleaned up thoroughly — I’d certainly hire them again!

These guys did a really good job in our yard. We have two Japanese Maples that we hadn’t trimmed since we bought the house 5 years ago. I couldn’t believe what a difference it made — well worth the cost and they were friendly and VERY professional. They also took down a tree that was hazardous and did a great job with that too. I would highly recommend them.