Bountiful Backyards

I first heard about Bountiful Backyards from my neighbor and friend Milton who lives just down the road. Kind of like everything at Milton and Ginger’s house there backyard is like no other place. I only walked through it at night, but it felt like a whole new world compared to the street that their house faces onto. And everything is edible.
We needed some green for our shop that is just around the corner, where there is lots of concrete. Al Frega made us some planters out of auger covers that came out of the former Southern States feed mill in East Durham; We got in touch with Bountiful Backyards to create a community garden in them. They planted all kinds of edibles from basil and thyme to a pomegranate tree!
Bountiful backyards is creative, easy to work with and community minded. Exactly the kind of business that we love working with.

Many people I talk to like Bountiful Backyards. I like the idea of the company a lot, and they are nice people.
But wow, did I ever have a bad experience with them, an experience that leads me to caution anyone against even having them out for an evaluation.
The Summary: if they tell you then can help you on your budget, don’t believe them. If you don’t have at least $ 3000 to spend, don’t call them. And if you do call them, make sure the plants they suggest aren’t poisonous to your dogs.
The Story: I called them up and told them I had $ 1000 as a fairly firm budget. I told them I didn’t want to start anything if that wouldn’t be a sufficient budget. They told me they could do a lot of stuff for that.
A site visit to evaluate your place costs $ 100. After my phone call, I scheduled one of these site visits. They came out … and came back with a $ 3500 estimate. Turns out $ 2000 is what they charge for one day of labor, without including plants or materials.
I brought this up. They said «well, you can always expand your budget and do it in pieces. Why don’t you spend your $ 1000 on materials, and then save up?» This after taking my $ 100.
It gets worse. As part of your evaluation, they give you a list of plants that they suggest using as part of your landscape plan. I figured «hey, I spent $ 100 and an hour of my life on this: maybe I can at least put in some of these plants they suggested myself. Like one of the tea plants, maybe.»
I Googled the first one they suggested. The first search result is the ACS Cancer Science page, debunking claims that it helps cancer patients (
)
Don’t read the whole thing, just check this excerpt:
«Researchers have found that celandine may be responsible for many unexplained cases of hepatitis (inflamed liver). The medical literature contains reports of acute (sudden) hepatitis not caused by viruses, alcohol, or other drugs, which improved after the herb was stopped.
Celandine can cause rashes, itching, and serious allergic reactions in some people. The whole plant is reported as being at least mildly poisonous to humans, with the roots being the most toxic. The herb is reported to be poisonous to dogs and some farm animals.»
Yup, they suggested a plant that is poisonous to dogs.
Yes, they met my dogs during the site visit. Yes, they saw my dogs frolicking in the yard where they suggested I plant things that could poison them.
I mean, obviously they didn’t know this, so it’s not like they were maliciously trying to harm my dogs. But isn’t it their job to know this? Isn’t it borderline negligent not to warn someone with dogs that the plant you suggest is toxic to animals?
And it was the first result on Google, it’s not like I spent a lot of time finding this out.
Again, they are nice people, and I do know at least one friend who has had a good experience with them. But I can’t in good conscience recommend Bountiful Backyards to anyone.