Wade Gardens Landscaping, Garden Center & Gift Shop — Local services in Washington Township

After initially being told we were looking at the first part of July for our patio, we started calling to see when we should expect to see them start. Our side yard was looking like a jungle, and the previous landscaping had be cannibalized by neighbors and relatives because we weren't expecting to keep any of it.

We would call every couple of weeks to check in. "We've got 3 jobs in front of you. You're on the list." 2 weeks later, "3 jobs, on the list." 2 weeks later, "3 jobs, on the list." Finally, after publicly announcing the candidacy for another contractor to come out and do our patio, we suddenly jumped up the list in the middle of September.

Honestly, getting through on the phone was like pulling teeth without anesthesia. "We'll have him call you," became as common place as, "3 jobs. You're on the list." It pretty much meant, "We don't think you're going to pay us, you're on the back burner, and the burner is off. You'll have to keep calling back." It's like trying to get ahold of Blevins for tires.

After the second year, a sandstone step that they put in started to sag, and eventually cracked. Some might say it's because it's sandstone, or the soil, or whatever. Our house has a sandstone foundation. It's 146 years old. It's solid. Some of the mortar needs to be filled between the blocks, but the blocks aren't cracked.

Whatever the deal is, my wife called Tom to see if he would come out and take a look to see what they might be able to do. "We'll have him call you." At least they're consistent, right? So we called back a few times, and apparently, Tom came, because they left a business card in the back door. Who knows how intently he looked at it because we never heard from him before or after the impromptu visit.

When we had our patio put in, we waited until it was done to pay for it. When it was done, as in then sealing it like they said they would 2 weeks later, we paid it in full, along with the landscaping. I don't remember the exact total, but I'm fairly sure the check had 5 figures in it. Not complaining about the price. I had them do it because I figured it would take me 2 months to do it by myself. Jokes on me!

This time when we contacted Tom, we didn't imply that he owed us, but I wasn't going to suggest I pay for it either, but I would have liked to have had it fixed, even for a price. Tom didn't care enough to get another check apparently, because he's made no effort to actually contact a paying former customer.

Under no circumstances would I recommend Wade Gardens Landscaping. The timing of everything was terrible, the work was alright for most of the patio, and we enjoy ourselves out there a lot. But every single time I sit out there I think about what a pain it was too get it put in, and the peaceful, stress-free outdoor space has a touch of stress and anger to it that I'm really trying to get over.

The second star in the rating is only because most of the patio really is pretty nice, and the guys who actually did the work deserve...

Wow I was immediately impressed by the variety of trees and shrubs. Had been looking for a specific native small tree, Amelanchier, and they had several. Excellent selection for landscaping. Picked up some big healthy 2gal Salvia and Echinacea. Their interior shop has some nice stuff too. A unique place in a beautiful setting. Will go here for trees...

came out for a consultation but would not return any of my calls to follow up. i called their office about three times to see if the Wade had prepared any designs. the receptionist was rude and I never heard back from company again. i would not recommend using them unless their bedside...