Rain Lily Farm

Like Scott, I wanted to help out two women starting their business, especially because they were on the East Side, where my home is located. What a mistake! To begin with, they were to plant 6 bamboos, 3 each of two different kinds. I noticed that there was a third kind in there (which would have looked ridiculous, given the landscaping plan), and they tried to tell me that I was wrong and should wait awhile, that maybe they looked different because they were just planted. Months later, they finally admitted that there was, indeed, a third type in there, and they replaced them, but with a lot of attitude. Additionally, the two that were replaced have really struggled — perhaps because they were planted at a different time of year or just weren’t planted as well. A bamboo that they planted right next to my house was a poor choice because of the horizontal growing habit of its branches, which were hitting the house. That bamboo had to be removed two years later (at my cost) and replaced with a different type.
Secondly, Rain Lily used buffalo grass sod for ground cover, a very poor choice, given that the bamboos, as they grew, shaded a large area, and the buffalo grass has completely died there because of lack of sun, leaving me with lovely clay — impossible for me to dig in to plant things, disgustingly slimy, sticky when it rains, and wonderful when the dogs bring it in stuck to their paws.
Finally, probably the worst part of all — they planted equisetum (described on various horticulture and gardening sites as a weed that one should never, ever plant), and it has been impossible to keep it controlled. It pops up in my lawn, as well as through the rocks used as hardscape. Trying to get rid of it has been a never-​ending nightmare. What on earth were they thinking???
Rain Lily charged top dollar (yes, their plant mark-​ups are huge!), but I was willing to pay for quality work and their knowledge of what works on the East Side. Unfortunately, that’s not what I got. I would never recommend them to anyone and would give zero stars if I could.

Rainlily knows exactly what they are doing.
If you want to dig your own hole after following their design, go for it. But I have seen their prep work for the soil in the beds and sod. A lot goes into it, to help the plants stay healthy, happy, and give the new plant a good start with nutrients.
In design, it is important to have a budget. If you only have 2000 bucks for plants, but want big plants, then you might only get 4. But your 2000 bucks will go far if you choose 3 – 5 gal plants. And wait for them to grow.
The designs I have seen Rainlily design and install are beautiful, from start to finish. I have seen the designs after the initial install, up to 5 – 6 years after. I am especially impressed with their rock work, from walls to stairs in a natural, native setting. That is their niche. Landscape designs are supposed to flow with the natural look and feel of what is already there. They do an excellent job of complimenting this. I know from my own personal experience with Rainlily.

Who among Austin Gardeners doesn’t know the name John Dromgoole, owner of the Natural Gardener, host of radio and TV? When I asked John Dromgoole for a personal recommendation for a landscaper, he gave me just one: Rain Lily. Rain Lily now landscapes our neighborhood common area using 100% TX natives and organic techniques.
Come see their work. From Mopac take Southwest Parkway west to the first light and turn right into Travis Country neighborhood. Rain Lily designed and maintains the median landscaping on your left. I challenge anyone to point to more beautiful flower beds than our native Texas entryway landscaping, designed and implemented by Rain Lily.
In response to Scott, landscape designers may place rocks so they are ‘revealed’ as dormancy sets in at the end of the growing season.
On Brian’s comments, as a plant ecologist and former Grounds chairperson for our neighborhood, I found Rain Lily to consistently exhibit the highest level of competence of any landscaper we used. Our initial jobs for Rain Lily were also tests of their competence. Each job was carried out in an exemplary manner (unfortunately, most landscape companies are not this well trained). Any increase in upfront costs will be more than made up for in lower maintenance and replacement costs, and less hassle, on the back end.

My plan was to use RainLily to design and implement their plan for my yard. I was very pleased and excited about the design and plant/​tree selection. Their plan met all of my goals and objectives and, so I was let to believe, within my budget. I was very clear what my budget was.
So, I was very disappointed when I found out that executing the design I was excited about was going to cost WAY more than what I was willing to spend.
I ended up purchasing most of the plants, grass, and trees from Natural Gardener myself – which saved me a bunch b/​c RainLily marks everything that they buy up. Then I hired some friends help me put every thing in over a weekend.
So, I would highly recommend RainLily for their design/​plant selection. Based on my one experience, I wouldn’t recommend them for anything else.
I don’t see any value in having them procuring plants, soil, gravel, grass, or trees. Go to NG with a list and have them deliver it for $ 50.
As far as the implementation, that’s a judgement call, but there’s no sense in paying $ 30 or $ 40/​hour for one of their staff to dig a hole and move some dirt. If your project requires a higher level of skill, then you may want to consider it.

I used Rainlily to completely design and plant my backyard. I had bought a new contruction home and had no backyard to speak of. After working with Kim I felt comfortable that they would do a good job. Needless to say they didn’t nor did they ever call back to see whether I was satisfied. It’s as though they new they had done a really poor job and wanted to run as fast as they could.
The trees they selected were a joke. Small and not very healthy. The rock placements they made were completely wrong and look terrible. Now that they’ve been in awhile the other vegetation has grown around them making them disappear behind the plants. I have since removed several of the shrubs because they either died or weren’t a good choice.
When I chose Rain Lily I did so because I wanted to help out two girls who were just starting their own company. They said they had formidable experience having worked for other Landscaping companies in and around Austin for years. What did I know? Nothing. I was brand new to all of this and just wanted a back yard that would look beautiful. I got burned. Oh well… Live and learn. Hopefully you reading this will save you the same fate I had.