Natural Environments

These guys are pros!
I’ve used them many times over the past 15 years and they’ve always done what they said and usually come in on time (sometimes we’ve had some delays for weather)
I’ve used them to fix drainage problems and redesign my backyard.
Great company!
Highly recommend!

I agree with the other reviewer, stay away from this company, unless you have tons of money to waste and are not in a hurry. Their guys work hard, but the owner hires a bunch of cheap day laborers to get the job done. Worse, they send the day laborers without supervision and you end up managing them. Constantly trying to find ways to crank up the invoice costs, and hopes you won’t notice.
Overpriced, slow, disappointing overall. Won’t hire again.

I do not understand the other review for Natural Environments. My experience with Ron Zander and his crew has been nothing but outstanding.
While I’ve never used his tree trimming services, Natural Environments did the design and landscaping work at my Preston Hollow home. Natural Environments also corrected some drainage problems we had. And we use Ron to mow the lawn and do seasonal plantings.
I have found Natural Environments to be nothing short of excellent when it comes to keeping my yard looking great!

If you choose to deal with Natural Environments, get an estimate in writing first. Better yet, find someone else.
After collecting a few bids to trim my trees, I found a Groupon (
) advertised online for Natural Environments. The «deal» was $ 250 for $ 500 in tree trimming. The Groupon I purchased stated that «Natural Environments usually sends crews of two or three men for about six hours to shear away excess shrubbage and makes lawn kingdoms safer by removing branches that could obscure driveway sightlines or break off and fall during a storm.» The «deal» expired that weekend and required the purchaser to buy the Groupon in good faith. I purchased the Groupon.
When I spoke with Ron Zander (the owner), I expressed my concern that I had bought this Groupon in good faith and I had no idea whether his prices would be in line with other bids I had received. I shared that I had collected three other bids (from certified arborists) and that those were within $ 150 of each other for trees in my yard. He told me that he would be in my neighborhood the next day and would let me know what he thought. He didn’t call back. Almost two months later, he called me late on a Friday and advised me that his crew would be at my house the very next morning.
When his crew of three men left on Saturday, it had taken them 3 hours (9 total man-​hours) to trim all of my trees but one. The foreman advised me that the heat was too much and that they had finished all of my trees in the front yard and the only remaining work was one additional tree (of similar size). That sounded acceptable and in line with my other bids. On Monday morning, the crew did not show up. I called Ron and he said they would be there on Tuesday instead. I told him I would not be home the next morning (I was leaving town). He said I didn’t need to be there.
Three days later, Ron emailed me an invoice for nearly triple what I’d told him others had estimated. He claimed that his crew spent 53.4 hours on my trees, meaning they spent 45 HOURS on the remaining tree. Two of my estimates were broken out by tree and had estimated $ 120-​$ 225 for that remaining tree, including haul away. Ron was telling me I owed him over $ 1400 for that same tree, which did not include haul away.
Ron’s 53.4 hour total was 3 – 4 times higher than what his Groupon said was a «usual» job and nearly three times higher than the quotes from certified arborists for my property. At no point did he attempt to contact me and let me know that the final tree was taking longer than expected. Purchasing the $ 250 on a Groupon «deal» simply gave Ron license to take advantage and charge whatever he would like. We ended up settling for a reduced total price, but still double what others quoted.
Be very careful if you choose to deal with this business. Get something in writing first. Unfortunately, there are similar stories/​reviews online if you search around a bit. I would not deal with them again.