Forristt Landscape Design

Cevan Forristt just designed and completed our backyard. We love it! Working with Cevan was a pleasure. He is very artistic and has created a beautiful, unique garden for us to enjoy and entertain family and friends.
At the beginning of the project he takes great care to inquire about your likes and dislikes and then formulates a plan. There is not a blueprint, but his vision unfolds as the project progresses. We were a bit leery at first not having a plan on paper, but it truly turned out amazing; more than we had imagined.
Cevan created a Mediterranean inspired garden highlighted by a fantastic arbor with tiled columns. Throughout the yard there are several old world style concrete pieces, one of which is a dramatic 15-​foot dining table. All of the forms were made on site. They are truly one-​of-​a-​kind creations.
His crew has been with him for many years. They are very knowledgeable and talented at their trade. Additionally you will find Cevan on site everyday. He frequently asked our opinion and made us feel a part of the project the entire time. He sincerely wants to ensure you are going to enjoy your new space. All work was completed on time and came in on budget.
Cevan is a true artist. He pays great attention to details and everything is planned with a purpose. We have a garden unlike anyone else. It’s our own piece of paradise at home! We highly recommend Cevan as an artist, designer and landscaper.

Cevan is not your normal landscaper, he is a true artist. I had my backyard done 15 years ago. I loved it then and as it filled in with the plants it got better and better. I had a backyard that I didn’t use much until Cevan did magic there. Now I’m vertually outside all the time.
I chose Cevan after a visit to his house. Walking through his gate was awe inspiring. My jaw dropped and never closed until I left, totally relaxed and mesmerized. Upon signing the contract it was one of the most exciting adventures. He made serveral trips to my house and we talked about what I wanted, how I wanted to use it. He then took me to see other jobs he had done. At this point I could hardly wait for him to start. He gave me all sorts of options and I felt very involved in the process. He came in right on budget and I got the back yard of my dreams.
His experienced crew makes everything go smoothly, they are also very talented. To this day he still has some of the same crew which says a lot about him.
Cevan is one of the most amazingly talented and creative landscapers and I venture genius as well. Since the return on my money has provided me with years of relaxation and beauty, he is well worth the money because of the great returns. Cevan certainly deserves his reputation as a one of a kind landscape artist and gifted artist.
Rhonda L.

I called this guy because of the great Unilocal reviews. Ok… I called around 8AM figuring that it is business hour. He picked up the phone like he was picking up a personal call and not a business call. I stated that I needed my backyard landscaping done because it is all dirt at this moment. He straight up said, «I only take HIGH END clients. I only do jobs over $ 50,000 and up. So if you are looking for someone, I DONT DO $ 300 JOBS if you see my website.» I didn’t even tell him anything I wanted or my budget! He didn’t even say it in a polite way. Ok… I wasn’t planning to spend $ 50K but you don’t have to profile people over the phone. Did I sound like I had no money? Pompous.

Cevan Forristt has transformed our yard into a spectacular, magical place that we enjoy every day. His creativity, artistic skills and ability to envision how a space could be used in a way you had never imagined, combined with the great skill and competency of his team are an unbeatable combination. I have known Cevan for over 20 years; he has designed gardens for my family many times and we have never failed to be astounded by his work. Visitors marvel at his concrete tables and fountains as well as beautiful planting. We could not be happier with our choice to work with Cevan and highly, highly recommend him.
Do not expect a detailed written plan; instead expect to provide Cevan with a list of what you want and then let him at it. You will not regret it!

Interesting that there are 11 filtered reviews and almost all of them are 5 stars. Please take a look at the filtered reviews as well as the ones on this page.
I chose Cevan based upon the pictures of his work on his website. Cevan is more than brilliant. He’s inspired. I have never had a physical reaction to landscape, but seeing his home and just hanging out in his gardens gave me a thrill. There are layers and layers of things to see and notice, from the huge and obvious down to the tiniest detail.
Although ours was a small job and relatively boring, I’m guessing, Cevan invested all his time and focus on our job. He spent time showing me various locations he has done in the area, understanding our vision for the yard and so on. His energy was directed toward us and how he might bring us something we would love, not just be satisfied with. We agreed on a price and when his other job was finished, he took on our place. His team was courteous, knowledgeable and efficient. They are not casual labor. They have been with Cevan for many, many years.
The results are great and the compliments from the neighbors are gratifying.
We have a huge backyard and it would be wonderful to turn Cevan loose back there and see what he brings us. It would be like nothing you could imagine.
I highly recommend Forristt Landscape Design.

When we purchased our house nearly nine years ago, we were dazzled by the spectacular front yard. Bamboo, Japanese Maples, Strelitzias (bird of paradise) different grasses and other perennials had been planted in a setting of artfully arranged granite blocks. The driveway had been featured in Sunset magazine in the late 90s.
Time flew by and the yard slowly began to lose its original luster with the arrival of various unwelcome intruders. Finally, it became so overgrown, that the «bones» of the garden could no longer be seen. We decided to trace the original landscaper down to restore the yard to its original condition and that is how we met Cevan Forristt.
Our project has just been completed and we are thrilled with what Cevan has been able to accomplish. Cevan is an artist and a renaissance man. His work is informed by his extensive travels and cultural sensitivities. His projects are not just business arrangements — all of them have a story to tell. We learned about where the granite in our yard had come from and why Cevan had made some of his design decisions. Right from our first meeting, Cevan impressed us with his sense of artistic vision as well as the practical implications. His botanical knowledge is vast and he has a keen understanding of the medium and materials of landscape design (stone, wood, metals, concrete, bamboo etc). Cevan is also a craftsman and had designed our front door which was beautifully encased in copper leaves.
Cevan was ably assisted on our project by his skilled team. They did not waste a single moment, except for short lunch breaks. We were astounded by how quickly they were able to complete our project without compromising their attention to detail.
Cevan engaged us closely throughout the project and was keen on getting our feedback and incorporating any changes. All in all, we had an excellent experience and will be engaging Cevan on another project in our back yard.
I highly recommend Cevan Forristt Landscape design. You will be amazed by how they can transform your outdoors.

I had an appointment with this company last Wednesday. The gentleman called and left me a voicemail the day before to say he had to pick someone from airport and wanted to come that same day instead. Although i was busy that day I changed my schedule to accommodate him. He did not return my call or show up at all. He called at 6 pm very casually to say he didn’t want to get stuck in traffic and had to take the car pool lane with an employee. He wanted to reschedule for the third time. Needless to say that at that point I lost faith in him. If that is how he kept his first appointment I can guess how the rest the interactions would have turned out.

Five stars is not enough.
We have never enjoyed doing business with anyone as much as with Cevan Forristt. He is a genius with a flair for creating original garden masterpieces. There is nothing ordinary about his designs or the man himself.
Our plan was to remove an old deck and sidewalk and to renovate only the immediate area, but as the work progressed, we became so excited about everything that Cevan was doing that we allowed the project to overflow into the entire backyard, and he enthusiastically accomplished all of this without going over budget.
He spent hours getting to know us before writing a contract because he wanted to design something that we would be sure to love. Throughout the building process, he would ask about our preferences regarding design and placement of various elements, and we took fieldtrips together to shop for stone, plants and other surprises. He made sure that everything was done to perfection and never stopped dreaming up new ideas for making every corner of the yard more interesting and beautiful. He was also flexible enough to incorporate new ideas that we suggested during the process.
The crew is incredibly skilled, and they seem to know how to do just about anything. Everything that they made was built to last for a very long time.
Now that the landscaping is completed, we are spending a lot more time in our private oasis. We feel incredibly lucky to have found Cevan Forristt.

Cevan and his crew did a bang-​up job redoing a portion of our property. Because of road noise this isn’t a part of the property which we use as outdoor space or entertaining, but we did want to have it look nice from inside the house. Don’t expect detailed bids from Cevan but do allow his creativity full rein. His water feature is framed in our living room window and is wonderful both day and night as is the art wall he created for viewing from the dining room area.

Cevan designed and built a small entertainment area at an apartment house I own. His price was reasonable and the tenants now have a great place to hang out and barbeque.
Some old fences were reused and that helped keep the project cost down. Cevan definitely knows how to lay out a design that maximizes the space. And he stayed in the budget we established.
His crew left the site clean and tidy every day and I received no complaints from the tenants. So I know that his workers were conscientious that this wasn’t just a job site but someone’s home.
Project included building a gazebo about 15×15 over a seating area paved with decomposed granite. An existing hedge was braced and that solved an old problem with leaning. Two walls were constructed. A couple of large norfolk pines were moved to a new area and several trees and many landscape plants were installed. Project moved along quickly and when finished it was beautiful.

We came upon Cevan Forristt quite by accident 13 years ago when we landscaped our new home. He created a unique outdoor room for us with total privacy, and one-​of-​a-​kind water features. He is a joy to work with – honest, fair, reasonably priced and most importantly, he listens to what to what you have to say. He has been honored with layouts and articles in Sunset magazine, the New York Times and even National Geographic. Since then we have progressively upgraded our yard as our budget allowed. You won’t get detailed plans, or schematics but you will have a yard that will blow away your friends. Cevan is a landscape artist. You won’t be disappointed.