Reviews

“We are so happy we found Designing With Plants and talked to Tahn when we needed help to convert our generic ‘landscape company’ yard into a beautiful native wildlife habitat. We explored a few companies from the Backyard Habitat certification website before finding Designing With Plants. Tahn was by far the most helpful, easiest to work with, and most affordable. We found the whole process very simple – after contacting her, she met us at our house the next weekend and we talked for over an hour on what we had already done, our vision for the space, and how to manage invasive species already present on our property. One week later she had the finished design. She did a walkthrough with us, showing how the microenvironments affected the plant selection, and even did a free updated revision based on a few other ideas we had. She was willing to talk to us about any concerns and is extremely easy to work with. We felt that she wasn’t there to push a design on us, but to share her knowledge and give us the tools to make our space the best it can be.” ~Brenden and Jessica

“Tahn met with me when I asked for advice on how to implement recommendations from my Backyard Habitat Program site report. She provided thoughtful, creative and practical advice. I then asked her to create a design for my garden. She quickly produced a detailed, high quality plan (for an extremely affordable fee) and further helped by suggesting someone who could help translate the plan into reality. I could not have been more pleased with Tahn’s work!” ~Ed

“Tahn Kehmeier is a talented and versatile landscape designer who designed the front and back yards of our new home. Our goals were to ensure both yards reflected our preferences; that the front yard met the requirements of our Homeowners Association; and that the backyard met the criteria for certification by the Backyard Habitat Certification program. We easily met all those goals—on the first try! Without a doubt, Tahn’s comprehensive plans and plant lists enabled us as well as the HOA and the Backyard Habitat program to quickly visualize both the plants and plant placement. We hired a landscaper Tahn recommended to implement the plans and he commented on how much he enjoyed working with her designs. Neighbors comment regularly on the beautiful plants in our yard, and several have expressed interest in Backyard Habitat Certification. We’re truly enjoying the wide variety of birds our yard attracts and that our yard reflects best practices for the environment. We heartily recommend Tahn’s design services, whether or not Certification is a goal.” ~Sharon

“It was enjoyable to work with Tahn. She had a lot of knowledge about native plants and garden design, but was also open to working with my ideas and the things that I already had in my yard.” ~Kirsti

“Tahn helped me develop a garden plan for my new back yard.   She’s super easy to work with and knows a lot about native plants and eco-friendly plantings.  She never seemed to care how many questions I asked, and there were plenty of questions. She was very responsive to my ideas and really paid attention to what I wanted to achieve. She not only came up with a beautiful plan, clearly laid out and easy to work with, but also continues to help me figure out details of how to obtain and plant all those native trees and shrubs. I loved working with her and cannot recommend her too highly.” ~Ruth

“Tahn is very knowledgeable about plants, especially those native to the Pacific Northwest. She generously helped me design my back yard using both my preferences and her expertise. I would definitely recommend Designing With Plants.” ~Andrea

“As I made the decision not to have grass anymore in my front lawn, Tahn helped me design a landscape that took into account native plant species as well as areas that would support the water needs of the plants (as I had no plans to place a sprinkler system). In addition, she helped me with my backyard in designing a setting that would allow me to get backyard habitat certification. Her knowledge is tremendous, and Tahn was responsive to all my questions and needs. I would highly recommend her for any garden design!” ~Nimisha

“Tahn was an absolute pleasure to work with. She delivered a fantastic design based on what I wanted out of my landscape, and the list of approved plants from the backyard habitat certification program. She also provided advice on how and when to plant that was invaluable for a newbie landscaper like myself. If I ever have another landscaping project, she will be the first person I call for a design.” ~Chris

“Paloma and I bought a new home and inherited a broken sprinkler system and a huge stretch of dead grass and tough soil. We felt fairly confident in the garden, and good at curating plants in small spaces, but when it came to reimagining an entire property’s worth of landscaping, we felt daunted. Tahn gave us exactly what we needed to get unstuck – a meticulous consultation where she listened to our needs and provided some valuable insight and ideas of her own, drawing from both her extensive background working as a landscaper and in a nursery. 

She came back with a beautifully designed site plan of drought-tolerant plants and landscaping materials that would work within our budget, had recommendations for where to go to get them, had thought carefully through how each plant would coexist with the others and with respect to the environment (sun / seasonality / slope of the yard, etc), and was incredibly patient in fielding all of our many questions. 

We’re well on our way to putting Tahn’s plan in place, and get lots of thanks from our neighbors for resurrecting a long-dead yard.” ~Mike