Our History

John Phillips of Gardens for Living designed the exterior environment of our newly constructed home in Asheville, and transformed secondary growth woods into an informal garden that beautifully blends into the surrounding woods. The project involved contouring the land, artfully designing steps from rock, placing landscaping lighting and planting an abundance of perennials. John listened carefully to our suggestions and created a landscape that exceeded our expectations.

Warren and Carol S.

John Phillips and Gardens for Living completed a project at our mountain home including landscaping, building paths and a fire pit, improving a drainage problem, and building a large retention wall (done by his brother James). In all our interactions, we found John to be knowledgeable, creative and honest. The finished work is beautiful and we are thrilled! We give John and his company our highest recommendation.

Luis and Nikki C.

John, Shane and their staff completely remodeled our landscape (if you could call it that before they came) this summer. Unbelievable transformation. They were able to use many of the plants and hardscape items already in place while adding new elements to give our urban home a modern outdoor feel. They were very fast, thorough and we could not be happier with the results. What was once an eye sore and the “downside” of our home – is now the feature and our haven. I do not think another company in town could have done such an amazing job – especially in the short time they did it! Would (and have) recommend them to anyone from a basic spruce up to a completely new and extensive landscape.

Dan C.

“John Phillips, the owner of Gardens for Living, does an excellent job of listening to what the customer wants to accomplish. He takes that information and applies his expert knowledge and creative spirit. He guided us through the process, helping us to choose plants and trees that would grow well in the designated areas. The end product is a beautiful design, with a variety of lovely, sustainable plantings. John was pleasant, easy to work with and respectful of budget concerns. You know that he enjoys what he does. The value of our home is greatly enhanced by the beauty of our landscaping. Gardens for Living continues to maintain our yard. All of the original appeal has only improved over time!”

Ellen C.