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 has been involved in our project from beginning of construction to today. He designed our landscape, planted it and now handles maintenance. It is fantastic! Something is blooming all the time. The plantings fit in with the natural setting around us We recommend Gardens for Living to all our friends. They are great, dependable and best of all reasonably priced.”

Jim and Marty B.

John is very creative and brings a unique approach to each project. Whether you are a master gardener or a novice he will work with you to deliver a result that compliments your vision. His team is especially adept at hardscaping (boulder work, stone walls and paths, fire pits, etc). While the best is never cheap, John brings excellent value to his work. My highest recommendation!

Jim and Susan J.

“John Phillips and Gardens for Living did a fabulous job on our yard! We get all kinds of oohs and ahhs when friends see our yard for the first time. We live on the golf course so it’s important that the back yard look as good as the front. Thanks to John, it does! When we purchased our home, I didn’t like our ‘red’ colored roof shingles and planned on changing them out. Thanks to John using plants like a Japanese Maple and Dogwoods that have a reddish/purple hue, I don’t mind the roof at all. I figure John actually saved us money there! In the back yard, John created a design that unified the different parts of the yard. We went from a “plant zoo” with one of too many different plants, to a design that flows and invites you in to explore. We’ve used John and Gardens for Living for design, planting and maintenance for almost three years and wouldn’t think of hiring anyone else. We highly recommend John Phillips and Gardens for Living!”

Mike and Gail M.