1135 South Granada Drive, Madera, CA, ����
+1 559-673-7117 âÂÂ

43714 Road 415, Coarsegold, CA, ����
+1 559-683-7097
6074 California 140, Mariposa, CA, ����
+1 209-742-6869
7 Rock Ridge, Copperopolis, CA, ����
+1 209-484-7828 âÂÂ
4774 Morrow Road, Modesto, CA, ����
+1 209-545-0443
3505 Central Avenue, Ceres, CA, ����
+1 209-538-1240
22244 McBride Road, Escalon, CA, ����
+1 209-838-2453
585 Hi Tech Parkway, Oakdale, CA, ����
+1 209-847-4660 âÂÂ
216 North 9th Street, Modesto, CA, ����
+1 209-579-5406
14748 Highway 41 # C, Madera, CA, ����
+1 559-822-4921
1744 California Street, Escalon, CA, ����
+1 209-838-6222
44565 Savage Road, Coarsegold, CA, ����
+1 559-658-8383
1420 F Street, Modesto, CA, ����
+1 209-575-1295 âÂÂ
45019 West Nees Avenue, Firebaugh, CA, ����
+1 209-364-1993
I think it be important you have some design first.you show the design pics to any landscapers,they give you price,you select a landscaper.

I think Merced might be a tad out of the way for our resident CA designers (they are in the Bay area) but maybe you'll hear from them with a personal recommendation. But barring that, I'd contact your local chapter of the Association of Professional Landscape Designers (APLD). CA has a very active chapter and it's as close as you are going to get to any kind of certification for a landscape designer.

If possible, it's important to speak to more than one designer before deciding. A successful landscape design involves a very close interaction between the designer and the homeowner and you need to be sure that A) you are both on the same page and B) there is a feeling of free communication and rapport.

I wouldn't put much stock in the previous listings provided :-) Our friend is not even in this country and to be perfectly honest, has little idea of what's involved in a successful landscape design. That was obviously a list turned up by a search engine.

Here is a link that might be useful: APLD - California chapter

Yes, you are right about most of them being in the bay area, too bad not more are in merced.

I checked the website but none showed up for Merced, CA. Darn, thanks anyway for your input. I will keep looking.

If anyone has a reference, please post!!!

You might want to try contacting Merced College. They have a Landscape Horticulture program that includes design as part of the curriculum and possibly there are graduates of the program they refer. Other than that, checking with local nurseries or garden centers may turn up some names....otherwise you may be forced to let your fingers do the walking :-)

I'd suggest driving or walking your neighborhood and if you see a landscape you like, leave a note at the door, or knock on the door(weekends are better in this case), and leave your name and number and mention that you liked their landscaping, and could they tell you who designed/installed it.

I might also recommend that you look at the UC Davis Arboretum website, and in particular, there list of 100 top plant picks for Sacramento Valley gardens, at:

http://www.arboretum.ucdavis.edu/arboretum_all_stars.aspx

I'd also recommend that you look at the new Bob Perry book titled "Landscape Plants for California Gardens", which really addresses plant selections based on your local climate and soil conditions.

I've done some limited design work in Modesto for the parents of some of my Oakland hills clients, and know that there are some beautiful gardens in Modesto, so there must be some good local landscape designers and landscape architects locally. What was surprising to me was to see how well things such as Coast Redwoods and Windmill Palms do in Modesto, and some parts of town obviously benefit from the extremely rich and deep top soil and relatively high water table in town.

A bit far for me to be interested in doing an installation out there, but if you can't find anyone locally, repost again here and let me know that you are interested in design services, as I seldom check emails at my secondary listed email for the Gardenweb.

It would help you in selecting a designer if you had a good idea of what your budget to install is, and what you are comfortable paying for a design. If you haven't landscaped before, you may be surprised to find out what it would cost to landscape an acre of grounds.

You might also put the word out to your friends and neighbors for recommendations on contractors for repairing a deck, and/or landscape installation and design.

I will include a link to photos of my own work, from the website for Annie's Annuals nursery, in case you are interested. Most of these gardens are for Sunset zone 16/17 conditions rather than Merced's zone 14 climate, but I have also designed plenty of drought tolerant gardens for valley conditions. Here's the Flickr photo link:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/anniesannuals/sets/72157614346658861/

good luck with your project

hello all,

thank you to those that responded. i'm thinking of just trying to do it myself since it is pretty hard to find a designer and i have a small budget. thank for all the tips, i will def use them.