What Our Customers Think

Landscape Design-Build

"We hired Daniel, as a design-build landscape contractor, to replace our grass areas with drought tolerant landscaping and drip irrigation.  We could never have imagined the combined aesthetic and environmental improvement. His creative eye gave us new outdoor sitting areas and our entire outdoor area has never looked better. Not only do we not miss the grass, we significantly improved our home and have lower water needs for a beautiful space."

Janet and Rick Longpre

"I intend this letter to serve as formal testimony to my deep appreciation for the excellent manner in which you executed the landscaping project involving the resetting of my bronze sculpture of Hokusai’s “Wave Off Kanagawa”. And the installation of a bridged woodland stream down the lawn of my residence.

Specifically: (Read More)

1)     Though I provided the overall design concept for the dual project, it was greatly enhanced by your creative input for many singular, specific creative design ideas. Your thorough knowledge of all the floral elements involved also made a positive difference in realizing the concept.

2)     I am especially impressed–and grateful for – your knowledge of the physics, particularly the control of water flow, the project demanded.

3)     Beyond the professional technical skills and landscaping knowledge you capably demonstrated, I appreciate your dedication to getting the job done the best way possible, even to the extent of absorbing costs not originally budgeted. Also appreciated is the cooperative attitude you displayed for those times when I “tweaked” a few elements of the project you had put in place.

I heartily recommend that anyone intending to undertake a technically complex and artistically demanding landscaping/environmental project contract your company for its services."

-C. Joseph Bendy



California-Friendly Landscape & Water Conservation

"I really wanted to thank you for coming out and conducting the "California-Friendly" Landscape Class (CFLC) for Camarosa Water District.  We had nothing but positive feedback from those who attended.  They really enjoyed your method of teaching and the overall "flow" of the class.  You provided a fresh approach to instructing which really kept our customers interested and tuned-in.  Word of mouth travels fast because the following Monday after the class. I've received several calls from people wanting to attend the next class because they heard about it from one of our class attendees.  This is a big deal because for the past 2+ years that I've been promoting this class...that has never happened before."

 -Donnie



Residential Design & Construction

"The contractor who was remodeling our home recommended Daniel Wilson to us and we are so glad he did! We had a vision for low-maintenance, drought-tolerant gardens – absolutely no grass - for both the front and back yards.  Additionally, we wanted to mix in several vegetable beds and fruit trees for our very own “Home Food Forest” that would sustain us in our upcoming low-income retirement years. Daniel made all our garden dreams come true. He did an excellent job of establishing an infrastructure: front courtyard patio, network of flagstone paths, low and raised stone planting beds, lattice-topped wood perimeter fence, water reservoirs with floats to keep our two fountains full, and a water efficient drip system.

Our front courtyard patio is truly exceptional. Daniel’s crew was able to take our rather loose design for a short wall and translate it into a true work of art.  We wanted it to look like the geological strata layers of the earth, and Daniel managed to pull it off. It has caused quite the stir in our neighborhood; even 8 months later people still stop to admire and comment on our courtyard wall and garden."

-Mike and Frances Reighley

"We couldn't be more grateful for working with Daniel Wilson. He was attentive, thorough, creative -- always ready to explore options, alternatives, and possibilities. His knowledge and dedication to ecological stewardship was unwavering and impressive.  His crew was dependable, respectful, and a pleasure to have on our property. Daniel and his crew transformed our distressed yard into a verdant, intelligently designed, soul-pleasing meadow."

-Steve Jacobsen

"Our Landscape Architect referred Daniel to us for some of our landscape needs. We removed all the lawn on our property - approx 4000 sq feet, replacing it with various local and other drought tolerant plants."

"Daniel was very helpful with a number of innovative and water saving ideas, which had not been called out in the plans.  His team, who were very pleasant and amenable, worked diligently and hard - including brickwork, irrigation, greywater, berms and swales etc. and they always tidied up after themselves.  Daniel worked along side his men and took pains to take care of them."

"Daniel has stood by his work and where problems arose, he promptly attended to them and has checked in, a number of times, to see how things are going. We would recommend him for any project that he wished to undertake."

-M. and A. Sher, 2010
Many thanks for coming out to check on our garden and especially the Grey Water System, 5 years after you installed it.

We are so happy that it is still working well [with zero maintenance thus far], feeding our garden, saving precious water and thereby helping the environment of our beleaguered planet.

The 'berm system' [soil contouring for stormwater] that you installed is also helping to keep the water on our property, instead of running off onto the street, collecting pollutants before making it's way to the LA River and the sea.

We have recommended you to our friends and hope that they will make use of your services and advice on how best to save water, enjoy many beautiful native and similar drought tolerant plants while living under these harsh climatic conditions in Southern California.   You and your team were great.

We wish you all of the best and hope you continue growing your business from strength to strength.

-Michael & Andrea Sher, 2016

"Daniel Wilson has done extensive work at my main residence and has done water saving irrigation and drought tolerant planting at (my) other two (residences).  At my house Daniel re-routed all rainwater drainage from pipes to the street and instead had all this water go down to water an orchard of fruit and nut trees."

"During a 1 year construction of our home, Daniel's company coordinated plumbing, excavation and planning for a greywater system that allows us to save thousands of gallons each year of fresh water. He also consulted me and installed the most drought tolerant lawn possible cutting irrigation on my 2-acre property by approximately 75%. He also installed extensive irrigation for fruit an vegetable areas and optimized the system with a weather and humidity automation computer that works very well."

"Needless to say, I am pleased with his work and his integrity. His crews are always friendly and competent. He continues to provide ongoing landscape and irrigation maintenance for my home, and those of my mother and in-laws. I wouldn't entrust those duties to just anyone. If there is a situation I need to correct, Daniel is very prompt in getting back to me and remedying it.  In short, Daniel Wilson has my highest recommendation."

 -K. Keating

"After interviewing many landscape design professionals, we choose Daniel Wilson of WilsonEnv because his ideas and approach matched our vision for our new backyard."

"When we first met, his professionalism & experience was immediately apparent. We got the sense that he would handle all the details of our project as if he was attending to his own backyard. This confidence was reinforced as soon as we received his proposal which was thorough, detailed and so well thought out. It was refreshing to receive a proposal that matched the vision that we discussed without trying to "sell" us on designs or features that weren't in our plan, or our budget."

"The work matched the expectation. Daniel had patience with us as we searched to find the "perfect" stone for our patio & rock wall. When it was finally placed, it was done with detail and style, and he added subtle design attributes unique to his work. He took the ideas we had and brought them into reality. We now have an amazing new outdoor space, providing us so much happiness. We can now enjoy our outdoors in style. Thank you Daniel Wilson and the WilsonEnv crew!"

 -Mike & Julianna Zapata 

"Ray - thank you so much for being kind enough to recommend Daniel Wilson to help me solve my garden problems.  I feel confident he will make my life so much easier, and the garden will soon show his fine care and expertise.  And, his help are a pleasure to work with."

 -Barbara Walsh

"WilsonEnv created a fantastic native landscape...integrating with the Ellwood coastal sage scrub habitat and the Sperling Preserve. It's beautiful and beneficial for us as homeowners, as well as exemplary of the native fauna for visitors to the main butterfly grove and, of course, the animal residents in the preserve."

"Daniel did what he said he was going to do, when he said he was going to do it, and it cost what he said it was going to cost. That's as good as you can hope for from any contractor. But above and beyond that, I don't think you can find a landscape contractor that takes more care in his work or puts more effort into open and honest communication with customers than Daniel."

 -Marcus J. Kocmur

"The Firefighter Memorial was one of the most important projects that the Firefighters Benevolent Foundation has undertook.  From the beginning, Daniel understood the importance of the Memorial and assisted us with meaningful design elements and construction ideas.  His crews completed projects in a timely fashion and were dedicated to seeing the project through completion and to our complete satisfaction."

 -David Neels
 Director,  Santa Barbara County Firefighters Benevolent Foundation

"I can truly say that ishas be a pleasure to work with Daniel Wilson and Wilson Environmental Contracting on a large scale project at the Santa Barbara County Fire Department Headquarters. Daniel Wilson and his team of professional employees helped us to accomplish a Firefighter Memorial that is dedicated to those men and women who give their lives in the line of duty. We had the honor of ...(Read more)..

-Tim Gailey
 Project Manager, 05/2012

"Daniel Wilson of WilsonEnv has a keen understanding of California plants and soils. How they interact and grow to function with each other. He has a great love of and tender care for the environment. He transformed our yard into a thing of beauty with pathways, plantings, lighting and irrigation. He is on the job site every day supervising his employees, who are well trained and knowledgeable because of his training. The job site is kept clean and we were informed of each day's work activity and consulted with on all aspects of the job."

 -Bill and Judy Patrizzi

"I cannot recommend Daniel Wilson and WilsonEnv highly enough...Daniel Wilson is extremely knowledgeable, and although initially we were not too clear about what we wanted or how to accomplish it, he was endlessly patient about listening and then explained his ideas."

"Little things indicate a lot. No matter how late it was, how tired the crew must have been - they never failed clean up and sweep the walks etc. and still cheerfully offered to help me move potted plants back, etc. To me - this indicates a true commitment to customer satisfaction. The entire crew was so thorough and polite - a pleasure to work with."

"We will easily recoup the cost of this project in savings on our water bill. I just wish we had done it sooner. We now have a self-sustaining watering system, so we won't be as tied to staying home so much to maintain our garden. Truly, Daniel - I'm very impressed. This has been the most satisfying and professional job I've ever had done."

-Pat Neuman

"After living at 845 Norma Way for 30 years, I recently had the exterior spaces of my home completely transformed by Wilson Environmental Contracting. It was a huge undertaking, and the results have been hugely satisfying. I was motivated by a desire to convert my landscape to native plants, with low demand for water and maintenance, and to replace my driveway and walks, which had become cracked and uneven. I selected Daniel Wilson because of his detailed knowledge and understanding of the botany of this region, as well as his evident passion for the local environment and wildlife. Another important factor was his technical expertise in landscape design and construction, including automatic irrigation systems. My expectations proved to be fully justified. But what I could not have anticipated was his resourcefulness, artistic sensitivity, and attention to detail in execution of the project. Working with him -- although at times dusty and chaotic -- was always a pleasure. I think the results speak for themselves. I welcome anyone who would like to see them."

-Martin Stevenson

"We were very pleased with Daniel Wilson's close attention, knowledge, and problem solving skills used to repair a 100' x 3' high retaining wall leaning about 8 degrees onto our property. It was also apparent that Daniel and his crew understood putting quality workmanship into this task. He and his crew were very attentive to our concerns, which arose because of the wall's proximity to our houses. Daniel was pleasant to work with and we all are extremely pleased with his solution as well as the results. For all of these reasons I would recommend him to my friends & acquaintances. I certainly will not hesitate to hire him again."

-Norman Johnson

"Daniel and his crew installed a new pond and a low maintenance, drought tolerant landscape for my wife and I. They were very hardworking, detail oriented and sensitive to our needs. Daniel is very knowledgeable about plants and irrigation; and the pond he designed and installed is very attractive. We are very pleased with the results and we recommend them highly."

-John D. Kelley, Architect

"I have visited and seen the beautiful work of Wilson Environmental Contracting. It is well thought out and constructed. As an instructor of Horticulture and of artistic design, I approve of Daniel Wilson's work and I would recommend it to others."

 -James E. Jaeger
 Horticultural Consultant & Landscape Instructor
 Santa Monica Emeritus College

"I enjoyed working with Daniel Wilson and was impressed with the attention that he gave to my property. It was evident from the start that Daniel puts a lot of thought into his work. His tremendous attention to detail and his hands-on approach to my project - from beginning to end - gave me huge confidence in the integrity of the work. Daniel was very easy to work with and I am extremely pleased with the results. For these reasons I would certainly hire him again and I am glad to recommend him to my friends and colleagues."

-Brett Locker

"We engaged WilsonEnv to design and construct a retaining wall at our house, and then install plants and irrigation. They did an excellent job, and Daniel Wilson (the owner) really went above and beyond the call of duty by deeply caring about even the smallest details. His knowledge of plants, particularly drought tolerant plants, is impeccable, and our new irrigation system will save us lots of money in water bills (not to mention making us feel good to be more environmentally sound). He brings a great deal of knowledge, enthusiasm and positive energy to the project, and we strongly recommend him to anyone wanting quality work, for a reasonable price, in an environmentally sound manner. We would definitely use WilsonEnv again for future projects."

-Lee & Becky 

"Daniel transformed our backyard from a non-usable slope covered with ivy to a beautiful terraced garden complete with a stream, waterfall and pond.  Along the way, he encountered several major problems including an old non-functional barbecue and an ugly block wall covered with paint.  We were not only pleased with his work but with inventiveness, energy and care that he utilized in completing this project.  It is also noteworthy that the solutions that he utilized were environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing.  We highly recommend Daniel."

-Archie

"Daniel Wilson/Wilson Environmental Contracting designed and constructed a secluded ocean-view seating nook for us. It was imaginatively conceived, environmentally sensitive, and very well executed-at a very reasonable price. We greatly enjoy using the result of his vision and effort every day!"

-Lewis & Rita Kert

Habitat Restoration

"I have worked with Daniel Wilson for five years on a Creek project.  His knowledge and abilities have added to the quality of the planting and guided the maintenance of a very successful project in a high visible location. His ideas and creativity advanced the scope of the project design for future years. His efforts to insure a quality project have been honored by our congregation on several occasions."

 -Alan Scholl

 Creek Restoration Coordinator, Goleta Presbyterian Church

"I've worked closely with Daniel Wilson of WilsonEnv over the past two years on a project in the Santa Monica Mountains. He has been in charge of implementing a large-scale chaparral restoration plan for sections of road totaling approximately 2.5 miles. The site is extremely rugged, remote, and completely without infrastructure. I have been impressed with his knowledge of native plants and their ecology and with his ability to think creatively to develop solutions for an extremely complex restoration project with numerous logistical challenges. He brings together a remarkable set of skills that includes native seed collection and processing, greenhouse plant propagation, innovative irrigation system design, erosion control techniques, thorough knowledge of native plant and weed identification, planting techniques, and ecological principles.  I have found him to be a person of high ethical standards with an ability to work effectively with a wide range of people under sometimes difficult circumstances.  I highly recommend Daniel Wilson as a restoration ecology practitioner." 

 -Robert Freese, Ph.D.

 Senior Restoration Ecologist, PCR Services Corporation

"I have worked with Daniel Wilson on several projects, where he has been hired by a private party to complete a biological assessment, and/or a mitigation plan for restoration with native species.  I have found that the quality of the documents have always been accurate, complete and well organized.  I would not hesitate to recommend Daniel Wilson for any local projects."

 -Natasha Lohmus
 California Department of Fish & Game

"Working with Wilson Environmental Contracting (Daniel Wilson) was a pleasure. The work product is comprehensive and insightful, indicating experience and a wealth of knowledge with regard to native/exotic plants species and restoration."

-Travis Cullen
 Program Manager, Envicom Corporation