Sustainable Horticultural Environments

SHE is great! Teresa is very friendly and knowledgeable, and created us a lovely plan for our yard. She provided great documentation on the plants she chose for us and has really helped me not kill them all yet! 10/10, would hire again.

Teresa knows her stuff. She listened to what i was trying to achieve and came up with a great design. Glad to recommend her

We recently had the pleasure of working with Teresa and her exceptional landscaping crew to transform our front and back yard, and we are absolutely thrilled with the results. From the initial consultation to the completion of the project, Teresa displayed an unparalleled level of expertise and creativity. She took the time to understand our vision and offered valuable insights to enhance it. Teresa's passion for landscaping was evident in every suggestion she made, and her commitment to delivering a high-quality outcome was unwavering. Teresa's crew, under her leadership, worked diligently to bring our landscaping dreams to life. The attention to detail in every aspect of the project was remarkable. From planting vibrant flowers to crafting intricate hardscapes, each member of the crew demonstrated skill and dedication. The transformation of our outdoor space is nothing short of breathtaking. What sets Teresa apart is her commitment to customer satisfaction. Throughout the process, she communicated effectively, keeping us informed about progress and addressing any concerns promptly. Her professionalism and dedication to delivering beyond expectations were truly commendable. The level of craftsmanship and artistry displayed by Teresa and her crew is a testament to their talent and passion for landscaping. Our front and back yard have been elevated to a new level of beauty and functionality, thanks to their hard work. If you're in search of a landscaping team that combines creativity, expertise, and a genuine commitment to customer satisfaction, Teresa and her crew are the ones to choose. We wholeheartedly recommend their services to anyone looking to transform their outdoor space into a stunning haven. Thank you, Teresa, and the entire crew, for turning our landscaping dreams into a reality. Your work has brought joy and beauty to our home.

I did a bit of research to find Teresa and due to her Houzz ratings and her photo gallery of her work I decided to meet with her and determined then she was the one I could collaborate with to lead our landscape design for our new custom dream home. She is a wonderful listener and balanced well the inputs from both my wife and I. Before getting into the design work I had accumulated over many months some concepts and she helped professionally shape them, accepting some, modifying some, rejecting some. We were going for a minimalist, xeriscaping look with as much of the California plant vibe as possible and as feasible in our new Florida climate which we were not familiar with. She is a wealth of landscape knowledge, not just book smart but knows the Florida environment so well - she simply was the right pair of expert hands to lead our design. Citrus, agave, cacti, palms….a great coordination of tropical diversity. And to top it all off she directed us to a great lighting partner she works with and once all complete we never expected to appreciate our landscaping into the night.

Teresa is an absolute pleasure to work with and an amazing landscape designer! Teresa's process was a joy to go through, starting with a conversation and a wish list. She is a great listener and can transform your ideas into beautiful designs that are even better than what you dreamed of. She works with your landscape and unique challenges to create a design that creates impact. In my case, I also hired her to oversee the project to ensure that everything went smoothly and I was so happy that I did because I knew I was in the hands of a professional. I absolutely love the end result even at the outset, knowing that the garden will continue to grow and mature into it's full glory over time. I can say that the final look was nothing short of *Magical* and would highly recommend her to anyone looking to make their home come to life in a beautiful and sustainable way. She's truly the best!

Teresa is extremely well-knowledged, professional, well-connected and personable-- a fantastic combination for what Teresa does! She listen attentively and delivers well-beyond expectation. She is an EXPERT in Florida-friendly landscape plants and design. Consider yourself lucky that you have found her!!!

We spent a tremendous amount of time researching "5 star" landscape designers that would meet our needs of designing a low maintenance Florida Friendly landscape with a larger more accessible driveway (on a small front yard). We also wanted to tangibly increase our home value without breaking the bank while doing so. There are not too many landscape designers that met our challenging criteria. Teresa stood head and shoulders above the rest. Her results were even better! After actually listening to what we wanted, liked and disliked (unlike others that just wanted to do what they wanted to do), Teresa came up with an innovative and unique Mediterranean-meets-Florida landscape surrounding a faux-circular driveway (since our front yard is too small for a full circular driveway) creating a natural harmonious tiered flow of vegetation and pavers. Teresa then brought in true professionals to install the pavers and greenery. However, most importantly, Teresa was literally there every step of the way for the countless tweaks that made her landscaping design amazing not only on architectural drawing paper, but in curb-appeal reality. We have had sooo many neighbors (and folks from other neighborhoods) drive by our home, take pictures, and compliment our landscaping. I know of several neighbors that have since used Teresa with equally creative and amazing results! 5 stars!!

Teresa worked with our existing landscape to freshen our tired look. We wanted more blooming plants and easy care with the FL heat and rains. We love our blooming pinwheel jasmine addition. The overall chsnges made brought nice color to the front of our home. Teresa is easy to work with and gives ideas that are FL friendly. We love her ideas. Thank you.

Teresa is a caring, easily accessible, extremely knowledgeable and friendly plant and landscape expert and was fun to work with. She gave us several options, ideas and suggestions and allowed us to make several changes to all her proposals. She has turned our yard Into a beautiful oasis. We highly recommend her.

Teresa is so passionate about what she does. When we first met her we could see that she clearly loves what she is doing. She took notes on what we do for hobbies, where we grew up, what plants we like, and what we wanted our yard to look like. We didn't have a vision but when Teresa present her first draft we fell in love with it. She included in the plans pine trees to match where my husband grew up, we didn't even think of that. When my husband saw them in the design, he was very pleased. She designed a combo spot for my yoga hobby and lounging. We will be using her recommend contractor and I can't wait for the end results and our design to come to life.

I contacted Teresa at Sustainable Horticultural Environments with a specific problem. She responded promptly with an insightful solution. She also made helpful suggestions on how to improve my landscape design. Teresa was knowledgeable, creative, and professional. I plan to call on her again. John

Teresa brought our home to life!! From the first moment I met Teresa I knew that she was gifted and I could trust her completely. We bought our dream home in June and the entire front yard was gravel. I had no concrete idea of what I wanted, but a few pictures and concepts. After our first meeting, we gave Teresa the go ahead to do what she wanted 100%. I am so glad we did. I knew I wanted a garden that was vibrant and alive, artsy, attracted bees and butterflies and that was Florida friendly. She transformed our home with her work. The garden Teresa created feels like a tiny public park. We have a rain garden, a butterfly garden, lots of healing plants and 4 months later every single one is thriving with NO UPKEEP FROM US! Our neighbors absolutely love us for bringing so much delight to the street. That is all Teresa. Teresa is available for follow up questions, a delight to work with, a gifted designer and a fabulous human. She provided us with a very thoughtful binder with clear introductions to our plants and instructions for how to care for them. We have had a few 'native garden' experts stop by and each admired the ecosystem Teresa created - each plant is spaced to help the other. Our garden is a work of art and I absolutely love it. Hire Teresa immediately. She will bless your home. Bonnie, Brian and Nicholas!

Teresa is a true talent ! She is so gifted at what she does and more importantly seems to truly love it. She delivered a plan that blew us away and was very careful to stay within the style of landscaping we hoped for! She gave us New England in Florida and our house hi Klump became the star of the neighborhood (until she completed my moms property a few doors down) she made adjustments and answered questions over text or the phone when the weather was chilly,etc. She considered our love of bumblebees and butterflies and took it all into account to give us something truly special! You won’t be disappointed!!! She’s the best

Teresa is a very gifted landscape designer that works with her clients needs. She is passionate about what she does and extremely knowledgeable about native plants. She has an eye for the details, which is what makes our yard stand out. When her landscape plan was complete, our house looked exactly how we had envisioned it.

Great working with Teresa. She had some wonderful recommendations for changes to improve our landscaping. A true professional that works well with client.

Teresa was so helpful with my lawn. With no irrigation system in place, I was determined to replace my sodded front lawn with Florida friendly plants. Not only did she create a practical plan for my space, but also supported me every step of the way as I made it happen. I learned so much about Florida natives, and how to plant for a drought resistance and sustainability. Teresa continued to support me and answer my questions, even after I sold my property and moved to a different property that had a totally different environment and soil structure. I can’t recommend SHE enough. Knowledgeable and creative.

Teresa did the landscape design for my modern lakefront house and helped selecting from three landscape companies. Once we decided on the company that implemented the design, she was extremely involved in the process and kept the landscaper on his toes. Her knowledge base of plant material is extensive and while she emphasizes a Florida-friendly approach approach, she is not dogmatic by using only Florida native plants, as some nursery owners are that sell Florida native plant material only. While I was initially worried about being "overpowered" by her (she is a strong woman with strong opinions), she is flexible enough to accept change and opposite opinions. An additional positive aspect is her being very accessible by text message, email, or phone. The project was challenging and unique but Teresa delivered 100%.

Teresa is an absolute pleasure to deal with. She goes above and beyond to make her customer satisfied. Very Knowledgeable, punctual, and professional. Truly an enjoyable experience.

Teresa came highly recommended from another well respected professional, and she did not disappoint. She was timely, creative and listened to what I was trying to achieve, which was a cozy, low maintenance, Florida friendly landscape that would be my haven, but also friendly to birds and other wildlife. She did so well that I will engage her to do my front yard too. I highly recommend Teresa Watkins at Sustainable Horticultural Environments.

We cannot speak highly enough about Teresa. We recently purchased a property (1.25 acres) that had been very poorly landscaped/maintained. We had very specific requirements with regards to the plan we had in mind (i.e. low maintenance, native plants, bird & butterfly attractors, shade/sun issues, irrigation challenges, hiding "unsightly" elements, etc.). Teresa spent a great deal of time with us, listening to everything we did (and did not) want and answering our numerous questions. We were so impressed with her knowledge, and her ideas - the plan she produced exceeded our expectations. She then returned to walk our property once again, to refine details. Her final landscape design was beyond anything we could have dreamt of. She then provided us with binders filled with information as to how to care for our trees, plants etc. Teresa is an absolute pleasure to work with, goes above and beyond and we highly recommend her.

We enjoyed working with Teresa throughout the process. I felt that she listened to what we wanted to create in our yard, which is large and hasn’t had anything done to it for the past 20 years. She worked with what was there, the many plants I had collected and added more to create a varied and interesting landscape. As a New Jersey transplant and new Florida Master Gardener, she always took time to answer all my questions making sure I knew how to care for each one. She gives all her clients a notebook for every plant, tree, and shrub installed which gives all the information needed to maintain it in good health. It is invaluable.

Teresa did a walk through of our established landscape. She provided excellent suggestions to enhance our front and back yard with new and relocated plantings. She took the time to understand our wants and budget expectations. We would recommend her for all big and small projects.

Teresa Watkins came to our HOA to give us ideas on how to improve our landscaping. She was extremely knowledgeable, patient, and attentive. I highly recommend her!

We wanted to re-do our landscape and had a laundry list of what we wanted. It had to be low maintenance, colorful, "Florida", update the irrigation system, and it had to fit our budget. Teresa created a plan that fit every one of our needs. Our HOA approved immediately because it was so good. Teresa oversaw all of the work to make sure it was quality. She also created a full maintenance plan for us and walked us through all of the details. And she's referred other professionals to us so we can keep the landscape up and add to its beauty. I can't say enough about the personal attention and knowledge that Teresa provided. S.H.E. is awesome.

Teresa is a joy to work with. She listens and creates a design that reflects the customers desires. She is responsive, attentive, very knowledgeable and resourceful. From the first interview to the finished landscape she worked carefully and diligently to make my yard look fantastic and she made sure I was happy every step of the way.

It's really difficult these days to find someone who's talent and expertise you can trust based just on what you read on the internet. I was really lucky to find Teresa Watkins. We communicated a few times via email to make the appointment for her to come to my house. She replied to my emails immediately. She arrived at my house on time. I had no idea how to go about a design for my front yard. I had no doubt about Teresa's extensive knowledge... it was her enthusiasm that convinced me that she would be the perfect one to work with. You can tell how passionate she is about what she does because of how excited she gets when she talks about it. The vision and idea for my yard came to her immediately. It was pretty amazing. I am so happy that she decided to work with me. Believe me... You can trust Teresa's talent and expertise! Thank you Teresa!

Teresa designed our landscaping after an extensive renovation. Our renovation had some challenges, but Teresa was able to design to overcome those challenges. We love the results. We have comfort knowing we can call her any time for questions or concerns. We highly recommend Teresa.

Teresa came to our home to help us with our patio plans and provided advice on how to make our outdoor space more enjoyable. She is a wealth of information! She gave us tons of tips and tricks on how to improve our yard without breaking the bank and even showed us how to prune our trees. She taught us how to maintain everything ourselves and even use materials we already had in innovative ways to add character to our yard. She generated a layout plan for our flower beds taking into consideration all our wants and needs and was happy to answer any questions. Her passion for landscaping is contagious, so look out!

it was a pleasure working with Teresa. She was flexible in accommodating payment structure to fit the approval of the association board. We are very happy with the results. I have already seen people in the association enjoying the new landscaping.

Thanks to Teresa Watkins we were able to realize our dream for our backyard! Without her vision, we never would have ended up with this fantastic result. Teresa was super-informative and very knowledgeable of the specific plants that would work in a Central Florida backyard. Thanks, Teresa!!

This past year, Teresa designed and installed the landscaping for our new house. We couldn't have made a better choice. Besides being very knowledgeable she remains a source of landscape know how and guidance long after the job is complete. Teresa is a joy to work with.

Teresa really knows her plants and trees indigenous to Florida. Her design was beautiful and she was very willing to make minimal changes that we requested. She coordinated landscape, sprinklers, lighting and driveway/ patio pavers for us. The landscape has grown in nicely and has very little upkeep. She is professional and listens to your needs.

Teresa was wonderful to work with. She is so knowledge in horticulture and knew exactly what to recommend to help create the picture I was trying to paint. She created a fresh, warm, inviting look for the Microtel Inn & Suites Leesburg location. I have already recommended her to others and will continue to do so. Thanks Teresa for all you do!

I loved working with Teresa on my landscape project. Her ideas were great and she never made me feel like I needed to spend thousands of dollars to create a great landscape. Even her advise on re-arranging many of the plants I already had made a big difference. She is passionate about her work and a pleasure to work with.

I have had the pleasure of observing Teresa Watkins in action for over 18 years in a variety of settings. Whether she is helping homeowners as an instructor at Florida-friendly landscape workshops, guiding developers seeking a competitive landscape edge, or dispensing sage landscape and environmental advice on her weekly radio show, she is always informative, creative, professional, enthusiastic and attentive to details. Teresa sparked my interest in Florida gardening, and taught me the concepts of smart landscaping, theme gardens, plant selection, and the proper establishment and care of vegetation. Her expertise makes her a valuable asset for any project and she will work tirelessly to make it the best possible. I wholeheartedly recommend Teresa for consultation and landscape projects whether small or large, commercial or residential.

I am the owner of a salon in Winter Park, Kendall + Kendall. We needed elegant planters by our door to greet your customers, but needed it to be as low maintenance as possible. Once I contacted Teresa, she stopped by to see where the planters were, what kind of sun they would get throughout the day and to see the aesthetic of our salon. She then personally picked out plants to go along with these three elements. She delivered the plants and planted them only a few days after contacting here. This was a little over a year ago now and these plants are still thriving and gorgeous as ever. I am so happy I found her! Our door is even more welcoming now with these beautiful plants. THANK YOU!

Knowledgeable and creative landscape designer that specializes in Florida-friendly and native plantings. She coordinated with the landscape contractor and even got her hands dirty making sure everything came out just right...

Teresa is passionate about the works he does. If I were recommending her to a friend, which I would, I would describe her strongest attribute as her willingness to immediately communicate with her clients. This enables her to adapt to client needs on-the-fly and also keeps the client informed of the daily progress of the project.

Teresa planted 7 ceramic pots of all sizes for me. I keep them clustered around the pool in my backyard, and they are a blue/aqua color which picks up the color of the tiles in the pool. I asked Teresa for wild, whimsical, colorful plants that would attract butterflies. Oranges and pinks and yellows and purples and reds to contrast with the cool tones of the pots and pool. I could not be more pleased! She chose gorgeous plants, arranged them at differing heights to create dimension and interest, and they are just perfect. So fun to gaze at as we relax outside! She also emailed me the names and care instructions of each type of plant, with labeled pictures of my finished pots. She is a real expert and has such talent for a beautiful finished product. I am so happy I found Teresa!

I enjoyed working with Teresa Watkins on my research project at the University of Florida. She was able to provide practical insights and helped us to construct and visualize front yard landscape designs for an innovative study of homeowners' preferences for sustainable landscapes using eye-tracking glasses and large digital displays. I highly recommend Teresa's services!

Terese was a blessing to us! We purchased our home in 2017 and had many loss of huge, beautiful oaks. Teresa’s design is amazing for the architecture of our home, she also completely understood our vision, the need for ease of upkeep and the fact that we are do-it-yourselfers. Her knowledge is beyond amazing and her willingness to help along the process has been a God send!

I really enjoyed working with Teresa Watkins. She is a great horticultural designer! We were looking to create a special environment for the interior pool/lanai area of our newly renovated home. Teresa designed a beautiful wall display of aged driftwood, orchids, and air plants surrounded with complimentary pots and with unique, complimentary plants. Teresa has a great eye for detail, color and balance which were perfect skills needed to achieve the look we were striving for. We look forward to working with Teresa on other landscaping design projects in the future.

I hired Teresa to design a complete backyard makeover. The original plans were approved and construction was to be started on May 15, 2017, and completed within 3 weeks, with a final cost of approximately $35,000. The construction was halted due to weather, and then worked on in small pieces and intermittently when not weather related. They broke my water feature 3 times, reordered a new one they found (cheaper) without my authorization and that water feature broke as well. They had to order a new one again. They then put off ordering the feature for 5 months and got testy when I wanted to see the receipt. He would not give it to me. Teresa never stepped in to help me on that and remained quiet, and apparently neutral. When I would contact Teresa, she would schedule a meeting with everybody, show up and walk around with me and the contractor as I pointed out things that needed fixing. I never felt that Teresa took control of the project at all. In the beginning, when I asked if she was going to be here while they were here, she said she was. I never saw her when they were on the job. She came in the morning when I was asleep and left before I woke up. She would evidently tell them what needed to be done but was not there to supervise the project. Therefore, plants were stepped on and crushed and had to be replaced. I had specifically stated that I did not want mulch due to the bug problems it caused, and came home to mulch in every nook and cranny. She asked me to pick out plants that I wanted and if she couldn't get the ones I really wanted because of climate zone, she would find ones comparable. I spent hours searching and placing them on Pinterest she set up for me. I did not see but one or two of the plants I had painstakingly chosen, What I did notice was all of the potted plants around my house had been planted around the yard instead. When I asked her why this had happened, she said she had run out of money budgeted for them. The contractor chimed in to say that the mulch had used up most of the budget. I was very upset. I had a bug company come to spray for bugs two days before that and have had to have them come back 3 more times since. My concern with hiring Teresa was that while her design work is creative, her inability to take control of the project and work with the contractor's in an effective way getting them to complete the job that was laid out. Her inability to stand up for her client making sure that things were done correctly and honestly, and completed within a reasonable timeframe was deplorable. She did not listen to what I said and seemed to be a thousand miles away everytime we would meet, rushing away to meet with other clients. She would call to ask if a client could come by and look at the purgola in my back yard. She wanted other clients to see the garden. I was fine for a while until things went south with the contractor. She knew it was going south for me, but would call to ask if someone could come by anyway. I finally said no, they could not come by until things were finally finished. She didn't even listen and sent them anyway. Things are still not complete and it is December 8. My last conversation was to remind her that the contractor had basically stolen $3,200 from me and has never returned to finished the job. They never called to explain and Teresa never actually checked on or followed up with this. I was so disappointed and angry. I sent a text to her letting her know what had happened. She wanted to meet with me to discuss this further. I didn't feel that was going to be beneficial anymore as it had not been beneficial throughout the entire job. Teresa was paid in full and said that she would be available to me forever with regards to the garden. She has not made any more effort to follow up on this with me. All I know about this horrible project was that even if she had been paid in full, she was still responsible for making sure the job was completed correctly and to her client's satisfaction. Her client should be number one, even if they are upset or angry. A large amount of money was paid to the contractor while she stood on and watched, The contractor took the money and never finished the job, leaving me with a ton of work to complete. Teresa was responsible for bringing in the contractor and making sure they did their job. She was ineffective and weak when it came to my project, and I am completely heartbroken about this as it was a dream I have had my whole life. The job will get done somehow, and probably by me, but no one should have to go through this kind of unethical and unprofessional treatment. I would never recommend this designer.

Teresa helped us w/ a greenhouse and raised bed garden project in rural No. Lake County. Easy to work with, knowledgeable & accessible - has stayed engaged long after the job was done to answer questions, etc. I recommend her w/o reservation.

Teresa was a pleasure to work with. She transformed our 1980's landscaping that was in terrible condition to a beautiful, modern design. She worked with the contractors and nurseries to find us the plants and materials we needed. Her contractors were hard-working and did an amazing job. I have already recommended them to others (Central Florida Landscaping And Maintenance, Inc.). At the end of the project, Teresa provided us with a maintenance guide for each of the plants along with several other pieces of information in one easy to use binder. This will help us know how to care for our plants, though, Teresa is always a call away if we need a little extra guidance. She really does care about the health and longevity of your plants and comes back to check in on you well after the project is over.

Very satisfying and enjoyable experience. We felt we were in good hands and did not have to worry about details. Teresa listens and provides results to match your expectations. I highly recommend using her services as it relieves the customer of all worries and concerns. All work was completed on time.

Teresa's professionalism, her enthusiasm, her commitment, and integrity are surpassed only by her, seemingly, limitless knowledge about Florida plants. Her ability to know just where best to place plant materials in a landscape plan that embraces the homeowner's desire and level of activity is unparalleled. Plus, she's just a nice and kind person... she encourages positive learning and is never judgmental when working with those who have less experience. Highly recommend Teresa's quality of work!

Teresa was on time and professional. She helped to co-create a beautiful landscape proposal that my husband and I could install and up keep easily. Her knowledge of plants is phenomenal. I highly recommend working with this company.

Teresa did a great job redesigning our old landscaping. We had several large trees that needed removal and she brought in a certified tree company to properly remove them and grind the stumps since they were close to the house. She recommended several Florida friendly trees to replace the ones we had to part with. She also found some very nice peach and avocado trees to finish off our backyard. She communicated with us as the project progressed and made sure she was here each day work was being done to be sure her design was followed by the landscape contractors. The landscape contractor she hired was professional and reliable, which is hard to find. She also had her contractor build us a beautiful arbor with a gate that is just gorgeous.

Working with Teresa was a pleasure. Her knowledge of what to plant and where was invaluable. She dealt with all the contractors that were involved with the job and was always available to answer any and all of my questions I have received many compliments on my new landscaping and am looking forward to enjoying it for many years to come

Teresa Watkins created a beautiful tropical space in my small back yard. She amazed us with her knowledge of plants, how to take care of them, and their compatibility. Teresa kept us informed at all stages of the project and was scrupulously on time for all our meetings (if she was going to be delayed, she immediately let us know). The project kept to the schedule and was done on time. The contractors that she suggested were excellent and shared her same impeccable work ethics. I would use their services any time. We are going to add a few more specimens in a week or so, but even now, we can see that our yard will mature beautifully!

We had the pleasure of working with Teresa Watkins on our landscape design and installation project for our new home. In collaboration she created our vision of a landscape design that optimized color, design and many of the Florida native plants. The transformation created has clearly framed our house in a stunning way! Teresa's expert knowledge of plant material and design goes beyond any of our previous experience. Her patience, ability to listen and most importantly her passion made this a very rewarding experience. She goes the extra mile in providing a comprehensive binder with pictures and instructions for the care of our trees, plants and flowers. She has tremendous pride in what she does and has become a friend.

My husband I are city dwellers and urban gardeners at best. But when we found ourselves owners of some land, we wanted to maximize the gardening productivity. We were neophytes with little know-how. We contacted S.H.E. for help. Teresa was not only a wealth of knowledge and thoroughly competent , but she was guided us through a project that included greenhouse construction and operation, raised bed prep and planting, irrigation and critter security. She was accessible to our many questions and did above and beyond to assure we and our project succeeded. I would highly recommend S.H.E. !

I am so thankful that we chose Teresa Watkins of Sustainable Horticultural Environments for our landscape design! Ours was a large project that completely transformed our front and back yards from places of overwhelming where-do-we-start kind of anxiety into a peaceful, Old Florida front yard and a fun, tropical back yard. Teresa listened and created plans that solved several issues including lack of guest parking, irrigation concerns and lots of overgrown trees and shrubs. Teresa brought creativity, expertise and phenomenal contractors to our project. We now have a fully functional yard that is a joy! We have paths meandering to all parts of our beautiful Florida landscape that we enjoy daily. Thank you, Teresa and crew! The transformation is remarkable! To see photos, take a look at Sustainable Horticultural Environments' profile on Houzz. Our project is called St. Rogis Resort.

We hired Teresa after years of lamenting our awful, boring, high maintenance yard. We wanted to cut back on our irrigation needs and put in more Florida appropriate landscaping...yet it's surprisingly hard to find landscapers in Florida who genuinely understand that desire and, more importantly, have the knowledge to follow through! We're very glad we found Teresa, she was able to take our vague ideas and come back with a plan that was exactly what we were looking for! To lessen the strain on our budget, we opted to break the project into phases and redo the front yard first (since that's most visible to everyone else). It looks fabulous, and we've had many compliments from neighbors. Can't wait to get started on the backyard to bring our new oasis to life!

Teresa did an amazing job with our landscaping project. She listened to all of our concerns and came up with a beautiful solution for our backyard. If we had any questions, she promptly answered them. She was genuinely interested in making sure we were happy with our design. Teresa was truly wonderful to work with - you wont be disappointed!

I contacted Teresa toward the end of 2014. During the design process, she asked me a lot of questions about the types of plants I liked and the look of the yard I wanted. The project was in full swing early Spring 2015. Teresa has been an invaluable asset to me during the redesign of my yard. Her expertise in edible plants has not only brought interest and beauty to the yard but also the enjoyment of fruit and herbs. I appreciated that she took some existing plants and transplanted them to use in the new design. Even after completion of the project, she has been very accessible to me whenever I have had questions about anything in the yard. One of my favorite design elements is the herb garden she designed around an existing olive tree. I have never gotten so many compliments on my yard before. My father said that it is so pretty it should be in House and Gardens.

Mine was a small project, which included plant bed amendments and better organization. My focus was on a cottage/country style, and it is turning out nicely. Due to my tight budget, plantings are small, except for my new beloved foxtail palm, but new growth is already occurring, and I'm enjoying my back garden. Teresa is on fire for what she does, and it shows in her love and enthusiasm. While she will bring ideas and design to the table, she's very open to the client's thoughts, opinions and ideas.

Teresa can make your landscape dreams come to life. I supplied her with what I needed (low maintenance, low-water, Florida friendly colorful landscape. S.H.E. met my goals and exceeded them on several levels. For example: - identified existing plants that were in the wrong location - Gave me ideas on how to save $ with DIY tips - helped me understand how to take care of my landscape with fertilizer schedules I recommend Teresa and SHE to develop your landscape into an area that you will enjoy.

We were very pleased overall with the design and service we received from Teresa at SHE. We had just moved to a new home and the landscape had been sorely neglected for over two years, so we had our work cut out for us. We wanted a design for the large yard that wouldn't require a lot of maintenance and was not only environmentally-friendly and kid-friendly, but also budget-friendly. We also needed someone who could work directly with the subcontractors, as we just didn't have the time. Teresa worked with us from design through implementation, was very responsive to all of our questions (even on the weekend), and made sure any concerns were addressed immediately. We are pleased with the results and look forward to a continued relationship with Teresa.

Great landscape design. Beautiful choices of colors and plants. Perfect for my taste. It's a work in progress still not completely done. Adding more plants to original design in the spring to finish.

I met Teresa Watkins in the Spring of 2015 when I attended a landscape lecture she gave at Trilogy Orlando. I had purchased a foreclosure home and the landscape had been seriously neglected and I was also having irrigation issues. I told her that I wanted to have flowering, aromatic plantings that would require little attention from me, as I have some physical issues, and which would also be waterwise. Teresa drew up a plan to meet these requirements, introduced me to a contractor to execute the plan and also spoke with my HOA about the irrigation issues. She continues to follow up with me on resolving issues. Her expertise and experience in Florida-friendly waterwise landscaping make her a wonderful resource to those who are new to Florida and those who would like to be more eco-friendly. SHE did a great job for me!

We chose Teresa Watkins to design a landscape plan for our new home because of her expertise as an environmental horticulturist and her genuine enthusiasm and honesty. She met with us and listened very carefully to our vision and then delivered a sustainable, low maintenance plan, filling in all the details to bring it to fruition. After a few adjustments and minor changes, she implemented the plan with a very professional landscape crew that worked efficiently to complete the project quickly and on time at a reasonable price. After installation the landscape crew chief, Phil, followed up with several visits to make sure the reworked irrigation system was functioning properly. Since then, Teresa herself has followed up with several visits to check on the plants and educate us on how to care for them. She has even provided us with a customized binder entitled "Plant Palette & Maintenance." She has a wealth of knowledge and has exceeded our expectations for overseeing the project through completion and afterwards, and sharing her love of nature with us. She has been a partner all along the way and has assured us that she will always be available to answer questions and guide us as our dream habitat matures and flourishes.

In our first meeting with Teresa Watkins from SHE we discussed what we wanted to accomplish with landscaping, which was to reduce the turf to reduce our water usage and add interest and privacy especially to our backyard with the least amount of maintenance and Florida friendly plantings that will tolerate the heat. We wanted to include trees similar to our home state, New Jersey but also have color throughout the year. Our landscaped yard looks wonderful and the design named the Garden State View. The trees and shrubs now gives us a sense of season changes, we even have "rocks" in our yard. We love it!

Teresa, Happy New Year! We wanted to bring you up to date about how the landscaping you designed for us is doing. The scarlet torch helconia and red pentas you recommended in front of the dining room windows have flourished, and are beautiful. When looking from the street, the confederate jasmine establishes a distinct border where it's planted along the sidewalk and the small stones behind them that now cover what used to be our "yard", and the blue plumbago in the foreground makes for a striking contrast to the red of the pentas behind them. The bird of paradise plants are beautiful. The cabbage palm has opened nicely and the Bismarck palm has thrived and quite ably assumed its position as the centerpiece of the project, just as we'd hoped. The bougainvillea you suggested to create a screen in front of the cellular phone equipment in the side-yard has the most beautiful purple leaves with tiny white blossoms, and our neighbors on both sides have expressed their admiration of it. (One neighbor has even asked our permission to plant a bougainvillea just like it, in their yard.) And, right on schedule with the fall, the muhly grass has produced abundant delicate pink flowers, as if you'd implanted a timer within them. We've received numerous compliments from the people walking through our neighborhood, and several have asked for your contact information. We spend a fair amount of time in a second floor room that overlooks our front yard, and it's fun to watch people on their daily walks and jogs as they turn their heads as they go by, taking in the view. There's no question that what you created has distinguished our yard from any other yard in the entire development, and frankly, we couldn't be happier with the results. Another thing that bears mentioning, in addition to the excellence of your design, is the "owners manual"/notebook you prepared for us. What a luxury that any time we have a question we can refer to that notebook not only for its detailed information about every plant, (gleaned from the University of Florida Extension Service), but especially with your plant-by-plant synopsis of that information, telling us precisely how often to water, prune, and fertilize each of them, in addition to each plant's tolerance for cold weather. Your expert counsel, your emphasis on sustainability, not to mention your taste, personality, and attention to detail, have all combined to make the vision we had for a beautiful yard that attracts butterflies and bees a reality, and we can't thank you enough. Sincerely, Chris and Nancy Pinkham

My neighbor and I wanted to improve the look of our adjoining side yard with a rain garden. Teresa did such a good job creating my backyard garden that she was the only person I would consider turning to for this project. She returned a week later with a design that was perfect in all respects. I highly recommend Teresa and know that she will design a beautiful garden for you.