AOBA Landscapes

When we purchased our house, no gardening was done for a long time; you may say it was just an overgrown jungle. I gave a small briefing to John on how we would imagine our garden to look but relied mostly on John's ideas. John and his team came up with an even better design than what we initially imagined. John's team was professional from design to implementing the design, and work was done with high standards in a timely manner. All materials recommended by John were of high quality with the best price. The end result is that we have a little oasis in our backyard, which we enjoy in summer as well as in winter. A big thanks to John and his team. I must say that normally one might think that to hire a professional is costly, but in my opinion, in the long term, it actually saves you money. I highly recommend hiring a professional, especially Aoba Landscapes.

John and his team did an outstanding job installing soft landscaping at my project in London. I interviewed three different contractors for the job and John stood out from the very first introduction. I'm so happy that I went with him! He has a terrific "can do" attitude. No request was too much or too difficult. Our design called for very large trees to be brought down a narrow side passage and John approached it with confidence, even when it seemed impossible! Our garden also suffers from heavy clay soil, which was very tough to work in. His guys toiled away for a whole week conditioning the soil and setting the garden up for success. They were polite, extremely punctual, and very happy to take instructions from me. I couldn't have asked for a better outcome. I can't comment on John's landscape design, since in this instance we had a design before we approached him. But he knows his plants and was very helpful in thinking through some proposed alterations to the design at the last minute. The pricing was clear up front and there were no unexpected add-ons at the end. All in all a pleasure to work with. I'd definitely recommend John to anyone.

John and the team at Aoba worked with us on the renovation of our garden and roof terrace. John worked closely with us to design something for these spaces that suited our needs and was tailored to the aesthetic we wanted. We went through a few different iterations and John worked patiently with us to incorporate our feedback about the design. John's design demonstrated a stunning use of the limited space we had available, which made both areas feel spacious yet also private without feeling walled-in. It includes a wonderful mixture of nature and usable outdoor space. When it came to construction, the Aoba team ran an incredibly tight ship. The project started on the day the team specified, and ran to schedule to within a day or two. Overall things took six weeks as specified; I was expecting the schedule to slip but it didn't! This was incredible. The team were professional, friendly and efficient. The team also respected our requests around property access: to avoid causing issues with neighbours, Aoba were incredibly respectful and dropped off all equipment and supplies (and removed all rubbish) quickly and quietly. They never blocked the street and were able to complete the project without needing a skip on the road which was a big relief in our case. The team were also very careful when moving materials inside the house, protecting surfaces and walls from any damage. After the works were finished there were a couple of construction issues with the project; once I'd noticed the issues I informed John and his team and I was incredibly impressed by their response: they immediately responded and booked a time to come round and take a look. They applied an initial smaller fix and were transparent about the fact that it might not work; when it didn't hold, they applied the more in-depth fix to the problem which, while it was a week's worth of work, needed doing. Aoba covered the cost of this; their response and willingness to fix the problem properly has meant that the project is going to last for many years. The end result is stunning and is built to last. The quality of work is amazing: all the woodwork and stone tiling is finished with precision and detail and perfectly fits the shape of the available space, with high-quality materials. Every aspect of the design and construction has incredible attention to detail, when you look closely as well as at the entire space. Both spaces have built-in lighting and outdoor sockets which are installed safely and create a beautiful impression at night time: the electricians used by Aoba were top quality. All the plants are irrigated with pipes underground and behind walls so you can't see them! I have no concerns about the flat roof underneath the roof terrace: it drains well and the decking is lightweight and supported on the roof with padding so as to not damage it. I'm incredibly happy with the spaces that Aoba created, and I'm looking forward to the summer!

We are extremely pleased with the professionalism and service of AOBA, who designed and landscaped our rear and front gardens. From initial design to project completion, the whole team have been clear, courteous and committed. Their attention to detail is second to none and there were occasions when good wasn’t good enough - they strive for perfection. Would definitely use AOBA again, and would recommend them highly. Many thanks to John and the rest of the team for making it an enjoyable experience throughout.

We are absolutely delighted with the finished garden that John@Aoba Landscapes designed for us. We had had a rear extension built onto our house which subsequently destroyed our existing garden and significantly reduced its size. Johns design cleverly introduced three different levels and has made the garden appear significantly bigger than it was previously. The whole process was collaborative and the final design and planting scheme incorporated everything that we wanted into the finished garden. I would have no hesitation in recommending Aoba Landscapes to any potential customers. Our new garden is the envy of family, friends and neighbours.

Aoba have transformed our garden and we are absolutely delighted with the results! The team are incredibly experienced and professional. We got very detailed and clear drawings of both the design and the planting, and the communication was great throughout. We wanted to have a Moroccan feel in our garden and the team really brought that to life with their design throughout. We could not be more happy with our garden! The team on site were also very considerate and knowledgeable and had great suggestions. This is the smoothest experience we have had of getting works done in our house which (as busy professionals) we particularly appreciated. Thanks so much for transforming our garden!

We used Aoba for a complete redesign of our garden in Autumn 2022. John and his team were great: some excellent ideas, incredibly hard and consistent workers and we are now enjoying the benefits!

We have appointed AOBA as the landscape contractor for the build of a few of our projects this year - what a pleasurable and professional experience it has been working with them. The build quality is never compromised and communication is great. All members of the team are highly skilled and qualified - an overall joy. I look forward to continuing this prosperous relationship into the future.

John and the Aoba team redesigned our garden and they've been phenomenal. John really understood our brief well and made a couple of creative proposals which inspired us. The team then did the landscaping work on time and on budget, with very reliable, knowledgeable and friendly staff. We are so grateful to John and the team as we are enjoying our beautiful new garden.

We would highly recommend John and his team at Aoba Landscapes. We hired John early in our house extension project to ensure the garden and the house worked together. John came for a number of site visits despite being regularly splashed with concrete from the building works! He provided a couple of initial concepts and then worked up the chosen option, providing a range of ideas and solutions. We also hired the landscaping team to come and build the garden. The team were friendly, efficient, and kept to the promised timescales. Some materials weren’t available due to Brexit and Chris duly found solutions for us. We’re extremely happy with the result, and having a beautiful garden has really changed how much time we spend outdoors.

John and the team are a pleasure to work with. You get a skilled designer in John, who achieves a good balance of understanding what you are looking for, while adding coherence and unexpected, but appropriate touches to the design. He is not afraid to push back during discussions, but is not 'I am the designer, I am right' in his approach. We thoroughly enjoyed working with John. The gardening and landscaping team are frankly brilliant. Incredible care and attention to detail, delivered to time and with flexibility when things cropped up along the way. Highly recommend

John and his talented team have created our dream garden. From start to finish the process was undertaken at the highest level of workmanship. John's design process was both interesting and enjoyable with every detail considered and every option explored. The build part of the job was completed with minimal disruption by the skilled and dedicated team. We really appreciated the clarity of communication throughout the work, the guidance John gave us and his recommendations. The electrics, irrigation and planting are the icing on the cake creating a garden that is perfect for entertaining, for our children to play in and for us all to relax in for many years to come! Thank you to Aoba Landscapes for your superb work.

We would highly recommend John Ward of Azara, now Aoba, Landscapes following the excellent work completed on our Grade II* listed garden. John was engaged to improve the garden and to bring it back to its original state. The project included the development of new and existing terraced areas, design of a new BBQ area, restoration of two natural pools with added decking, enhancements to current drainage systems and improvements to existing planting whilst remaining sympathetic to the original design of the garden. John was hardworking, professional and an absolute pleasure to deal with. We were impressed by his knowledge and expertise and by the level of research he conducted at all stages to ensure that the materials were locally sourced and all plans were in keeping with the historical nature of the landscape. He also really took the time to develop a clear understanding of our specific needs and style and we were delighted with his recommendations on garden furniture and other accessories. The final result is a wonderfully beautiful and relaxing space that has far exceeded our expectations. We could not speak of John more highly and would have no hesitation in recommending him.

would like to highly recommend John and his team. We have worked with them on a new garden design for our Chiswick home and the quality of their design(s), outputs, attention to detail and thought that has gone into the various iterations has been superb. Further, their professionalism and client focus throughout, as well as their endless patience with various rounds of changes before we finalised the design, has been top-notch. Indeed two of our neighbours have since commissioned their garden re-design and builds from John and the team, further to our recommendation and engagement during this time

I would thoroughly recommend Aoba Landscapes, who built a garden for my clients last year during lockdown. They did a fantastic job. John is a pleasure to work with, the project went very smoothly and was delivered to the highest standards. As the ultimate compliment, my clients' neighbours actually made a point of coming over to say how tidy, friendly and considerate the team had been on site. Five stars.

We have only great things to say about John and his team, and would highly recommend both their design and construction work. Completing a relatively complex project during the Covid pandemic would have been a stretch for many Landscaping companies - not for Aoba. The design process was swift and efficient, without compromising client feedback and opinions. John's knowledge of materials and available products is extensive, and allowed for an agreed design to be created effortlessly from the client's perspective. The build process was exceptional: the quality of workmanship is exceptionally high, and the end product is an exact match of the design drawings. Above all, it was a pleasure having Aoba's skilled workmen in our garden: always courteous, and with a great eye for detail and pride in their work. Many thanks Aoba - we just need Lockdown to end to invite friends over to try everything out!

We were delighted that John and his team at Aoba Landscapes were able to fit us into their busy schedule. From start to finish they were extremely professional and transformed our garden in just a few weeks, delivering an agreed design to create a wonderful new outdoor space. Their attention to detail was superb and they responded promptly to all our questions. It's fair to say they went above and beyond our expectations! We had a lot of new paving installed and the precision was incredible. Well done Marek! We can't recommend them enough!

We would very highly recommend John and his Azara team. From start to finish they were professional, knowledgeable and easy to work with & the transformation of our garden has been miraculous! It was really high quality job, We couldn't be more pleased.

We would highly recommend Azara Landscapes. John and his team designed and implemented the garden of our dreams with an outdoor kitchen and now we have a beautiful chill out area with garden lights on an app, outdoor kitchen with BBQ, pizza oven, fridge, We really couldn’t recommend him highly enough. He went above and beyond all our expectation and my husband has very high levels of perfection!!

John's team worked professionally and punctually to execute my Japanese garden design. Their work was high quality and attentive to detail. I would highly recommend them.

John and his wonderful professional & friendly team (Azara Landscapes) transformed our sad-looking patio into an urban leafy jewel. It feels like we added an extra room to the house as we equally enjoy spending time outside and also admiring it from inside. Comes evening time, the clever lighting gives us a stunning view on the feature wall created specially for us by Azara Landscapes. We just LOVE it!

Brian and I were very pleased to have employed John and Ben to Transform our small Southwest London garden into something special. The brief was to make it maintenance free, somewhere to sit and entertain friends. We had built a most wonderful brick wall that needed to be show cased with plants. Brian also wanted an old gnarled Olive tree. All of this was achieved by John and his team in a very Professional manner. Nothing was too much trouble and it all seemed to run trouble free.

We very much enjoyed working with John and his team. He executed the brief professionally and flexibly, we particularly appreciated his pragmatic approach, nothing ever seemed too much trouble. John and his team were hard-working and polite and we are really delighted with the end result..we can't believe it is the same garden! I would have no hesitation recommending Azara.

John listened carefully to what we wanted and came up with a design that was perfect for us – striking and creative but practical and within our budget. His team were courteous, efficient, very hard working and generally really nice guys. I can’t recommend Azara highly enough.

I feel very lucky to have found John Ward and Azara landscapes and his team. He created exactly the garden I had envisioned adding unusual and inspired additions and ideas. Throughout the period of John’s work no issue was a problem, his workforce all seemed very laid back, charming too and the work simply got done. Nothing was too much trouble and their attention to detail, impressive. What started as a rather neglected greenscape with matching muddy lawn has been transformed into an elegant, functional, beautifully lit, additional room that is changing my whole appreciation of my home. I really don’t think I can recommend John and Azara too greatly.

After extensive renovations of our house, we asked John to design our garden within a tight budget, but he managed to come up with a plan which has completely transformed the space into a beautiful garden that we love to admire. We did not give him the simplest of briefs, a garden with a Japanese zen feel that could also double up as a sports field for the kids, but John came up with a great plan. He was there every step of the way to ensure that the project was delivered to the highest of standards and we can honestly say that is the aspect of our newly refurbished home with which we are most pleased! We cannot wait to go out and enjoy the space once the weather gets better! Thank you so much John!

We hired John to re-design our garden for us and provide consulting on the planting plan, realising a specification for a landscape contractor, as well as doing all the planting at the end. We had a very long thin garden with fencing around the perimeter covered in grass, odd couple of trees and some bushes at the far end. Quite dull and boring. John consulted with us several times with on site visits to our garden. He was really helpful and had so many good ideas, especially as we didn't know much about garden design. He explained options for creating the illusion of width with a cleverly designed use of space and type of fencing. John presented us with a couple of design proposals, of which we chose our final design and he contacted landscape gardeners to quote for the job. He has a good eye for detail and created a beautiful modern design with useful decking and patio spaces for relaxing and our barbecue! We especially valued his explanation of how to chose plants, he gave great advice on what works best in sunny and shady areas and gave us lots of handy tips on websites to consult for choosing plants. We are really pleased with how the garden has been redesigned and it's such a amazing change from what we had before. We would definitely recommend him.

We were looking for a designer to create a garden following extensive house renovations and the building of an external annex at the end of the property. We were looking to create a space that joined the two buildings and to give us a small, low maintenance garden that we could enjoy with our 3 growing children. John understood this brief fully and worked with us to look at the options and then produce comprehensive plans for our chosen solution. Once we had our plans John completed the tender exercise to help us find the right person to complete the work. When the garden was built John sourced the plants and completed the planting for us. The garden was completed on time and has completely exceeded our expectations. The kids are able to enjoy the space as well as it providing a place for adults to sit and relax. It feels like an extra room has been added to the property. We have lighting in the garden which makes the space enjoyable at night from both the main house and the annex. We are using the garden every day and could not be happier. John was very easy to work with and made himself available at weekends and in the evening to review plans and discuss options. He kept a close eye on the works and ensured they were completed to the high standard we had all agreed on. We would not hesitate to recommend John as your garden designer. He listened and understood our brief well, he showed the knowledge and creative ability to maximise the use of the available space and it was all delivered within a reasonable budget.

I worked with John to delver a show garden at RHS Hampton Court. John was a pleasure to work with and together we achieved an RHS Gold Medal and the Best Conceptual Garden award. We are hoping to collaborate on future projects.