Amelia B. Lima & Associates, INC.

Amelia is the best choice we have ever made for upgrading our landscaping. She is super knowledgeable, punctual and reliable. We are very happy with her consultation work which come at a very reasonable price. Our only regret is that we did not meet her sooner before wasting our time and money with less reliable and knowledgeable consultants.

We have had the privilege to work with Amelia to extensively update our garden.From our first meeting, Amelia showed professionalism and strong work ethic. She comprehensively interviewed us to understand our vision for the garden and establish a wish list. Then Amelia presented several preliminary ideas to us and she did so separately for hardscape, plants, and lighting proposals. She also brought many material samples for us to see. At this point it was clear that we are working with a highly competent professional who not only knows the trade, has extensive experience but, also has remarkable taste! At each meeting she meticulously noted our feedback on her presentation, answered all of our million questions expansively and patiently. She also created a dropbox with pictures, ideas, and helpful links. We went back and forth many times until we were satisfied with every detail. Once we agreed on the plans and hired the contractor to make our design come alive, Amelia was very supportive in all questions, small and big that were arising as work was being done. She was so dedicated to see the design done well that even once quite ill she video conferenced from the bed to consult on a particular installation that was taking place. She also visited site to review the work. Amelia is a very talented designer and is very knowledgeable one. We were amazed at her ability to see the big picture and advise us accordingly. Every time we were lost about shade of colored pavement to use or which of the 6 different sealants to choose from, Amelia’s advice was always to the point. If fact, later in the project when we were perplexed with our decision, we felt that if we just go with Amelia’s choice we would not regret it. She was able to see our future garden with our eyes rather than press for her vision and it is a very unique talent. We are both quite educated and opinionated people and we thought we knew what we want and how we want it. But when we started working with Amelia we could immediately appreciate the vast knowledge that we would miss out on if we did not hire a great designer. We recommend Amelia very highly.

When we moved from Connecticut to California, we were chagrined to learn there were drought restrictions and we would have to have a water tolerant garden, not our beloved English style. We were introduced to Amelia Lima through friends and knew we were in the right hands. Not only is our garden elegant, our water bill has dropped dramatically. Her expertise in water systems and native plant material is exceptional. We could not be more pleased and have passed her name on to many people.

After we were awed by a local front yard designed by Amelia Lima, we hired her to help us turn our front lawn of mainly grass and a few tired looking plants to something beautiful, easy to maintain, and drought-tolerant. We are very very pleased. Amelia first met with us to learn about our wants, wishes, and level of investment (time and money) both to implement the project and to take care of it once completed. Amelia then generated a plan and a blue print for the different components of the project, including the hard-scape, proposed plants, and lighting. Once the contractor started the job, Amelia approved the choice of plants, and was instrumental in choosing the boulders and directing their placement. She is a font of knowledge, has vast experience, and quite a number of local contacts, not to mention an exquisite sense of style We met with Amelia several times as needed. In all cases Amelia was highly professional and demonstrated deep knowledge of the plants, irrigation, and all the other aspects of the job. She made sure that we followed code and regulations associated with our plot. She helped us incorporate environmentally friendly measures. She paid much attention to aesthetics, and as a consequence we have a beautiful, unique front yard, that draws accolades from passersby. Amelia is courteous and a pleasure to work with. She was available to help whenever we approached her with questions. All in all, we highly recommend her for landscape design. She's great.

Amelia is an excellent designer. She really understands design in a way that enables her to transform ordinary spaces into extraordinary places to live outside. She is also knowledgeable about construction and can guide a project through to completion.

I originally hired Amelia back in 2007 after a major remodel for a complete landscape design, which we were thrilled with. It was $ well-spent because we enjoyed all the benefits of her creativity on a new hardscape, fence design, and plants for front and back yard gardens with source lists…but then hired individual contractors (and installed plants ourselves) to complete it to save money. Fast-forward nine years and we wanted just a brief re-fresh. In one 4-hour meeting, she walked the garden with me pointing out pests, problems, and solutions everywhere while I furiously scribbled notes. Then we came inside where she showed me pictures of plants she recommended for specific spots and overlaid these on our original plans. It was such a cost-effective solution. My husband and I are both feeling recommitted to our garden now. Just the jump-start we needed. Thanks Amelia!

Amelia created a front yard full of succulents that I love. I wanted something bright, green and full and she did just that, all with my budget in mind. Her extensive knowledge of plants and the proper way to plant and care for them was invaluable. Thank you Amelia, if I could give her more stars I would!

We worked with Amelia B. Lima & Associates to completely revamp our 14 year old model home last year. She was recommended to us by our long time gardner and we have not been disappointed. She is very knowledgeable, professional and easy to work with. Amelia spent time at our property to develop a feel and sense of flow as an early step. We completed a questionnaire that identified our needs and ideas about where to go with the project. We shared our tastes in plants, fountains, fire features and our desire to reduce our consumption of water and eliminate our grass yard. We moved in the direction of succulents, bromeliads and native plants suitable for Southern California. Hardscaping was designed including a lovely back patio with porcelain tiles and stepstone walking paths for the back and side that created a clean contemporary feel. Poured in place concrete steps were designated for the front entrance. A lighting plan was drawn up and detailed soft-scaping that incorporated plants new to us as well as some of our favorites. She also provided us with referrals for contractors. We recommend Amelia and feel she produced an excellent blueprint for our project. We are currently 2-3 weeks out from completion of the project and will update with photos when the opportunity permits.

I have nothing but praise for Amelia. We hired her to design the landscaping for the front and back of our house in Del Mar after reading of an award that she had received. She is very easy to work with and extremely knowledgable about succulents and other plant materials native to San Diego. Amelia met all deadlines and budgets, and she was instrumental in the selection and supervision of a contractor to complete our job. She was especially helpful in dealing with our neighbors on issues regarding the project, including disputed lot lines and removal of plant material that was encroaching on our property. As the plants continue to grow to fill the spaces, we are extremely happy with the results. We also get many positive comments from our neighbors.

I have known Amelia LIma for about fifteen years. My husband and I owned a house in Carmel Valley, San Diego, and Amelia drew up a plan for our back yard, which was way too big for us to manage, and looked awful. Amelia gave us a questionnaire asking, among other things, how much effort we would be willing to put into the garden, to which our answer was "pay the gardener", and that was fine with her. Before we began to install the garden we decided to move. As the house went on the market, I realized it had absolutely no curb appeal. Amelia to the rescue. Amelia suggested various plants, we talked and Amelia roamed the front yard, planting stakes with labels. The plants were soon arranged in the ground, the front yard transformed, and our enhanced curb appeal established. When the house went on the market we received four offers in three days -- two from drop-in buyers, due in part, I'm sure, to how terrific the front yard looked. We also commissioned, and will install, a garden design for our new home from Ms Lima. Recently in San Diego, we drove by the Lima house. A fabulous front yard, of Amelia's design, like none other I have seen. I should say, too, Ms LIma is a pleasure to work with. Amy Bridges Kronick, Jan 10, 2016 More recently my husband

Amelia is a true professional with a strongly artistic and confident eye for design. She is expert in her plant knowledge, willing to explore ideas with the client and honest with her opinions. She is helpful with recommending necessary auxiliary services and professional references that may be needed to make your dream come true.

We hired Amelia several months ago to prepare our landscape redesign. We replaced much of our Turf with Native Plants which are more suited to low water use. Amelia is very experienced, professional, and "super-knowledgeable" in her craft. She created an attractive design with interesting elements and a beautiful selection of plants which are of presentation quality. The area of her redesign encompassed approximately 15,000 square feet. Also noteworthy is that Amelia stayed involved throughout the entire process, giving advice and assistance, which included plant selection and approval "in the field" as the landscape and irrigation contractors did their work.