Robert Leeper Landscapes

When we first brought Robert over to assess our neglected yard we never set foot in, we had no idea what we wanted. "Lush" was a word we used, along with "makes me want to hang out there." Robert Leeper Landscapes achieved both in spades with only an idea and a budget in mind. Every day I now find myself strolling our variegated butterfly garden with no purpose except to maybe cut something for a vase, but mostly just to be more in the moment. Not only that, but right after Robert's team first planted our butterfly garden, fence-hiding shrubbery, vines and the four trees that will outlive us all, a scorching drought hit and the trees especially went into shock, dropping leaves and exhibiting death. Robert talked us off the ledge, gave us detailed instructions on how to ensure their survival and voila- they are more magnificent than ever. He doesn't know it yet but Robert & team will be back soon to make the yard even more magnificent. 100 stars.

We have had the pleasure of working with Robert and his hard-working crews twice over the past two years. After finishing construction on our new home, Robert completed our front yard landscaping to match the house we had spent so much time designing. His vision balanced the realities of our area's climate with landscaping that showcased our newly finished home, while being considerate of our budget. He knocked it out of the park - so much so that strangers walking their dogs often stop by to compliment the finished product. Then, this past winter freeze destroyed our backyard. The destruction provided an opportunity for us to update our backyard to match what Robert had created in the front the year prior. Robert was thoughtful with his design, making the most of what we already had in place and suggesting small changes (staining the fence!) that would make for a BIG impact. He often showed up at the property as the work was being done to check on placement and to make sure his vision was being realized. His crews are also respectful, friendly, and incredibly hard working! As others have noted, he sends people to check on the health of the plants during the weeks following the job, and to water if needed. He encourages us to check in if we ever have questions, no matter how much time has passed. I wholeheartedly recommend Robert and his team for your project needs. He is easy to work with, thoughtful, respectful on budget, and has amazing taste. We always trust his recommendations.

Working with Robert Leeper brought my garden dreams into being! He understood and skillfully turned my traditional grass and shrub yard into a native plant haven. It looks soft and relaxed. The bonus is no more water dependent grass. In addition to knowing and understanding native plants, he understands the importance of form and structure to create lasting impact....which his great crew implemented. He's a real professional -- gets the work done on time and on budget! I highly recommend Robert Leeper.

I waited over a decade to use Robert Leeper because I wanted no less for our property. I knew his concepts and designs were worth the investment. And I was completely right. This guy never disappoints. In the meantime, I recommended him to friends for various extensive landscape projects. Everyone marveled at not only the level of design but the longterm commitment he and his team have for the properties they elevate. One friend hired him for a landscape installation for a home he could not occupy for six months. He drove by to check on his property one day and saw someone watering his flower beds. When he inquired who they were, they replied, "Oh, I work for Robert. We come by here on a regular basis since you can't be here to make sure everything stays nice." My friend had not paid them to do this. When I viewed his new home, my friend was more excited to show me Robert's work than anything inside. Beyond practical care and maintenance, another standout is Robert's design skill. If you want a home that can be featured in the pages of Architectural Digest and looks like nothing in Austin (think more LA), he is the only person to use. This is not your mother's landscaper. Unless your mother is Kelly Wearstler. As for our own home, Robert continues to install magic, project by project. From concept to design to the final execution, I do not have to manage Robert and his team. And if you have ever hired anyone in Austin for any type of design or construction, you do not underestimate the value in this. I can trust Robert will do exactly the right thing, aesthetically and practically, for the property. He is also deftly skilled at collaboration with builders, architects, etc. If you are discerning, have no time to manage anyone and want a property that beyond exceeds your expectations, he is the only choice. His designs brought my dreams to reality for my home. I honestly sometimes get emotional when I walk the path from my small office to my home after a long day and am greeted by the new space that finally feels like where I hoped to live. It was more than worth the decade wait. Don't you wait that long.

This review is LONG over due as Robert and team did this project shortly after our winter storm of 2021. After that storm I used the death of many plants as an excuse to redo our landscaping and reached out to a handful of landscape designers. I was most impressed with Robert given his vast experience doing many styles of design. I couldn't have been more happy with the process of working with Robert and team. The creativity, both in plant selection and design/placement, are things I never could've accomplished on my own. The installation team lead by OJ was also incredible - they were very detailed, did great work, and cleaned up the area well after each days work. Professional help designing and implementing landscaping isn't cheap but I found Robert and team to be more than fairly prices vs many others that I even viewed as less skilled. Robert still stops by here and there over a year later when he is in the neighborhood to check on the health of the plants - he genuinely cares about his designs and how they hold up...mix that with immense talent and you have a truly great landscape designer.

Robert and his team did an outstanding job designing and installing an incredible landscape for my historical home in downtown Austin. After a four year renovation, I wanted the landscape to match the design of my 1924 Tudor and it certainly does. Robert is knowledgeable, easy to work with, on time and on budget.

Robert Leeper Landscapes and Company do a wonderful job! From the original landscape design through installation and now annual maintenance, they have been responsive, committed and considerate. We have encountered only one difficulty and even then Robert and Co. stepped up and did everything necessary to resolve it and make me happy. They continue to make our home shine!

We recently completed a major remodel and addition of a 1930's home situated on a 1/2 acre lot. We chose Robert to help us with the landscaping because we were drawn to his clean aesthetic and creative designs which complemented the style of the architecture. We could not be more pleased with the result and he was fantastic to work with. He worked within our budget, responded to our asks and made some great suggestions that resulted in a really beautiful home for us. We would highly recommend him to anyone.

Robert did an incredible job of planning and executing the landscape architecture for the outdoor living area at The Residences - W Austin. Removing the existing plantings and otherwise starting from scratch, Robert selected Italian Cypress Trees, Madjool Date Palms, Olive Trees, Agave, Trailing Rosemary and other plants to humanize what was an exposed, wide open space adjacent to a 37-story tower and make it more warm, welcoming, and incredibly beautiful. When designing for a community of individuals expecting world-class design and service, Robert delivered. He never lost sight of what would be best for the project and found ways of saving money that allowed us to upgrade to 13-foot towering date palms that we otherwise couldn't have afforded. The realists are spectacular and must be experienced in-person to fully appreciate in terms of scale, ambiance, and overall effect. Robert is the best. You really can't go wrong by selecting him for your project --- commercial or residential. That said, the key to the success of our project, as is the case with just about all design projects - is that we gave him the overall objective, had some input on. plant selections among the options he suggested, and otherwise got out of his way so that he could do his best work. The biggest mistake most design clients make, usually because they're trying to avoid making mistakes, is to get in the way of the designer, in this case the landscape architect. Too much client input, particularly on the broader aspects of the landscape architecture plan, would have negatively impacted our project. Hire the best , trust their judgment, and try to get out of the way for the most part. We couldn't be happier with how our project turned out. It's magical.

Robert is the best in the business. I hired him in 2012 to completely rehaul my giant backyard into something manageable. His work was on budget and on time. It was a substantial investment but the best we've made on the house. People always comment on it when they come over. In fact, I feel I have to maintain the house to match his beautiful work outside. Robert is an artist and within ten minutes he had completely sketched out a plan for the yard that was modern, classic and totally unique. We signed off on it then and there. This summer I am building a pool and I called Robert. The design was "just okay" but Robert took one look and totally elevated its design. Again, I feel like I have a one of a kind piece of art by him. I will always call Robert whenever I do anything to my house!

Over the past two years I have had the great fortune of working with Robert Leeper and his team. How I got so lucky I will never know, but it’s something that I’m thankful for every day. To say that Robert transformed my yard would be an understatement; he changed it into something I love, into something altogether different than what it was before, and he changed it in ways that I never could have imagined previously. It was fascinating to watch Robert work, humbling to be part of a process I had no qualifications for (other than that as “client”) yet one in which I was always made to feel comfortable and sincerely heard, incredible to witness his mind working - never missing a detail - so methodically and assuredly drawing pictures in his mind and then on the pages of his notebooks, and thrilling to see his talented team execute the plan flawlessly with the end result being an entirely new reality. It is very cool to see someone at the top of their craft, and that was my experience working with Robert Leeper. I will always be grateful to Robert, to his right-hand man OJ, and to the rest of his team for their amazing work at my house.

Excellent design, installation, and responsiveness! Very knowledgeable, but also willing to work with us on what we wanted and able to suggest good alternatives.

In March of 2015, I decided the best way to create new energy and revitalize my house and property would be to start with the landscape. I knew there was a lot of potential but I was always left frustrated by the amount of overgrowth and clutter than made any kind of small gain or improvement completely invisible. I was able to find Robert and his work through this website and some neighborhood/city-wide "reconnaissance". From what I could see, I felt his clean, modern-contemporary aesthetic would be a good match for the house. It was easy to set up a consultation, and we first had a very casual walk-around the house and property. I was nervous because it was such a disaster and thought surely no one would want to have anything to do with this landscape, if you could even call it that at the time! Robert was keen to hear what my goals were for the landscape and what ideas I had envisioned for the property. His suggestions and ideas were easy to visualize and his approach was confident; He seemed genuinely interested and enthusiastic in helping with a complete transformation. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. I think what I appreciate most about Robert is his compositional approach and openness to a kind of work that is changing daily and progressing in ways that might be difficult to foresee early on. I appreciate his refinement and clean geometry with attention to creating spaces and temperature. It seemed a lot of his choices for installations were tailored around the idea of a serene and geometrically diverse setting, but with longevity, evolution, and growth. His enthusiasm for continuing to be involved in the landscape and it's development is something I continue to appreciate daily. His ideas were refreshing and truly served the natural aspects of the house and the terrain. Robert was professional, courteous, and implemented his creativity and work ethic with a first-class crew and attention to detail. I look forward to working with him on future projects!

Honesty, competence, and affordable pricing: you would be lucky to get two out of three in a contractor, but with Robert Leeper Landscapes I got all three. Here's my story: It was three weeks before our Thanksgivings party when, in the midst of business trip, I discovered that the landscape contractor who I found on porch.com had gone awol after one day into my landscaping project - building a stone walkway designed by Robert Leeper and quoted for $10K - and left 6 tons of stone strewn all over the front yard. I called the previous bidders and reputable masons from Angie's List and HOA referrals, and the few that returned calls were unavailable. Robert called me back within two hours, and over the next few days, despite being booked months in advance, he had a team of masons coming off another job scheduled on my project...while standing by his original $10k quote (what a gentleman.) The masons worked through weekends to get the job done by Thanksgiving, and the result was astounding (see pics)! Even better, the final invoice came under budget. Having experiencing the extremes in the trade, I am thankful to Robert and his dedicated team. There are outfits who are as organized and talented as Robert's - Native Landscapes comes to mind - but none I've met match his delivery and compassion. You would do well to call him first or before you finalize your next landscaping project.

Robert helped transform our parched front lawn and our brown patchy backyard into an elegant and vibrant landscape that we now absolutely love. After multiple attempts to use the right plants / grass / stones to remedy otherwise sun-scorched patches of lawn, we were nervous to go for another futile round of landscape and design. Robert, with his kind energy and broad professional knowledge, made us feel confident from day one that we would be able to finally get it right--without reinventing the wheel. By using much of the materials (especially stonework) that we already had, our backyard was brought to life with bamboo and palms for further privacy, tropical flowering plants, and a beautiful laid-out pathway of our repurposed large stones. Our front lawn has gone from looking thirsty and uneven, to a yard uniformly rich with silver pony foot and purple hearts serving as a ground cover that works well in the sun and shade. The special sprinkler system he recommended also allows us to deliver water to each plant in a way that is both ecologically and economically efficient--in fact, the entire project was a compromise between zero-scaping and lush green landscaping. We collaborated with Robert every step of the way on this project and we are exceedingly happy with the results!

We hired Robert and his team to update our existing landscape as the final piece of an overall remodeling job. It was a major project that spanned five months (in part because of weather and in part because of choices we made). We couldn't be happier with our decision to work with Robert or the results. The project included adding/updating rock walls, steps, and planters; updating the sprinkler system; adding lighting; and incorporating new plantings. He also helped us find and choose a new mailbox and add other ornamental elements, such as a bench and decorative planters, that were like adding the right pieces of jewelry to complete an outfit. We also needed to replace some of our gutters. Robert is very talented and experienced with a great team and contacts, such as the sprinkler and lighting company and gutter company he recommended, that helped the project go very smoothly. He has a low-key, calm style; was flexible as to when he met with us to accommodate our schedules; and was very open to our ideas and listening to make sure we were happy with our choices. Robert is also an artist, and that led him to carefully consider things like sight-lines and color choices to make sure everything complimented our house color and other existing elements. For our project, since we had an existing landscape, he worked with us to keep things that made sense while editing out and helping us replace things that needed to be updated both as to function and aesthetics. Robert kept us informed and was sensitive to our budget needs. For example, he told us up front it would be a waste of our money for him to draw up formal plans. We trusted that advice and, indeed, for our project, working in a more "organic" fashion made sense and was to our benefit. Robert's crew (shout-out in particular to the amazing OJ) could not be nicer or more professional and were great to work with in his absence. I nicknamed Robert "the landscape whisperer." He worked his magic at our home, and if you're looking for someone who tends towards a more contemporary style and clean lines, you should meet with Robert.

I found Robert Leeper online. His website looked great and had several examples of the style we were looking for - modern minimalism. (If you are looking for a cheap deal, read no further!) Robert responded in a timely manner to all of our inquiries and promptly set up an appointment to do an estimate. We really liked his professional manner - quiet but with a nice sense of humor. The sketches looked fantastic and we paid our deposit. One thing to note is that he stays booked and your project may not start immediately. The design and the outstanding work by his crew were well worth the wait. The crew was here on time, everyday, and worked really hard in the Texas heat. They were extremely professional and easy to deal with. A year later, the design still looks great, surviving the monsoons of late! The project was expensive but worth every penny - we had a "start from scratch, there is nothing here" on a new construction. I would hire Robert Leeper again and again. High end style and high end work.

We hired Robert to landscape our beautiful Colonial sorority house. He incorporated low maintenance and south-charm plants in his design. Robert is punctual and professional and very courteous.

i had the unique experience of working with Robert Leeper and his crew for the past 3 months. Unique because one of my neighbors used him and came highly recommended. Also unique was that my other neighbor directly next door choose another landscaper and I could see the difference in the work between two different companies. Robert Leeper did a masterful job and the finish product was better than I expected. His workers were courtesy and kept a neat working environment. Robert would keep me updated so I always knew what was going on. They did not take any short cuts along the way. I would highly recommend this firm for landscaping work.

It was a pleasure to work with Robert and his team. After our initial consultation, he came up with and implemented a design that was both beautiful and functional for the needs of our family (including our “escape artist” dog). Robert immediately addressed any questions we had during the project and stopped by several times to see how the work was progressing. The end result is amazing and we couldn’t be happier with our new back yard.

Our project with Robert met all of our functional goals and exceeded our pre-project design expectations. The project comprised making a steep side yard serviceable and converting a steeply sloping backyard area into a terraced patio. The new areas are incorporated into the existing property and have expanded our living area. Robert’s design also accounted for water management on the property and it has performed well during recent heavy rain storms. The design process was easy with helpful suggestions and alternative options presented at decision points. Installation fit and finish is excellent and the work was completed on schedule. We are very pleased with Robert and his crew and highly recommend him.

Robert and crew completely reworked the landscaping in my front yard. This included a new sidewalk, multiple sections of lawn replaced with gravel-based beds (steel edge separated), and numerous plantings to go with it. It was a perfect fit for the house and I couldn't be happier with the end result. Communication is extremely important to me and Robert was always *very* responsive to all of my questions and concerns. The overall process (from consultation through design and implementation) was wonderful. Many thanks to him and his team for a job well done.

Robert and his team designed and executed a complete backyard remodel that includes a major change in elevation, limestone retaining walls and steps, a limestone patio and a fence as well as new trees and grass. The end result exceeded our expectations in every way. Robert is very thoughtful in his design and was able to capture exactly what we wanted. He has a great eye for detail and very high standards for quality and customer satisfaction. Robert has clearly cultivated a great team to implement his designs. Every person worked very hard and was always courteous and took pride in the work. It was the same guys every day, and each one worked tirelessly Again, the high standards that we were looking for were executed perfectly. There is nothing I would have wanted done differently. It was a stress-free experience with fantastic results.

We did a full landscape remodel of our acre lot. Our lot was a challenge due to slopes, rocky soil, harsh sun and heavily wooded areas. Robert came up with a plan that addressed all or our concerns and all of our wants. He was able to terrace out the sloped landscape with incredible masonry work, clear some woods for a large lawn area, provide much needed drainage and great ground cover and planting options for the harsh sun conditions. We added irrigation and lighting, as well. The crew working on the job was fabulous - hard working and courteous. The final result is amazing and we get compliments on the job daily.

Robert Leeper Landscapes delivered the whole package for my landscape project; excelling at each step in the process. 1. Client interview and needs analysis. 2. Partnering with the architect and builder 3. Forward design. 4. Implementation 5. Follow up. Initially, Robert held meetings with the architect and builder to create a landscape plan that complemented the vision for the overall project. Only after all the issues were discussed did Robert present a proposal. The design was impressive. It was a classic, yet modern plan that enhanced the project. Then Robert and his team executed the plan exactly as it was proposed. During the implementation phase I would often come home to find Robert on-site making sure things were being done right. After installation, RLL continued to visit, to ensure the plants were coming in correctly and any modifications that were needed were made in a timely manner. Overall I would recommend Robert Leeper Landscapes to anyone looking for inspired, integrated design, with seamless installation.

Because Texas existing water resources are limited, we sought to find an landscape artist to create a sustainable back yard that would require little water and would have native plants that could withstand future droughts. Robert Leeper is a creative genius. He transformed our unhappy back yard from a barren space of dirt, dead lawn, and a collection of overgrown shrubs into a stylishly modern multi-use space-- within our budget. Our yard was sloped and he cut it into a series of terraced steps. It looks very European and minimal which we love. He used a mixture of pavers and pea gravel and reduced but elevated our lawn in a steel frame by carving out the earth. We now have a mixture of distinct modern areas that looks very sleek and symmetrical.

I love my new landscape. Robert designed something classic and simple (and easy to take care of!). Gives my house a fresh, modern look (despite the fact is was built in the 1950s) in a way that still relates to the existing house. He is extremely talented and easy to work with. His crew is awesome too - so nice and considerate. Love them!

Robert Leeper Landscapes provided start to finish service for our landscaping project. Robert Leeper Landscapes worked with us to assess the scope of our project, the design, the details, budget determination, estimates and install. Our project scope included the backyard, side yard and front yard and our property is just under 3/4 of an acre. We are very happy with the outcome and would highly recommend Robert Leeper Landscapes for any project big or small.

Robert designed the front and back landscape for my house. I consulted him before the remodel of the house began to have overall picture of what the inside and outside of house should look. He listened to my ideas and incorporated them into the design. I loved working with him and the end result was fantastic. I have received many compliments on the landscape and would not hesitate to recommend him to others.

Robert Leeper Landscapes did an incredible job redoing and redesigning my very large and hard to manage front and back yards. What was once an eyesore and very out of date is now beautiful and easy to care for. Robert has a great eye for design, both modern and traditional, and is very water-wise as well. Virtually every plant he recommended has survived our horrible summers and he save me from making some expensive mistakes. He was flexible and adaptable when it came to making decisions that were both creative and cost-effective. I give them my complete recommendation.