The Brooklyn Garden Club Inc.

FireDean and The Brooklyn Garden Club team delivered us the kind of beautiful garden you mostly see in magazines. We are delighted at the result and enjoy it day and night even in the winter. His ability to listen to our thoughts and to translate them into a creative design set the stage for an ambitious outcome . Beginning with a deer fence that blended into the background, we watched as they transformed our neglected overgrown hillside into the spectacular view we have now. Due to the unprecedented rainfall while the work was being done, there were many days when our yard was little more than a soup pit. Despite all this, a pandemic, and a labor shortage, the end game was nothing short of magical, with contoured planting areas, pathways, and patios. We are looking forward to working with FireDean in years to come as he offers biannual maintenance.

FireDean was recommended by my Mom whose home in Park Slope he had done. He and his team did not disappoint. Not only did the design meet my own expectations for the construction and hardscape aspects, but he also considered my wife's requests for additional perennials and incorporated these into the vision. The end result was a total transformation...killer terracing and stone work, flowering shrubs and trees...Its the gift that keeps giving and the overall vibe feels truly inviting. We look forward to enjoying it with friends and family for years to come!

FireDean's Brooklyn Garden Club turned hot little mess of a backyard into a garden oasis. When he arrived the space was a flattened mix of silt and construction materials. Even the weeds seemed like they were struggling to survive. After we met on site he came back some weeks later and presented a comprehensive design that incorporated his ideas and our own. Decisions were made in March and by early May 2019, we had something akin to an enchanting hillside cottage garden. Wow.

I hired FireDean's Brooklyn Garden Club to come up with a plan for our Brooklyn brownstone home and another rental home we own nearby. He delivered everything on time and on budget with stunningly beautiful results. Considering winter was fast approaching and I was simultaneously overseeing a major renovation project, it was a relief to see he could do both garden installations at once and I didn't have to worry. His work included designing and building complicated flagstone patios, several 70ft tree pruning operations, fence installations around both, many tons of concrete demolition, terracing, full lighting system, irrigation...the whole nine. End result was not one but TWO absolute transformations. No drama....Highly recommend. I'm also hiring him to do pruning in the spring!

When we met with FireDean, our backyard was a dark, wet, grassless mess. He listened to our ideas and proposed better ones turning potential liabilities (a slope and an old concrete patio) into assets. In the end, he created a wonderful design complete with beautiful stone work and cut out three ugly trees that brought in a lot of light. He listened to us and made sure the garden had lots of perennials and he worked quickly and diligently, completing the project within the tile frame we set at the beginning of the project. We couldn’t be more happy to recommend his work!

FireDean (The Brooklyn Garden Club) re-imagined our yard in a way we hadn't even considered. The end result was like day and night. The new landscaping not only highlights our home's historic architecture but dramatically improves its curb appeal year round.

We love FireDean and his team! They always make our outdoor spaces look beautiful. FireDean takes great care in selecting plants that make our yard look great. He also went out of his way to teach my children how to put together a vegetable garden!

Firedean and team are amazing to work with. They did an amazing job on our backyard. Firedean consistently communicated clearly with us throughout the process. His design was reflective of what we asked for from the beginning. Would recommend The Brooklyn Garden Club to anyone looking to have their backyard done!

"Thank you so much for you and your teams hard work! You did an amazing job - from inception. You listened to us, took our feedback and created the backyard oasis of our dreams. "

FireDean gave our garden life again! After a whole house renovation with the contractor using the garden as a dump site, we needed to start almost from scratch. We decided to go with perennials and add annuals ourselves. He and his team dug up everything, beefed up the soil, and emailed suggestions of what to plant. One thing that particularly thrilled me was his creation of little hillocks in my perfectly flat yard. He placed the plants for our approval before digging holes and discussed any additions that would work in the scheme. One plant in the front yard doesn't seem to be doing well and he said he would come and replace it for us. Thank you so much for all your hard work! M&M

FireDean recently helped me renovate my backyard in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn. He's very friendly, very responsive, afforadable, and he does great work. He really takes pride in quality and I would definitely recommend him for any landscaping project. Thanks FireDean!

FireDean is the best. He took our terrible, flat yard and transformed it into a lush beautiful secret garden getaway. Our neighbors are envious of our garden year-round and FireDean continues to care for it and us even now, 5 years later. He's a great person and his work is unbelievable. Even our kids are happy to see him when he checks in on the garden, and we can't recommend him enough. He's extremely knowledgeable and experienced, he walked us through the whole process, he gave us a mockup of what he was going to do so we saw it before he did it. We hadn't done anything like this before and FireDean just really took care of everything.

Excellent team lead by Joseph Schilling. Pricing was always reasonable. Work was always done on time and with extra care. I would highly recommend the team!

FireDean (primary at The Brooklyn Garden Club) did extensive work on our limestone's garden in 2011, transforming it from bare, uneven earth and trash into a beautiful garden with a dry stacked wall and lovely, peaceful landscaping. As he demonstrated when he worked for us, FireDean is amazingly hard-working, honest, and full of good humor. He does quality work that he stands behind with integrity, and has asked us to let him know if any adjustments are needed, even years later. I had very definite ideas about what I wanted in our garden, and FireDean was flexible and open, but also offered his expertise and unique vision in a way that was really easy to hear, along with great ideas both for design and for logistics. We had an access issue where some large rocks had to come through a neighbor's construction site, and FireDean negotiated with them and easily won them over so that they allowed us to bring not just rocks but all of the dirt needed through their yard. He and all of his guys are excellent communicators, and patient with worrying homeowners. They left things clean and in better shape than when they arrived. The work was done within budget and quickly. I would hire him again, and recommend him without hesitation.

Fire Dean Shilling aka The Brooklyn Garden Club, designed and built a magical garden in the rear yard of our Brooklyn townhouse. After meeting with FireDean and visiting a recently completed project at a nearby Brownstone, I decided to hire him. Besides liking what I saw, he has the rarely found ability to build a dry stone wall, an almost lost art. I also liked his personality, and that he was wiling to listen to my desires for what I imagined the yard would look like, and then create it. The final product exceeded what I could have imagined! The depth of his knowledge about horticulture was vast, and I learned a lot during the entire process listening to him opine about various parts of the project, from selecting the multitude of plantings and trees, to the best methods for installing a successful sod lawn. FireDean's initial estimate was significantly less than another prominent landscape architectural firm and yet he finished on schedule and on budget. Both the design and finished product were not only the most compelling but the most approachable. We wouldn't hesitate to hire him again.

FireDean is a pleasure to work with. He met the strict deadlines and was always available to communicate for any questions. Highly recommend using his services.

True craftsman. Thinks about the space from many different aspects. He has deep understanding of spacial relations and how flow and mood contribute to the project. Personally, he helped me negotiate a lot of hurdles with the city. Very grateful his diligence and his patience with the process.

The Brooklyn Garden Club is one of the best 'contractors' I've ever worked with. Our yard space was in desperate need of TLC. We wanted a space we could spend a lot of time in and enjoy, grill, and entertain both small and relatively large groups. We wanted a true departure from the concrete world outside of our front doors, an inviting, oasis that you would only expect outside of NYC or on vacation. Our requirements were: no grass (no lawnmower), relatively easy to maintain - we could put on our green thumb if we wanted to, but an overall beautiful space with basic ongoing maintenance. We met with about 5 contractors, and broadly described what we wanted. We chose The Brooklyn Garden Club because they listened carefully, were the most creative with our somewhat broad scope, provided us with something we felt was a unique, a well thought out and detailed proposal with a visual guide, and worked together with us on our budget. FireDean was knowledgeable and easy for us to communicate with - he's also very humble and down to earth. They did a great job of channeling our personalities and wants into the design of the space. Our dogs were even considered in the design. The work was done within a fairly tight deadline that we provided (despite a very rainy period) and with no cost overruns. Our expectations were managed well before and throughout the project. Instructions for the care of our garden were also provided along with some friendly reminders and moral support. Our garden is a gift that keeps on giving. Every season, its wonderful to gaze at and explore. Every year, it takes on more life. Our friends and family always compliment us and love to visit and spend time in our yard. Its been almost 3 years now and we couldn't be happier with our decision. The attached photo is just less than a year later after a harsh winter - before the ground covers have fully grown in.

I wanted a unique Brooklyn backyard that was striking and pleasing. Something that maximized its size, shape, sun and shade. I believe that was accomplished to the max. FireDean was always up front with time and cost. He provided a blueprint and photoshop picture of the finished garden and an itemized list of all plants, material and labor costs. Any changes were agreed upon beforehand. The stonework took a little longer than expected because of his attention to detail. Our back and forth communication was always prompt and complete. I trust FireDean to always do excellent work. He prides himself on his finished product and pleasing his customer. He did both in my case. I know I'll have years of pleasure with my backyard. IMG_0123.JPG IMG_0122.JPG