Is Shrub Hub Legit? Pro Landscape Designer Review

I tried ShrubHub’s landscape design services as a professional landscape designer and today I’ll be sharing the good and bad about their services… along with everything you need to watch out for before you purchase.
Links Mentioned
Plant Perfect Activity Book: go.prettypurpledoor.com/plant...
ShrubHub website: shrubhub.com
Overall impressions of ShrubHub
Not worth it to use this service, in my opinion. I put in a lot of effort up front and received a design that did not take into consideration any of my requests. Not to mention some serious design problems re: slope issues that they blatantly ignored.
PROS of ShrubHub
-This is the lowest price service you’ll likely see for landscape design.
-This service is good if you’re looking for something very basic and cookie cutter and really have no idea what you want. It’s not for anyone with detailed instructions or true requests that can’t be ignored.
-You get to talk to a project manager on the phone, which is a nice touch.
-30 days to back out… only a partial refund if the design process starts.
CONS of ShrubHub
-You have to provide a lot of information up front and put in your due diligence (measuring your space and providing detailed information about what you want along with a video).
-It was hard to figure out how to contact my project manager (tip: use the chat box to try to get a hold of someone).
-The designers don’t seem to have any formal design training. You don’t have the ability to speak directly to the designer.
-They did not take any of my requests into consideration while creating the design.
-The plant choices in the design were not appropriate. Most were not native to the area I live in and I requested 70% native plants.
-Revisions are not included with the base package. In addition, it can be difficult to give revision advice about a design if you aren’t a designer. There’s no phone conversation for this, you have to submit revisions in writing.
-The "revision package" is one of MANY upsells that they try to get you to buy along the way.
-Even after I provided detailed revisions, my requests were ignored for a second time.
-Halfway through my project, I was assigned to a new project manager and the new PM did not know much about the project. It felt like I had to start completely over and that did not make me happy.
-It is difficult to receive a refund after the design process begins.
-Feels like being a cog in a wheel. There’s no personal attention and you have to be the one to keep the project moving and keep it on track.
Read my BBB Review of ShrubHub (under Amy, on 1/5/2023): www.bbb.org/us/ca/laguna-beac...
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🌷Helping you create a vibrant, manageable 4-season landscape that is uniquely you.🌷
I’m Amy and I help home gardeners design design landscapes that are uniquely you.
3 Gardening Secrets Revealed (Free Training): go.prettypurpledoor.com/secre...
Free Plant Pairing Guide: prettypurpledoor.com/guides

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Grab the Plant Perfect Activity Book here: go.prettypurpledoor.com/plant-perfect

[@donnagiuliano544]

OMG they are terrible! I gave them so many specific requests and showed them so many details and elevation problems and they ignored everything! I spent hours gathering things to present. They just plopped down some canned design that would never fit in my space. In your design I feel like they combined several random designs. Great assessment of their sub par services. BTW I got my money back.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Ugh I'm sorry to hear that. What a mess. At least you got your money back, though! That was the most difficult part for me.

[@CcM-hg2rt]

How did you get your money back? They SCAMMED me out of $1400.

[@candma4240]

This was painful to watch after you showed their design plan. 💔 I loved the ideas that you curated. I think that the gray brick path with the irregular edges would be beautiful to include. It would be fun for you to do a collab with other landscape designers to redesign your lawn. Also, I completely agree on the invasive species! Quite frankly, I think they owe you your money back...

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Ugh. Thank you. Yes I like the irregular pathway, maybe for the part that I don't shovel in the winter... To go to the driveway. They did refund my money when they heard I may post a review on KZbin. But I honestly don't think they would have if I didn't tell them. I am working with another online service now to review them... And I am also considering getting some input from designers too... I have a huge network of friends/professionals I'm sure would want to do that. Sounds like fun. Thanks for watching 😊

[@asif_imtiaz]

Thank you, thank you so much! I was getting bombarded with their social media ads and emails and was seriously thinking of getting my backyard re-designed. Anything too good to be true usually is, and your honest review saved me from 400bux and a ton of hassel. Its a sham for sure! I'll consider your advice as well. Thank you!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Glad it saved you from a headache. Not worth it.

[@renatabritoo2]

Thank you so much for this video. I was really considering hiring their service but now I know it wouldn’t be a good idea.

[@MLynn05]

That was very interesting and helpful; thank you! By the way, I think it looked better "Before" than "After". You are much more talented than ShrubHub's designers!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Glad it was helpful. And thank you I appreciate that. I'll be redoing the whole front yard this year. It's going to look so much better... And less maintenance too

[@astrid72]

Wow, wow, wow. Their ads are so impressive but this design is SO HIDEOUS. I was looking for a ShrubHub review because I was considering buying the service. Thank you so much for this review because I will definitely NOT be wasting my money for this service now. The design they came up with is so very bad in every way.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Yes it was bad. I'm glad I saved you the waste of time and money.

[@priochoa1]

I wish I had come across this video before spending $500 on shrubhub… my yard is considered big for them so they charged me an extra $150 on top of the $300 . it’s been 3 weeks since my phone consultation and still no status update, I feel I’ve been scammed and want to report to my bank if they don’t refund my $. Thanks for this thorough review!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Wishing you luck and success with your project. Use some of the tips in the video to get in touch with them.

[@jrapp546]

Thanks for all your hard work! I would not want to spend any amount of money only to be ignored. That whole experience sounds awful. I love that you created your Plant Perfect workbook as a solution to the lack of results you got with them.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Well said! There are better ways to spend your $$

[@jann6082]

I really like your videos, great info. I pressed thumbs up on this video topic but didn’t finish watching.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thanks for your support 😊. Watching the full video is much more helpful than a thumbs up... but I'll take either. Thanks

[@ThinkOutsideDesign]

Amy, you were WAY too kind... and I agree, a total waste of time and money. Hire a professional!!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Aww thank you. I tried to be diplomatic... Hopefully I still got my point across though. Thanks for watching 😊

[@fabricdragon]

You are being far far more generous than I would be

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Hahaha thank you. I tried to be as diplomatic as possible but it was really bad.

[@sabrinam2836]

I hired Yardzen and they were good for visualizing how my own plans would go together and adjusting hardscape layout. The landscaping ended up being reasonable, but I specifically asked for colorful native (Virginia) landscaping and had to go back and forth with them 3 times before I got something halfway decent.

[@JMLP14]

Thank you- so helpful!

[@Amarie1961]

Thank you for the review.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tylerk.7947]

Wow this is absolutely hilarious. I also do landscape design and was maybe a teeny bit concerned about these companies popping up offering such cheap services. This dissolved that worry. This design was incredibly bad. Thank you for going through this for us.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Haha yeah it's comical, isn't it?

[@maryannferencak3799]

Oh wow! 😮😮 I could critique this all day. I don't think you're slamming people at all. But, I would have been very ticked off. I've had similar experiences with staff from the two large nurseries in my city. At the time I didn't have time to do my own design because I worked full time and traveled a lot. They came to my home and listened to what I wanted. The result was NOT even close to what I conveyed. The plan was almost exclusively azaleas, liriope, inpatients, and a couple of other tired boring cheap plants. And the price for installation was outrageous. I quickly realized that I knew more than they did about design and plants! I think they thought I was a novice gardner and they could bs me and sell me on garbage. I will never make that mistake again. They use the least expensive and plentiful plant material and don't really seem to be trained or very interested. Anyway, as with just about everything, if you want it done right do it yourself. Thanks for shedding light on this subject. Many people don't know enough to even know they have poor designs or plants that aren't appropriate. I think this will help them.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

I'm sorry you had to go through that experience. Just because nurseries offer design services does not make them designers. Although sometimes you get lucky with a very knowledgeable horticulturalist... But not always. Design is a whole different ballgame... And I fear, too, that people don't even know if they receive a poor design... That's what made the process so excruciating for me. Hopefully this will at least help some people who really want a nice looking space from spending thousands to install something that was designed by an amaetuer who doesn't really know what they're doing. Ugh... So frustrating. But thanks for sharing your experience and watching my video 😊

[@MelindaAugustina]

Totally agree. Shrub Hub was a disappointment. I was told I would get a California Native Expert and pfft... Not at all. Real Landscape Designers are worth every penny. I LOVE your Plant Perfect book!!!! What a great product!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Aww thanks so much!!! I poured my heart into that book

[@drloshead]

THANK YOU!

[@maureenwhs]

You just saved me some money thank you!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Glad I could help!

[@eskimofo9i6]

Thanks for the warning

[@Pondandgardensanctuary]

Thanks for all your hard work! That whole experience sounds awful. I love that

[@kristineobrien8878]

Thank you for an amazing video❤

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@kevo212]

Thanks for the review, who does the actual construction? do they only do the design or do they connect you with landscapers?

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

They only design. It says they can connect you with a local contractor but i never got that far since the design was horrible.

[@lindabarrow4746]

I love that you made a work book. I find that working with paper and pencils is way easier than trying to figure things out with computer programs. Can't wait to check it out!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Let me know what you think!! It's so fun!!

[@totallydomestic433]

If you are going to hire a gardener designer, i think you need one in your city or zone. They know the natural plants in your area and what would work well in your area. They would know best place to purchase trees, plants etc. I think you should ask for photo’s of some of their work. I like cottage garden & landscape designers in garden shops just do sort of cookie cutter stuff. Have no clue about cottage garden.

[@jetv1471]

Thank u !

[@salviusgee8101]

Thank you! I was on the fence between Shrubhub and Yardzen but now I won't even look at Shrubhub - That design package you received was so armature and cringe worthy. It looks like a 12 year old designed it. At this point I'll look further into Yardzen and make sure they're not as bad or possibly look for someone local who can come do the designing. You are a true hero for alerting everyone and I would have done the same! This company needs to close shop because the advertising they provide all over SM looks NOTHING like the disgrace they sent you.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Try hiring someone local. I haven't heard great things about most of these online services.

[@thegomad1]

Saved me from spending $270 for a front and backyard design.

[@beabrown5778]

I am looking for a white Hydrangea for my front yard landscape among boxwoods. In full sun. I do not want Annabelle or incrediball. Thanks

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

www.bhg.com/gardening/trees-shrubs-vines/shrubs/white-hydrangeas/

[@beabrown5778]

@@PrettyPurpleDoor thanks very much for your quick response. I have some of these. I have seen a smaller big leaf pure white variety but can’t find at garden centre.

[@Freedom38814]

Thank you so much for your review of shrub hub. I actually considered using them for a piece of virgin land i have.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Glad it was helpful 😊

[@awaitingSaint777]

This is insulting. The fact that they're selling this that is. Appreciate the warning

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Agree

[@lindabarrow4746]

They had to work hard to come up with designs as poor and boring as they did. I don't think they have any concept of a "garden". Maybe just basic plain cookie cutter landscaping - what they can pull off their graphics program. And it still was painfully ugly. It was amazing how totally they ignored everything you asked for. Thank you so much for sharing this! I appreciate your effort at sharing any pros and giving tips as well. No budget considered - no reality considered. This was a great reveal.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Aww thanks Linda. It really was an eye opening experience for me. I went into it with the best intentions. But hopefully this video and Plant Perfect will help some people 😊

[@saquist]

@@PrettyPurpleDoor My question would be how do I get your services? I just need a good design for a large corner lot.

[@tomsmith2013]

Great video. This company has many, many complaints on the BBB website as well as very poor yelp and goggle reviews.

[@saralikeskiwi]

I feel like this is the direction many industries are moving towards -- mass-produced, cheap, amateur online services meant to replace the service of experts 😕

[@gaspikefan]

More than anything else, I think the worst offense is that they absolutely did not listen to you at ALL. That would irritate me more than anything else. They seem to be complete novices... I have designed gardens for others and do NOT consider myself an expert (I just have an eye and have learned a great deal on my own about design principles), and some of the things they suggested seemed like it was an absolute novice designing for the first time with a design tool. Maybe for free, but this level of supposed competence doesn't warrant an attached fee. Wow.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

So frustrating isn't it????? I agree the the disregard for everything I asked for was the worst.

[@urchinsushi2041]

👋😃 New subscriber here - the shrub hub designs were laughable (at least there’s an amusement factor!) - makes me wonder if these designs were simply AI generated 🤔 Anyway, I’m enjoying your commentary, content and videos!

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Thanks for subscribing! Appreciate you. No I don't believe they are ai generated... I don't think ai is sophisticated enough to do this (yet, at least). But yeah... Laughable 😂... Unless you actually pay them then it's probably not as funny lol

[@sandramadrigal6320]

They are not. They are scammers. Charged me didn't provide a service and do not answer emails. There is no customer service number.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Sorry to hear that. I did provide multiple ways you can attempt to contact them in this video.

[@Edu_Kate]

Since revisions cost extra this sounds like a grift. Don't follow wish list, thus ensuring client will request revisions.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Exactly!!!! Then they said they wouldn't give me a refund bc they are entitled to "fair pay" for the time they spent. But they didn't give me anything I asked for. It was maddening.

[@felmartt]

Thanks! you just helped to save $297 😀

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Glad I could help! Let's split the difference 😊 haha

[@kaitlinjohnson2915]

Wow, this service sounds RIDICULOUS. I would be so disappointed. My guess is that their target market is people with zero gardening experience and no real vision for their landscape besides cookie cutter foundation plantings.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Yeah, it's sad

[@pd3924]

Shrubhub sent me a zoom invitation to meet and view my yard. They never canceled the appointment. They just stood me up. Lame and shame this Shrubhub service.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Aww I'm sorry to hear that. Very unethical company

[@fabricdragon]

That "design" is horrible! Heck I could do better

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

I love the quotes around "design" 😂😂😂😂 so appropriate

[@janeb.6b]

Wow, their 'design' is so lame! So many separate beds and nothing flows. Gawd.

[@PrettyPurpleDoor]

Yep. No good

[@janellekilroy2008]

It looks like they just used AI to do the design.