Mark S. Garff, Landscape Architect

As an interior designer, I knew my modern design client was going to need a true artist for the modern landscape of her newly constructed dream home, that we had worked on for over a year! Mark was referred to me by a trusted peer. Lucky for me, my client was immediately impressed by Marks character, style, vision and clear knowledge of his craft. His ability to clearly and patiently communicate and exchange ideas with my client was a thrill for me to watch. I was honored to see their shared vision come to life on her amazing property. Mark and his team took care of every detail. And the follow up has been amazing! With Mark, and the team at SCJ, you have an ally thru the seasons. I’m thrilled to hear that another one of my clients recently hired him!

I refer clients to Mark knowing that his clarity, warmth, and excellent communication are great assets to every project he collaborates on. His design work is of the highest quality, and my clients appreciate his aesthetic sensibility as well as his direct approach to the design process.

Mark initially presented several design ideas nicely suited for our relatively small yard. We arrived at a final design through a collaborative approach where Mark listened to our aesthetic and functional preferences, and successfully incorporated them into the plan. Our small yard presented some unique challenges that Mark was able to help us navigate through. We would describe Mark as being easy to work with, very talented, and professional in his approach. We are very pleased with the final results of our project.

We have used Mark twice now for two big waterfront projects. We couldn't be more pleased. He is talented, very likable, professional, attentive, and honest. We don't have a single negative thing to say about him or his work!

We actually called Mark based on his previous Houzz projects, and we were not disappointed! He took our waterfront property from an unimaginative, hard-to-use yard to a beautiful, serene space where we can enjoy the outdoors in any weather! He listened to our unorganized ideas and turned them into a beautiful landscape we are looking forward to enjoying for years to come. And most importantly, he was fun to work with...his enthusiasm and knowledge are fantastic!

Mark was recommended to us by our architect and we found him to be very creative and easy to work with. He came up with great designs executing them with our cost concerns in mind. We are very happy with the outcome and in particular that he made great use of native plants. It looks beautiful!

I couldn't be happier with having chosen Mark for my landscape design. From the onset, he was very focused and attentive on helping me design a space that would satisfy my needs. His communication is outstanding and always kept me up to date with where things stood and what the next steps would be. His vast experience in Landscape Architecture helped me avoid many pitfalls that would have been inevitable had I simply hired a landscape company to create something for me. He has a great eye for design and was open to my ideas but also not afraid to tell me when my idea wasn't going to work. That to me, is a clear sign of experience and confidence, something that is worth every penny. I'm extremely pleased with how my space turned out and It wouldn't have been feasible without the help of Mark Garff.

We have had the pleasure of working with Mark Garff regularly over the course of the last eight years. Working with Mark has been a pleasure for both us and our clients. His designs are beautiful, thoughtful and functional. Further, he is very personable and engages well with the project team. Mark is very receptive to the ideas of the clients and other members of the team while maintaining the integrity of his design concepts. He presents his ideas clearly and includes all of the information our clients need to understand his vision for the landscape. He is always a huge asset to the project team and we look forward to continuing to work with him on future projects.

We hired Mark and his team to provide us with landscaping plans for our small, north seattle residence. We were hesitant at first since hiring a professional firm seemed out of our league. Could we afford to execute their ideas? Couldn't we get the same advice for free by talking to a master gardener at a nursery? When Mark arrived to go over the plans, I knew we had made the right decision. The drawings were complete, professional and included an image catalog of all of the plantings. Careful attention was paid to our tastes (we like bold color) while selecting and placing the plantings to best utilize available water, light and seasonal blossoms. We highly recommend Mark for planning even the smallest of jobs like ours.

Mark was great to collaborate with during our yard renovation project. We had an initial idea of what we wanted in terms of design elements and layout, and he was able to listen to our needs and design a plan that worked with our space. This was our first time to work with a landscape architect, and the process was smooth and professional. We challenged Mark to think outside the box and create something that reflected our style, maximizing usable space and building on some of the existing elements. The plans we received were detailed and easy for our contractor and fabricators to use, and when we needed to make changes along the way Mark was quick to respond with alternative suggestions. Being new to the Pacific Northwest, we relied on Mark to provide planting suggestions that would work well in our new climate; we followed his detailed guide which featured native and edible plants appropriate for the smaller space. We enjoyed being part of the design process along the way. With his services, our urban yard was transformed from a basic patio to an outdoor living, entertaining, and garden space that has become the center of social gatherings.

As we were finishing an extensive remodel, we needed a landscape design to match the contemporary upgrades to our mid-century modern home in Seattle’s Blue Ridge neighborhood. A local architect recommended we call Mark. We met with him and he was able to meet both our budget and our short timeline for completing a set of landscape plans. We are extremely happy with the results. Mark did a great job selecting plants with the “wow factor” that we wanted to have in our garden. He was also very helpful when explaining the different site constraints in our yard, and which plants would do well in each parts of the garden. We weren't crazy about every plant on the list at first, but Mark was quick to find plants that we did like and the garden looks great as a result.

Mark did an excellent job understanding our vision and budget. He created a very private space which is artistically interesting. He incorporated various textures with the use of clear cedar, gabion baskets and plant selections. The result is just what we desired, a calm retreat to enjoy the water's edge. Visitors rave and are a bit in awe of the feeling of great space which is in reality - extremely small. Mark worked directly with the landscapers during the project. His hands on communication and oversight made the whole process easy for us and assured the vision was achieved. We are thrilled.