Garrick-Santo Landscape Co. is a family-run landscape company based in Wilmington, working lawn care, design and installation, and hardscape projects across the North Shore and North Metro Boston — Malden, Stoneham, Medford, Melrose, Lynnfield, Wakefield, Woburn, Cambridge, Somerville, Reading, Andover, North Reading and North Andover, by the company's own account. It traces back to 1981, when Richard Gottschalk Jr. started out with just a lawn mower and a station wagon; Garrick Landscape Company and Santo Landscape Services joined forces in 2000 to become the current firm, which the company describes as still family owned and operated, with Anita Gottschalk as CEO and general manager, Rob Santo as president, Rick Gottschalk as founder and CFO, and Stephen Santo running maintenance operations.
That history shows up in the numbers: Google carries 65 ratings averaging 4.7 stars, Houzz shows 4.2 stars from a much smaller pool of five ratings, Better Business Bureau grades the company A+ and lists it as accredited, and the company reports Landscape Industry Accredited status with the National Association of Landscape Professionals, earned in 2018. The written reviews run from 2021 through mid-2026 and keep circling back to the same points — crews that show up, finish the job in one visit, and clean up afterward. In a 2023 review, a customer described a crew spreading 50 yards of mulch and clearing out in four to five hours, work that had taken smaller outfits three or four days in the past; in a 2024 review, another described building a raised garden bed after an account manager visited to walk the layout and take measurements; and in a 2025 review, a customer detailed a full 15,000-square-foot overhaul — new grass and rebuilt flower beds. Repeat customers turn up often in the reviews, several naming Anita, Rob, or Thomas by name across multiple jobs over the years.
A few dated complaints are worth knowing about before booking. In a 2024 review, a customer reported a dent to their vehicle they believed was caused by the crew while working on the property, discovered a few weeks after the job. In a 2023 review, a customer said a written request went unanswered for a week and that a follow-up call couldn't locate it. Both are isolated against a much larger run of positive accounts, but they're real and worth asking about — particularly how the company documents site conditions before and after larger jobs.
Garrick-Santo reads as a solid call for homeowners or property managers who want an established, full-service landscaping outfit — routine maintenance, seasonal cleanups, lawn renovations, or a larger design-and-install project — across its stated North Shore and North Metro Boston service area. Given the two damage and communication complaints on file, it's worth confirming how the company documents site conditions before and after a job.
