Landscape Design Group, LLC

In Hamilton, on the North Shore, this firm works under a second name: its own Houzz profile describes the business as H.J. Collins & Associates, formerly Hugh J. Collins, Jr. Landscape Designer, Inc. It presents itself as design-build — the drawings and the crew under one roof. The published portfolio runs to seven project sets covering plantings, driveways and entries, stonework, pools, patios and pergolas. The service list leans the same way: landscape plans, site planning, drafting, patio and garden design, hardscaping, custom fire pits and water features, outdoor lighting design, and natural swimming pools. The thing to sort out before you call is the two names. Confirm which entity the contract is actually with, and ask to walk a finished North Shore property. For a whole-yard scheme — grading and planting plans, a pool, a terrace, lighting tying it together — this is a designer's practice rather than a maintenance crew. Ask for references from the last couple of seasons before you commit.