River Birch Design

River Birch Design is a one-designer landscape practice in Beverly, run by Tim Hallinan, who the company says holds a Bachelor's in Landscape Architecture from UMass and a Master's from the Rhode Island School of Design, and who worked for Boston-area landscape design firms before starting out on his own. The work spans the full arc of a garden rather than a single trade: design first, then installation — perennial and rose gardens, tree and shrub planting, walkway and patio construction, raised beds and planters — then a maintenance program to keep it going, on properties the company describes as ranging from small urban courtyards to multi-acre estates. Its Houzz page lists the same three-part offering and names Cambridge, Beverly and the North Shore as the areas covered. One thing to sort out before you call: how long they have actually been at it. The home page says 25 years, the About page on the same site says 23, and the Houzz profile says 14. Ask directly, and ask for references from gardens they have maintained for several seasons — that is the part of this offering that only time proves. The other honest limit is that there is nothing here from customers. The Houzz profile carries no reviews at all and shows a single project, so nothing independent supports or contradicts the company's own description of its work. That is a reason to ask for addresses you can drive past and clients you can call, not a mark against them. A reasonable call if you want a designer's eye on a garden rather than a mow-and-blow crew — someone who will draw the plan, build it, and then tend it. Confirm insurance, get the maintenance program in writing, and ask what patio and walkway work is done in-house versus subcontracted.