Two stories run through Scenic Landscaping's reviews. The people describing the finished work — paver walkways, patios, stone veneer, whole front yards redone — are unreserved about it. The people describing the invoice are not.
The company has worked out of Beverly since 1984, and says founder John Desjardins still oversees every project; the BBB file lists him as president and puts the payroll at 14. This is a design/build outfit rather than a mow-and-go crew: plantings, hardscape, irrigation, lighting, water features and grounds maintenance, with snow management offered to commercial properties only.
When it goes well, what customers describe is a hands-on owner. A reviewer this July had a walkway and landscaping done across three days and describes being kept in the loop throughout. In an August 2025 review, a homeowner met John and his son Sam working on a neighbour's walkway, had a detailed quote in hand the next day, and saw the job finished in one — with, in their words, no hidden charges and no change in pricing or materials. Another, writing in October 2024, lists overgrown bushes out, new plantings in, stair and walkway repair and stone veneer on a driveway wall. A second October 2024 customer notes the crew arriving at 07:30 each work day and the owner offering guidance that "was not financially motivated".
The complaints land on the same seam from the other side, and they are about money rather than craft. A March 2026 reviewer alleges being charged for work not done, and for more men and longer hours than were actually on site. A 2024 one-star review describes over-promising, under-delivering and over-charging through change orders, and says balking at the add-ons led to small claims court. A 2023 reviewer says a fence was destroyed and the matter left unresolved; another 2023 customer, who says they were a 20-year client, describes calls going unreturned and mowing starting before the season to add a charge. Four of the nine comments on file are complaints, one of them from this year.
Read the BBB file precisely: the grade is A+, and that same page states the business is not BBB accredited. Two separate facts.
A reasonable call for a designed hardscape or planting project where you want the owner on site — and the paperwork is where to spend your attention. Get scope, crew hours, materials and change-order terms in writing before anyone starts, and settle how extras get approved.