Simplee Gardens

Lee Benson is an artist who paints with plants. I’ve used Simplee on two occasions to refresh my garden and am looking forward to doing more work with her this summer. Lee picks plants that are perfect for the conditions and they thrive. I have shade tolerant clematis that screens out the neighbour’s backyard! I have a running thread of burgundy foliage which is gorgeous against celadon-leaved specimens. I find there is little to do in terms of maintenance beyond the spring and fall cleanup. I can sit back and enjoy the changes as the season progresses.

I really liked the design consultation that Lee did for me. She listened carefully when I said what I needed. Then we walked around my neighbourhood. She pointed out some of the good and bad features of what my neighbours had done and saw what I liked and what I didn't like. Lee drew up a couple of options and explained them to me. I chose one and I'm very pleased with the result. Thank you, Lee!

Lee was a pleasure to work with and very professional, helpful, creative and knowledgeable.
Lee was able to create a garden oasis for me with her drawings and ideas and I am thrilled with the results.
The plans are still useful now, many years later.

Lee presented as a very passionate, creative and skilled landscape architect. She put tremendous thought not only into our backyard plan but also into some creative solutions to a home renovation we were also pursuing, finding ways to have the two complement each other. She's a pleasure to work with and very knowledgeable in her field. I highly recommend her.

With plenty of half-baked ideas for our garden with mature trees and shrubs but couldn’t decide how best to apply them, we resorted to seek the professional opinion of a landscape designer. Out of all the referrals, we picked SimpLee because of the elegant yet simple appeal of gardens done by her. Lee with her sense of humour was very pleasant to work with, resourceful with materials and transparent with her costs to us. She offered creative and unique ideas, took over diplomatically when we were wavering among choices and explained to us the possible outcomes if we went this way or that. A very satisfying experience as we felt being part of the design team of our very own garden.

We recently moved into a home that had an old overgrown backyard. I called upon Lee to provide us with an assessment of the plants that we currently had and make suggestions about what we could do to restore and update our garden design.

Lee took the time to determine the condition of all my plants and offer suggestions on how they could be rejuvenated, as well as complemented with new plantings. Lee is extremely knowledgeable about plant science and was able to identify, assess the health/condition of, and explain the best growing conditions for all the plants in my garden. Our yard is bordered by large cedars and Lee made a recommendation of an excellent arborist who came to trim them back. Lee was patient, listened to my concerns and was able to figure out what I wanted. She even made suggestions on how to make the yard more pet-friendly for my young dog!

Lee followed up with detailed descriptions/photos of plants and shrubs that would add colour to our garden year round and enhance what we already had.

Lee’s inspired ideas, great eye for potential, attention to detail, and honest responses to my questions made her a total joy to work with. I would highly recommend Lee and Simplee Gardens for all your landscape design needs.

Lee has been an invaluable resource - when planning an extensive landscape overhaul for our Toronto home, or considering options for a more rural setting outside Toronto. Like any good designer, she listens carefully to what you would like to achieve, and offers a number of different options - based on budget, timelines, and availability and appropriateness of plants, trees, and landscaping materials. I have happily recommended Lee to others.

Lee of Simplee Designs was able to transform our vision into reality. The front yard of our house was drab, lack-lustre and very much in need of a face lift to become the welcoming entrance for visitors that we envisioned. Lee paid attention to details and created a garden that looks beautiful year round while at the same time requiring little day to day maintenance. On a limited budget, she was able to create a design through a clever and strategic placement of plants which enlarged our walkway visually and created interest without requiring replacement of existing stone work. The plants she chose were lovely, mature, within our preferred colour scheme and hardy (all have survived!). Lee was able to transform our desolate front yard into an instant garden that not only looks beautiful and provides a welcoming first impression for visitors but appears as though it has been there for years. We were very happy with Lee's ability to listen and her professionalism, knowledge and hard work to make our vision a reality.

Lee Benson of SimplyLee is my go-to person for advice on garden design. On our first occasion, for a modest price, she provided overall guidance on reshaping the garden on my small Toronto property. A couple of years later I called on her for help in assessing how the plans of the developer who had bought the property next door would affect my place and how I could best respond. She took care to look at building plans, take pictures (I was away), consider drainage, and examine pros and cons. The construction next door is still a work in progress, but thanks to her advice and her connections my cedar trees have been protected - which is what mattered most to me.

Lee Benson of Simplee Gardens is not someone you want to be dealing with. She came across as very pleasant in the beginning, but it became readily apparent as time went on (and bills started to come in) that she is extremely opinionated, and will most certainly give you what SHE wants, in spite of asking you about your preferences. We painstaingly took photos of what we liked, a clean open look of grass punctuated by colorful border flowers. What did we get from Lee, after weeks of design work? Piles upon piles of perennial plants and trees. We realized what was going on after the fact, when she referred us to her high school classmate landscaper to build her design... the landscaper makes their money on plants, and we later found out this is a common ploy (the designer designs for plants for the benefit of the landscaper). Other landscapers laughed at the design, and said we would be building a jungle, and that it was CRAZY to have so many plants.
So, the bottom line is that Lee was stubborn, missed her deadlines and has questionable integrity. However, she firmly believes she is right in each instance. Very disappointed -- we used about 10% of the design and shredded the rest. What a waste of time and money!