About Us
A breath of fresh air.
Choose confidently, knowing you’ll be working with a team that does things differently. We believe you’ll be refreshed by the whole experience.
Are you ready for a change of scenery?
You’ve been thinking about a change for a while now. Life has changed. You’ve changed. Now your landscape needs to change. And the more you think about freshening things up a bit, the more excited you get about it.
Your vision is becoming clearer. And yet… even though you’re excited about the possibilities of a new landscape, you’re not really looking forward to the process.
We understand that feeling. When it comes to reimagining your front or backyard, you can’t entrust your dreams to just anyone. At Vandenberg, we know that choosing a contractor is an important decision. That’s why we do things a little differently.
The difference an established company makes.
Forty years ago, Henry Vandenberg started our company with a simple goal: to help people care for and enjoy their yards. Since then, we’ve grown and matured as a company, mostly as a result of asking a simple but profound question: “why?”
We believe that asking this question is the most important first step we can take with you. Because when we start with “why?” we get to know you and what it is that you value in life.
This purpose-driven process is where our best designs come from — and it’s what sets us apart from others. It’s also one of the most important ways we accomplish our mission: to improve the way people experience landscape services.
Our Team
Matt Vandenberg
Meet Matt, Landscape Visionary & Company Leader
Landscaping has been part of Matt’s life for as long as he can remember. He started out mowing lawns with his dad as a teenager. At 15, he was spending summers learning the ropes. A few years later, he worked with some of the most reputable landscaping companies in the industry, picking up best practices and fresh ideas. After two years of absorbing everything he could, he brought that knowledge back home to Vandenberg Landscapes and combined it with the company’s roots to create something even stronger.
These days, you are more likely to find Matt meeting with clients than moving soil. His favourite part of the job is listening. Really listening. He digs into what is not working in a yard and asks the “why” questions that get to the heart of what a family really needs. Because it is not about patios, decks or mini-golf greens. It is about what those spaces create: connection, pride, laughter and time together.
One project that stands out is Seamless Flow, featured on the website. Built to bring a family outside, it included a five-hole mini-golf course, a splash pond and a firepit that is perfect for evenings with friends. That project was not just a collection of features. It was a blueprint for memories.
Ask him what his “tool of choice” is, and he will not point to a shovel or a saw. For Matt, it is anything that helps automate. Equipment that makes life easier for the crew in the field, or systems that free up time in the office so he can focus on clients. Efficiency is not just about speed. It is about creating space for people to do their best work.
Matt lives by one value above all: Better Together. Projects at Vandenberg are not designed in isolation. They are built in collaboration with the families who will live in them. That is where the magic happens.
Outside of work, you will find him in the mountains around Kelowna, riding quads or snowmobiles with his kids, or puttering in his own yard on a Saturday. Sundays are reserved for church and quiet family time. With four children (five, counting his oldest’s wife 😉), family is the lens through which he makes every big decision. In the summer, you might spot him cruising around in his restored 1978 Ford, one of his dad’s first work trucks, reliving a piece of where it all began.
Pat Vandenberg
Meet Pat, Project Builder & Crew Coach
For Pat, landscaping started out as just a summer job after high school. It was the family business, so he was always around it, hauling tools and watching crews build. Three years out of school, something clicked. What used to be “just a job” became a calling. He went full time and never looked back.
Pat is the kind of person who stays energized by doing, not sitting. He likes the focus that comes with hands-on work, and he jokes that the free workout is not bad either. What really fuels him, though, is seeing a plan come together. He loves building out the schedule, lining up materials and making sure each task lands in the right order. Then, weeks later, standing at the edge of a finished project, seeing what it has become. That is the moment that keeps him going.
One of his favourite projects was for Megan and Mark Mackenzie. Great clients, clear vision and a dream site to work on. There was a big flagstone patio wrapping the edge of a restored pond, a new water feature, a cozy covered hosting space near the house and even a wood-fired pizza oven. It had all the ingredients. What made it special was the people: clients who appreciated the effort it took to pull it all off.
Over the years, Pat has honed a rare skill: planning precise grades using just a couple of stakes, a transit and a calculator. No strings, no paint lines. Just experience and a sharp eye. He has always loved running an excavator, whether he is digging, grading, setting boulders or swinging a vacuum lifter like a pro. His role has evolved, though. These days he is not only coordinating jobsites. He is mentoring new foremen, coaching and helping others grow into leaders.
Ask him what he wants clients to feel when they see the final product and he will say, “Excited.” Excited to use the new space and to make memories there. And maybe, he adds, with a little appreciation for the crew who brought it to life.
Gratitude runs deep for Pat. He is grateful for the people he works with and for the opportunities he has had at Vandenberg Landscapes. He shows it in how he leads: with respect, patience and a steady hand.
Off the clock, Pat is still outside, hiking, sitting by a fire or kicking a ball around with his four boys. He is currently building a house, which is its own kind of full time job, and he is often on the sidelines at his kids’ soccer games. Weekends are for family, day trips and time with his church community. It is a full life, and he would not have it any other way.
Richard Ball
Meet Richard, Outdoor Project Leader & Problem Solver
About 20 years ago, Richard Ball picked up a shovel in Ontario and started digging. No fancy title. No corner office. Just a willingness to work hard, get his hands dirty and learn. One project led to another, and step by step he worked his way up to leading the kind of projects he once dreamed of building at Vandenberg Landscapes.
What he loves most is the variety. One day he is spotting deer on a mountainside, the next he is riding a ferry to an island site. He likes that every project has its own story, and his favourite chapter is the ending: standing back with the crew, looking at what it was and what it became. That quiet “wow” moment.
One of his proudest builds was ValleyView, a massive, months-long project for a funeral home. It was not just about size. It mattered. Every stone and every plant felt like it meant something bigger. That is the kind of work that sticks with you.
Along the way, Richard has picked up some very specific superpowers. He taught himself how to use screed rails. Before that, it was just a level and a whole lot of patience. He has dialed in excavating with surgical precision to avoid extra costs. If there is a Vermeer on site, he is smiling, because it is his go-to for tight access spots that make life easier on the team.
Ask him what he wants clients to feel, and he will not hesitate: “Blown away.” Not just by the end result, but by the care, the craftsmanship and the small details they did not even notice until they were standing there, taking it all in.
Richard leads with his hands, not just his words. He is always jumping in to teach, lift or troubleshoot, while keeping clients looped in on what is happening next. Trust is not something you tell people about. It is something you show them.
Off the clock, Richard is usually outside anyway, camping nearly every weekend, paddleboarding with his family or puttering on projects around the house. He is a family man through and through, and he will tell you the person who inspires him most is his wife. “Whether I listen or not, she is always right, and always reminding me to take care of myself.”
Cason Vandenberg
Meet Cason, Landscape Craftsman & Project Lead
For Cason, landscaping has always been a family thing. He grew up tagging along with his dad on jobsites, learning the ropes one project at a time. What started as childhood summers spent moving tools and watching walls go up eventually turned into a career built on skill, precision and pride in the work.
Cason loves that his job is as much a workout as it is a craft. He jokes that you do not need a gym when you are lifting stone, moving soil and walking the jobsite all day. What really drives him is not just the physical work. It is the transformation. He enjoys every stage, from the thrill of demo to the satisfaction of that final walk-through when the space is complete.
One project that stands out for him was Mayne Island. It was right on the ocean, highly technical and started with a yard that was basically unusable. Cason and the crew turned it into a stunning outdoor living space perched on the water’s edge, a transformation that showed exactly what great design and craftsmanship can do.
Cason has mastered machine operation, and his favourite tool is the vacuum lifter because it takes the strain off the team and makes heavy work easier, faster and safer. For him, craftsmanship comes down to a simple question: “Would I want this finish at my own house?” If the answer is no, it gets fixed before the client ever sees it.
Outside of work, Cason keeps busy with the things he loves most: playing baseball, backcountry skiing, cheering for the Blue Jays and spending time with his wife, Melissa. Whether he is on the jobsite or off, family and teamwork are always at the heart of what he does.
Get motivated!
Respect
We want to create the best experience for clients who are looking for a landscape.
Quality
We want to take risks and grow, creating opportunities for others while we do so.
Starting with Why
We want to dig a little deeper, so that our clients feel heard, understood and cared for.
Gratitude
We want to be motivated by thankfulness, appreciating every opportunity our clients give us.
Three Generations of the “Green Thumb”
Vandenberg was initially established in Ontario by Gerardus Vandenberg, Matt Vandenberg’s grandfather. An immigrant from Holland, Gerardus was a stonemason and market gardener there. After moving to Canada, he transformed his skills into a landscaping business. When Gerardus’s son Henry moved to B.C. more than 45 years ago, he officially started what was then called Vandenberg’s Landscaping in 1978.
The “green thumb” has been in the Vandenberg family for three generations. Matt’s father took over, and eventually, he handed over the reins to Matt, who grew up learning the business from his father and grandfather. Each generation has been and is dedicated to quality workmanship performed with passion and professionalism.
Associations
Careers
Work. Learn. Grow.
An exciting career in landscaping is waiting for you.