I’m proud to be a Charleston native. After all, we’re a rare breed: According to the Charleston Regional Development Alliance, the population of the Charleston metropolitan area is growing at 3x the national average, relocation the primary driver of the impressive growth. The rapid growth of the Lowcountry has made “Charleston native” a unique…
DetailsAs residents of the Lowcountry, we’re able to enjoy countless serene coastal vistas: creeks winding through our salt marshes, the Atlantic Ocean caressing our beaches, pelicans resting on our docks. The list goes on and on. Unfortunately, despite the abundance of tranquil seaside views the Charleston area offers us, few of us are blessed…
DetailsMosquitoes are an unfortunate fact of life here in the South Carolina Lowcountry. More than just a nuisance, these blood-suckers can pose a health risk, particularly with the recent arrival of the Zika Virus. Fortunately, a number of mosquito-repelling plants can be incorporated into landscape designs throughout the region. Many of them are native.…
DetailsNow that I have a moment to catch my breath from my landscape design and installation job, I’ve been able to compile some recent shots from my landscape photography hobby: I love the look of backlit leaves, especially from palms and tropicals. Banana plants, like this one on Johns Island, certainly aren’t native…
DetailsOne of the tenets of my landscape design and installation philosophy is “keep it low-maintenance”: I frequently incorporate evergreens in my designs because they don’t require being cut back in the winter, and I use native plants in almost all of my designs because they’re best suited for local conditions. (Besides, native plants contribute…
DetailsI apologize for the long period between posts. Lowcountry Vistas and my Spanish tutoring side business have been keeping me busy, to say the least! I wanted to take this opportunity to describe a couple of projects I’ve completed since my last post. A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to build colorful…
DetailsRecently, I’ve had the opportunity to design and install yards at a few new Charleston area homes. I particularly enjoy working in new neighborhoods because they’re full of blank canvases for my ideas. Often times, developers throw in just a few basic landscaping elements as an afterthought, leaving vast amounts of virgin territory for…
DetailsThe featured image of this post is from a downtown Charleston bar I frequent for Spanish happy hours. The bar, which did a wonderful job of renovating the building, clearly spent good money on this raised, stucco, self-draining planter on the back patio. Unfortunately, they’ve let it go. The planter, for which good money…
DetailsAlthough it’s not officially spring yet, spring flowers are in bloom here in the South Carolina Lowcountry. The following shots are from my 2016 collection of pretty spring blooms from one of the prettiest cities in America, Charleston, SC. This camellia on Daniel Island gave sustenance to a pollen-hungry bee on one of…
DetailsLandscape installations and yard makeovers are significant financial investments. A sizable makeover project can cost thousands of dollars. Customers want an assurance that the projects they’re spending good money for will last. As such, I’m offering lifetime guarantees on all aspects of my installation and makeover work with the purchase of regular full-service maintenance. The…
DetailsThe 2016 growing season is ramping-up, and many of you are visiting this site for the first time. I’d like to welcome you and, in addition to providing a brief introduction, give you an overview of my Charleston residential landscape design and installation philosophy. 1) Use as many native plants as possible. I’m…
DetailsI believe in lifelong learning, and I’m constantly conducting research for my residential landscape design projects. Through my research, I frequently come across videos I believe would be of use to current and potential customers. So, I’ve decided to share them via the new landscaping videos page. As with my landscaping photos page, I’ll…
DetailsSpanish has played a significant role in my life, both here and abroad, since I began studying it in 8th grade at James Island Middle School. As such, I’ve decided to share my aptitude for Spanish by tutoring part-time while I grow Lowcountry Vistas. Through my organization, Charleston Spanish Tutor, I’m offering Spanish tutoring…
DetailsHappy New Year! As many of you know, I’m an avid amateur landscape photographer in my free time. In celebration of the coming new year, I’ve decided to share some of my photos with you via a new Charleston landscaping photos page. I have thousands of shots to go through and I take new…
DetailsEl Niño, Spanish for “the child” because it typically forms around Christmas, is a current in the Pacific that brings especially warm winters to the Charleston area every few years. During El Niño years, the Lowcountry, which typically enjoys winters warm enough to enable most landscape installations, can have “cold seasons” warm enough to…
DetailsI’m downsizing, and I’m looking for the opportunity to exchange my residential landscaping services for tenancy in the Charleston area in lieu of rent. This could be an ideal situation for owners of investment property or part-time residents. In exchange for tenancy, I’d be disposed to do anything landscape-related that would increase the aesthetic…
DetailsAlthough you wouldn’t know it by looking at the thermometer, it’s Christmastime in the Lowcountry. Due to unusually-warm El Niño weather, we in the Charleston area are experiencing a unique continuation of the growing season into the end of the calendar year. Today, on Christmas Eve, sounds of lawnmowers abound. People are sprucing up…
DetailsI’m currently working on a multi-faceted yard makeover in West Ashley that has required the clearing of brush and the creation of stone paths and a centerpiece fire pit area. Eventually, the project will require the installation of topsoil and sod, the creation of a bench area on the marsh, and the installation of shrubs…
DetailsAlthough the Lowcountry’s climate is warm enough to allow winter planting of deciduous trees/shrubs and evergreens–even some of the palm variety–, only a select group of cold-tolerant Lowcountry plants will really pop during winter doldrums. Let’s take a look a some of these wintertime wonders. Pansies: It’s ironic that the name of these…
DetailsThe end of the growing season is upon us here in the Charleston area, and that means it’s time for us to apply potash to our lawns to strengthen them for the upcoming dormant season. Unlike winterizer blends sold by big box stores, pure sulfate of potash sold at local nurseries raises potassium levels…
DetailsThis is an image of the front of a new apartment complex on James Island. Located just 3 miles from the sands of Folly, the complex’s primary selling point is its proximity to the beach. The property’s location is so important to its brand, in fact, that the complex has adopted the slogan “closest…
DetailsThis eye-catching image is from the entrance to a James Island car wash. I like this landscape design because it uses a combination of native Charleston plants to create a radiant coastal motif that looks good year-round. (It reminds me of long summer days on Folly Beach.) Some people have an aversion to “spiky”…
DetailsThe recent historic flooding in South Carolina has left many Lowcountry lawns submerged. This is a precarious situation: Much of the inundated grass has been weakened, and weakened grass is susceptible to damage from fungus and grubs, which will proliferate for some time after the soil dries. Ultimately, some of the grass will die.…
DetailsDid the recent days of torrential downpours and historic flooding from the stalled front and Hurricane Joaquin make a mess of Charleston landscape? As a residential landscape designer who works in the field, I’m offering a yard cleanup special for a limited time: Lawn repair Debris removal Trimming dead branches Raking Blowing and bagging…
DetailsIn recent years, zoysia grass has become a popular sod choice for Charleston lawns. It produces golf course-quality turf (in fact, many Lowcountry golf courses use a variety of zoysia for fairways), is heat and drought tolerant, insect resistant, can be used in sunny and shady areas, and initially spreads laterally as much as…
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