Radiant Native Charleston Landscape Design

October 15, 2015Lowcountry Vistas Charleston Landscape Design BlogBy Seth Mason

This 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” plants such as palms and ornamental grasses, and I take that into consideration in my residential landscape designs. However, if I had a full-sun section of my yard to accommodate this design, I’d install it in a heartbeat.

Here we have a curved plot of land adorned with elements that radiate from their centers:

Sweetgrass abutting the front of the curb
Green saw palmettos abutting the middle of the curb
Silver saw palmettos abutting the rear of the curb
A Natchez crape myrtle, which remains small and flows outward
A boxwood, which has been rounded to accentuate the flow of the crape myrtle
Palmetto trees in the rear of the plot, flowing over the area
Dark mulch to make all of the green pop

This type of landscape design isn’t for everyone. But, for those like me who enjoy the radiant nature of the unique coastal environment in which we live, it’s brilliant. Literally and figuratively.

Seth Mason, Charleston SC

About the author

Seth Mason

Hi, I’m Seth Mason, James Island native and owner and sole employee of Lowcountry Vistas Charleston Landscape Design and Installation. From the time I was 9 years old, I took pride in caring for my mother’s yard on the Island. The son of an artist and a lover of nature, making my mom’s yard look good became of a passion of mine at a young age. Years later, after having earned my M.B.A. during the 2008 Financial Crisis, I took part-time landscaping work to get by. In time, I came to realize that landscape design and installation was my calling: It combines my love of sculpting Charleston natural beauty, business acumen, and fresh air and sun. After earning my landscaping chops working alongside a fellow devotee to Charleston horticulture, I went on my own and started Lowcountry Vistas in 2015. Lowcountry Vistas is more than just a job to me. It’s a dream. I love improving peoples’ properties through my landscape design plans and landscape installations. Make sure to take advantage of my free consultation limited-time offer to learn more about what I can do for you!