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“He thinks big, yet he’s down to earth.”
-Will N.
Mt. Pleasant
(Read the complete Google review here.)
Type of job:
Residential landscape design for new house.
My response:
I designed the landscaping for Will’s family’s new house constructed on a large, undeveloped lot in mostly-undeveloped far north Mt. Pleasant. Most of the lot was kept wooded, which gave the property a distinct rural feel representative of the surrounding area.
Located in a saltwater/freshwater transition zone, the property featured a mix of existing “coastal Lowcountry” and “inland Lowcountry” trees and shrubs. Building upon the natural plant orientation, I used a mix of coastal and inland greenery to bring harmony between the natural and man-made elements.
I made greater use of illumination than I typically do due to the homeowners’ desire to play with their children after dark and feel safe in a wooded, unfenced property located in a sparsely-populated, mostly-undeveloped area. Also, as the family would spend a significant amount of time playing outdoors in a deep woods environment, I made generous use of mosquito-repelling creeping rosemary as ground cover.
“Seth didn’t allow the county’s restrictions from stopping him from thinking big.”
-Mark D.
West Ashley
(Read the complete Google review here.)
Type of job:
Commercial landscape design plan.
My response:
Mark and his partners are constructing a new business on Savannah Highway on a property that required a landscape design that not only maximized aesthetics and utility, but also conformed with design requirements set by the county. The requirements made this a challenging but rewarding project for all parties involved.
The design plan I delivered balances the aforementioned stipulations with some of my signature design features: heavy use of low-maintenance native plants, a balance of color, texture, scale, and density, the implementation of consistency and symmetry, and utilization of dark and light ground cover.
As with all of my landscape design projects, I supplemented the easy-to-read, color-coded deliverable with photos of plants and materials to be used, a design concept description, and a list of estimated costs and recommended contractors.
“Seth designed a terrific yard for the home we’re building.”
-Kate J.
James Island
(Read the complete Google review here.)
Type of job:
Residential landscape design plan for a new house.
My response:
The Jaspers are building their “forever” home on a beautiful, spacious property that overlooks Charleston Harbor. The family demolished a 2,000-3,000 square foot 1960s house to construct a stately, modern 7,000 square foot manor worthy of fine landscaping.
The design plan I delivered includes a number of concepts that align with my Landscape Design and Installation Philosophy:
- Using native plants
- Incorporating existing elements
- Using evergreens as much as possible
- Creating a low-maintenance design
- Complementing and contrasting colors and textures
- Maximizing the view of existing beauty
- Focusing on living and playing spaces
- Softening rigid lines with gentle curves
- Paying attention to consistency and continuity
- Creating a day and night view
Along with the easy-to-read, color-coded drawing, I included photos of materials to be used, a list of estimated costs and recommended contractors, and a description of the design concept.
“He gave the property the beachfront feel we were looking for.”
-Sam C.
Hilton Head
(Read the complete Google review here.)
Type of job:
Commercial landscape design plan.
My response:
Although Hilton Head isn’t located in the Charleston area, it is located in the South Carolina Lowcountry and features the same flora as the Holy City. Unlike Charleston, however, Hilton Head has several beachfront hotels and timeshares. Before the installation of my design, this property’s pool area was nondescript and in no way indicative of its beautiful barrier island location.
Giving the property an appropriate coastal Lowcountry feel was easy: It merely required strategic placement of evergreen trees and shrubs commonly found on Hilton Head Island. I really appreciated the opportunity to help make this commercial property worthy of its unique Lowcountry oceanfront location.
“His plant selection was great, his placement ideal, and his customer service terrific.”
-Susan W.
Mt. Pleasant
(Read the complete Google review here.)
Type of job:
Design and installation of beds around a new house.
My response:
Builders often throw in landscaping as an afterthought, paying little attention to aesthetics or plant needs. The plants that the builder of this house installed had all but died. As it turned out, they were wrong for the environment and were installed directly into the fill sand on which the house sat. New builds with afterthought landscaping such as this give me an opportunity to employ creativity and gardening expertise on a blank canvas.
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“We are very pleased with how it turned out and have already gotten several compliments from our neighbors.”
-Scott L.
James Island
(Read the complete Google review here.)
Type of job:
Design and installation of beds around a house.
My response:
Although not a new-build, this house had the original landscaping the builder installed. Inevitably, nearly all of the plants died: They were wrong for the environment and planted directly into the fill sand. This project was another opportunity to design and install from scratch. As with the previous project, I mixed sun-tolerant, native evergreens of varying sizes, textures, and colors.
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“The layout looks great…we love his use of natural stones. Seth is a professional that thinks big and converts those ideas into practice.”
-Carol D.
North Charleston
(Read the complete Google review here.)
Type of job:
Construction of a crepe myrtle sitting area overlooking a water garden with a koi pond centerpiece.
My response:
I’m an advocate of landscape design that offers the property owner a place to physically immerse himself in the tranquility of nature. This includes the incorporation of sitting areas: patios, fire pits, etc. These homeowners’ backyard didn’t overlook a tranquil natural vista, so I built one.
To me, flowing water is the essence of tranquility…a koi pond centerpiece with a continuously-running fountain just made sense. And no koi pond is complete without water plants and river rocks surrounding it.
I’m also a strong advocate of using native plants. So, for the sitting area, I balanced the non-native koi pond concept with native crepe myrtles and sweetgrass. Eventually, the crepe myrtles will provide abundant shade to expand the amount of time that the area can be enjoyed.
“I like the clean, simple design.”
-John D.
Mt. Pleasant
(Read the complete Google review here.)
Type of job:
Reconstruction of beds around a residence.
My response:
I’m a firm believer in the KISS philosophy (keep it simple, stupid), and I like a clean look. For this project, I renovated cluttered beds, replacing them with a simple design of contrasting colors, shapes, and textures with a Lowcountry feel:
-Dark green, pointy sabal minors (“shrub Palmettos”)
-Light green, circular, and smooth dwarf nandinas
-Radiant dwarf purple loropetalums with pink flowers.
-Pointy, flowing tan muhly grass (sweetgrass) with reddish-purple plumes.
-Black mulch, to make the colors pop
The soil in this neighborhood is a sand/clay mix topped with fill sand, a less-than-ideal growing environment. (As usual, the builder installed the original plants directly into the sand.) So, I made sure to use plenty of garden soil in each hole. I also installed weed barrier to ensure that the simple design doesn’t get cluttered by invading plants. Eventually, the sabals, nandinas, and loropetalums will catch up to the sweetgrass in size, and the sweetgrass will show off its plumes.
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“I can’t speak highly enough of Seth and his work and professionalism.“
-Brad H.
Goose Creek
(Read the complete Google review here.)
Type of job:
Decorating a nearly-blank canvas in a newer neighborhood.
My response:
I particularly enjoy decorating blank canvases because of the creative latitude they allow. On this project, I decided to bring the beach to the inland suburb of Goose Creek: I called upon the Lowcountry barrier islands for plant selection and overall feel. The landscape lighting made the coastal shrubs and grasses look especially pleasing at night.
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