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Landscape Design
I have worked on dozens of landscapes in both my personal life and in a professional career setting. Please enjoy viewing my Design process and my thoughts on each Project that I completed in my career below.
A disclaimer on the designs on this page is that many were lost due to technological issues before I could update them to my portfolio. I was able to recover some that were connected to my personal email, but all the ones on my my old phone and accounts were lost.
* Plants= Native Plants
01
Amberley: Cary, NC
An HOA neighborhood called Amberley was one of the first big projects I worked on in my career as a landscape designer. This was a large area with multiple entrances that needed to be updated and redesigned.
The core plan of action was to:
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install more annual beds in front of the signs
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remove some of the dead, overgrown, or undesired shrubs
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replace the shrubs/trees behind the wall
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include perennial beds
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Redesign walkways and entrances with ornamental shrubs
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install fresh turf as needed
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replenish mulch
Although I do not have my designs for the other entrances anymore, I used a common theme of the following shrubs to create an elegant but simplistic design cohesively throughout the property.
I added the visual of the annual beds for the fall season that was approaching to show the HOA management how they would look once installed in Autumn.
In the original Design, I had included larger shrubs such as camellias, redbuds and flowering dogwoods behind the wall to add year round interest. This part of the project would have included removing the Azalea shrubs and Magnolias in this area that the HOA no longer wanted. This however, did not make the budget for this year, as well as perennial beds featuring daylilies, catmint, and coneflowers, so we removed this from the plan and just focused on the core areas in front of the wall and at the entrances.
Plants In This Design:
'Little Limelight' Hydrangea
'Cinnamon Girl' Distylium
'Fire Chief' Arborvitae
'Double Play Doozie' Spirea
'Rising Sun' Redbud
'Pugster Blue' Dwarf Butterfly Bush
Flowering Dogwood Sp.
Camellia japonica Sp.
Personal Thoughts in 2025
What I liked:
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The addition of ornamental flowers and shrubs that I used, as well as the color scheme between the lime-white, purple, and pink.
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The breaking up and distribution of the flowering ornamentals so that they are not overcrowded and overworked in one area, alternating them with evergreens for a polished look.
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We kept the circular area as plain turf to avoid adding too much color and diversity at one time, which naturally drew the eye to the wall, the main featured highlighted on the property.
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I did not place shrubs that would become large and overgrown and would later block the view of the wall. I used shorter varieties like 'Pugster Dwarf' and 'Little Limelight' to keep the ornamental flowering features while still highlighting the brick wall.
What I would change
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I used warmer-toned shrubs to accentuate the beautiful brick wall of the property, but now I would change that to deeper green-toned shrubs that will pull out the red of the wall better, as the warm-toned shrubs fight for attention instead of accenting the wall.
Ex. Fire Chief Arborvitae to Mr. Bowling Ball or a dwarf Cryptomeria
Ex. Cinnamon Girl Distylium to Vintage Jade
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I would also change the color scheme of annual flowers for the same reason as above. I would use more deeper berry or jewel tones in the fall/winter and soft accenting colors in spring/summer to not overwhelm the blooming shrubs, and incorporate evergreen annuals as well.
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Now that I have grown in my abilities, I would add more native ornamentals to this design to balance the landscape and make it not seem as cookie cutter, which is what I was attempting to do with the dogwoods and redbuds that did not make the cut.
Updated Plant Choices: Ornamental
Whiter Panicle Hydrangea 'White Diamonds'
same Spirea
same Pugster
'Mr. Bowling Ball' Arborvitae
'Vintage Jade' Distylium
Star Magnolia
Camellia sp.
Native Plants to Incorporate
Designing Natives into commercial spaces is challenging due to the 'wilder' appearance of many native plants.
These are a few of the tidier, more ornamental-grade native nursery stock that I believe could make the cut for this property specifically:
(specific varieties subject to change)
*Fothergilla 'Mt. Airy'
*Sambucus 'Lemony Lace'
*Beauty Berry 'Pearl Glam'
*Purple-Leaved Redbud
*Summersweet Clethra
*Flowering Dogwood
*New England Aster
*Rudbeckia spp.
*Bee Balm spp. ornamental
*Heuchera spp.
*Coneflower spp.
*Garden Phlox spp. ornamental
Lifetime Fitness: Cary, NC
02
I worked on designs for this high-end property on two separate occasions: One was for the medians in the front parking lot area as shown in the images, side areas around the building, and a large remodel of the outdoor pool area.
Parking Lot Design
Before
Early First Draft of a Median Design
Key Points from These Photos
I took some google images of the Lifetime Fitness Center in Cary, NC to better display the property and the huge undertaking that was this Design Project.
The Maps better shows the length of the property, depicting many areas that needed renovation and re-installation.
My primary areas were:
- Along the front of the building.
- The large side area depicted in Photo 3.
- All the Medians in this front half of the parking lot.
- The 2 main Entrances into the front of the parking lot at each end.
- The area outside the gated pool.
Because of the size and nature of this project, I worked directly with my manager so that we could put our heads together and create a well-rounded, beautiful but practical high-end design.
It took time going back and forth with the client and editing the design and budget to settle on a final draft. Part of the project was approved that Autumn and the rest after the New Year when their budget was renewed.
Challenges in this Project:
1. The high-end profile of this job created a high standard to reach and maintain.
2. End of year budgets make it difficult to bridge the gap between what the property manager wishes to get done and what is actually possible within the end of year constraints.
3. The timing of this project still being in summer made it a high pressure job, because we could not make mistakes when planting, risking death and loss of our plant material in the summer heat.
4. There was a large number of old, overgrown and outdated shrubs and trees on the property, some dead, that needed to be removed. This was difficult to manage with customers and the risk of causing damage to cars and medians.
Plant removal eats into the time of the project, which can spike labor costs. It is also not visually pleasing or good for the client to have holes for stretches of time on the property before new plants can be installed.
How We Solved Them:
1. I researched and condensed until I had what I felt was a superior selection of trees, shrubs and flowers that would not become overgrown, or die, like what the existing landscaping had. We worked to enhance the beauty while decreasing the maintenance. Working and communicating with my manager, who has more experience, also helped tremendously.
2. We communicated openly and transparently with the property manager about the realities of what we could offer, and settled on breaking the project into separate, smaller projects and then prioritizing from there what to do that season.
3. Beginning negotiations in the summer ended up working out, because by the time we settled to start on only one or two of the projects, the season had cooled down and it was the perfect time to get started.
4. To be the most efficient and avoid damage and eyesores,
we:
- began early,
- roped off the areas of the parking lot we would be installing that day early in the morning
-Excavated plant materials first before the crowds came in
-Had two crews working simultaneously: one to remove trees and shrubs, the other to clean up and plant the new materials and mulch/water behind them.
By bringing in more than one crew and working in this way, entire pieces of the design were able to be implemented in a single day without chaos and a giant mess. Day by day we worked like this until the project was done.
Example Mockup Proposal
Above is a similar example of how I would generate simple proposals to my clients and estimate quotes for the designs I made or any other work I was trying to sell. Items were marked up to include other materials and retail pricing.
I would also calculate labor in the context of how many hours I thought it would take to complete, then over-estimate that time to account for loss. I submitted my proposals to the respective clients with attached designs that I created. Once signed, I then worked with the landscape install manager to complete the project, showing up on job sites to make sure everyone understood the task and plant placement, sometimes assisting in the work.
Plants In This Design:
(some were designated for the parking lot and some in other areas of the property)
Chinese Elm
*Flowering Redbud
Flowering Cherry
*Red Maple
*Ninebark
Flowering Quince
Camellia japonica spp.
Dwarf Arborvitae
Encore Azalea
Limelight Hydragnea
*Beauty Berry 'Pearl Glam'
Distylium
*Rudbeckia
Pugster Butterfly Bush
Spirea
Catmint
'Autumn Joy' Sedum
'Happy Returns' Daylily
*Purple Coneflower
Outdoor Pool Area Design
These are images of the pool area that I was privileged to work on. The main issues were similar things as listed as above: untidy, outdated, overgrown shrubs that were too high maintenance for their worth, the issue of working around customers being here at all times of the day, the high standard, the curvature and tight spaces of certain areas, and the budget constraints.
I spent meticulous detail measuring, drafting, and selecting plants for this install, and then created multiple designs. With it already being summer, this was a project that got pushed into the next spring instead.
Some Alternate Plants In This Design:
I used a lot of the same plants as above, but changed the design a bit here to reflect a more tropical nature. I used the same perennials here, and kept the azaleas and distylium. These are some other plant alterations I included:
*Dwarf Palmetto
Muhly Grass 'White Clouds'
Hardy Banana Shrub
*Hardy Hibiscus
City Place: Durham, NC
03
This was the first project I worked on that was also a property I managed the landscape maintenance on.
Whenever I first came in, a previously failed landscape required replacing, and while I worked on managing the landscape, I also configured the work required to replace the failed installation.
I added in ornamentals to the design as well, and I submitted this addition as a separate proposal to the property manager, which was accepted.
The Design
Freshly Planted Installation
Previous Mistakes
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The previous designer had too large of a workload prior to my arrival and included only a basic design of medians filled with Japanese Aucuba, which was very plain.
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I believe the install, due to the higher workload, took place too late in the season as well, making it harder for the plants to transplant in the heat.
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Due to this, plus negligence of watering post-install, most of the Aucuba died and needed to be replaced, which then fell in the warranty of the company to cover.
How I Fixed the Issue
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I talked with the property manager to see what the primary concern is and what the focus should be moving forward, regarding this issue and further developments.
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After viewing the property, I saw there was next to zero color on the property, making it look plain and outdated.
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I added in a new design on top of the old one. Instead of replacing all the Aucuba, I kept the living plants, and added an alternative design around it, saving costs on this project. Some Aucuba had to be replaced for the sake of cohesion.
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The design I added comprised of higher quality plants that met the need of color on this property. I chose softer toned colors like lavenders and lighter yellows, lime, to blend in harmony with the variegation of the Aucuba
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This new proposal covered the cost of the previous errors and the company was able to recover those costs and make money on top of the overall project(s).
Plants In This Design:
Japanese Plum Yew
Catmint 'Walker's Low'
Variegated Japanese Aucuba
'Limelight' Hydrangea
'Double Play Doozie' Spirea
'Happy Returns' Daylily
04
Valley Crest: Durham NC
This was another property that I managed as well as provided renovated landscape designs for. Valley Crest was a small HOA neighborhood that was very excited to get a new landscape manager that also doubled as a Designer.
The women who managed the HOA were very friendly and loved the ideas I presented to them. Unfortunately, due to their smaller budget, I was unable to sell as much work here as I would have liked.
I did, however, communicate with the HOA back and forth to reach a comprisable solution that met their landscape needs within their budget. I was able to sell multiple smaller jobs/designs for them instead of bigger, more complex installs.
During that summer/fall season, most of the work comprised of small installs and removal of overgrown shrubs such as Ligustrum and Loropetalum. More of the intricate, ornamental designs sold the following spring once the HOA budget had been renewed and top priority landscape work had been complete.
Before
After
Plants In These Designs:
Encore Azalea 'Autumn Carnation'
'Vintage Jade' Distylium
*Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'
Catmint 'Walker's Low'
*Echinacea 'PowWow Wildberry'
Ajuga 'Chocolate Chip'
Artemisia 'Silver Mound'
Variegated Liriope
First Horizon Bank: Cary, NC
05
This was another one of my first designs working for my company that I really enjoyed creating. This commercial property is a First Horizon bank in Cary, NC, one of a dozen that my company had a contract with in the area.
The employees were friendly and had a good sense of humor, which I loved. They were very excited with the flowers I added to the bank's property and could not wait to see it installed.
I was asked to do a simple design here that looked both professional and spruced up the landscape, as well as being very low maintenance. I do not believe there was irrigation on this property, hence the need for low maintenance, sunny plants.
The image above depicts part of the property but the design went all the way around, and by the roadside in some areas.
Plants In This Design:
Wintergreen Boxwood
'Pugster Blue' Dwarf Butterfly Bush
'Autumn Joy' Sedum
