Landscape Designs

This project involved evaluating and revising an existing landscape plan for a residential property on Dauphin Island, AL, replacing plant species poorly suited to coastal conditions with material better adapted to the site's specific challenges. Rather than starting from scratch, the scope focused on a targeted replacement strategy that improved the planting palette while respecting the existing landscape structure.

The revised plan prioritizes species tolerant of salt air, sandy soils, wind exposure, and the broader growing conditions of the Gulf Coast region. Native and climate-adapted plants were incorporated wherever possible to improve long-term resilience, support local ecosystems, and reduce maintenance demands. Plant selections also emphasize species that remain within appropriate mature sizes for the space, minimizing the need for excessive pruning over time.

A butterfly habitat note was integrated into the plan, identifying compatible host plants for Gulf Coast pollinators including Monarch and Gulf Fritillary butterflies. Pet-friendly species selection was also a consideration, avoiding plants commonly toxic to dogs where feasible.

Deliverables included a fully revised planting plan with a color-coded legend distinguishing existing trees, existing shrubs, and new additions, alongside detailed plant schedules covering common name, size, growth rate, sun and water requirements, native status, growing range, and site-specific notes for each species.

The planting scheme was developed around three functional objectives: privacy screening, erosion control, and utility concealment, unified through a cohesive evergreen-dominant palette with layered seasonal color.

The rear bed establishes a mixed canopy of Sweet Osmanthus and Eastern Redbud, providing evergreen density with deciduous seasonal contrast and fall/spring bloom interest along the back boundary.

The driveway bed prioritizes slope stabilization through massed evergreen plantings of Oakland Holly, Eagleston Holly, and Sweet Spire, selected for root structure, growth habit, and seasonal bloom sequencing that maintains visual continuity along the side elevation.

Foundation and fence plantings layer Gashira and Dwarf ShiShi Camellia for winter bloom and low-scale evergreen coverage, with Radican Gardenia providing summer color and ground-level infill. Arrow Point Holly and Maki Yew were positioned at structural corners to achieve height, year-round screening, and concealment of the AC unit and pool storage. Jazz Hands Loropetalum and Encore Azalea extend the bloom sequence from spring through fall.

The resulting palette maintains four-season interest while minimizing maintenance demands and addressing all client-identified site conditions.

This landscape plan was developed for a community house setting around four core objectives: edible food production, native plant education, seasonal color, and privacy screening, unified through a 92% native plant selection that reinforces the site's educational mission at every layer.

Six raised beds form the productive core of the site, programmed by crop family — roots and greens, nightshades, vining crops, alliums and herbs, legumes, and year-round greens — providing structured growing space while serving as a hands-on educational resource for children and community members learning food systems and plant ecology.

The native ornamental palette surrounds the productive zones with species selected for ecological function and seasonal interest. Elderberries, Chokeberries, and Inkberry Holly bridge the edible and ornamental layers, supporting pollinator habitat and the on-site bee hives. Oakleaf Hydrangea, Fothergilla major, and Virginia Sweetspire provide shrub-scale seasonal color, while American Holly and Miss Puryear Holly establish privacy screening along key boundaries. White Oak and Tulip Poplar anchor the canopy for long-term site structure.

The chicken coop, bee hives, and play area are integrated as active educational nodes, reinforcing the site's intent as a living landscape connecting the community to food, ecology, and native plant stewardship.

This plan demonstrates a process-driven approach to landscape design, using Google Earth aerial imagery as a scaled base to accurately map existing structures, site boundaries, and topographic conditions prior to any planting decisions. Working directly over the aerial allowed for precise placement of plant material relative to the driveway, building footprint, and property lines, resulting in a plan that is site-accurate rather than conceptually approximate.

By establishing true scale from the outset, plant sizing, spacing, and massing could be developed with confidence, ensuring the design performs as drawn when installed. The circular garden feature to the left, the pollinator field massing in the center, and the tree line along the front boundary were all positioned and sized in direct response to existing site conditions rather than imposed onto a blank plan.

This workflow of grounding design decisions in real site data before developing the planting scheme is a consistent part of how I approach landscape work, and it produces deliverables that are both visually communicative and technically reliable for clients and contractors.