Gardens of the Carolinas, Inc. is a full service, turnkey, design and build landscape company. We have provided a complete package of landscape services to the Raleigh, NC triangle area since 1981. John E. Spivey, company founder and president, believes "experience has shown that attention to detail, thorough knowledge, and a personalized approach, provides beautiful and affordable landscape solutions to all of our clients." At Gardens of the Carolinas we are passionate about our approach to landscape design.
Gardens of the Carolinas begins the landscape design process by consulting on-site. Our goal is to help define your "lifestyle" in the landscape - some people want viewed gardens, others want to develop interactive spaces. Maintenance requirements and responsibilities are something to be discussed and delegated. Drainage, grades, parking, walkways, fences, tree removal, and outdoor spaces (patio, deck, pool, spa, gazebo, sport court, etc.) all need to be defined prior to the planting design. The "hardscapes" become the skeleton of the new landscape.
Gardens of the Carolinas provides many wood structures in the landscape. We custom design and build decks, fences, trellises, arbors, eyebrows, alcoves, porches, gazebos, and playgrounds. Our deck designs incorporate grilling areas, lighting, planter boxes, speakers, and power sometimes balances function and aesthetics. Gardens of the Carolinas often installs heavy duty vertical and horizontal lattice with framing as a finishing detail, softening the unsightly underside of decks. We offer "dry spaces" under taller decks with both simple and engineered water trapping systems and grave.
As a landscape design company we offer a full range of landscape design consultation services, from "on-site" design to fully rendered, "to scale" master plans. The first step is for our landscape designers to clarify and fully understand the client's landscaping desires and needs. We can also give you landscape design ideas. In certain cases, proposed solutions and estimated budgets can be identified through a simple consultation. When the scope of landscaping work is more involved, field sketches with identification of goals, options, and fail points is often beneficial.
Gardens of the Carolinas is proud to offer a variety of paving services. We have been providing asphalt paving, brick pavers, interlocking concrete pavers, and poured concrete surfaces since 1981. There are several reasons to consider asphalt paving- it is a very cost efficient approach that has a dark rich color when finished. Adding or altering an asphalt drive is a much simpler process than with a concrete drive. In most cases installing an asphalt drive involves establishing a properly compacted sub grade, installing and compacting 4-6 inches of ABC (stone and granite screenings mixed), and then installing 2" of I-2 asphalt, normally rolled to 1 " thickness.
For more information about our landscape services, or to book an appointment for a consultation, please contact us directly. Or use our form to request information.
There is definitely a place in landscaping for the calming and peaceful aspects of water. We have installed many different types and different scales of water features, including small reflecting pools with sculptures and spillways, manmade streams with waterfalls, and full size ponds. Scale, safety, and maintenance are considerations to be made when designing water features. Including a bottom drain, overflow pipe, and auto fill features all make the fountain easier to keep and clean, while protecting the pump from running dry.
Gardens of the Carolinas is proud to offer a wide variety of outstanding quality services to our clients. In addition to our permanent staff we have architects, engineers, electricians, plumbers, pool contractors and general contractors who have teamed with us for decades, making us Raleigh's most longstanding, premiere design/build firm.
Trees and shrubs are key aspects to all landscapes. They might offer privacy, screen unwanted views, add fragrance, act as a noise reducer, or provide a natural habitat for birds. Trees provide shade which offer energy efficiency and enhance spaces. Gardens of the Carolinas goes to great lengths in the selection of our client's plants and trees. Choosing the correct plant or tree guarantees the proper shape, texture, form, and color in the landscape. Furthermore, the correct plant varietal selection insures proper scale, seasonal blooming cycle and hardiness.
Today people are utilizing their landscapes more and we are experiencing a growing interest in outdoor living. Some of these areas of interest include outdoor kitchens, lighting and audio and visual systems, fire pits and fireplaces. The simple grill seems to be a thing of the past, having counter space and being able to see what's cooking is a must. In our outdoor living designs, we offer from basic grill enclosures to full outdoor kitchens with covered outdoor dining and entertainment spaces. We offer many options whether cooking with wood, charcoal, electric, or gas using cast, ceramic, or stainless steel units.
Patios, walls, and walkways are important hardscape aspects in our landscapes. They bring our clients into their outdoor spaces, providing flow, aesthetics, and a medium for a variety of activities. It is easy to make a landscape more formal or relaxed through material selection and application. Curves versus straight lines and cut stone in dyed mortar versus natural stone surrounded by groundcover are two examples. Walls constructed from mortared brick or stone versus treated wood or old timbers is another example.
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