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Edward Davis

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Overview

Charlotte, North Carolina 28205

Ed is a licensed professional, educated artist and experienced gardener. He’s designed gardens from Savannah to Asheville. Unique from his landscape architect colleagues, Ed is an artist at heart and a plantsman who is passionate about garden design.

w: Please visit my website

w: Nursery Manager at UNC Charlotte Botanical Gardens

e: view email edwardavis@gmail.com

Description

My combined interest in visual art and plants led me to pursue a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree from the University of Georgia.  Instead of returning home to the South Carolina mountains, I chose to begin my career in coastal Savannah, Georgia.  Known for its historical charm and architecturally-significant buildings, the city provided me the opportunity to sharpen my garden design skills for over ten years.  Here I worked on the Forsyth Park renovation project and numerous private residential gardens and courtyards.  A favorite project was developing a masterplan for a 40 acre private estate on Dutch Island as part of a large architectural design team.

 

The equally charming southern city of Charlotte attracted me back home to the Carolina Piedmont.  The next twenty five years of work experiences range from institutional projects to a variety of custom residential landscape designs.  My gardens have been featured on numerous Charlotte garden tours and featured in many home and garden publications.

 

Being a landscape architect has given me the opportunity to fulfill some of my creative aspirations.  Yet, I see plants and gardens as only one medium for artistic expression.  I have recently completed at Bachelor of Fine Arts at the University of North Carolina Charlotte.  I maintain a painting studio and exhibit my work in galleries and group shows in the region. 

I have a persistent fascination with the aesthetic qualities of plants.  The visual stimulation induced by their diversity of color, texture and form is a source of inspiration for my work.  I continually expand my understanding of the landscape aesthetic by studying and questioning why we like images of gardens and ornamental plants.  Capturing the enchantment of the garden on a flat canvas is challenging.

 

My interest in art can be seen in my landscape design work.  I use a variety of hand drawing and computer graphics techniques to develop designs and communicate with my clients.  As an avid and experienced gardener, I try to incorporate low maintenance aspects and plant growth characteristics into every design.

 

In addition to developing my own landscape design projects, I work in association with other Charlotte landscape design businesses.  This provides me the opportunity to support myself while developing my skills as a visual artist.

I enjoyed teaching landscape design courses at our local community college.  This gave me the opportunity to grow as a public speaker by learning how to organize and present information.  I also gained practice at keeping my audience interested and engaged in my message.

 

Topics

The following is a small list of garden talks that I have prepared.  I am open to assembling custom talks to fit audience interests:

• Garden Coaching - a new trend in professional landscape design services
• Gardens from an Artist’s Perspective - how one can master the art of garden design
• A Garden Artist’s Palette - tips on the effective use of plant color, texture and form in your garden composition
• Garden Design Theme - is your garden suffering from an identity crisis? What is a garden theme and how does one achieve it.
  
• The Bedazzled Garden: tips for modifying your drab yard into a stunning and creative garden
• Fixing the Plant Collectors Garden - confessions of a plant addict and how to organize chaos into a garden
  
• Unlocking the Mysteries of Garden Design - outline of garden design principles and examples of how to put these to work in your garden
• Lowering Your Garden Maintenance - tips on how to reduce your garden chores so you can spend more time enjoying it
• The Fair-Weather Gardener - how to design an all-season garden and organizing your garden tending for comfortable temeratures
• Boxwood and Magnolias - using improved plant cultivars of traditional favorites to create a southern themed garden
• The Inspired Garden - creating a garden that reflects your personality and unique interests. Tips on how to put your unique signature on your garden
• Understanding Landscape Service providers - how to form the right team to help you maintain your personal garden but leave the fun work for you
• The Garden Design Police - learning from the mistakes of others. A list of design “dos and don’ts “
• Responsible Garden Design - some facts and challenges of working with native plants.  Developing practical sustainable gardening practices
• Elegant stonework - ideas of how to incorporate stone into your garden
• Garden Living Spaces - the outdoor kitchen, outdoor fireplaces and firepits
  

Locations

Charlotte, NC