Plant Man, landscape design and build Landscape Design + Build
(704) 219-0160
Multi-tier boulder waterfall and pond at the Unionville project
Water cascading over stone through a lush, lit planting bed
A Japanese maple frames a multi-tier boulder waterfall, patio, and timber-and-stone home
A stone-and-timber pavilion lit at twilight
Plant Man · Charlotte & Western North Carolina

Design and Build Complete Outdoor Environments

Led by horticulturist and designer Elton Liles, with 25+ years turning properties into places people actually want to be outside.

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It's your day(dream). Live it.

The Practice

Plant Man designs and builds complete outdoor environments. I look at a landscape as a whole: the plants, stone, water, grading, lighting and construction all have to work together. From the first time I walk a property to the final plant placement, every part of the project is considered as part of the same design.

Boulders meeting azaleas and ornamental grasses at the water's edge
Featured Work

Real Projects, Real Scale

Unionville multi-tier boulder waterfall and pond

Unionville Waterfall Project

A blank-canvas property built into a multi-tier boulder waterfall, custom bluestone footbridge, and recreation pond connected to the client's own private lake.

 Plaza Midwood floating limestone planters and pool, underlit at night

Plaza Midwood Contemporary Garden

A failed backyard installation torn out and rebuilt in Silver Pearl limestone, with field-developed floating planters throughout.

 McCoy koi waterfall and pond at sunset

McCoy Water Feature

A naturalistic koi waterfall and patio built in two phases, proving the same design philosophy at a $46,000 scale.
What We Do

Six Ways We Build One Thing

Not six separate businesses: six components of one complete landscape.

Elton laying and leveling concrete steps under construction, boulders staged beyond

01Landscape Design + Build

Design and construction as one practice, including stonework and site work.
Water cascading over stacked stone into a lit pool

02Water Features & Waterfalls

Naturalistic waterfalls, ponds, and recreational water environments.
Boulder fire feature set into a flagstone patio

03Patios & Outdoor Living

Paver and flagstone patios, courtyards, fire pits, and seat walls.
Stone-and-timber pavilion with joinery detail, lit at twilight

04Pavilions & Outdoor Kitchens

Structures built as part of the landscape, not bolted onto it.
Path lighting along stone steps with an illuminated waterfall beyond

05Landscape Lighting

Multi-zone, app-controlled lighting designed around water and stone.
Backlit Japanese maple foliage in autumn color

06Planting Design & Horticulture

25+ years of horticultural expertise, applied to how a landscape matures.
Elton Liles at a waterfall in the mountains
The Designer

Elton Liles

"A landscape is living art."

Horticulturist, plant collector, and landscape designer with 25+ years of hands-on experience. He's the person who walks every property, shapes every waterfall, and places every plant himself.

Read Elton's full story →

The Plant Man Process

Real Design Work Starts With a Real Site Evaluation

  1. Initial Conversation: goals, site use, and investment expectations.
  2. On-Site Design Consultation: a dedicated, in-depth walk of the property.
  3. Preliminary Design & Project Development.
  4. Construction, through Final Walk-Through and a workmanship warranty.

See the full 8-step process →

Built at Every Scale

To the Same Standard

Elton has worked on focused projects in the $20,000 range and complete landscapes approaching $2 million. Both are built by the same practice, to the same standard: if it's not 100% right, it's 100% wrong.

McCoy koi waterfall and pond at sunset

McCoy Water Feature

~$46,000
Unionville multi-tier boulder waterfall, wide view

Unionville Waterfall Project

Approaching $2,000,000
Trust Markers
25+ Years as a horticulturist, designer, and builder
$20K-$2M Range of project scale, built to the same standard
Verified Best in Show (Southern Spring Home & Garden Show) and Best of Houzz. See the full record
Areas We Serve

Charlotte Metro & Western North Carolina

Plant Man serves the Charlotte, NC metro region (our home base) and is actively serving and growing our portfolio in Western North Carolina and the Asheville area.

See the full list of areas we serve →

Start a Conversation

Or call (704) 219-0160