The Carex Design Group team spent the weekend at the 2024 Dogwood Arts House and Garden show in Knoxville, Tenn. sharing landscape design advice and talking with prospective clients about paver patios, pergolas, outdoor kitchens and more. In case you missed it, here’s a peek at the Carex Design Group booth at the show along with some of the most talked about elements of the booth. Pergola Kit Pergola Kit This Toja Grid pergola kit was the perfect choice for the Dogwood House and Garden show because it was quick and easy to assemble. While the Carex Design Group team chose a small structure fo ..read more

I’ve always had an interest in Knoxville native plants for their many positive impacts such as the benefit to the local ecosystem, low water requirements and a role in curbing the spread of invasive, non-native species. To grow that interest and become a better landscape designer, I enrolled in the Tennessee Naturalist Program (TNP), which is a course designed for people interested in the natural history and environment of Tennessee. During my coursework with the program, I’ve explored ferns, flowers, fungi, aquatic life, geology, trees, and more. I’ve learned to observe small details in natur ..read more

Pumpkin Spice Lattes are at the bottom of most wish lists as temperatures hover around 90 degrees in East Tennessee. However, planting now for autumn interest in your Knoxville landscaping will ensure you can enjoy the beauty of one of my favorite plants come fall. Here’s why I like American Beautyberry. Plant Name American Beautyberry – Callicarpa Americana What It Looks Like The American Beautyberry is a medium-sized deciduous shrub that can grow up to 6 feet tall and just as wide. Its long, arching branches give this plant a loose, natural form. During the fall, you’ll see interesting clust ..read more

It’s the time of year when Carex Design Group’s clients are swimming in the pool, sitting by the fire pit, tending gardens and generally enjoying the outdoor spaces we’ve designed. To spread some landscaping cheer and set the stage for summer, here’s our team’s Plant Songs Playlist. Meet the Band If your Knoxville landscaping isn’t quite ready for outdoor lounging this summer, fill out our contact form or call us at 865-765-5550 for help with your next project. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Bob Graves (@carexdesigngroup ..read more

There are many ways to make your landscaping more earth-friendly—use native plants to reduce water consumption, choose natural fertilizers such as peat moss, mulch, or manure for your planting beds, and consider lawn alternatives such as clover. For a recent landscape design for a client of Carex Design Group partner Anchored Construction and Restoration, the Carex Design Group team got creative with a backyard renovation so the client could reuse their existing concrete pavers. “The homeowner liked their existing patio but knew it needed a refresh,” said Bob Graves, Carex Design Group owner ..read more

Carex Design Group made a big splash in 2021, designing and/or building a handful of of beautiful residential landscaping projects in Knoxville. The trend we saw in 2020 that had clients requesting entertainment and recreation in their outdoor spaces continued in 2021 with Carex Design Group designing and/or managing the construction for a record number of backyard pool projects. Here are some of our favorites … Hot and Cold: Pool and Fire Features A trend we loved in 2021 was designing pools with nearby fire features to provide a warm up after a cool, refreshing dip in the pool on chilly even ..read more

Carex Design Group, a landscape architecture firm in Knoxville, Tenn., is proud to announce the addition of landscape project manager Daniel Moriarty to the Carex Design Group team. Daniel Moriarty, Landscape Project Manager, Carex Design Group Daniel joins Carex Design Group from U.S. Lawns – Knoxville where he was a senior account manager and landscape construction manager. He has more than 15 years of experience in the landscaping industry along with a bachelor’s degree in plant sciences from the University of Tennessee where he focused on landscape design and construction. “As we continu ..read more

One of my favorite things about being a landscape architect in Knoxville is the variety of projects we work on at Carex Design Group, using diverse design styles. Whether we’re designing a cozy outdoor oasis with a splash, creating a relaxing outdoor sanctuary for reflection, or tackling an eclectic pool party yard for a crowd, no two projects are the same. For one of our best projects of 2021, we dove into designing a sleek entertaining space. Here’s what we did … The Design We’d already established a great relationship with these clients working on a previous landscape design. When they were ..read more

Over the past several weeks, I’ve shared with you two of my favorite landscape lighting fixtures—In Lite recessed landscape lights and Star light landscape lights. For the third and final post in this series, it’s time to get artistic with silhouette bollards for your Knoxville Landscaping. About Silhouette Bollards Most landscape lights leave a little to be desired during the daytime because the fixtures aren’t usually attractive. In all fairness to the folks who design landscape lighting fixtures, they’re typically intended to be hidden in the landscaping rather than on display. Their time t ..read more

My Knoxville landscape design clients regularly add landscape lighting plans to their projects, and our team often features spotlights, path lights and bollards in those designs for a beautiful effect. We geek out on landscape lighting when we find the right application for unique fixtures such as the In Lite recessed landscape lights I wrote about here. Today, we’re taking the landscape lights out of the ground and into the sky with Star Lights … Star light landscape lighting fixtures are typically hanging pendants that cast small specs of light in a scattered pattern. While some landscape li ..read more