Meet Sara Martin of Carmel Gardens

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sara Martin.

Hi Sara, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start, maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers. 
Thank you for allowing me to share my story! I had been working in construction for 3 years when I met a woman (at a dog park of all places) who wanted to hire me simply because “you are a woman in construction”, she said. She had a small landscape job – she needed her yard renovated to put the house up for sale.

Up until this point, my love for nature and gardening was merely a passionate hobby. Though with the recently acquired trade skills and garden knowledge, I took the job.

Turns out, there were several homeowners with great projects too small for the average landscape contractor but perfect for little ol’ me.

Doing the physical labor myself, I realized how capable I am; digging trenches for irrigation, submersing myself at the plant nursery, coordinating material deliveries while enjoying every step of the way.

Starting with smaller projects I loaded up old faithful (Honda hatchback) with tools, stuffing it to the brim with plants, with a hat full of grit and a solid work ethic, those efforts have led to me where I am today.

When I set up Carmel Gardens, the mission was to help homeowners improve their landscape. With an adoration for nature and learning, that mission has expanded into educating homeowners on the lifescape itself. We combine aesthetics with wildlife habitats, water-wise in mind, and designing with purpose to beautify your landscape.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Somebody once said, “A building is only as strong as its foundation. Similarly, unless you’ve built yourself a strong foundation, you’re at risk of tumbling down. Once you have your strong foundation, it’s time to build higher.”

My foundation is my faith in God. I know he will never leave me or forsake me as long as I am doing the right thing, as long as I am putting in the footwork. He keeps me going when the storm is heavy, when everything hits the windshield, it’s blurry, and you cannot see what is coming next; faith keeps me going; God is driving. He has led me here.

There have been many struggles along the way, but I will speak on the most impactful thus far. I started this business far out West, in southern California my native home, a place of sunshine and beautiful weather year-round. When I moved to North Carolina, I was intimidated to start all over again, clay soil – what’s that? Different climate, microclimates, plants, trees, an abundance of rain, this place is poles apart than what I have ever known; I thought I would need a very long time to research before I could start again.

Well, remember the woman from the dog park?

A few months after living here, we ran into each other again at a local dog park in Mooresville. Unbeknownst to both of us, we both moved to the same place. Delighted to see each other, she says, “We just finished building our house; come and do our landscaping.”

It was music to my ears. A moment of inspiration. Clarity. Determination. And wait – I need to research now how to make this happen! However, in this moment, I felt the warmth and protection under God’s wing, knowing he brought me here for a greater purpose. I had a foundation in this; I had already done this once before. I can do it again.

I held tightly onto that warmth as it was the week before New Years with temperatures down in the 10’s, and I was pick axing the ice-cold ground inches at a time. Grateful for each and every swing.

There are many lessons here. Do not let your fear of the unknown keep you from doing what you love or even keep you from trying. Have a strong foundation – in God, in your ability to do things, in your ability to figure it out along the way.

Most of all – Don’t be afraid of the struggle! You have got to pick up the ax and keep swinging, keep sweating, and fighting that trunk until you knock it down. The struggle only makes you stronger.

Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We provide full landscape design and install services – from consultation to design to fully executed installation. From soft-scape only projects to hardscape and the in-between. We are a full operation where one can deal with one primary contact, a courtesy, and convenience for the client.

Being fully operational, we have drainage experts, hardscape installers, engineers, native nurseries, and others who contribute and make it possible to what we offer at Carmel Gardens. We work together as a team, communicate with one another, ensuring we are on the same page, and have an expert brain who analyzes each step of the way, and that’s what makes what we do here very special.

In order to create a landscape most functional & aesthetic for the client, we use an array of questions and discussion to bring out the details and important factors to be considered.

Known for tailoring custom designs unique to each home and client. Each person has preferences, activities, and needs of which their home and landscape serve purpose to; we include those preferences in connection to our expertise for a magnificent outcome.

We provide a custom and personal approach – whether it’s your front or rear yard, restaurant or office, whatever the space is that you want to change, we want to make it suitable to your needs and desires because we believe that changing your landscape can change your life. The landscape moves, grows, changes colors, flowers in its seasons; it is a living element. This living element has an impact on you. You feel it when you visit a botanical garden; you see it when you visit a park with towering oaks, or even on a nature hike. We want to bring you this impact wherever you are, no matter how large or small the space is.

We strive to re-wild with what I call ‘wild-gardening’ – let’s trade some domesticated cultivars (non-natives) with natives. There are countless native species that can be appreciated by educating clients and trading a non-native with the same qualities and characteristics found in a native. Let’s peel back the lawn and add a meadow. There are many ways YOU, as a homeowner, can contribute to our ecosystem. Allow us to educate and plan accordingly! You will feel great doing so and reap the benefits when you see pollinators, critters, and wonderful bird species in your landscape.

I would like the readers to know we offer many different types of landscape gardening – from new plant installs to a complete new patio and outdoor kitchens. We offer maintenance for specialty gardens (such as a delicate or rare flower garden, or specialty Japanese maple pruning, etc.) and garden consulting if you need consulting on how and what to plant or how to start and plant a vegetable garden… After all, my passion is in gardening and creating an abundance of growth. We offer garden renovations (indoor and outdoor scapes) for residential homes, as well as commercial projects such as offices, multifamily residences, and restaurants/cafes who want to have a unique look or living garden wall feature.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
The first credit I must give is to the Lord for making any of this possible. He has provided many mentors along the way, which I will mention.

Enzo, of Enzo Caserta Landscaping in Pacific Palisades, CA. When you want to be the best, you learn from the best. Enzo schooled me very quickly in how to put together a landscape bid told me exactly what to do on my first professional landscape job. For this extremely busy man to take time to walk a tiny job with me, I will be forever grateful, for he taught me how to fish that day.

Deborah, my lovely sister in Christ, mentor, iron sharpener, and life coach. This woman has encouraged me to become the best version of myself; by putting God first, you will be rewarded. She has encouraged my confidence, taught me how to be a better and smarter business woman, and supported this business every step of the way. Thank you for sharpening me.

Robert – This man has learned all that he knows by doing it himself; a self-taught businessman, extremely smart and business savvy. Robert has mentored me in many aspects and will continue to mentor me until my ears fall off. Robert has inspired me in ways he may never know by telling me things most people do not want to hear, and by listening to this man I have taken the hard and scary route which has proven to be most rewarding. Thank you for not being easy on me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.carmelgardensnc.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/carmelgardens/

Image Credits
Caleb Pelikan