Unlimited Earth Care’s Frederico Azevedo: Mastering the Power of Color in Landscape Design

Anybody who’s ever been stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on a summer morning as the trade parade winds its way through their town knows that the East End has more than its share of landscapers. With so many options, how do you know who to trust with the aesthetic, care and maintenance of your property?

You might start with a business that has been serving the Hamptons for over 30 years — a business whose owner consistently gets raves from his clients and who has been featured in two books that celebrate some of the finest landscape designers working today.

Founded in 1993 by Frederico Azevedo, Unlimited Earth Care is a special company because its owner is a special landscape designer.

Azevedo has a fiercely loyal clientele for a lot of reasons, but chief among them is his aesthetic philosophy.

“The most important design element to me is color,” he explains.” Almost all of my decision-making is guided by it.”

The people who hire Azevedo to work his magic often share his obsession with the vibrant hues and shadings of the landscapes that frame their homes.

“When I’m meeting with clients to discuss what their hopes are for their projects, they always mention color,” he says. “They want those sweeping floral borders that burst into red, fuchsia and yellow, or soft washes of lavenders and pinks. I’d consider my sense of color and the living palettes that I’m able to create and maintain to be my signature.”

Acevedo believes that plants and flowers are at their most beautiful when they’re thriving in an environment that’s right for them. He points out that he never forces a color palette that isn’t correct for the site. Instead, he creates a color plan that forms in collaboration with the natural conditions of the setting.

“When flowers are planted in the right soil with the right amount of sun, it sets the stage for some of my signature garden aesthetics: bright, vibrant colors and rich, lush greens,” he says. “My aesthetic philosophy is tied into my focus on sustainability and maintenance. When I’m making design choices about things, like texture and atmosphere, I’m always informed by the realities of the property.”

While Azevedo’s floral palette varies with every landscape he creates, he does have some favorites, including Hamptons classics like hydrangea, rudbeckia and lavender. He also enjoys designing with alliums, for example, because of their graphic qualities and the fact that they bloom in bright hues and do not attract deer or rabbits.

Other favorites include echinacea, a native North American plant that blooms in a vibrant pink and complements the greens of many other plants in Azevedo’s designs. Echinacea also attracts butterflies and supports native bee populations. Agastache, another of Azevedo’s favorites, is also pollinator-friendly and naturally deer-resistant. He points out that its soft spiked blooms are an effective way of blending colors and creating an abundant country garden feeling.

You can read much more about Azevedo’s aesthetic philosophy in two handsome books, both of which prominently feature his designs. Bloom is dedicated entirely to Azevedo’s work while Inspired Outdoor Living includes his designs as part of a survey of imaginative backyard spaces curated by over 50 top international design professionals.

Both Bloom and Inspired Outdoor Living are available at The Garden Market in Bridgehampton. Owned and operated by Azevedo, the Market features a curated selection of native and well-adapted plants and flowers that thrive in the unique environment of the East End, as well as accessories, outdoor furniture and planters for the modern garden.

In addition to comprehensive landscape design, Unlimited Earth Care also offers a full roster of lawn care, irrigation and maintenance services, including pruning, weeding, staking, dividing, edging, deadheading, cutting back flowering shrubs, raking, soil cultivation and the spreading of compost.

Whether creating a lush floralscape or an ongoing irrigation and maintenance plan, Azevedo points out that his recommendations are always specifically tailored to the needs of his clients’ individual properties. He notes that Unlimited Earth Care works closely with ecologists, arboriculturists, surveyors and specialists to provide a holistic approach to the site and stay in context with its surroundings.

“I have great relationships with my clients because we work together to find what’s right for them,” he explains. “The process requires me to reflect their style and what kind of life they want to have outdoors. They trust me to understand what plants and trees will be healthy and beautiful on their property — and I really appreciate that trust.”

-PARTNER CONTENT