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Colette Kuki of Wallace has recently completed requirements to become a Registered Landscape Contractor in the state of North Carolina. She is the first woman in Duplin County to achieve this distinction within her profession. Colette and her husband, Mike Long, own and operate Island Creek Landscaping.
The Longs came to Wallace in 1999 to buy residential property on a golf course with plans to build a retirement home. Colette recalls that she and Mike were very impressed with the landscaped entrance and common areas of River Landing during their first visit to the community. Their plans to build a home led to a meeting with Greg Maready who was the first Horticulturist at River Landing. Greg was instrumental in installing the award winning main entrance and pool area of River Landing. Maready left his employment with River Landing but remained a mentor to the inspired Longs.
It all started, basically, when their landscaper quit the week he was supposed to do their yard, and they needed a finished yard to close on the loan. Because they had a business license they could get materials wholesale. Along with a borrowed tractor from their builder, they put in their own yard. That?EUR??,,????'?????< They had chosen the lot for their house because there were no houses facing them, which gave them an open expanse. They?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< When building their own pond, Mike and Colette used just the pump, the liner and the filter that came in a kit. They had to research the rock and the plantings separately, and decided not to have any fish because there are too many herons. Practice Makes Perfect They knew from seminars they?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< They incorporated both annuals and perennials in their landscape as a finishing touch. ?EUR??,,????'?????< About 50 percent of Island Creek?EUR??,,????'?????< Perfection Tells the Story Says Colette, ?EUR??,,????'?????< But in the meantime, people asked their opinion about their yards and they?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette grew up on a vineyard in Southwestern Michigan with parents who taught her their love of nature and horticulture. The love of landscaping grew from sharing yard duties with Mike at each home they shared. Mike and Colette eventually progressed to re-doing the landscapes of homes they purchased and eventually became sought after for landscape advice by neighbors and friends. Now the business has five employees including Colette and Mike. Everyone but Cheryl is full time. Moysef and Pedro are their maintenance crew. As the company progressed, people asked them to mow their yards. Initially, they resisted because of the tremendous amount of overhead. Ultimately, they had to give in because there wasn?EUR??,,????'?????< As their biggest advertising asset, Colette changes out the plantings in their yard often, incorporating both annuals and perennials as a finishing touch. She prefers to use tried and true perennials like the delasperma as much as possible because they work well with the local soil type. Re-Imaging is Hard But Needed They do a lot of re-imaging of yards because of poor quality or substandard installation work. ?EUR??,,????'?????< Re-imaging landscapes is about 50 percent of their business. The job could be a little corner or the whole half of the yard. There are certain standards of landscaping that need to be utilized, Colette adds. Basics of understanding water run-off, the plant types needed for various soil types, as well as correct installation of plant materials makes a huge difference in the survival of the plants. ?EUR??,,????'?????< The company has five employees including Colette and Mike. Everyone but Cheryl is full time. Moysef and Pedro are their maintenance crew. Here, the staff is sitting in the iris garden. Standing from left to right: Moysef, Colette and Mike. Seated from left to right: Pedro and Cheryl Small But Happy They?EUR??,,????'?????< They don?EUR??,,????'?????< After three years as full service landscape contractors, Island Creek took the next step. Says Colette, ?EUR??,,????'?????< Why Licensing Registration is Important: ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette applied to take the test the day that she was eligible. She had to be in practice for three years first. On her third year anniversary she put in her application. And even though their vendors said it wasn?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< This customer paid a lot of money to another landscape contractor for this installation, but no one was assigned to the maintenance other than mowing. It was in disarray and Island Creek was finally hired to re-image it. It was the biggest re-imaging job they?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette has a degree in nutrition, but didn?EUR??,,????'?????<
They had chosen the lot for their house because there were no houses facing them, which gave them an open expanse. They?EUR??,,????'?????<
?EUR??,,????'?????<
They knew from seminars they?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< They incorporated both annuals and perennials in their landscape as a finishing touch. ?EUR??,,????'?????< About 50 percent of Island Creek?EUR??,,????'?????< Perfection Tells the Story Says Colette, ?EUR??,,????'?????< But in the meantime, people asked their opinion about their yards and they?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette grew up on a vineyard in Southwestern Michigan with parents who taught her their love of nature and horticulture. The love of landscaping grew from sharing yard duties with Mike at each home they shared. Mike and Colette eventually progressed to re-doing the landscapes of homes they purchased and eventually became sought after for landscape advice by neighbors and friends. Now the business has five employees including Colette and Mike. Everyone but Cheryl is full time. Moysef and Pedro are their maintenance crew. As the company progressed, people asked them to mow their yards. Initially, they resisted because of the tremendous amount of overhead. Ultimately, they had to give in because there wasn?EUR??,,????'?????< As their biggest advertising asset, Colette changes out the plantings in their yard often, incorporating both annuals and perennials as a finishing touch. She prefers to use tried and true perennials like the delasperma as much as possible because they work well with the local soil type. Re-Imaging is Hard But Needed They do a lot of re-imaging of yards because of poor quality or substandard installation work. ?EUR??,,????'?????< Re-imaging landscapes is about 50 percent of their business. The job could be a little corner or the whole half of the yard. There are certain standards of landscaping that need to be utilized, Colette adds. Basics of understanding water run-off, the plant types needed for various soil types, as well as correct installation of plant materials makes a huge difference in the survival of the plants. ?EUR??,,????'?????< The company has five employees including Colette and Mike. Everyone but Cheryl is full time. Moysef and Pedro are their maintenance crew. Here, the staff is sitting in the iris garden. Standing from left to right: Moysef, Colette and Mike. Seated from left to right: Pedro and Cheryl Small But Happy They?EUR??,,????'?????< They don?EUR??,,????'?????< After three years as full service landscape contractors, Island Creek took the next step. Says Colette, ?EUR??,,????'?????< Why Licensing Registration is Important: ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette applied to take the test the day that she was eligible. She had to be in practice for three years first. On her third year anniversary she put in her application. And even though their vendors said it wasn?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< This customer paid a lot of money to another landscape contractor for this installation, but no one was assigned to the maintenance other than mowing. It was in disarray and Island Creek was finally hired to re-image it. It was the biggest re-imaging job they?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette has a degree in nutrition, but didn?EUR??,,????'?????<
They incorporated both annuals and perennials in their landscape as a finishing touch. ?EUR??,,????'?????<
Says Colette, ?EUR??,,????'?????< But in the meantime, people asked their opinion about their yards and they?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette grew up on a vineyard in Southwestern Michigan with parents who taught her their love of nature and horticulture. The love of landscaping grew from sharing yard duties with Mike at each home they shared. Mike and Colette eventually progressed to re-doing the landscapes of homes they purchased and eventually became sought after for landscape advice by neighbors and friends. Now the business has five employees including Colette and Mike. Everyone but Cheryl is full time. Moysef and Pedro are their maintenance crew. As the company progressed, people asked them to mow their yards. Initially, they resisted because of the tremendous amount of overhead. Ultimately, they had to give in because there wasn?EUR??,,????'?????< As their biggest advertising asset, Colette changes out the plantings in their yard often, incorporating both annuals and perennials as a finishing touch. She prefers to use tried and true perennials like the delasperma as much as possible because they work well with the local soil type. Re-Imaging is Hard But Needed They do a lot of re-imaging of yards because of poor quality or substandard installation work. ?EUR??,,????'?????< Re-imaging landscapes is about 50 percent of their business. The job could be a little corner or the whole half of the yard. There are certain standards of landscaping that need to be utilized, Colette adds. Basics of understanding water run-off, the plant types needed for various soil types, as well as correct installation of plant materials makes a huge difference in the survival of the plants. ?EUR??,,????'?????< The company has five employees including Colette and Mike. Everyone but Cheryl is full time. Moysef and Pedro are their maintenance crew. Here, the staff is sitting in the iris garden. Standing from left to right: Moysef, Colette and Mike. Seated from left to right: Pedro and Cheryl Small But Happy They?EUR??,,????'?????< They don?EUR??,,????'?????< After three years as full service landscape contractors, Island Creek took the next step. Says Colette, ?EUR??,,????'?????< Why Licensing Registration is Important: ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette applied to take the test the day that she was eligible. She had to be in practice for three years first. On her third year anniversary she put in her application. And even though their vendors said it wasn?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< This customer paid a lot of money to another landscape contractor for this installation, but no one was assigned to the maintenance other than mowing. It was in disarray and Island Creek was finally hired to re-image it. It was the biggest re-imaging job they?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette has a degree in nutrition, but didn?EUR??,,????'?????<
But in the meantime, people asked their opinion about their yards and they?EUR??,,????'?????<
Colette grew up on a vineyard in Southwestern Michigan with parents who taught her their love of nature and horticulture. The love of landscaping grew from sharing yard duties with Mike at each home they shared. Mike and Colette eventually progressed to re-doing the landscapes of homes they purchased and eventually became sought after for landscape advice by neighbors and friends.
Now the business has five employees including Colette and Mike. Everyone but Cheryl is full time. Moysef and Pedro are their maintenance crew. As the company progressed, people asked them to mow their yards. Initially, they resisted because of the tremendous amount of overhead. Ultimately, they had to give in because there wasn?EUR??,,????'?????<
They do a lot of re-imaging of yards because of poor quality or substandard installation work. ?EUR??,,????'?????< Re-imaging landscapes is about 50 percent of their business. The job could be a little corner or the whole half of the yard. There are certain standards of landscaping that need to be utilized, Colette adds. Basics of understanding water run-off, the plant types needed for various soil types, as well as correct installation of plant materials makes a huge difference in the survival of the plants. ?EUR??,,????'?????< The company has five employees including Colette and Mike. Everyone but Cheryl is full time. Moysef and Pedro are their maintenance crew. Here, the staff is sitting in the iris garden. Standing from left to right: Moysef, Colette and Mike. Seated from left to right: Pedro and Cheryl Small But Happy They?EUR??,,????'?????< They don?EUR??,,????'?????< After three years as full service landscape contractors, Island Creek took the next step. Says Colette, ?EUR??,,????'?????< Why Licensing Registration is Important: ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette applied to take the test the day that she was eligible. She had to be in practice for three years first. On her third year anniversary she put in her application. And even though their vendors said it wasn?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< This customer paid a lot of money to another landscape contractor for this installation, but no one was assigned to the maintenance other than mowing. It was in disarray and Island Creek was finally hired to re-image it. It was the biggest re-imaging job they?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette has a degree in nutrition, but didn?EUR??,,????'?????<
Re-imaging landscapes is about 50 percent of their business. The job could be a little corner or the whole half of the yard. There are certain standards of landscaping that need to be utilized, Colette adds. Basics of understanding water run-off, the plant types needed for various soil types, as well as correct installation of plant materials makes a huge difference in the survival of the plants. ?EUR??,,????'?????<
They?EUR??,,????'?????< They don?EUR??,,????'?????< After three years as full service landscape contractors, Island Creek took the next step. Says Colette, ?EUR??,,????'?????< Why Licensing Registration is Important: ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette applied to take the test the day that she was eligible. She had to be in practice for three years first. On her third year anniversary she put in her application. And even though their vendors said it wasn?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< This customer paid a lot of money to another landscape contractor for this installation, but no one was assigned to the maintenance other than mowing. It was in disarray and Island Creek was finally hired to re-image it. It was the biggest re-imaging job they?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette has a degree in nutrition, but didn?EUR??,,????'?????<
They don?EUR??,,????'?????<
?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette applied to take the test the day that she was eligible. She had to be in practice for three years first. On her third year anniversary she put in her application. And even though their vendors said it wasn?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< This customer paid a lot of money to another landscape contractor for this installation, but no one was assigned to the maintenance other than mowing. It was in disarray and Island Creek was finally hired to re-image it. It was the biggest re-imaging job they?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< ?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette has a degree in nutrition, but didn?EUR??,,????'?????<
Colette applied to take the test the day that she was eligible. She had to be in practice for three years first. On her third year anniversary she put in her application. And even though their vendors said it wasn?EUR??,,????'?????<
?EUR??,,????'?????< Colette has a degree in nutrition, but didn?EUR??,,????'?????<
Colette has a degree in nutrition, but didn?EUR??,,????'?????<
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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