After 40 years, Dallas Foster still credits one of his first customers as a driving force behind his decision to start his landscaping business, Landscapes by Dallas Foster, Inc.
“Working with her helped me decide, as a designer, I could express myself through nature, through my landscaping projects,” says the Vincennes, Indiana-based landscape designer who has worked in Evansville and the Tri-State for the last four decades.
Nature always has been a part of Foster’s life — after spending his youth on a farm, he would go on to graduate from Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, with a degree in landscape management and design. He worked a few years with Forbes Nursery and Landscape Company before striking out on his own in 1979.
“I’ve always loved trees and plants,” he says. “Over the years, our designs have developed into what we call well-
designed landscapes in a non-obvious way, reflecting nature but still satisfying the elements of design.”
Ten years after starting Landscapes by Dallas Foster, Inc., his wife Susan joined him in the business, creating what Foster describes as a strong team.
“She has a very artistic eye herself. She also brought in more of the business operations side of the company,” he says. “We use our own home as a showplace, and we experiment with our ideas there.”
Teamwork has been a strong component for his business over the last 40 years. Along with his designers, his team features talented landscape installers and trained horticulturalists who care for the wide variety of plants used in his projects. The crew prides themselves on creating natural waterfalls, patios, and walkways as well as providing several other landscaping services. Foster also enjoys incorporating reclaimed antique architectural pieces as a unique focal point in many of his projects as well.
“I couldn’t do any of this without my team. I have such a great group, and I’ve attracted lots of artistic people to my team, which I’ve been grateful for,” says Foster.
As the business continues, he says it is the people and love of nature that continues to excite him about the business.
“I feel very attached to the work we do. I don’t want to get mushy about it, but there is a great sense of pride you feel,” says Foster.
Fresh Blooms
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