C.J. has a gift for pleasing people. For starters, he listens. "I pay attention to what my customer is saying, then I do it right."

In fact, C.J. has won countless new clients who came to him after sharing their thoughts with other landscapers who presented them with designs that reflected little, if any, of their input.

Driven by a simple core value, C.J. takes a different approach: "I like making people happy." To this end, he learns each client's likes and dislikes, then designs around both. His inspiration might come from a long list of specifics or from a single focal point.

He concedes that natural settings are his personal preference, but he can accommodate any style. And each project is a labor of love that comes back to his desire to please the customer.

Every design C.J. executes is ultimately a collaborative effort. "A customer might like my ideas but prefer a metal arbor to the wooden one I've proposed. That's important because my goal is to create a very personal environment that can serve multiple needs, from solitude to parties and anything in between."

Perhaps C.J.'s best example of functional design is his own backyard, which serves as Top Cut's spectacular showroom. A blend of soothing water, cooing doves, exquisite lighting and, of course, a plethora of lush and colorful plants, the tasteful setting transforms a modest home into a sanctuary that rivals far more expensive real estate.

A living testament to a man's passion for his vocation, it reflects the care with which C.J. approaches his work: Ask him what he likes most about his creations and he answers without hesitation, "I like working with living things... God's creatures."