No two projects are exactly the same, making actualizing his clients’ unique visions exactly what Brian Linson loves about landscaping.

With his expertise and attention to detail, it is no surprise Linson won “Business Person of the Year” as the owner of North Whidbey’s BL Landscapes, which won “Business of the Year” and “Best Landscaping” in the Best of Whidbey Awards, hosted by the Whidbey News Group. A special section with all the award winners is inserted in Saturday’s South Whidbey Record.

“My goal is that on every job, we surpass their expectations,” Linson said. “We want to do something that is better than what they pictured in their head.”

Originally from Mississippi, his family moved to Whidbey when his dad retired from the military. As a kid living on 10 acres south of Coupeville, Linson entertained himself by constructing miniature roads out of driveway gravel for his Tonka Trucks, decorating them with plants from his mom’s garden.

“I grew up on a small farm, and so I think what really fascinated me in the beginning was just watching things grow and evolve and just kind of trying to make beauty out of something that was nothing at first,” he explained.

Since, Linson has accumulated 25 years of experience in landscaping. His company, BL Landscapes, serves Whidbey Island, Mukilteo, Sedro Wooley, Stanwood and Camano Island.

Design and installation are BL Landscapes’ bread and butter. Many of the requests Linson fills are for aesthetically pleasing but low maintenance designs built for longevity. Softscaping is a focus of Linson’s as well, and he likesincorporating more bedding areas and fewer lawns into designs so as to include as many plants as possible.

“I have studied plants my whole life, and especially their growth habits here on the island and what works and what doesn’t and what’s deer-resistant,” he said. “That, combined with working at nurseries and florist shops and stuff, I have a pretty extensive plant knowledge I really love plants.”

BL Landscapes is one of 20 groups to be featured at the upcoming Northwest Flower and Garden Festival, to be held over four days in mid-February at the Seattle Convention Center. Each submits a garden display to the event, which Linson said could see upwards of 60,000 attendees.

Linson is honored to be invited to the event, and said BL Lanscapes has been working on their display for about four months. To display their work is a big accomplishment, but Linson still finds his customer’s reactions the most rewarding.

“Obviously we have bills to pay, and we have to work, but really the goal is just making people happy. That’s the best part of this job,” he said.