The Team

Charles Reitz

Owner

Charles grew up in the Garden Route on a farm near Buffalo Bay. His natural love for flora and fauna was further nurtured through the exposure he received as a child from his parents, both avid bush lovers and travellers.

After matriculating at York High School in George, Charles went on to study horticulture at Cape Technicon in Cape Town. With diploma in hand he then set off to discover the world, landing a job in Hawaii with North Shore Tree Service. It was here that Charles had his first taste in climbing large trees and learning the fine skills of tree surgery and rope work and realised that these skills, coupled with horticultural knowledge, was the key to successful tree care.

From the US he moved to Europe where he gained further experience in estate management and garden maintenance in the South of France.

Upon returning to South Africa in 2006 and becoming the proud father of twins, Charles turned his attention to developing his own tree pruning and landscaping company, Reitz Tree Care, operated from his family farm in Plettenberg Bay.

After more than a decade in operation, Reitz Tree Care has grown into a highly regarded and sought-after landscaping company in the Garden Route with many notable clients to their name.

Nicole O’Connell

Design assistant and office administration

With a background in art and sculpture, Nicole joined Reitz Tree Care as office administrator but quickly proved herself to be highly proficient at design work. Now, juggling emails, QuickBooks and the telephone, Nicole also plays a large role in assisting Charles with landscape design.

“Creativity is a form of expression, it is a language and can influence people and create an awareness of life’s in-depth dimensions and emotions. Each garden design is about the feeling and function of the space. It becomes an art piece and a story,” she says.

Nicole is currently working at acquiring a diploma in horticulture through Unisa.

Michael Strickland

Irrigation manager

With nearly 20 years’ experience and qualifications in landscaping design and irrigation installation, Michael’s expertise is an integral part of Reitz Tree Care services. All water features, garden irrigation systems and dam projects are managed and carried out under his expert supervision.

The Crew

Reitz Tree Care boasts a team of ten dedicated and highly skilled crewmen. Each member of the team has been hand picked and trained in chainsaw operation, rope work, propagation, irrigation, tree management and general garden maintenance.

Estelle Simonis and Brave Kaunda

Nursery Management and Sales

Estelle and Brave run and manage the company’s retail nursery, Ouland Nursery which specialises in indigenous trees and plants. Both have been trained in plant identification and management by Charles and provide a helpful and knowledgeable service to the public.