From Full Transformation to Work in Progress, Properties Reflect Quality
Two Ridgewood, N.J., residential landscape projects planned and installed by Joe Tuttle, a landscape designer for Borst Landscape and Design, will be featured in the Women Gardeners of Ridgewood’s “Secret Garden 2008 Tour” in early June. Based in Allendale, the award-winning firm specializes in large-scale residential design/build services.
The first Borst-designed stop on the tour showcases the complexities and intricacies of slopes and retaining walls and how they can be used efficiently and effectively in the landscape. Borst transformed the property from an unwieldy multi-level yard to one that truly captures the imagination and demonstrates the designers’ dedication to problem solving and the maximizing of available space. A custom outdoor kitchen, eye-catching free-form pool and a family room that doubles as both interior and outdoor space all make for a truly impressive design.
The landscaping combines beautiful annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs, with hardscape elements including custom-cut stone work in the driveway and entry area, and bluestone retaining walls that create distinct entertainment areas through the backyard. An extensive range of woody plants – such as red twig dogwood, leucothoe, green giant arborvitae, boxwood, deodar cedar, blue weeping atlas cedar, emerald green arborvitae – enhance the atmosphere.
The second Borst-designed property on the tour demonstrates how garden transformations can, indeed, be installed in sections or phases as budgets allow. The main focus of this enchanting “work in progress” is the impressive, clematis-covered pergola that rests atop the brick-paved dining area extending from the rear of the house. The dining area flows beautifully to an in-ground pool, creating an extended entertainment area. A garden shed rests on an elevation at the rear of the yard, and the lawn winds gracefully up a slope and around the garage.
Featuring substantial plantings such as river birch, Japanese snowbell, magnolias, boxwood, little leaf Lindens, Leyland cypress, and a living fence of Arborvitae ‘Elegantissima,’ this exquisitely landscaped yard is enjoyed from a number of viewing points. This includes the glass-doored rear rooms of the house, which bring the outdoors in all year long.
“One of the best ways to get ideas for a home garden is to visit other gardens – meander pathways, admire views and vistas, and capture the elements that a well-thought-out landscape entails,” noted Tuttle. “This type of tour provides the opportunity to see which plants do well in sun or shade, which annuals or perennials work best in borders or in color schemes, and how to best use deciduous trees or evergreens to provide the bones of a landscape. We are honored that two of our projects are being looked at as benchmarks for quality and creativity.”
The “Secret Gardens 2008 Tour,” featuring 10 properties, will be held on Sunday, June 1 from noon to 5 p.m. and Monday, June 2 from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. To purchase tickets or for more information, call (201) 444-0937.
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