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One Grand Award and Three Merit Awards!
James Martin Associates was honored by PLANET Professional Landcare Network in receiving an Environmental Improvement Grand Award and three Environmental Improvement Merit Awards. The awards were presented during the annual Green Industry Conference (GIC) held in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Grand Award was given for a Winnetka lakeshore residence. The challenge of maintaining the residence was to keep the landscape around the house well groomed and lush while maintaining an open lawn panel between the house and the edge of the bluff. The homeowner’s desire was to keep a meticulously groomed look to their lawn, which creates an inviting soft carpet of green inviting guests to enjoy the other landscape features of the property.
The plant material around the house is allowed to grow and mature as nature intended while the Martin Associates Maintenance Team selectively prunes them so that they will not overwhelm the rest of the landscape and enhance the layered or tiered effect of the plant stature.
The rear lawn helps enhance the spectacular views to Lake Michigan. The planting bed edges must be kept looking crisp and well defined.
In order to meet the homeowner’s requirement of a meticulous look, the large expanse of boulder wall and planting beds along the bluff are weeded and dead headed on a weekly basis. If any bare areas appear between the boulders the Maintenance Team supplements them with Sedum, Creeping Thyme and/or Daylilies to help control soil erosion.
A Merit Award was given for a Glencoe residence. The landscape maintenance requirements for this stately home required two different approaches because of the differing appearances of the front yard and the backyard. The homeowner's desire for the front yard was to make sure the formality is always looking uniform and pristine, while the backyard has a more casual feel to it which is intended as the homeowner's private oasis.
A Winnetka residence also received a Merit Award. The owners of this residence made a couple of simple requests pertaining to the care of their landscape. One was to keep the planting beds lush and tidy. The other was to keep the trees and shrubs pruned just enough to allow the plants to naturalize without crowding each other which gives the property a tranquil and friendly feel. These owners believed that "less is more." Martin Associates prunes the shrubs on a schedule based on the growth habit of these plants to ensure splendid flowering while enhancing their natural shapes.
Lastly, a Chicago residence received a Landscape Construction Merit Award. The owners purchased the lot and building next door and wanted to explore the ideas of having a front yard and expanding the rear outdoor living space. The house already enjoyed a small rear sunken bluestone dining area with a simple water feature. As the design progressed, it was decided that the new spaces would become an extension of the existing rear space with more seating area for entertainment while the front yard would become a semi secluded garden. It was also decided that the sunken patio would be raised level with the new living space allowing better circulation and efficient use of seating area.
James Martin Associates is proud to be honored with these 2012 PLANET awards and has received over 100 state and national awards during its 35 years in business.
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