Joe Tuttle, landscape designer at Borst Landscape & Design in Allendale, New Jersey, is a Merit Award recipient of the 2011 Environmental Improvement Awards presented by Professional Landcare Network (PLANET), a national association that recognizes leaders in the green industry.

Tuttle was honored for a residential design/build project in the $100,000-500,000 range.

The project, which was designed and supervised by Tuttle, was for a home in Montvale, New Jersey. 

This award marks the fourth time that Borst Landscape & Design, a full-service landscape and hardscape firm, has been honored by PLANET in just three years. Borst was a 2009 Grand Award winner of PLANET’s 40th Annual Environmental Improvement Awards and, in 2010, Tuttle earned a Distinction Award and President Mark Borst was honored as one of three Trailblazers nationwide by the association’s membership in recognition of his long-term contributions to and excellence in the green industry, as well as his commitment to charitable endeavors.

PLANET strives to increase public awareness of environmental improvement through contracted landscaping, lawn care, and interior plantscaping and encourages the consistent use of quality materials and workmanship. Its Environmental Improvement Awards Program rewards independent landscape, lawn care, and interior plantscaping professionals who execute superior projects, which reflect the association's commitment to creating and preserving the beauty of our landscape. Tuttle’s latest award-winning installation was designed for the Nicolosi residence, located in Montvale N.J. This project offered Tuttle’s team an opportunity to landscape an entire property, front to back, starting with spectacular curb appeal and wrapping up with a gorgeous backyard custom-tailored for outdoor entertaining. The landscape plan addressed both aesthetic and functional issues that the property presented, such as the need for privacy from neighboring properties, a strategy to eliminate water runoff from the pool patio and standing water conditions created by the home builder, and the client’s requirements for a pool and spa, enough patio space for poolside entertaining, a cabana, and a dog run. Tuttle’s response to his backyard challenge began with a luxurious free-form swimming pool that boasts ample room for swimming and a built-in spa for relaxing. A paver patio with plenty of space for lounge chair seating and poolside dining was then laid around the pool and a custom-designed pool house – which includes a changing room and storage for pool furniture – was positioned as a striking focal point at the end of the pool. Tall evergreens and other carefully selected plantings were put to work along the property lines to provide natural privacy barriers and screen the dog run from the pool area. Tuttle then regraded the slope of the land and installed several lawn drains and a one-thousand-gallon seepage tank to capture runoff from the pool patio and to eliminate the standing water problem. This exquisite property now offers a private, dry backyard space in which the Nicolosi family can entertain and enjoy the outdoors poolside and in style.

For more information about this project or Borst Landscape & Design, call 201-785-9400 or visit www.borstlandscape.com.