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Welcome To Our E-Newsletter
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 Dear Client,
Well....it is a relief that I don't have any major weather events to discuss this month! The weather has actually been rather mild and has allowed us to keep very busy in all departments. Our construction department is diligently completing landscape projects in anticipation of the winter weather setting in; our maintenance department is expediting its schedule to try to get all properties leaf-free; and the garden maintenance department has been in full swing installing holiday lights, garland, wreaths and Christmas trees since before Thanksgiving. Below you will see an article highlighting our designer, Terry McMahon, that makes me proud! Terry and her substantial landscape plan for a Student Sanctuary at Union City High School were chosen by the Union City Board of Education for installation. Groundbreaking was held in October and the project is scheduled to be completed in the spring of 2012. Congratulations, Terry! Living in New Jersey, we enjoy interesting rolling, hilly, and sometimes mountainous terrain that can also make some yards particularly challenging to landscape. A beautiful solution to an uneven property problem is a wall built from one of numerous varieties of stone or masonry block. These walls not only serve a necessary function but are true decorative assets. Find out more in the Stone Walling article below. As always, thank you for your support. You can reach me by phone at 201-785-9400, ext. 204 or email me at mborst@borstlandscape.com to discuss any of the items in this letter, to say hello, or to talk about your garden. A very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year to all.
Sincerely Yours, Mark Borst Mark |
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 Stone Walling
 Stone walls have kept lands protected--and in place--for millennia, and they are still one of the best looking and most practical solutions to uneven or eroding sections of yard. Dry stone walls (constructed via the ancient method of "dry stacking" or interlocking stones without mortar) make excellent freestanding walls to enclose gardens or properties and can also be used as short retaining walls. Retaining walls are built to stabilize sloping lands and to prevent soil, vegetation and rocks from shifting downwards, however, we recommend binding the stones with mortar for projects taller than two or three feet. Stone walls can add interest, charm and sophistication to your property, but there is a definite science behind the art. The most important thing to consider when constructing a retaining wall is the amount of pressure that the retained material will create as it attempts to move forward and downslope over time due to gravity. Borst's designers will determine the amount of pressure based on the angle of internal friction, the cohesive strength of the retained material, and other factors. This information will determine the wall's structural requirements, including wall size, stone type, mortar mixture, depth of support trenches, and "deadmen" placement. (Deadmen are stones that connect the wall to the slope that it is retaining.) Traditionally, natural limestone, granite and sandstone are used in stone wall construction, as are manufactured mason blocks. Borst's masons will help you choose the best stone or blocks for your project based on the wall's performance requirements and the stone's weather endurance, resistance to water penetration, and ability to be worked into regular shapes before construction. Our masons will also ask if you prefer uniform or random rows, which will affect stone selection and the entire building process. When the structure is finished, we recommend planting shrubs in the soil being retained to further anchor it. Cascading plants such as thyme and lobelia can also be very attractive when rooted in the chinks of stone retaining walls. |
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Borst Employee Spotlight: Terry McMahon
Borst Landscape Designer Terry McMahon studied Landscape Architecture at Rutgers University where she received her BSLA degree in 1992. While at Rutgers, Terry took on a part-time position in campus planning, worked for various nurseries as well as with Rutgers Cooperative Extension's master gardener and youth programs. Prior to working with Borst Landscape, she had worked in design build for over 15 years.
Terry's talent in landscape design ranges from residential to commercial to educational. Many of her designs involve creating beautifully detailed and well thought-out landscapes that fit the clients' wish lists and needs. Her vision for the function, use and beauty of the landscape has helped her plan and install several projects for educational use. She relies on her keen assessments of the scale of school facilities and their outdoor spaces, and gets in tune with the practical needs and desires of the students and educators who will be using the spaces, when planning and designing interactive outdoor educational landscapes.
Terry is the perfect professional to contact if you have any questions regarding your residential, commercial or educational landscape design. You may email her at tmcmahon@borstlandscape.com.
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Union City High School Breaks Ground for Borst-Designed Student Sanctuary
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Rendering of Future Union City Student Sanctuary
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When Union City High School (UCHS) broke ground for its new Student Sanctuary in Union City this fall, Borst Landscape & Design's Terry McMahon was especially excited.
Terry had dedicated a solid two years to the detailed bidding process and painstaking design plans for this special outdoor space that had to at once provide an enriched student experience and a welcomed sense of place. Her efforts paid off big when she was awarded a head landscape designer post by the Union City Board of Education.
"I love the enthusiasm that is ongoing with this project," says Terry. "The talent and experience among the professionals is a privilege to be a part of, and ultimately the project will be an outstanding success."
The Student Sanctuary is already a winner: it was the recipient of the Hudson County Planning Board's 2011 Gold Smart Growth Award, selected based upon site selection, site design and proposed green infrastructure criteria provided by a number of sources including the American Planning Association, The U.S. Green Building Council, and NJ Future.
When construction is completed in June 2012, the tangible results of McMahon's hard work and keen vision will be unveiled in the form of a 16,900-square-foot, gorgeously landscaped, triangular pedestrian plaza connecting Union City High School's main entrance to the community. The urban oasis will provide an outdoor space that welcomes both students and members of the public with decorative winding paths, a fully functioning rain garden, a small amphitheater, benches, a decorative radius pergola with additional seating, and a tranquil waterfall and fountain. Sculpted lawns and gardens will be planted with evergreen and deciduous trees, flowering shrubs and perennials, and attractive seasonal grasses that have been selected based on their ability to deliver gorgeous, changing colors and textures year round. Ornate metal security fences, gates and low natural-stone walls section off the plaza from the street.
Superintendent Stanley Sanger called the Sanctuary an extension of the classrooms that will provide tremendous learning experiences. UCHS Principal John Bennetti agreed, praising the area as one that will offer to students many unique horticultural, scientific, and environmental research opportunities.
Student Council President Jowkuell Arias foresees a beautiful, relaxing oasis in which students can escape the city before, during and after school, giving the teens "a stronger sense of community and pride."
"That made me very happy to hear, especially coming from a student," beams Terry. "This Sanctuary is for them and Jowkuell summed up perfectly what had been my ultimate goal throughout this entire process."
Click here to download the plans.
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Borst News
Corporate Snow Removal
 Borst uses state-of-the-art equipment and hires plenty of extra manpower during the entire snowy season in order to keep area commercial properties clear. Our commercial snow removal teams are available to plow parking lots and sidewalks belonging to warehouses, retail establishments, hotels, office facilities and schools. Salt/calcium applications are also available.Borst Landscape & Design was ranked #82 in Snow Magazine's seventh annual Top Contractor list. Borst's position was based on its Winter 2010-2011 snow-removal performance and revenue numbers. Whittling the influx of nationwide candidates down to just 100 was an elaborate process and Snow Magazine calls the final list "a veritable who's who of the professional snow and ice management industry." Click here for the complete Snow Magazine 2011 Top Contractor List.
Borst Annual Company Tour
 Each year, Borst Landscape & Design's office staff takes a tour of the year's completed projects. The designers, landscapers and installers discuss each project in depth so that every employee knows what was done and why. This is both an educational trip and a fun one for employees who don't normally work in the field. Borst Landscape & Design Helps Preserve Historical Fell House of Allendale For the second year in a row, Borst Landscape & Design has offered to donate time and manpower to help maintain a piece of New Jersey history by plowing the area around The Fell House in Allendale this winter. Borst Landscape's generous service lends a hand in preserving the pre-Revolutionary home of John Fell, an eighteenth-century New Jersey Councilman and member of the First Continental Congress of the United States. Shannon Savage Offered DIY Decorating Tips to Readers of the Wyckoff and Oakland Journals Borst Garden Designer Shannon Savage has a knack for turning outdoor spaces into works of art by presenting your favorite decorations and plants in unique ways. For the fall season, she revealed some of her fun do-it-yourself decorating tips to the readers of the Wyckoff Journal and Oakland Journal.
Click here to read Shannon's entire article--and feel free to print a copy to save with your fall decorations for next year!
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Seasonal Tips
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Install Your Snow Stakes Now Before It's Too Late
Remember to plant your snow stakes before the ground freezes. The stakes make it easy for plowdrivers to identify your property lines and to avoid damaging your driveway, walks and Belgian blocks.
For the Birds
Many birds are vacationing down south, but those who stick out the cold winters here in New Jersey still need clean warm shelters. This is a great time to clean out your birdhouses for those little troopers. Birdbaths should be scrubbed and put away until spring, however. We suggest wrapping your birdbath with a tarp and bungee cords so it stays nice and clean until the fair-weathered flocks return.
Avoid the Big Freeze
As water freezes in pipes, the expanding ice can cause pipes to burst, which in turn can lead to flooding and expensive repair and plumbing bills. Avoid frozen pipes and huge headaches by shutting off water flow to all outdoor faucets and draining these lines of existing water.
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