Traditional-style Landscapes by James Martin Associates Win Seven Awards in National and Regional Competitions

Online, March 19, 2014 (Newswire.com) - James Martin Associates, Inc., an industry-leading architecture firm and contractor announces it has been honored with seven awards for three recently completed landscape projects on Chicago's northshore. The three residential properties, each designed, installed, and maintained by JMA, demonstrate ways of incorporating traditional European design elements in landscapes that strike a balance between formal and natural.

All three properties, ranging from a five-acre estate on the lake to a tight, urban-like lot enjoy picturesque views from every perspective - laid out with straight-forward geometry that creates a sense of outdoor rooms ideal for entertaining or relaxing with family and friends. In the hands of JMA's skilled designers and maintenance technicians, the spaces are ordered with elegant touches, but not rigid or restrictive. The clients' children and pets can enjoy the gardens, fountains, furnishings, pool, and open spaces freely.

The livability of elegant outdoor spaces and gardens is a hallmark of JMA's landscape design and maintenance approach. Valuable site features like the numerous mature trees on each property and a protected shoreline, are preserved and honored in the design and maintenance operations. The use of chemicals is minimal with the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices. With careful plant selection and proper horticultural practices the gardens are well-behaved without the need for intensive inputs and manipulation.

The three projects, entitled Grand Estate, Lush Elegance, and Subtle Elegance respectively, won 3 awards for landscape construction and landscape maintenance in an annual competition hosted by the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA). The aptly titled Grand Estate project also captured the highest honor in the ILCA's Excellence In Landscape Awards, winning the best-in-show Judges Award over all project entries in 2013. The three same projects were also recognized nationally in the 2013 PLANET National Landscape Awards of Excellence. The Professional Landcare Network (PLANET) is the country's largest professional association for landscape design, construction, and maintenance companies.

Including the seven most recent awards, James Martin Associates, Inc. has won more than 60 awards over the last 10 years, making it one of the most recognized landscape firms in the country.