Landscape Design and Installation Services
Country Mile Gardens offers both design and turn-key installation services. Our Lead Designer will visit your property to assess, measure, and create a customized planting plan incorporating design interventions tailored to your specific needs. From something as simple as a row of trees for privacy, to a complete foundation or entire property design, we have the ability to transform your dreary landscape into your own beautiful oasis for years to come.
Please call us at 973-425-0088 or email Erik or Jenn us for more information.
Meet our Designers
Erik Maietta
Our Lead Designer, Erik, is very passionate about gardening and working with nature in all of his designs. He has an extensive knowledge of native plants, shrubs and trees of the Northeast as well as how to creatively design landscape spaces. Over the last 20 years, Erik has built a reputation as a valuable landscape design consultant capable of transforming any neglected property nightmare into the envy of the neighborhood. Erik’s completion of the Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA) program at Rutgers has only enhanced his insights into an array of landscape challenges requiring sensitivity to ecological design principles and sustainable planting solutions.
Erik’s strong passion for creating dynamic landscape designs combined with his diverse skill set and educational background make him the perfect choice for your next planting design project!
Jenn Thomas
Jenn creatively applies her plant knowledge to design landscapes that are beautiful and sustainable. Her goal is to leverage her passions for smart design and gardening to create green spaces that people love to live in. She takes the time to listen to her clients’ needs and is driven to help people choose plants that deliver an aesthetic they love, thrive on site, and meet maintenance expectations. Jenn has a strong scientific background with a B.S. from Virginia Tech and an M.S. from the University of Kentucky, as well as a Certificate in Landscape Design.
Jenn’s experience, education and knack for problem solving should help you feel confident that your landscape design will turn into a landscape success!
Recent Projects
This beautiful farmhouse was a blank slate, in need of a foundation garden for full sun. The homeowner loves hydrangeas, and generally wanted white and lavender flowers to soften the hardscape but needed deer resistant plants. The finished landscape has year-round seasonal interest.
This driveway boasted many hydrangeas which looked great from July to Oct, but left the entry bare for half the year once the leaves dropped. We replaced them with a variety of evergreens. As these shrubs mature, spring guests to this home will see big flower impact from PJM Rhododendron, followed by the dwarf Azalea, while in the winter they will be greeted by classic elegance from mounds of different types of evergreen leaves offering subtle but distinct variety.
This backyard got a fun mix of plants, with a variety of textures and colors. This full sun planting plan was laid out so that flowering shrubs invite bees away from the pool, while evergreens and grasses surrounding the pool deck attract fewer stinging insects to address the family’s concerns while providing a welcome landscape throughout the winter, when the fire pit is in full use!
This nearby Harding Residence was in DESPERATE need of a makeover! After removing all the existing weeds and carefully re-grading the difficult slope leading up to the house with new drainage , Erik transformed the front entry sequence using clusters of Dark Knight Caryopteris, Threadleaf Coreopsis (great for clay soil), Walker’s Low Catmint and Dwarf Pennisetum along the sunny walkway.
After staring at a dead boomerang-shaped island in front of her house, this Mendham customer consulted with our Lead Designer, Erik, to help rebuild the space with sun-loving and deer-resistant plantings including Hameln Grass, Catmint, Longwood Blue Caryopteris and Goldfinger Potentilla.
This Basking Ridge homeowner was tired of looking at the boring, messy edge of her backyard. We redefined her view by adding clusters of Brandywine and Seibold Viburnum, native Itea, Double Play® Big Bang® Spirea and Green Giant Arborvitae for an added sense of enclosure.
After 20+ years, the homeowner of this stately colonial was ready for a more flattering look. Our Designer, Erik, helped evaluate which shrubs should be replaced along his front foundation while keeping certain assets.
Yet another of Erik’s repeat customers also needed help creating beauty in their large but barren fenced-in backyard. Without the fear of deer issues, Erik wrapped the sunny perimeter of the yard with both Limelight Hydrangeas, Equinox Valley Lilacs, Wine & Roses® Weigela, and Japanese Snowball Viburnum.
This Jockey Hollow Residence was also in need of a refresh that tolerated north-facing, deep shade… and of course deer too! The shrubs along the foundation were overgrown and spindly while the plantings along the walkway sprawled out creating a messy, undefined look.
The owners of this recent Chatham rebuild, were looking to remove a row of small, recently planted azaleas along their backyard fence line and replace with evergreen privacy screening.
Our lead designer, Erik, was presented with an interesting challenge by one of our Morristown customers: Turn a useless lawn area into a whimsical spruce forest reminiscent of the Northwest.
This local Bernardsville couple needed help refreshing their property in preparation for their daughter’s backyard wedding. Erik helped them identify the most important areas to focus on to make the most impact within their budget.
This project is the 3rd for Erik with this local Bernardsville homeowner. After adding privacy screening for the pool area and refreshing their driveway island, it was time to address the front foundation entry area.
This local customer consulted with Erik to wrap his front yard in new planting beds to provide color and texture throughout the season.
In this project we utilized all the best deer resistant and shade tolerant shrubs to create a clean, simple and low-maintenance design.
In this project we utilized all the best deer resistant and shade tolerant shrubs to create a clean, simple and low-maintenance design.
This local residence was another “blank slate” in desperate need of a makeover! Each side of the house required specific, low-maintenance design strategies such as deer/sun tolerant, deer/shade tolerant and deer/shade/wet tolerant.
The foundation of this sprawling farmhouse in Mendham was completely bare and in need of a solid foundation plan to complement the unusual façade. Our Landscape Designer worked with the clients’ needs that included strategically blocking two AC units while not overwhelming the house itself.
The property manager of this Basking Ridge office building requested our expertise to update the front façade with color and texture to complement and soften the building’s entrance and the existing river rock stone groundcover. The client was truly delighted with the end result!
The design for this modern remodel required a palette of low-maintenance, deer resistant and drought tolerant shrubs and low grasses that would not obscure/overpower the new glass façade.
The owners of this charming, woodland home needed our help to update a challenging, shady back patio area. Our Landscape Designer, Erik, called upon his extensive expertise in shade gardens to create an enchanting transformation that exceeded the clients’ expectations.
The homeowner of this Morris Plains backyard needed help beautifying her dull and dreary privacy fence. Our Landscape Designer Erik utilized both evergreen and deciduous shrubs along with strategic, walnut tree tolerant understory shrubs to finish off her private oasis.
This local Bernardsville home was being engulfed with overgrown, improperly situated shrubs! By providing renderings and an in-store consultation, our Landscape Designer, Erik, produced a “makeover” that incorporated the homeowners’ preferences with additional, unique plant selections that enhanced the front entry sequence.
This charming modern home was ready for a 21st century makeover with deer-resistant color and texture. Utilizing a mixture of evergreen and deciduous shrubs with perennials and grasses, the final installed design created a spectacular entry sequence that was described by the homeowner as “truly amazing!”.
With the kids out of college, the owners of this stately colonial home were ready to focus on their dark, overgrown landscaping. Erik, the landscape designer, worked closely with the clients to create a handsome front planting that includes a variety of textures and colors throughout the season. Erik demonstrated what a dramatic change could be achieved at the front entry with an illustrative rendering and in-house consultation.
CMG’s landscape designer, Erik, helped the homeowners of this cozy cottage with boxwoods being damaged from snow and ice falling from the steep roof. Erik recommended lining the foundation with Duke Gardens Japanese Plum Yews, a graceful, finely textured evergreen shrub with a spreading, mounded habit. Its compact size is perfect for small gardens, low hedges, or borders and its flexible branches will help withstand the punishing snow.
To help maintain a sense of woodland enclosure after losing many trees, this Basking Ridge residence needed just the right combination of shade/deer tolerant Green Giant Arborvitae and seasonal understory shrubs. Our designer, Erik, included a colorful assortment of plantings including fragrant Itea and Clethra to complete this backyard border that is worthy of any upscale park!
This quaint Bernardsville home was in desperate need of softening unsightly utility pipes and wiring… and within their budgetary needs. Erik strategized a cost-effective and efficient planting plan that will provide privacy and properly frame their newly-painted home for years to come.
CMG was recruited to help with a strategic front foundation update to help disguise two AC units while still allowing for easy maintenance access in the future. Additional shrub, perennial and clematis vines were included to complete this charming, woodland scene. The client was quite pleased with the design suggestions and strategy provided by Erik.
Improperly maintained trees and shrubs were casting a bad light on this local Bernardsville residence. Utilizing illustrative renderings, CMG’s Landscape Designer, Erik, was able to fine-tune a customized design that truly struck a chord with the homeowner. By removing what wasn’t working and adding strategic shade tolerant shrubs and perennials, the front entry porch is now vibrant and inviting!
The owner of this mid-19th Century cottage needed help cleaning up and pulling together an inviting look to complete her private woodland oasis. Our landscape designer, Erik, selected just the right combination of flowering shrubs and perennials to provide season-long enjoyment.
The owners of this charming Morristown home were dreaming of a new front garden design to match the style of their home… while removing as much lawn area as possible!
Our Landscape Designer, Erik, worked closely with a local Morristown couple to create a low-maintenance, deer-tolerant, flowering garden to replace their under-utilized lawn area. With Double Play® Doozie Spirea, Hameln grass, and Goldfinger Potentilla, this front island will be turning heads all spring and summer long.
Nestled in between giant oak trees in the hills of Basking Ridge, this charming Ranch was overgrown and in need of a facelift! After a new coat of paint to simplify the house, a similar approach was applied to the foundation planting beds.
After installing a new patio, this Harding homeowner needed to dress up the adjacent bed. Our Lead Designer, Erik, created two possibilities with illustrative renderings to help the client visual her options.
The owners of this stately Colonial home were ready to part ways with their sprawling, overgrown shrubs and switch to a new approach. Our Lead Designer, Erik, worked closely with the homeowner to fine-tune a unique design solution using a mixture of low shrubs and grasses to flank a central massing of Limelight Hydrangeas that will quickly mature to 6-8 feet tall and wide!
The homeowners had become quite frustrated with their heavily-shaded front yard and degraded soil that was preventing successful plantings. Erik realized they required some of the best deep shade tolerant shrubs (along with mushroom compost to reinvigorate the soil!).
The design request for this charming Bernardsville home was to add a stunning Eastern Redbud along the barren driveway. Our designer, Erik, worked with the existing grade to create an aesthetically-pleasing cascade of plantings using native itea and Brandywine Viburnum to soften the view and provide privacy during the spring and summer.
This Morristown condo owner was tired of her dull patio plantings with overgrown, invasive Burning Bush taking engulfing the back of her property. Our Lead Designer, Erik, included some tough but underutilized perennials for the patio such as Blue Star Amsonia, Bishop’s Hat Epimedium, Japanese Forest Grass, and Pandora Ligularia to create a stunning array of texture and color.
One of our favorite customers enlisted our Lead Designer, Erik, to help with two areas posing different challenges. After losing several Blue Spruce trees to disease, the front roadway no longer provided any buffer from passing cars. Erik artfully placed Green Giant Arborvitae in between deer-resistant understory shrubs to create an inviting entry that also provides sense of enclosure.
The owner of this small but problematic front garden needed to replace worn out Japanese Hollies with a strong foundation of shade-tolerant Green Mountain Boxwoods along with just the mix of additional Candy Corn Spirea, catmint and salvia.
This savvy landlord in Basking Ridge had the good sense to contact our Lead Designer, Erik, to help with the finishing touches to make his property really stand out to potential renters. Erik included just the right amount of evergreen foundation along with low-maintenance, shade-tolerant perennials.
This new Colonial-style home in Randolph was in desperate need of a front foundation planting upgrade for the new decade. We replaced overgrown junipers and barberries with a cleaner but unique arrangement of Little Princess Spirea, Hameln Grass and Dark Knight Caryopteris, framed with Duke Gardens Plum Yews and Red Beauty Hollies.