Inside ELM’s award-winning landscaping at River Oaks in Stamford, Conn.
Join us behind the scenes of an award-winning landscape. Meet the people, see the precision, and hear from ELM president & CEO Bruce Moore Jr.what it takes to make the exceptional look effortless.
River Oaks on the Rippowam is a 30-acre HOA community of 59 homes. ELM provides full-service, sustainable landscaping for all homes and common spaces, including specialized irrigation and eco-friendly pest management. Upon taking over the property, ELM consolidated multiple landscape vendors under its management. But bringing these ancillary services in-house, “we were able to fully manage the landscape maintenance of the property,” says Bruce Moore Jr., president and CEO of ELM. The team implemented an accountable program that he says consistently meets residents’ expectations.
This comprehensive maintenance plan contributed to ELM winning a Gold Award of Excellence from the National Association of Landscape Professionals for commercial landscape management.
The firm upgraded River Oaks’ irrigation systems to improve coverage and watering cycles, creating healthier, resilient turf. However, managing this landscape remains complex due to the community’s location along the Rippowam River, which flows into Long Island Sound. Managing lawn and plant health is challenging due to the need to protect designated wetland buffer areas on the property. “We guided the landscape committee in creating a property list that fulfills environmental, aesthetic and horticultural standards,” Moore says.
Read the full story in Landscape Management magazine’s July 2026 issue:
