A plan built around how your yard drains, where the shade falls and how you use it, then planted by the same crew.
An overgrown, shaded lot was cleared and graded, then laid out with bluestone stepping stones, gravel beds, planters and new sod.
Every design starts with a site evaluation. Jason walks the yard and looks at these before anything gets drawn.
Beds and lawn are shaped so rain runs away from the house, not into the new planting. If the yard has a drainage problem, it gets fixed before anything is planted.
Plants are picked for the light each spot actually gets, which is why the hostas go under the maple and not in the south-facing bed.
Where the kids play, where the dog runs and where you sit in the evening. Paths go where people already walk.
Mature trees and healthy shrubs stay, and the plan works around them.
The time you are willing to spend weeding and pruning decides how many beds there are and what goes in them.
Plants are set out in their pots before any go in the ground, so you can see the bed and move things while it is still easy.
“One time I realized (after the workers left) that a bush needed to be placed in a different spot, so I contacted him and they came back the same day to correct it.”
Jennifer P., La Grange
“Before, we never spent any time in our hardscaped back yard, but Streamline Landscaping makes it feel like an oasis.”
Frank, Western Springs
“Our friends describe it as an arboretum.”
James, Countryside
Foundation beds, borders and screening, with annuals and ground cover where they earn their place.
A mix of shrubs and perennials can be planned so something is in flower from spring into fall.
Water spills over stone, like these basalt columns, and drains into a reservoir hidden under the gravel.
There is no open pond to clean, fence or worry about with small children around.
New lawn goes in last, once the beds and paths are set, so it doesn't get torn up during the rest of the work.
Sod gives you a finished lawn the day it goes down. Seed costs less and takes a season to fill in.
No. Some jobs start with a master plan for the whole property, built all at once or a piece at a time. Others are a single foundation bed. Jason will say which makes sense on the walk-through.
Spring and early fall are easiest on new plants, when it is cool and rain does some of the watering. Most shrubs and perennials can go in any time the ground isn't frozen, as long as they are watered.
Deeply, a couple of times a week through the first season and more in a heat wave, rather than a little every day. New sod is different: keep the soil moist and stay off it for at least two weeks.
Yes. Mature trees and healthy shrubs are worth keeping, and a plan usually starts from them. Plants in the wrong spot can often be moved rather than thrown out.
Tell Jason what you like and what bothers you about the yard now. He'll take it from there.
