Featured Gardens Portfolio
Chicago (Andersonville)
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:
This client wanted to expand beds and create "good bones" for a mixed perennial and annual garden.
BELOW AFTER:
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RIght: A raised bed provided lead free food planting for herbs and tomatoes. The Edenstone drywall provided definition and a sense of flow for bedlines.
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:
This front yard had the challenge of ice ponding right at the entrance of the home from the downspout and alley run-off.
BELOW AFTER:
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Left: The Rain Garden utilized on-site daylilies, ammended by carexes, and easily infiltrated water run-off from downspout.
Right: A new paver entrance elevated the walkway and blocked alley water from puddling. The annual pots created a seasonal welcome.
Oak Park, Illinois
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:
Our Oak Park client had a pond they rarely sat by and wanted a patio for entertaining instead.
BELOW AFTER:
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Right: The back corner was transformed into a meditation corner surrounded by a field of flowers and a shade garden.
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Left: Pinks and pastels were the clients' favorite colors, so we placed them right next to the entertainment patio.
Right: A cycle of blooms created food for native pollinators and host plants for local butterfly species.
Chicago
Chicago (Ravenswood)
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:
Residential front yard of bungalow with major flooding issues stemming from roof-runoff.
BELOW AFTER:
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Right (Year two): Plants in August bloom cycle. Dry stack wall supported a deeper berm in front of the Rain Garden. More mature plants manage the water well.
Michiana, Michigan
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:
This vacation home was an open palette ready for the opportunity to enhance the wonderful sense of place that is Michiana. Native plantings were part of the base concept, using cultivated plants in the areas that surrounded "outdoor room" areas.
BELOW AFTER:
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Right: The sunniest spot in the yard became home to field flowers and dunes open land plants.
ABOVE: Rain swales on the day of install in 2013.
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Right: Late summer, the allium heads are just past bloom while the irises and sedges continue to thrive and reduce flow to the client's driveway.
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Right: An imposing 5' ceramic bear statue guards the corner of the backyard and makes for conversation when viewed from hot tub.
Lake Forest, Illinois
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:
The owner of this elegant 1925 property wanted to create updated flower beds and foundation plantings for a more inviting entrance to their home.
BELOW AFTER:
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Right: Just after installing the side entrance to the property was planted with charming, shade loving ferns, Jacob's ladder, and native Hydrangea aborescens.
Evanston, Illinois
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:Our Evanston client wanted to remedy the dangerous freeze/thaw icing on their back stairs and concrete patio.
BELOW AFTER:
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Right: Rain water from the back roof of the house was diverted under a seating patio area to create a second, larger rain garden.
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:
A major concern of the client's was flooding by the garage door which made the area impassable in big rain events without rainboots.
BELOW AFTER:
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Right: No more icy stairs. The Northwest corner downspout was right off the stairs.
Chicago Rooftop In-ground Gardens
This client wanted a garden that would evoke the High-line in New York City and together we achieved his vision. He wanted a garden he could escape too with out all the fuss of kitchens. Using natives (in the foreground) we installed extrinsic gardens that could actually were green roof infrastructure style to support a garden, grow a small dogwood and have fresh herbs available. These beds were built and planted in collaboration with Chicago's Omni-Ecosystems. A light weight microbial activated medium was used to establish thriving plants.
Chicago (Albany Park)
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:
A proponent of sustainable landscape practices, this client said, "Out with grass!"
BELOW AFTER:
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Right: Puddling and ponding on the public walkway was successfully managed by creating an attractive dry stream bed.
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Right: Raised beds made with galvaluminum siding and filled with organic vegetable soil were built in 2015 to replace the original repurposed barn wood beds that had begun to rot.
Cary, Illinois
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:
Originally situated in an old growth Oak and Hickory forest, the developers of this property came back through and created this steep grade from yard to street against the homeowner's wishes. Now dealing with shady Hickory and Oak understories as well as quick draining soil (the opposite of what we are used to seeing!), our client's faced a challenge at their new home.
BELOW AFTER:
This is the front border bed of our client's new perennial garden, full of native plantings and bursts of seasonal color.
ABOVE BEFORE WORK:
A peek of an Oak understory section of the garden, full of weeds and declining Mayapples.
BELOW AFTER:
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Right: The view out of the client's Master bedroom became home to a few of the client's personal favorite cultivars.