Cocktail Hour
Private Garden – Lake Forest, Illinois

After visiting a private neighborhood garden, the owners dreamed of converting their property of Buckthorn, stagnant water, and vast lawn into a sophisticated, park-like garden of their own. The design lays out a series of garden rooms and corridors, initiating movement and exploration between spaces.  Stone walkways are suspended over reflecting pools, flowing from the garden entry to a sunken basin in the Gingko allee. Painted brick and bluestone stairs ascend to a quaint, wood shingle poolhouse and cutting rose garden. Hand-forged, iron archways frame a descending lawn corridor between the pool garden and panoramic lower meadow. The horticulturally rich design introduces roughly 150 different species of trees, shrubs, evergreens, and perennials, while protecting existing trees on site.  The plant combinations are more modest around the home, while the rear border is a diverse mixture of native plants and locally adaptive species, to reflect a natural meadow with prairie influences. The overall experience delivers a sequence of stunning vistas, artful garden scenes, and intimate seating spaces, perfect for gathering friends and family.

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