Landscape Design Company in Highland Park, IL — Poul’s Landscaping & Nursery
Highland Park properties carry a lot of character: wooded lots that back up to ravines, generous setbacks on streets lined with mature oaks, and architectural variety ranging from Prairie-style homes to classic Colonials to mid-century ranches. Getting the landscape right on a property like that takes more than a crew with a truck full of plants. If you’re looking for a landscape design company in Highland Park, IL that understands North Shore soil, local microclimates, and what a well-designed outdoor space actually does for a property at this level, Poul’s Landscaping & Nursery has been doing exactly that for decades across Lake County. We handle design and installation under one roof, which means the vision you approve is the vision that gets built.
Schedule Your Design Consultation and let’s talk about what your property needs.
Custom Landscape Design for Highland Park Properties
No two Highland Park lots are the same. A property near the bluff overlooking Lake Michigan faces entirely different conditions than a wooded lot in the Elm Place area or a corner parcel in Moraine Township. That variation is why cookie-cutter design packages don’t work here. What works is a design process that starts with your specific site: its topography, existing trees, drainage patterns, sun exposure, and how you actually use the outdoor space.
At Poul’s, we design landscapes that fit the property first and the homeowner’s vision second. Those two things almost always align, but the site is non-negotiable. A retaining wall in the wrong spot, a planting bed that ignores drainage, a patio that competes with a 60-year-old oak canopy rather than working with it: those are the mistakes that show up two seasons later and cost real money to fix.
We work with a wide range of residential project scopes, from full property redesigns on larger estate-sized lots to focused front-entry redesigns and back-of-house outdoor living buildouts. As part of Poul’s broader Lake County service area, Highland Park homeowners benefit from the same design depth we bring to every landscape design project across Lake County, IL.
What a Full-Service Landscape Design Project Looks Like
A full-service project at Poul’s starts with a site consultation. We walk the property with you, take note of what’s working and what isn’t, discuss your priorities, and start forming a realistic picture of scope and budget. There’s no pressure to commit to a $200,000 master plan on day one. Some clients want a phased approach. Others want the whole thing done in one season. Both are fine.
From there, our design team produces a landscape plan that shows plant placement, hardscape layouts, grading changes if needed, lighting concepts, and material selections. You see the full picture before a single shovel goes in the ground. That plan becomes the installation blueprint.
Once design is approved, our installation crews handle every element: hardscapes, planting, soil amendments, irrigation rough-ins if applicable, and final grading. Because design and installation live in the same company, miscommunication between a designer and a separate contractor isn’t a problem you’ll encounter. The designer knows what was specified. The crew builds what was designed. The finished result matches what you signed off on.
Hardscapes, Patios & Outdoor Living Spaces in Highland Park
Outdoor living in Highland Park is a genuine extension of the home, not an afterthought. The properties here support it: lot sizes are generous, the summer season is beautiful, and the right hardscape adds usable square footage that families actually spend time in. We design and install patios, retaining walls, walkways, steps, and shade structures as integrated parts of the overall landscape plan, not as separate add-on services bolted on after the fact.
Paver patios are one of our most requested elements in Highland Park. Natural stone and concrete pavers both perform well in our freeze-thaw climate when the base is built correctly. A poorly prepared base is the single most common reason patios fail within five years in northern Illinois. Our process follows best-practice installation standards that account for frost depth and drainage, which is especially important on Highland Park lots with heavy clay content. For more on material choices and installation standards, see our guide on patio paver installation for Lake Forest and North Shore properties.
Retaining walls are often structural necessities on Highland Park properties near the ravines or on any lot with grade changes. They’re also design opportunities. A well-built wall in natural limestone or tumbled block creates visual interest while solving a real engineering problem.
Pergolas and shade structures come up often in Highland Park design projects, particularly for back-of-house patios that face west or south. The lake doesn’t just bring moisture; it brings wind, and a pergola designed for this specific microclimate needs to account for that. We’ve addressed this directly in our resource on pergolas and shade structures that handle lake winds. If you’re still sorting out whether to prioritize hardscape or planting budget, our piece on hardscaping vs. landscaping for Illinois homes walks through how to think about that tradeoff.
Landscape lighting rounds out an outdoor living space and extends its usefulness into evenings. Path lighting, uplighting on specimen trees, and subtle accent lighting on hardscape elements all contribute to a finished look after dark. See our landscape lighting ideas for the front of house for a sense of what’s possible.
Plant Selection for Highland Park’s North Shore Climate & Soil
Highland Park sits in the USDA Hardiness Zone 5b/6a transition, which sounds straightforward until you account for what the lake actually does to the local microclimate. Lake-effect moisture and wind stress plants differently than inland conditions at the same latitude. Winter desiccation on broadleaf evergreens, wind scorch on newly planted shrubs, and frost pockets in low areas near the bluff are all real factors here, not abstractions.
The soil is another constraint. Much of Highland Park sits on heavy clay-loam that drains poorly, compacts easily, and makes root establishment harder for plants that aren’t suited to it. Freeze-thaw cycles in this soil can heave shallow-rooted plantings out of the ground over winter if they’re not installed and mulched correctly. We amend soil as part of our installation process, not as an optional upgrade.
Plant selection at Poul’s prioritizes species with demonstrated performance in this specific combination of conditions: cold hardiness, wind tolerance, and the ability to establish in heavier soils. That includes a strong emphasis on Illinois-adapted native species, which offer real ecological benefits alongside their resilience. Prairie dropseed, native viburnums, serviceberry, and river birch all perform well in North Shore conditions. The University of Illinois Extension maintains a useful reference on Illinois native plants that’s worth reviewing. For our own guidance on building a planting plan around Illinois soil conditions, see how to choose plants that thrive in Illinois soil.
Trees deserve a separate conversation entirely. The right tree in the right location is a 30- or 40-year asset. The wrong tree creates problems within five years: root conflicts with hardscape, scale issues with the house, or pest and disease susceptibility that requires ongoing treatment. Our guide to the best trees to plant in an Illinois yard covers shade, privacy, and seasonal color options that hold up on North Shore properties.
Why Highland Park Homeowners Choose Poul’s
There are a lot of landscaping companies working the North Shore. The difference with Poul’s comes down to a few things that matter at the level of property and investment that Highland Park homeowners are working with.
First, we have a nursery operation behind our design and installation work. That means plant sourcing isn’t a guessing game. When we specify a 3-inch caliper balled-and-burlapped Swamp White Oak for a particular spot, we can source it. We’re not dependent on whatever the nearest wholesale yard happens to have in stock the week of your install.
Second, our crews have worked on North Shore properties long enough to know what the specific site conditions here demand. Properties near the ravines. Wooded lots where root systems complicate every trench. Grade transitions common in the bluff neighborhoods. These aren’t surprises to us; they’re the normal operating conditions on this stretch of the lake.
Third, we don’t hand you off. The designer who worked on your plan is accessible through the installation. If something unexpected comes up on site (and on complex properties, something always does), there’s a real conversation between the designer and the field crew, not a phone tag loop between a salesperson and a subcontractor.
Highland Park is part of the broader North Shore corridor we serve, and the reputation we’ve built in communities like Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, and Winnetka follows us here.
Landscape Design That Adds Real Value to Highland Park Homes
In a market like Highland Park, curb appeal and outdoor livability carry meaningful weight in how a property is perceived and ultimately valued. A landscape that’s overgrown, dated, or just aesthetically disconnected from the home reads as deferred maintenance to buyers and neighbors alike. A landscape that’s well-composed, intentional, and appropriately scaled does the opposite.
We’re not going to promise specific ROI percentages, because landscape value is real estate dependent and every property is different. What we can say is that the relationship between quality landscape design and property value in high-end North Shore suburbs is well-documented. Our piece on whether landscape design adds value in high-end suburbs like Lake Forest explores this in detail with context that applies directly to Highland Park.
Beyond resale considerations, there’s the daily-use value of a landscape that actually functions for your household. A rear patio you spend three evenings a week on during the summer. A front entry that makes the house look like it belongs at this address. Screening that gives you privacy from a neighbor’s second story without blocking the afternoon light you want. These are quality-of-life outcomes, and they’re real.
Our Process: From First Consultation to Final Installation
Here’s how a typical project moves from first contact to finished landscape at Poul’s:
- Initial Consultation: We visit the property, walk the site with you, and discuss priorities, budget range, and any constraints we need to design around. This is a working conversation, not a sales pitch.
- Site Assessment: We document existing conditions including soil type, drainage behavior, sun and shade patterns, existing plants worth preserving, and any structural or grading issues that need to be addressed before planting.
- Design Development: Our design team produces a detailed landscape plan. Depending on project scope, this may include a planting plan, hardscape layout, grading plan, and lighting concept. You review and provide feedback before anything is finalized.
- Material Selection: We present material options for hardscapes and plant selections for your review. Our nursery background means we can show you actual plant specimens, not just photos in a catalog.
- Installation: Our crews execute the approved plan. Hardscape work typically precedes planting. Soil amendment, proper installation depths, and mulching are all standard parts of our process, not add-ons.
- Walkthrough: When the project is complete, we walk the property with you, review care requirements for new plantings, and make sure everything is installed to your satisfaction.
Project timelines vary by scope. A focused patio and planting project might wrap in two to three weeks. A full property redesign with significant hardscape, grading, and extensive planting could span a full season. We’ll give you a realistic timeline at the design stage, not a number we adjust later.
Ready to get started? Schedule Your Design Consultation and we’ll set up a site visit.
Frequently Asked Questions About Landscape Design in Highland Park, IL
Have questions before reaching out? Here are answers to what Highland Park homeowners ask us most often. For anything not covered here, call us directly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does landscape design cost in Highland Park, IL?
Design fees and total project costs vary widely depending on scope, site complexity, and the extent of hardscape versus planting work. A standalone front-entry redesign with new planting might start around $8,000 to $15,000 installed. A full property redesign that includes a paver patio, retaining walls, and comprehensive planting on a larger Highland Park lot can run $75,000 to $150,000 or more. We discuss realistic budget ranges at the initial consultation so there are no surprises during the design phase.
Do you handle both the design and the installation, or just one?
Both. Poul’s is a full-service landscape design and installation company, which means the same organization that designs your project also builds it. We don’t hand you a plan and send you out to find a contractor. This matters because it eliminates the gap between what a designer specifies and what actually gets installed.
How long does a full landscape design and installation project take?
Timeline depends on scope and the time of year you’re starting. A focused project (a new patio with surrounding planting, for example) might take two to four weeks in the field. A full property redesign with significant hardscape work, grading, and extensive planting typically unfolds over one full season, sometimes two if the project is phased. We build a realistic schedule into the design phase so you know what to expect before installation begins.
Can you work with an existing landscape rather than starting from scratch?
Yes. Most Highland Park projects involve some existing landscape worth preserving: mature trees, established shrubs, hardscape elements in good condition. We assess what’s there, identify what should stay, and design around it. Starting from scratch is sometimes the right call, but it’s never the default assumption.
What types of hardscapes do you install in Highland Park?
Our hardscape scope includes paver and natural stone patios, retaining walls (both structural and decorative), walkways and front entries, steps, outdoor stairs, and pergolas and shade structures. We treat these as integrated parts of the landscape design, not separate specialty services. All hardscape installation accounts for frost depth and drainage requirements specific to northern Illinois.
Do you select plants that can handle the wind and cold near Lake Michigan?
Yes, and this is something we take seriously. Highland Park’s proximity to Lake Michigan means wind exposure and moisture conditions that differ meaningfully from inland suburbs at the same hardiness zone. We select plants with demonstrated performance in these specific conditions: cold hardiness through Zone 5b winters, wind tolerance, and the ability to establish in the clay-loam soils common in this area. Native and Illinois-adapted species make up a significant part of our planting palette for exactly these reasons. You can learn more about our approach at the Illinois native plants and soil compatibility guide on our site.
A property in Highland Park deserves a landscape that matches it: thoughtfully designed, built to last through North Shore winters, and suited to the way your household actually lives outside. Poul’s Landscaping & Nursery brings design expertise, installation experience, and genuine knowledge of this specific corner of Lake County to every project we take on here.
Whether your priority is a new outdoor living space, a full property transformation, or a long-overdue update to a landscape that’s stopped working for you, we’re ready to take a look. Schedule Your Design Consultation today, or call us to talk through your project before booking a site visit. We serve Highland Park and the surrounding North Shore communities year-round.
