Greenhaven Landscapes of Zion, Ill., was asked to create suitable surroundings for this 1923 Seyfarth Tudor property in the village of Glencoe, Ill. For one of the requests - a motor court centered on the front door - a utility pole had to be relocated, the streetside wall had to be opened, and then the existing drive reoriented. Boxwood hedging and large lindens were used to soften the overall look.

After purchasing a 1923 Seyfarth Tudor property in the village of Glencoe, Ill., the new homeowner decided that the landscape needed to be brought in line with the prominence of this historical and architecturally-significant home.

Among his requests were a central motor court for three to five cars, structured and tidy plantings with touches of color and textural contrast that would not only provide year-round interest but also screening, a swimming pool and deck, built-in grill, fire pit, cut flower garden, colorful perennial plantings, and open lawn.

To meet these requests, the homeowner selected Greenhaven Landscapes, a husband and wife-owned company that has been offering design, installation and maintenance services to customers in the Chicago area for over 10 years. Principal Jennifer Hoxsie recounts that she and her husband David met in the industry back in 1998 and both worked for other Chicagoland companies. David incorporated Greenhaven Landscapes Inc. in 2003 and Jennifer joined him in 2005. Their first yard was in Lake Bluff and in 2006 they moved to Zion, Ill.

She reports that they currently have five full-time staff and 17 seasonal staff, and run two construction crews and three maintenance crews.

"Our clients like that we are small and they always get to work with either Dave or myself," she states. At the same time that Greenhaven was developing the design for the new landscape, the house's garage was being renovated, and a rear addition and pool house were being constructed, which complicated the planning process. And that wasn't the only thing that did.

"The design was challenged by an existing wall along the front of the property and a utility pole located in the parkway where a central drive was desired," says Jennifer Hoxsie. "In back, the village complicated the design by requiring a functional drive to the back garage (that is also the pool house), less than ideal pool placement due to setbacks, and limited options for fire pit and grill placement to keep them at least 10 feet from the house."

The new drive includes a banding of reclaimed Purington street pavers, which were used around the world for more than 100 years. In the center, the pavers are used in a quatrefoil design, which is a motif found in the home's architecture. The herringbone pattern in the paver design reflects one of the different patterns found in the house's façade.

The pool deck pavers are made of Jerusalem limestone, which stays cool to the touch even on hot days but can survive harsh winters. To ensure the best long-term results, the pavers were sealed after being installed, with space between them, on a permeable base with a two percent pitch.

A rear addition (left end of house) and pool house were being constructed at the same time that the landscape was being designed, which complicated the process. Underneath the lawn is a 20'x30' underground detention vault. For proper drainage of the lawn, perforated tile was installed along the top of the vault.

A cut-flower garden bordered by a barberry hedge is in the foreground. The garden ornament was original to the house. The perennials lining the Purington paver walk opposite the garden are "Immortality' irises. In the raised planter are "Green Velvet' boxwoods surrounded by "Snowflake' creeping phlox and "Bertram Anderson' stonecrop.

The dining terrace patio was also built from the reclaimed street pavers. This area also serves as part of the back driveway. The walls and risers are Chicago common brick. The wall coping is Indiana limestone and the step treads are Jerusalem limestone.

Extensive communication with the architect and civil engineer throughout the 18-month planning process was essential to the success of the design. Besides handling that part of the project, Greenhaven was in charge of managing the entire installation, except for the pool.

Once the construction got underway, the area was graded by company crews, the intrusive utility pole was relocated, the front wall was opened, and the driveway was reoriented on center of the front door. The motor court was defined with a banding of old street pavers and a quatrefoil center detail repeated from the home's architecture, then softened with boxwood hedging and large lindens spaded in.

Other plants in front included 14- to 17-foot spruce trees to help with screening. Appropriately scaled planters were added to enhance the front entry and provide seasonal color. Layered shrub plantings and groundcover added texture while keeping the front well ordered. All of the planting was completed by Greenhaven workers.

In back, the landscape team took advantage of the two-foot grade change to create seat walls. Jerusalem limestone, which stays cool to the touch even on hot days but can survive harsh winters, was selected for the pool deck. It was installed on a permeable base with two percent pitch, open space between the stones, and sealed to ensure the best long-term results.

Just off of the pool deck, Greenhaven put in a cut flower garden with a stretched quatrefoil shaped hedge and a repurposed garden ornament original to the house. A dining terrace was built from the old street pavers. This terrace also serves as part of the required functional driveway with a Grasspave section leading to the main garage as the other part. Hoxsie reports that there was just enough room to place the built-in grill and fire pit off of the family room and between the house and back drive. Along the back of the property, a 20'x30' underground detention vault was installed, and then covered by lawn. To buffer the view of the neighbors, 'Triumph' smoothleaf elm trees, which have less-aggressive roots were carefully planted between the garden wall and detention vault. Also, the trees' dappled shade allowed for a layered perennial border planted beneath them.

In the seating area behind the family room, a fire pit with an HPC model # FPS30 HC kit and a built-in DCS grill were installed. Both used Chicago common brick with Indiana limestone coping. To the right is the Grasspave section of the back driveway, which was required by the village's building code since the pool house is technically a garage.

The front stoop and landing are Indiana limestone. Decorative planters were added to enhance the front entry and provide seasonal color.

The entire landscape installation took nine months and it had many challenges of its own to be overcome. With no street parking and having to share the site with building contractors, site access and parking were very difficult. To help with that, the wall was opened up early on in the process and the base for the new 16' wide driveway, along with a temporary binder course, was installed. Also, the existing circular drive was kept intact as long as possible.

"A detailed timeline and weekly meetings allowed for house, hardscape, and landscape contractors to coordinate access and work simultaneously," Hoxsie adds.

Another issue was the lawn on top of the detention vault, which would stay soggy because the area was flat and just nine inches below finished grade. Greenhaven addressed the issue by installing perforated drain tile along the top of the vault.

"We met all the client's wishes successfully while addressing the site challenges," states Hoxsie. "Now he can entertain comfortably within a beautifully landscaped setting that showcases his historical home."