This 31.64-acre estate perched on the bluffs of Lake Michigan outside of Chicago has had its woodland gardens, vineyards, pool gardens, vegetable gardens, lawns and four acres of prairie cared for by Rocco Fiore & Sons, located in Lake Bluff, Ill., for over 18 years. The main entry drive is flanked by 400 feet of hand clipped boxwood.

The formal pool terrace is framed with neatly trimmed boxwood and clipped pear trees. The surrounding turf has been seeded with bluegrass to allow for the lower mowing heights preferred by the owners. Because the lawn is kept short, the crews need to be extra diligent in scouting for insect and disease pressure.

The vineyard of table grapes (background) is pruned in March to encourage their fruiting. Special fertilizer applications must be used in this zone to maintain the turf, but not affect the vineyard. The 160 linear feet of hand pruned Boxwood are loosely maintained for a natural appearance.

At bluffs edge, the rotunda garden and great lawn overlook the beach below. In the winter, boughs are placed on beds, and pots are prepared with arrangements of various fir, arborvitae, white pine, dogwoods, winterberry and pinecones. Crews also mobilize several large potted lemon trees and overwinter them.

From a one-person operation to a corporation with locations across North America, there is no one right size for a landscape maintenance company, only right pairings of a company and a property it maintains, as this account of an expansive estate trusting its upkeep to a venerable caretaker will show.

In business since 1947, located in Libertyville, Ill., Rocco Fiore & Sons is an award winning landscape architecture, site development and management firm that proudly states it has many second and third generation clients among those they serve today.

Now under the direction of the founder's sons, Rocco Jr. and Steve, the company has grown to nearly 300 employees. Their clients include single-family homeowners, multi-family associations, villages and municipalities, commercial properties and religious institutions.

The project managers at Rocco Fiore & Sons are assigned regions, within which they simultaneously manage numerous project foremen, crews, and any necessary subcontractors on projects such as small garden installations, master plan implementations, engineered structures, grading and drainage, and masonry services including dry-set walls, bluestone, flagstone and New York fieldstone paving, dry-set flatwork, antique pavers, granite cobble, ledgerock, boulder retaining walls, and custom garden features.

In addition to the construction projects, a large part of their business includes management and maintenance of various properties' landscapes - most of which they designed and installed. Fifty trained maintenance crews provide weekly lawn care, fertilization, pest management, annual installations, small planting revisions and additions, comprehensive estate management, special event coordination, and seasonal services such as topdressing, spring and fall cleanups, holiday decorations, and snow removal.

This full service landscape company even has a team of specialists that focus exclusively on seasonal displays for their clients.

For visual enjoyment, assorted elements are sprinkled throughout the site. Annual containers are rotated seasonally and then wrapped and stored inside for winter protection.

Every other year, prescribed burns are conducted to help manage the 4-acre prairie. The woodland and prairie restoration and protection programs are overseen by the landscape company's maintenance supervisors who with their direct reports are assisted by three full-time stable hands.

Over five acres of woodland borders the front 2000 feet of driveway. Clearing of invasive plant species from this area is nonstop. Regular trimming of the woodland canopy gives the forest floor needed light where native grasses and forbs are abundant.

With this long history and extensive scope of services, what better company to care for a scenic 31.64-acre estate perched on the bluffs of Lake Michigan in the North Shore area outside of Chicago, with owners who are passionate about the outdoors, their horses and dogs, and enjoying long walks with these faithful companions. The property includes woodland gardens, vineyards, pool gardens, polo fields, four acres of prairie, and a vegetable garden, all influenced by the macroclimate of the lake.

Standard Assignments
For over 18 years, Rocco Fiore & Sons have maintained most of the grounds at this Lake Bluff, Ill., residence. Weekly maintenance includes all mowing operations, watering of plantings and pots as needed, weeding, pruning and deadheading. The customers' expectation is to have their acreage lush and beautiful. One crew handles weekly maintenance of mowing, weeding, and such, while other specialty crews handle weekly, intensive pruning, perennial care, pot care and more to meet that expectation.

The pool gardens are kept pristine throughout the year, with color changes necessary for every special gathering such as an annual charity polo event benefitting the handicapped. Decorations for this are donated by the landscape company.

Floral displays are contract-grown early for a more mature garden look upon installation. Well-seasoned leaf mulch is used in all beds.

All pruning is done with hand pruners instead of shears for a natural yet formal look. This includes deciduous plants, arborvitae trees, and boxwood shrubs. Though more time consuming, this method helps maintain the health of individual plants and encourages new interior growth so the plants are full and consistent throughout.

Fertilization and weed control have to be closely monitored due to the adjacent prairie plantings. Hand trenching of the borders is done to help contain the prairies, and weeds are monitored and spot treated weekly. In all the natural areas, crews use Deerscram and other natural methods to keep wildlife from foraging on the landscape plantings.

The front yard is home to a professional polo field. A 3-inch sand cushion creates the sub-base for bluegrass turf. Specialized in-ground irrigation and a turf management program ensure success.

The prairie is managed through a program of alternating between mowing one year and conducting prescribed burns the following year. Permits are required for the burns, as well as Mother Nature's cooperation.

Irrigation schedules are monitored closely due to the volume of water used for the polo fields and because the subsoil varies from loam to gravel and clay, making water management that much more critical.

In the front parking court, the large arborvitae trees are pruned routinely.

In addition, the gravel drive and stable paths are hand-raked twice weekly for a smooth, well-kept appearance.

Special Engagements
Two times a year, the landscape company's most skilled technicians will work on the finely pleached maples around the pool. Large tree work is coordinated through an arborist and scheduled around all other work.

Pruning the grape vines in the vineyard is done only at a select time to facilitate a plentiful harvest for use in making wine. There are additional deciduous ornamentals whose growth is tightly controlled to stay in a defined space. Crews sometimes adjust cables and support braces to ensure the health and stability of the plants.

Along with installing 3,750 bulbs annually, seasonal color changes are performed to bring new color and life to the property. Spring planting includes 150 6-inch, potted blue hydrangeas with other spring flowering annuals. Additionally, there are thousands of naturalized daffodil and muscari bulbs all over the property.

Assorted summer plantings throughout are coordinated by the landscape company's in-house floral designer in conjunction with their design team.

In the fall, mums, kale, cabbage and assorted autumn annuals are planted.

Winter tasks include placing boughs on the beds, and preparing pots with arrangements of various fir, arborvitae, white pine, dogwoods, winterberry and pinecones. Also, several large potted lemon trees are overwintered. Currently the in-house staff handles snow removal.

Clipped Boxwood hedges frame the stables' crushed stone terraces. Weekly raking of pea gravel and bark-mulched paths keeps them safely groomed for the horses as they're walked between stables and corrals.

Next to the courtyard lies the woodland garden. This space, composed of native and ornamental shade and deer tolerant grasses and forbs, is hand weeded to control the garlic mustard that once carpeted this space. The area is only watered with sprinklers during dry spells so as not to overwater. Limited fertilizer applications are applied as a protective process for the existing woodland trees.

The prairie border is meticulously trimmed to manage the boundary and create the illusion of carefree natural limits between the prairie and the lawn. Seven years of tedious hand weeding throughout the growing season and periodic mowing with elevated decks have produced a vibrant and healthy native area.

Finer Points
Rocco Fiore & Sons' equipment list includes Bobcat and Lawnboy mowers, Echo and Stihl blowers, string trimmers and other small power equipment, Lesco spreaders and Stihl sprayers. They do not have to rent any equipment for the jobs at this property; routine or occasional.

Currently they subcontract the turf program, which includes fertilization, spot treatment for weeds, insect and disease control. The polo field is maintained by the owners' in-house staff, as is aeration of the entire property.

Brian Levins, the landscape company's territory manager for this property, routinely visits to assure the landscape company's high standards are being upheld throughout. He meets with crews on site to make certain the many details are not overlooked.

The service contract was won based on a referral. A typical contract period is one year and Levins states that 95 percent of clients renew annually. Many of them have been customers for ten years or greater and use Rocco Fiore and Sons for various other tasks including snow plowing, holiday lighting and special event planning and staging.

Particular Complexities
Rocco Fiore and Sons reports that this property has many maintenance challenges simply due to the expansiveness of the grounds and the diversity of its many outdoor areas.

Levins adds that the location on the lakefront creates a climate that is prone to taking longer than surrounding areas to lose the chill of winter. As a result, the crews need to be vigilant to the dangers this poses and take necessary precautions such as covering pots to protect them from low evening temperatures.

Another challenge is that due to the owners' desire for a very short mow height, the crews need to be extra diligent in scouting for insect and disease pressure.

An ongoing challenge is the necessity for constant communication between the landscape supervisors, crews, the estate manager and sub-contractors to coordinate all work, polo practices, polo matches, and events to maximize efficiency and insure no duplication of work between teams. Also, as it is a working farm, disturbances to the animals must be kept to a minimum.

In due course, Rocco Fiore and Sons handle the challenges adeptly and have mastered the course of action needed to deliver excellent care to this gentleman's estate, which points to a suited pairing of maintenance company and property maintained, as an 18-year working relationship confirms.