Whether you live in downtown Chicago or out in a rural area, you will benefit from landscaping. In the city, a rooftop garden can serve as a relaxing retreat. In the country, you have the space for a pool or outdoor living space. In Illinois your landscaping options are nearly unlimited. An experienced professional can turn your yard into an extension of your home with a fireplace, kitchen, comfortable furniture, appropriate plants and more.

Get these tipsIn this section, you'll find tips from landscaping professionals on:

• Using space creatively on small city lots
• Masking traffic sounds with a fountain
• Adding a fire feature to your yard to extend the season
• Preserving the view from a rooftop or balcony
• Enhancing privacy for a city garden
• Using pots to add life to a rooftop
• How to create a modern landscape
• How to create a traditional landscape
• How to create a country landscape
• What style of front porch is right for your home
• Creating a sense of arrival
• How much you should spend on your landscaping
• Ways to save money when landscaping
• How to landscape your home in phases
• Designing a multi-level deck for entertaining
• Using boulders to retain a hillside
• Installing an in-ground fire pit for bonfire gatherings
• What type of plants to grow in Illinois
• How to landscape a lakefront property
• Taking advantage of the space under a deck
• Remodeling an existing swimming pool
• Creating a tropical resort atmosphere
• Adding an outdoor kitchen to your property
• Considering freeze/thaw durability for materials and plants
• Complementing a prairie style home
• Using Asian design principles in your landscape
• Incorporating a snow melt system beneath your driveway

The first step to the landscape of your dreams is gathering ideas. Use the resources here and look at what other Illinois homeowners have done. Once you know what you do and do not like, call a local landscape company and get started.

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