The strongest landscape design firms serving Lake County include Craig Bergmann Landscape Design, Van Zelst, Mariani Landscape, Architectural Gardens, Doering Landscape Company, The Barn Landscape, Poul’s Landscaping & Nursery and A.M. Woodland Outdoor Design. The right one depends on your property, the style you want, and whether one firm should design, build and maintain it.

Lake County landscape design firms at a glance

Firm	Based in	Design, build, maintain?	Best for
Architectural Gardens	Lake Forest	Design, installation, garden care	Garden-led residential projects on the North Shore, with 3D renderings
Craig Bergmann Landscape Design	Lake Forest and Wadsworth	Design, installation, garden care, nursery	Horticulture-heavy gardens and historic properties
Mariani Landscape	Lake Bluff	Design, construction, maintenance	Large estate properties that want one long-term landscape partner
Van Zelst	Wadsworth and Winnetka	Design, installation, maintenance	Design-build projects across the North Shore and into southeast Wisconsin
Doering Landscape Company	Barrington	Design, construction, maintenance	Barrington-area homeowners who want a long-established local firm
The Barn Landscape	Barrington	Design-build, lawn care, lighting	Patios, pool surrounds and planting in and around Barrington
A.M. Woodland Outdoor Design	Mundelein and Long Grove	Design, build, maintenance	Outdoor living projects tied into construction work on the house
Poul’s Landscaping & Nursery	Serves the northwest suburbs and North Shore	Design and installation, tree nursery	Projects where mature trees are a big part of the plan

Disclosure: this guide is published by A.M. Woodland Outdoor Design, which appears on it. We have not put ourselves first, and we have not ranked the other firms against one another on quality, because a company on its own list is not a neutral judge. The order below is geographic, explained further down. Everything said about the other firms comes from their own websites, read in September 2026.

Why is choosing a landscape designer in Lake County harder than it looks?

Type the best landscape design near me into a phone anywhere between Barrington and Lake Bluff and you get the same mix: a couple of directory pages, a handful of firm websites, and a map full of companies whose names all contain the word landscape. They are not the same kind of business. Some are design studios first. Some are construction companies that design what they build. Some are maintenance contractors that will draw you a plan to win the install. A few grow their own plants.

Any of those can be the right choice. The trouble starts when a homeowner hires one kind expecting another, for example asking a maintenance-led company for a garden that needs a real designer, or hiring a pure design studio and then discovering that finding a contractor to build the plan is a second project of its own.

Lake County adds its own complications. Lakefront lots in Lake Forest, Lake Bluff and Highland Park can sit on bluffs and ravines. Much of the county has heavy soils that hold water. Winters swing above and below freezing often enough to punish a patio built on a thin base. And deer are a design constraint, not an afterthought, on a lot of wooded properties. A designer who works here all the time plans around all of that from the first drawing.

How did we choose the firms on this list?

We used five criteria and we are publishing them so you can weigh them differently if your priorities differ from ours.

• Design is a core service, not an add-on. Every firm here offers landscape design as a named service on its own site.
• Local base. Each has an office, yard or nursery in Lake County or on the North Shore, or states that it serves those communities directly.
• A path to installation. Each firm either installs its own designs or presents design and installation as one offering, so you are not left holding drawings with no one to build them.
• Verifiable from the firm itself. Services, locations and service areas come from each company’s own website, not from a directory listing that may be years old.
• A real difference between entries. We wanted a list that shows the different shapes these businesses take, so you can see which shape fits you.

What we left out matters too. We have not used review counts or star ratings to rank anyone, because those change weekly and reward the firms that ask for reviews most often. We have not quoted prices, because design fees and build costs here depend on lot size, access, grading and materials so heavily that any single figure would mislead. And we have not repeated awards or claims we could not see on a firm’s own site.

The order is geographic: lakefront firms first, then north toward the Wisconsin line, then west to Barrington, then the center of the county and the northwest suburbs. It is not a ranking.

Which landscape design companies serve Lake County?

Architectural Gardens

Best for: North Shore homeowners who want a garden-led design and like to see it in 3D before anything is dug.

Architectural Gardens works out of Lake Forest and describes its focus as residential landscape design and installation for homeowners on Chicago’s North Shore. Its listed services include garden design and installation, garden care and maintenance, seasonal rotations, hardscape, custom carpentry, LED lighting, and design with 3D rendering. The firm lists memberships including the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association and the Lake Forest/Lake Bluff Chamber of Commerce.

The 3D rendering is worth noting because it solves a real problem. Most people cannot read a plan view and picture how tall a hedge will be from the kitchen window. If you struggle to visualize from drawings, ask any firm you talk to how they will show you the design, and weigh the answer.

Craig Bergmann Landscape Design

Best for: gardens where the planting is the point, and older or historic properties that need a sympathetic hand.

Craig Bergmann calls itself a full-service landscape design, installation and maintenance firm, with locations in Lake Forest and Wadsworth, both by appointment. The firm’s own site says it has worked since 1981, and it offers design, installation, garden care and a nursery. It presents its work across a range of garden types, from formal and estate gardens to naturalized, contemporary, urban, edible and container gardens, and it highlights historic restoration and the craft of fine gardening.

If your wish list reads more like a list of plants and seasons than a list of features, a horticulture-led firm like this is a natural first call. The flip side of a planting-heavy garden is that it needs knowledgeable care afterwards, so ask how the design will be looked after in years two through five.

Mariani Landscape

Best for: large estate properties that want design, construction and ongoing care from one long-term partner.

Mariani is headquartered in Lake Bluff and says it has served Chicago-area clients for 65 years. It offers residential and commercial landscaping across design, construction and maintenance. On the residential side it lists outdoor kitchens, retaining walls, pools, patios, hardscaping and outdoor structures, plus property care that runs from lawn maintenance to rose care, dormant pruning and winter mulching. Its stated service area includes Lake Forest, Lake Bluff, Highland Park, Deerfield, Winnetka, Glencoe, Wilmette and Lake Geneva.

Van Zelst

Best for: design-build projects anywhere across the North Shore, and owners with a second home in southeast Wisconsin.

Van Zelst lists addresses in Wadsworth and Winnetka and describes itself as a full-service design and build firm offering design, installation and maintenance. It says installation is handled by in-house landscape professionals and maintenance by staff employed directly by the company. The features it highlights include patios, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, spas, pergolas, walkways, retaining walls, water features and vegetable gardens. Its site says it serves Chicago’s North Shore and southeast Wisconsin, naming communities such as Highland Park, Lake Forest, Glencoe, Winnetka, Barrington and Lake Geneva.

Doering Landscape Company

Best for: Barrington-area homeowners who want a long-established local firm that designs, builds and maintains.

Doering is based on Kelsey Road in Barrington and offers landscape design, landscape construction, landscape maintenance, snow removal and commercial services. Its site refers to more than 50 years in business and lists membership in Landscape Illinois. Client comments on the site mention work in Barrington, Barrington Hills, South Barrington, Hawthorn Woods and Cary.

The Barn Landscape

Best for: patios, pool surrounds and planting in and around Barrington, for owners who want the design shaped around how they use the yard.

The Barn is on West Main Street in Barrington and describes itself as a team of landscape architects and designers. It offers landscape design and build, from custom patios and pool areas to planting and architectural hardscape, along with lawn care and maintenance, landscape lighting, and seasonal containers and decorating. It frames its design work around how a household actually lives and says it works with clients from start to finish.

Looking for a landscape designer in Barrington, IL?

Barrington deserves a note of its own, because the area mixes very different properties. A village lot near downtown, a wooded acreage in Barrington Hills and a newer subdivision in South Barrington are three different design problems. On larger wooded lots, the design conversation is often about what to keep and how to transition from lawn to woodland edge. On smaller lots it is about privacy and fitting a lot of use into a little space. Doering and The Barn are both based in Barrington, Van Zelst lists Barrington among the communities it serves, and firms elsewhere in the county take work there too. Ask any of them for a project on a lot similar to yours.

A.M. Woodland Outdoor Design

Best for: outdoor living projects that tie into construction work on the house, where one team handling both saves a round of coordination.

This is us, so read this entry with that in mind. We work from Mundelein and Long Grove and serve Lake, Cook and Kenosha counties. Our design work covers landscape architecture, including conceptual site planning, grading and drainage, and outdoor living design such as patios, pergolas, fire features, pools and outdoor kitchens. We build what we design and offer ongoing maintenance, seasonal displays and holiday lighting afterwards. We are part of A.M. Woodland Contracting Group, which also builds and remodels homes, so an outdoor project that has to meet a new addition, a rebuilt deck or a new home can be planned by one team from the start.

If your project is purely a planting design with no construction, a horticulture-led studio may suit you better, and we would say so.

Poul’s Landscaping & Nursery

Best for: designs that lean on mature trees, from a firm that grows its own.

Poul’s says it was founded in 1966 and serves homeowners in Chicago’s northwest and North Shore communities. It offers design and installation alongside a mature tree nursery that grows trees locally. When a design calls for instant height or screening, a firm with its own tree stock can be a practical advantage, since sourcing large trees is one of the harder parts of an install.

Do you need a designer, a landscape architect, or a design-build firm?

Three kinds of professional show up in these searches, and they are not interchangeable.

A landscape architect holds a state license. Illinois licenses the title, and larger or more technical projects, such as significant grading, bluff or ravine work, or anything that needs stamped drawings for a permit, may require one. Some design firms employ licensed landscape architects on staff.

A landscape designer is not licensed in the same way, and the job covers a wide range of skill. Many excellent residential gardens are drawn by designers. Ask about training, and ask to see built projects rather than renderings.

A design-build firm designs and installs under one contract. The advantage is accountability: the people who drew the patio are the people who have to make it drain. The trade-off is that you are usually committing to that firm to build, so the design is less of an independent document you can shop around.

What should you ask a landscape designer before you hire them?

Can I see three built projects like mine?

Not the portfolio highlight reel. Projects of a similar size, on a similar lot, ideally a few years old so you can see how the planting matured. A patio looks good on the day it is finished. What you want to know is how it looks after five winters.

What does the design fee include, and is it credited against the build?

Firms handle this differently. Some charge a design fee and credit part of it toward installation, some fold design into the build contract, and some charge separately with no credit. None of these is wrong. Get it in writing, including who owns the drawings if you do not build with that firm.

Who will I be working with?

At a larger firm, the person who sells the project may not be the person who designs it, and neither may be on site during construction. Ask who draws the plan, who manages the build, and who you call when something is wrong on a Tuesday afternoon.

How do you handle drainage on a site like this?

This one question separates designers quickly. A good answer mentions where the water comes from, where it will go, and whether anything needs to be piped. A vague answer about gravel is a reason to keep interviewing.

What will this need to be maintained?

Every garden has a maintenance budget built into it, whether or not anyone says so out loud. Perennial borders, clipped hedges and lawns all need regular hands. Ask what the design will need each season, and whether the firm will do that work or expects you to.

What are the warranty terms on plants and hardscape?

Plant guarantees and hardscape workmanship warranties vary a lot from firm to firm. Ask what is covered, for how long, and what you are expected to do in return, usually around watering new plants through their first summer.

How much does landscape design cost in Lake County?

We are not going to put a number here, and the reason is practical. The design fee on a small backyard plan and the design fee on a multi-acre estate master plan are different orders of magnitude, and the build cost depends on things you cannot see from the street: how much soil moves, whether a machine can reach the backyard, what the stone costs this year, and how large the plants are at installation.

What you can do is make quotes comparable. Once you have a design, ask each firm to price the same drawings and the same plant schedule. Ask for the patio, walls, planting, lighting and irrigation as separate lines. Ask what is excluded. And ask how they price the unknowns, such as buried debris or poor subsoil, before anyone digs. Those four questions explain most of the gap between two quotes that look wildly different.

When should you start the design process?

Earlier than most people expect. Construction in northern Illinois runs roughly from spring thaw to the ground freezing, and the busiest firms fill their build calendars well ahead. Fall and winter are the natural time to design, because the plan, permits and material choices can be settled while the ground is frozen, so the build can start as soon as conditions allow.

Planting has its own rhythm: spring and early fall are the usual windows, because midsummer heat is hard on a fresh root ball.

What permits and rules apply to landscape work in Lake County?

It depends on the village, and that is the honest answer. Many municipalities require permits for retaining walls above a certain height, pools, fences, structures such as pergolas, and work that changes drainage onto a neighbor’s property. Some lakefront communities regulate work near bluffs, ravines and steep slopes. Homeowner associations often add rules of their own.

A designer who works in your village regularly will know which of these apply and build the time into the schedule. Ask who pulls the permits, and make sure the answer is the firm rather than you. And before any digging, the utilities must be marked through JULIE, the Illinois one-call locating service. A reputable firm handles that without being asked.

How do you read reviews and portfolios without being misled?

Directory sites such as Yelp, Houzz and Thumbtack are often the first results for these searches, and they are useful for a quick sense of who is active. Treat them as a starting list rather than a ranking. A firm that does a small number of large projects each year will naturally have fewer reviews than one that mows hundreds of lawns a week, and that says nothing about the quality of its design.

What do Lake County properties need that others might not?

Soil that holds water

Heavy, slow-draining soil is common across much of the county. It affects plant choice, the depth of patio bases, and whether a lawn needs drainage beneath it. A designer should ask about wet spots before you mention them.

Freeze and thaw

A hard, steady winter is kinder to hardscape than one that crosses freezing again and again. Base depth, compaction and drainage beneath pavers are what stop a patio heaving, and they are exactly the parts of the job you never see once it is finished.

Deer

On wooded lots from Lake Forest to Barrington Hills, a planting plan that ignores deer is a plan to replace plants. Ask which plants in the design deer tend to leave alone, and what the plan is for the ones they do not.

Bluffs, ravines and lakefront

Lakefront and ravine properties raise questions of erosion, slope stability and local regulation that a flat suburban lot never does. If your property has a slope toward the lake or a ravine, ask for examples of that exact kind of site.

Which firm is right for which kind of project?

• A planting-first garden or a historic property: start with a horticulture-led firm such as Craig Bergmann or Architectural Gardens.
• A large estate with long-term care: a firm offering design, construction and full property care, such as Mariani or Van Zelst.
• Barrington and the surrounding villages: Doering and The Barn are both based there.
• Outdoor living tied into work on the house: a design-build firm that also builds and remodels, such as A.M. Woodland Outdoor Design.
• A plan that depends on large trees: a firm with its own tree nursery, such as Poul’s or Craig Bergmann.

Whichever direction you lean, talk to two or three firms. The first meeting costs you an hour and tells you a great deal about how a firm listens, which is most of what you are buying at the design stage.

What this list does not tell you

It does not tell you which firm does the best work, because we are one of the firms and our view on that would be worth very little. It does not include every capable designer in the county either. There are smaller studios and independent designers doing fine work who do not rank in search results at all. Use this as a map of the kinds of firm available and a set of questions to take into every meeting, and let the meetings decide.

What should a finished landscape design actually include?

Whoever you hire, the design stage should end with documents you could, in principle, hand to someone else. If it ends with a sketch and a handshake, you have bought a sales visit rather than a design. These are the pieces worth asking about before the first meeting.

A measured base plan

Everything else is drawn on top of it: the house footprint, property lines, existing trees worth keeping, doors and windows, downspouts, utilities and spot elevations. A design drawn over an aerial photo can look right and still put a patio where water collects.

A grading and drainage intent

On the heavy soils common across much of Lake County, where water goes after a storm is the question that decides whether a patio heaves or a lawn stays soggy into June. The plan should show which way the ground falls and where the water ends up.

A hardscape layout with materials named

Dimensions for the patio, walks, walls and steps, plus the actual materials: which stone or paver, what edge, what base. Two quotes for a patio are not comparable until they describe the same thing.

A planting plan with a plant schedule

Each plant located and named, with the size at installation. The size column is where a lot of budget quietly moves, because a larger tree or shrub costs far more than a smaller one of the same species.

A phasing plan, if the budget needs one

Many North Shore projects are built over two or three seasons. A good phasing plan builds the messy, heavy work first so later phases do not tear up what was just finished.

Choosing a Landscape Design Company in Lake Forest, IL

Lake Forest gets more of these searches than anywhere else in the county, and its properties raise questions that a typical suburban yard does not. If you are comparing firms there, these are the points worth raising in every first meeting.

What makes Lake Forest properties different?

Many lots are large, wooded or older, and some sit on ravines or bluffs above the lake. Mature trees, historic houses and established gardens often need to be worked around rather than cleared. Some properties are also subject to local review before exterior work goes ahead, so the design may need to be presented and approved before anything is built.

Questions to ask a Lake Forest landscape designer

• Have you worked on a lot like mine? A ravine or lakefront site is a different job from a flat backyard.
• Who prepares drawings for any village review or permit? Get the answer in writing.
• How will you protect the trees I want to keep? Root zones are easily damaged by machines and grade changes.
• Will one company design, build and maintain this, or will you hand off? Either can work, but you should know who is accountable at each stage.

Red flags when comparing proposals

• A plan drawn over an aerial photo with no site measurements or grades.
• No mention of drainage on a sloped or heavy-soil lot.
• Pressure to skip a permit or review to save time.
• A quote with one total and no breakdown of hardscape, planting and lighting.

Whoever you choose, ask each firm to show you how it would handle your specific site. The way a designer answers that question tells you more than any ranking.

Plan your landscape with A.M. Woodland Outdoor Design

If you are planning a new landscape, patio or outdoor living space in Lake County or the North Shore, we would be glad to walk your property with you. Request a design consultation and tell us what you have in mind. We will talk through the site, the options and what a realistic plan looks like, whether or not you end up working with us.