When cold hard stone if used in the creation of one of our wildflower gardens, a beautiful transformation takes place. A certain warmth and softness magically permeates the area.

Stone features add texture and interest to paths, decks and small corners of your garden.

A council ring and path, after the style of Jens Jensen, was created in a North Barrington garden. The ring has become a nice place for the kids to gather for club meetings and for their parents to have breakfast. The seats are tumbled glacial boulders. The pathway is one by one-and-half foot tumbled New York Bluestone Steppers. One by one foot tumbled steppers decorate the interior of the ring. The matrix is composed of crushed New York Bluestone.

The retaining wall on this steep driveway is made more beautiful with the composition of old Chicago Common Brick, granite or sandstone rocks, blue La Paz Mexican river stones, ordinary pond pebbles and pea gravel. We found this combination, with the exception of substituting sandstone for granite, very useful in designing our features and finishing touches.

The brickwork accents the other features of the yard.

This raised bed is made with brick pavers from the Chicago streets of the early twentieth centruy.

Follow the stone path to this comfortable bench.

This garden in North Barrington uses limestone paths and retaining walls to add texture and levels of interest to the garden

This curved stepped retaining wall creates a multi-tiered front bed. See the unique and striking obelisk the owners found shopping at antique stores. Actually, the areas in front of and behind the wall are at the same level. The stepping of the curved wall gives the appearance of a height difference.

This magnificient stone berm led to a 100 year old log-cabin type home in Glenview which was torn down. The stonework was expertly reconstructed by Brannon Smith, owner of Horticultural Services in Glenview. Art and Linda's planted lots of Blazing Stars and tall grasses to enhance this feature with bold vertical statements. Click here to see more of this reconstructed stone entranceway in Glenview.