Rachel's home gardens in Lake Summerset, IL

An Eye for Design

Just as an artist’s creation begins in the mind’s eye, Rachel’s landscape designs begin with her vision as she scopes the sight of your future gardens. Taking into account location, light, size, form, function, height, color and the USDA plant hardiness zone, Rachel chooses plants to compliment the site and enhance the surroundings.

Rachel anchors the garden with trees and shrubs, the bones of the landscape, which add shape and form to the landscape year-round and are also a source of food and protection to wildlife.

Gardens are created using perennials, native plants and grasses which are hardier, lower maintenance, and more immune to disease, and when appropriate, annuals, depending on site conditions and homeowner’s desire.

Perennial Garden Styles

Photos taken at gardens designed & installed by Rachel’s Gardens

Butterfly Gardens

Butterfly Gardens

A garden with flowers that provide easy availability to nectar, and if a transitional garden flowers May thru October. The garden will also provide water source for the butterflies to puddle in along with boulder or rock for butterflies to warm themselves on.

Cottage Gardens

Cottage Gardens

This is a term that comes from the many gardens in England that adorned the servants or serfs gardens in their cottages.
The garden tends to be eclectic with not a mass of any one kind of flower, but rather a few of this and a few of that — from tall perennials that lean against building to border plants that adorn the path thru. Arbors are often prevalent with climbers to adorn them.

Cutting Gardens

Cutting Gardens

In planning a cut flower garden it’s important to choose flowers that provide at least 3 day vase time.  A well planned cut flower garden will provide variety of color and be transitional so as to provide flowers throughout spring, summer, and fall.

The garden should provide easy access with width not wider than 4-5ft and paths or stepping stones from which flowers can be reached.

Herb Gardens

Herb Gardens

A garden often planted near home for harvesting. It can be planted in rows, wagon wheel fashion, blended into vegetable garden, but given thought as to style of cooking. Often fragrant with blend of smells to enjoy.

Meadow Gardens

Meadow Gardens

A garden neighboring a wooded area or water feature, i.e. an opening exposed to sunny conditions. Thus providing setting for masses of hardy natives which provide for interesting blend of colors.

Moonlight Gardens

Moonlight Gardens

A garden in part to full shade that consists of flowers that bloom white and thus reflect well with dim light down lighting along a path or just on their own from natural moonlight.

Prairie Gardens

Prairie Gardens

A prairie garden has many native grasses blended with native flowers which often is on flat grasslands.

Rock Gardens

Rock Gardens

Containing plants that predominately adapt to hot, arid situations, the rock garden generally requires six hours or more of sunlight.

Rose Gardens

Rose Gardens

A rose garden generally lends itself to formality with hybrid tea roses, and often adds some gypsophila (baby’s breath for cutting).

Though in past decade the Rosa has made a statement and has become a welcomed addition to gardens. The flowers are smaller, however, the shrub roses provide variety of size and extended bloom time.

Shade Gardens

Shade Gardens

A shade garden gets less than four hours of sun per day, and is usually in dappled light. Look for plants that are labeled shade to part-shade. Take in mind foliage color and texture rather than emphasis on the bloom.

Wildflower Gardens

Wildflower Gardens

Gardens that follow a naturalistic approach which can be a sunny wildflower meadow or a bed in the woods. Wildflower beds chosen for the region tend to be quite hardy for they have already acclimated to conditions.

Woodland Gardens

Woodland Gardens

Woodland gardens are  generally part-shade to full shade with many native under story plantings. Color predominately in the spring before foliage.

Trees & Shrubs

Trees & Shrubs

Without trees and shrubs the garden lacks structure. They are the framework which to paint a picture on the landscape. They provide the backdrop of height and texture besides often seasonal color.

Worry-free Installation

Rachel lays out the plants, digs the holes, prepares the soil, and installs the new plantings for every landscape she designs.  On larger installations she is always on hand to personally assist and instruct her crew.

During bed prep, Rachel creates soil that will provide a good home for the plants. Rachel checks the clay level of the existing soil then adds pea gravel for drainage and organic material such as peat moss, compost and manure if needed to suit the plant material.

As a cost-saving feature, many homeowners opt to assist and learn from Rachel during installations. To see all of the installation options, click here.

After installing, the new plantings are fertilized and watered, and the homeowner is given instructions on the care of their new landscape. Rachel is always available to answer questions and concerns about your new plants, and will stop by and take a look if needed to better understand the situation. Visit our Resources page for Rachel’s plant suppliers.