Traditional Patio + Landscape - Mequon, WI

2017 Gold Award for Excellence in Residential Landscape Design and Construction - Wisconsin Landscape Contractors Association

After adding a new living room to their home along with a kitchen remodel, our client realized it might be time to replace their deteriorating wood deck. It was original to the home when it was built and didn't fit well with the new addition that included many windows. Our idea was to replace the deck with a new, expanded patio that would wrap around the addition, making patio and home feel like they were designed together.

We also suggested materials more appropriate with the architecture of the home including full range patterned bluestone for the patio surface. Clay pavers were chosen to coordinate with the existing brick porch on the front of the home, and add detail as a border around the bluestone. A combination sailor/ soldier course of the same pavers, outlines the circular dining area. New bluestone landings were created, with custom-cut lannon stone steps, making it easier for our clients to step out onto the new patio with food in their arms when entertaining. The grade around the entire patio was also reshaped to make the patio flush with the surrounding lawn. This was an improvement over the existing deck, as it had been a half step higher than the backyard which created a tripping hazard.

Our client also loved perennials and gardening, so we made sure to surround the patio with long-blooming plants, including 'Rozanne' geranium and Double Knock Out shrub rose. With the patio wrapping around the new addition to the home, we also wanted to create a garden of color in front of the new windows. The palette of plants in this area included a mixture of tall and short perennials with bloom times from early spring ('Caesar's Brother' Siberian iris) to high summer. Included in this mix were 'Feuerland' achillea, 'Goldsturm' rudbeckia, 'Blue Fortune' agastache, and 'Jacob Cline' monarda. The latter plant guaranteed to be a hummingbird magnet! A curved group of boxwood outlines the edge of the dining area, while 'Autumn Brilliance' serviceberry adds a vertical accent. One of our favorite perennials, 'Summer Beauty' allium, was used in the foreground of the plant beds surrounding the patio, acting as an accent around the edge.

After the completion of the patio, our client was so happy with the results that they retained us to redesign other parts of their property, including a new front walk to match the patio.