Winnetka -- The Aalbregstse Garden

Planned and constructed between 2001 and 2003, this nearly half-acre garden is set around a 1926 English Arts and Crafts style house. Outdoor "rooms" feature a variety of plant material and provide vistas from most rooms of the house. Regionally quarried stone, indigenous plant material, and textural contrasts have been used to provide privacy and create space. Four seasons of interest are provided by the plant collection. Woody plants have an underlying theme of analogous colors in shades of yellow, gold and bronze, while the perennials' predominant palette is purple chartreuse and pale yellow, with greens varying from grey to deep emerald. Garden features include a boxwood-hedged herb garden, a koi pond, a large bluestone terrace, and a rear patio with pergola, potting shed, and outdoor fireplace. The garden has won multiple awards from the Illinois Landscape Contractors Association.

Persons and firms associated with the garden include: Chris J. Heynssens (landscape architect, 2002 to date) and Heynssens & Grassman (landscape architects, 2002 to date).