Landscape Service in Crystal Lake
![]() At Mchenry County Landscape, we are the one landscaping firm that has been far exceeding customer service and the expectations of Mchenry County residents and commercial locations.
We pride ourselves on our impressive versatility, full-service landscape service, design and a installation company focused in your neighborhood. When it comes to landscape design or project, bigger is not always better. Our local landscaping company can handle any project no matter how small or large it is. Our team or certified professionals will offer unparalleled levels craftsmanship and attention to detail that will exceed your expectations. We service Mchenry County area which include Crystal Lake, Mchenry, Cary, Algonquin, Woodstock, Lake In The Hills and more........ At Mchenry County Landscape, we work with you knowing that every client's needs are different and we create an oasis and an outdoor living extension to free yourself from your busy lives. Our services for residential and commercial landscape include seasonal cleanups, mowing, mulch, lawn care, weed control, edging, shrub trimming, bush care, softscape and hardscape designs and more...... Our landscaping team offers services and plans that meet your budget, needs and times so you are not inconvenienced in anyway. We have one goal in mind for every project, is for your residential landscape or commercial landscape is that you are 100% satisfied and proud of your landscaping that you are the envy of your family, friends, neighbors or co-workers. A referral is the best compliment we can receive; knowing that you love our work so much that your friends, family, neighbors or co-workers also contact us speaks for itself. We look forward to hearing from you and creating something that will bring a smile to your face. |
Call: 815-605-5063 |

Benefits of having proper lawn care: Aesthetically, lawns enhance the quality of life, contribute to social harmony and neighborhood pride, increasing home values and compliment other landscaping designs. Proper lawn care provides a soft landing for kids at play, a blanket for families to picnic on and a cushion for bare feet to roam. The scientific evidence clearly shows that a healthy lawn is good for the environment due to the fact a healthy lawn generates oxygen for improved air quality, what most homeowners do not realize is noise and air pollution are reduced because the grass ecosystem serves as a natural filter for the environment.
At Mchenry County Landscape, we understand that proper lawn cared lawns provide excellent soil erosion control, improve recharge and quality protection of groundwater and provide flood control. They enhance entrapment and biodegradation of synthetic organic compounds, absorb and sequester carbon dioxide gases, bring substantial heat dissipation which results in temperature moderation and open green spaces that serve as a firebreak to reduce fire hazards.
At Mchenry County Landscape, we understand that proper lawn cared lawns provide excellent soil erosion control, improve recharge and quality protection of groundwater and provide flood control. They enhance entrapment and biodegradation of synthetic organic compounds, absorb and sequester carbon dioxide gases, bring substantial heat dissipation which results in temperature moderation and open green spaces that serve as a firebreak to reduce fire hazards.

Benefits of Mulches: Aside from making your landscape appealing, mulches offers much more benefits to your soil and plants. Mulch reduces the amount of water loss through evaporation by shielding the soil from the hot sun’s rays. It keeps the soil at a lower temperature during the summer and acts as an heat insulator in our Mchenry County winter months which lessens the effects of erratic temperatures on plant roots which in turn decreases their susceptibility to frost heaving. Organic matter is added to the soil as the mulch breaks down which increases and improve a soil’s moisture and nutrient holding capacity, structure, and drainage. Mulch also encourages the activity of beneficial soil organisms. Along with all of this, weed growth is suppressed by the use of a mulch along with the spread of some plant diseases.
Organic Versus Inorganic: Organic mulches are derived from natural materials that are decomposed over time. As organic mulches decompose, they add nutrients and organic matter to the soil and beneficial microorganisms like nitrifying bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi are enhanced and keeping undesirable pathogens which cause plant diseases are repressed. Increased amounts of organic matter will improve soil tilling and drainage, increase soil moisture retention, reduce the soil from compacting and attract beneficial earthworms. Because organic mulches decompose, they need to be replaced. Depending on the type of mulch used, replacement intervals vary from one to four years.
Inorganic mulches include stones, geo-textile mats and landscaping fabrics, and plastic mulches. Landscaping fabrics and plastic mulches deteriorate with time and eventually require replacement. Inorganic mulches usually are more laborious to install and may require more watering due to water ingress may be limited. Some inorganic mulches are designed to reflect the sky to confuse and keep insects from landing on plants which can be a great benefit. Many do not have a natural appearance and are often covered by an organic mulch for decorative purposes.
Organic Versus Inorganic: Organic mulches are derived from natural materials that are decomposed over time. As organic mulches decompose, they add nutrients and organic matter to the soil and beneficial microorganisms like nitrifying bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi are enhanced and keeping undesirable pathogens which cause plant diseases are repressed. Increased amounts of organic matter will improve soil tilling and drainage, increase soil moisture retention, reduce the soil from compacting and attract beneficial earthworms. Because organic mulches decompose, they need to be replaced. Depending on the type of mulch used, replacement intervals vary from one to four years.
Inorganic mulches include stones, geo-textile mats and landscaping fabrics, and plastic mulches. Landscaping fabrics and plastic mulches deteriorate with time and eventually require replacement. Inorganic mulches usually are more laborious to install and may require more watering due to water ingress may be limited. Some inorganic mulches are designed to reflect the sky to confuse and keep insects from landing on plants which can be a great benefit. Many do not have a natural appearance and are often covered by an organic mulch for decorative purposes.

Hardscape or Softscape? To help understand how to design for a landscape for your home or office, the two main elements that make up outdoor living spaces are known as hardscape and softscape. The easiest ways to nail down the differences, hardscape and softscape are the complete opposites of each other, yet both are necessary to make your landscape dreams fully functional.
Both terms are often used to emphasize the distinction between the two. Hardscape is the hard stuff in your yard such as concrete, bricks, and stone. Softscape is the soft, growing stuff, like annual or perennial flowers, shrubs, succulents, and trees. Basically softscape is living and hardscape is not.
Ideally, a well-designed landscape blends a balance between the two elements. We've all seen properties in our Mchenry county neighborhood that have too much of one or the other or all one and none of the other. A front yard that's heavy on hardscape design, might have a circular paved driveway along with landscaping that mostly includes rocks and gravel, some architectural light posts, maybe a stone retaining wall, and it's hardscape overload. It's just too much hardscape paving and can look like a commercial property.
Conversely, a yard that goes overboard with softscape might look like a jungle or maybe that unkempt old house down the street or just a neighbor who has become a tad plant-happy and has a vegetable garden, herb garden, roses, succulents, fruit trees, ornamental grasses, topiary, etc. growing in a chaotic mess with no paths or separation in which to access them.
Too much hardscaping or softscaping in a front yard can compromise your home's curb appeal and might bring down property values for your neighborhood. As for the backyard: an overabundance of hardscape does not create a relaxing, paradise-like atmosphere. On the other hand, too much softscape can get out of control and begs to be pruned and weeded. At Mchenry County Landscape, we will work you on your design and try to strike a balance between the two.
Call: 815-605-5063
Hardscape Elements:
Softscape Elements:
Both terms are often used to emphasize the distinction between the two. Hardscape is the hard stuff in your yard such as concrete, bricks, and stone. Softscape is the soft, growing stuff, like annual or perennial flowers, shrubs, succulents, and trees. Basically softscape is living and hardscape is not.
Ideally, a well-designed landscape blends a balance between the two elements. We've all seen properties in our Mchenry county neighborhood that have too much of one or the other or all one and none of the other. A front yard that's heavy on hardscape design, might have a circular paved driveway along with landscaping that mostly includes rocks and gravel, some architectural light posts, maybe a stone retaining wall, and it's hardscape overload. It's just too much hardscape paving and can look like a commercial property.
Conversely, a yard that goes overboard with softscape might look like a jungle or maybe that unkempt old house down the street or just a neighbor who has become a tad plant-happy and has a vegetable garden, herb garden, roses, succulents, fruit trees, ornamental grasses, topiary, etc. growing in a chaotic mess with no paths or separation in which to access them.
Too much hardscaping or softscaping in a front yard can compromise your home's curb appeal and might bring down property values for your neighborhood. As for the backyard: an overabundance of hardscape does not create a relaxing, paradise-like atmosphere. On the other hand, too much softscape can get out of control and begs to be pruned and weeded. At Mchenry County Landscape, we will work you on your design and try to strike a balance between the two.
Call: 815-605-5063
Hardscape Elements:
- Hardscape can be thought of as "hard," yet movable, parts of the landscape, like gravel, paving, and stones.
- They are inanimate objects.
- Hardscape is solid and unchanging.
- Other examples of hardscape include retaining walls, pavers for paths or patios, outdoor kitchens, water features, gazebos, decks, and driveways.
- It can be natural, like stone, or man-made, like an outdoor structure, frame or a planter.
- Hardscape materials have different effects on the environment. Pavement, which is hardscape, prevents water from soaking into the soil, thus increasing runoff, which can carry contaminants into streams. Porous materials allow water to soak into the soil.
Softscape Elements:
- Consider these the "soft" horticultural (living, growing) components of the landscape. These might include flowers, trees, shrubs, ground covers, etc.
- Change and evolve constantly, as they grow and adapt to climate and other conditions.
- Are softer to the touch, quite literally. Think about touching the leaves of a tree or perennial, or blades of grass. They are soft, not hard.