Landscape design & build for Milwaukee

Yardzen designs everywhere in the U.S. and the Milwaukee area is one of our favorites. As Wisconsin’s largest city, Milwaukee has a lot going for it: historical architecture, beautiful outdoor spaces, vibrant cultural institutions, a low cost of living, ongoing and rapid growth, and that famous Midwestern kindness.

EXPLORE DESIGN PACKAGES
Firepit seating area by the river side
Climate

Milwaukee has a four-season climate and enjoys cooling breezes and sweeping views along Lake Michigan. Winters are cold and snowy, summers hot and stormy. Being a lakeside (and riverside) city, abundant humidity and green are the norms – provided they can handle the winter, plants are very happy in Milwaukee. Outside the city, suburban communities intermingle with areas of forest, prairie, and oak savannah, not to mention a whole lot of lakes.

Design & Build

MILWAUKEE, WI LANDSCAPE DESIGN GALLERY

POPULAR AMENITIES IN MILWAUKEE YARDS

How Yardzen Works

Simple and thorough online process

Take a style quiz, share videos and photos of your existing outdoor space, and learn about the costs in our Yard Builder™ tool. Our design team will help you at every step of the process.

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The easiest path to a final design you’ll love

Review your first design in our online Feedback Studio. You’ll be able to share feedback before we start incorporating your changes. A live design review call is also available to help get your project ready for installation.

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Built by someone you (and Yardzen) trusts

We’ll translate your 3D design concepts into a detailed CAD plan that’s ready to install. Next, we’ll connect you to a vetted, Milwaukee area landscape contractor who can bring your dream yard to life.

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Custom designs for your unique outdoor space

We've built a database of plants, trees, and groundcovers that match to Milwaukee’s planting zones, sun/shade/water requirements, aesthetic, and essential features like native plants. Using satellite and aerial imagery, coupled with your photo, video, and factoring in your details, we can create the outdoor space of your dreams.

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WHICH YARDZEN PACKAGE IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Take our YardBuilder quiz to find out.
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1. Tell us about your unique outdoor space

2. Answer a few questions about your dream yard

3. Get a personalized design package recommendation

WHAT YARDZEN CLIENTS ARE SAYING

Milwaukee full backyard landscaping with fire pit, pergola, sunbrella, lawn, outdoor kitchen and flowers

MILWAUKEE LANDSCAPING FAQS

What design styles are popular with Milwaukee homeowners?

Milwaukee-area designs run the gamut. More than any style, you’ll see variations on the classic 20th-century landscape archetype of foundation planting, hedges, floral accents, and vast lawns. Among younger homeowners in particular, you also see styles that have become popular more recently. These include native-heavy, pollinator-friendly planting designs that emulate the prairies, woodlands, and forests of the regional landscape. They also include modern, urban-flavored designs, with clean concrete hardscaping, ornamental grasses, and rectilinear layouts.

When it comes to landscape styles, Yardzen has done it all. Whatever your style may be, our designers are ready to help you achieve it.

What are popular features in Milwaukee landscapes?

Milwaukee landscapes are built to perform in all four seasons. This means including plants for winter interest, like early-blooming bulbs and evergreen shrubs, choosing materials that hold up to snow and ice, and providing shade sources to keep cool through the summers.

Amenities for outdoor living are popular, from outdoor kitchen and dining areas, to flexible entertaining spaces that work equally well for a quiet night outside or a Super Bowl party.

Shade structures like pergolas and shade sails are gaining in popularity, as is outdoor lighting, which helps people take advantage of the cool weather of summer evenings. On the other end of the spectrum, fire pits, heaters, and outdoor rugs are popular to help people stay outside as weather starts to turn chilly.

While hardscape aesthetics vary as much as design styles, natural stone paving and decorative rock features are popular both for their durability and the sense of belonging within the regional landscape that they express.

Should I use plants native to Milwaukee in my landscape?

No matter where you live, native plants are an excellent choice for your landscape. As lovers of the local climate, native plants typically require fewer inputs of water, fertilizer, and maintenance than species introduced from elsewhere. With natives, you’ll get great plant performance with less expense and fuss.

At the same time, native plants offer unmatched habitat value for local wildlife, and help designed landscapes feel connected to the broader regional landscape.

Looking for a few natives to get you started? Here are a few of the many local favorites:

→ Ohio Goldenrod

→ Purple Coneflower

→ Prairie Blazingstar

→ Wild Quinine

→ Big or Little Bluestem grasses

→ Red, Silver, or any of the many other Maples native Wisconsin

→ Dogwood (many native Dogwoods are great for landscape use, and for wildlife habitat)

What are top considerations for Milwaukee landscapes?

Climate is a critical factor for Milwaukee landscapes.

Landscape designs must take care to choose plants and materials that will stand up to the heat, cold, and precipitation that the climate will throw at them.

They should also incorporate features to provide comfortable spaces for any season, including shade trees and structures and water features to cool off in the summer, and evergreen windbreaks, fire pits, and outdoor heaters to keep warm in the fall and winter.

Seasonal interest is another climate factor to account for – landscapes ought to be dynamic, changing their appearance throughout the year. Careful plant selection can ensure an attractive display year-round by incorporating fall color, winter interest, and early spring blooms.

Wildlife herbivory, from deer in particular, is a factor. While no plants are outright deer-proof, landscape designs can prioritize species that stand better odds of being avoided by deer.

When should I start my landscaping project?

Milwaukee outdoor fire pit seating area with trees and shrubs

 

Highly suggest Yardzen. The online process made everything super easy and efficient. Thank you to the entire Yardzen team.

Shannon M., Yardzen client

Yardzen creates local landscape designs in and around Milwaukee:

Bayside, Brown Deer, Cudahy, Fox Point, Franklin, Glendale, Greendale, Greenfield, Hales Corners, Oak Creek, River Hills, Shorewood, South Milwaukee, St. Francis, Wauwatosa, West Allis, West Milwaukee, and Whitefish Bay.