 Countryside
Shangri-la
Set in the Cedarburg countryside, the
backyard of the Tice family residence was designed to be a backyard
vacation spot. And that’s pretty much what it has become for Tom and
Judy Tice, their children and friends. "When my children say they
want to have a couple of kids over, I look out and there are 30,"
Judy Tice says. "It rocks."
The home is located on two lots
totalling 11 1/2 acres. Special features of the yard include an
outdoor kitchen, an elaborate pergola, multiple-level terraces,
custom-shaped swimming pool, hot tub with a natural waterfall and
bonfire pit.
The challenge for the landscape
architect with David J. Frank Landscape Contracting was "making
all these outdoor spaces work together so it’s a cohesive
design," says DJF landscape designer Jim Drzewiecki.
 The
pool is cut into a hillside and surrounded by natural stone. The use
of natural stone throughout the yard is one of the signature design
elements of the landscape firm.
The Tices are the second owners of the
property. When they bought the house three years ago in March, the
yard was covered with snow. "We had no idea what was back
there," Tice says.
Besides the pool that cleans itself
with the touch of a button, Tice’s favorite feature of the design is
the naturalness of the property. "It doesn’t look planted, it
looks natural," she says, noting that the design is very
respectful of the Wisconsin setting. She enjoys watching the landscape
develop from spring to fall. "There isn’t a period of time
throughout the summer that something isn’t happening."
The couple have donated their property
for fund-raising events, in addition to enjoying it with their family.
"When you have an outdoor space like that it extends your
home," she says. "It’s another opportunity to be a family.
 Kid-tested
"The owners of this Grafton home
near Lake Michigan commissioned LaRosa Landscape Co. to create an
outdoor area that is kid-friendly yet inviting for entertaining. The
natural stone used in the wall and fireplace match the façade of the
house. The wall and pillars are a combination Chilton, Windsor and
Lannon stones. It is topped with an Eden stone. The patio surface is a
modular concrete paver called Antique Colonial.
 Entertainment
central
Landscape architect Brad Devorkin
designed the backyard of his Bayside home for entertaining. The
outdoor kitchen includes all major appliances and a counter with
seating for guests to gather. In another of the outdoor
"rooms," a fireplace is the focal point. Water features,
including a 10-foot reflecting pool, are additional highlights of the
landscape design.
 City
escape
The yard of the house on Lake Drive in Whitefish Bay was so
overgrown, it nearly deterred current owners Giovanni and Therese Luna
from buying the house.
A landscape architect from David J. Frank Landscape Contracting
translated Teri’s European garden concept into a welcoming and
usable space.
The landscape architect gave the flower beds a curvilinear shape to
make the yard appear larger, says DJF landscape designer Jim
Drzewiecki. A low stone wall gives definition to one side of the yard.
The design includes an outdoor fireplace and patio area tucked into a
far corner of the yard, a comfy seating area adjacent to the house and
a grill area behind the house.
Teri Luna says the family, which includes two young sons, enjoys
eating on the patio and the ambiance created by the outdoor fireplace.
"At night when all the torches are lit up it feels like we’re
at a resort," Luna says. The seating area is the perfect spot for
the couple to soak up the morning sun and have coffee.
Though the landscape design is contemporary, cobbled-edge stone,
blue stone brick pavers and patterned flagstone complement the
traditional architecture of the house.
The formal boxwoods, magnolia tree and roses in the front of the
house give way to informal varieties, such as black-eyed Susan, purple
coneflower, and Heavy Metal and Dallas Blues switch grasses in the
side yard.
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