Photographed on site

The work, in Rockford.

Every photograph on this page is A & T Lawncare and Landscaping’s own completed work: walls, pavers, planting and lawns installed across Rockford and the surrounding towns since 1997. Some are named commercial accounts, some are residential jobs, and one is a genuine before and after from the same lot. Have a look at how each of these breaks down on the services page, or the hardscapes page specifically for the wall and paver work.

Named accounts

Places you have already walked past

The sundial plaza at Rockford College, the monument sign bed at Franchesco’s Ristorante, and the storefront planting at Gruno’s are all named commercial accounts, kept up year after year rather than installed once and left. The Heavenly Ham wall project in Rockford and the Machesney Crossing job in Machesney Park are two more accounts on the books, alongside plenty of residential work that never gets a name attached at all.

Brick paver plaza around a stone sundial monument at Rockford College, autumn trees behind it — Rockford College - paver plaza and sundial monument

Vertical view of the same Rockford College paver plaza and sundial monument — Rockford College, from the walk in

Planting bed built around the Franchesco's Ristorante monument sign in Rockford, Illinois — Franchesco's Ristorante - monument sign bed

Planting bed and low shrubs in front of the Gruno's storefront in Rockford — Gruno's - storefront planting bed

Walls and drainage

Built with the water in mind

Rockford sits on heavy clay, and a wall built without a drainage channel behind it is only a matter of time. Every wall here went in with its drainage as part of the same job, not added after the fact, and the tiered wall is stepped to the grade rather than stacked square against it.

Tiered, stepped retaining wall with layered ornamental plantings — A tiered wall, stepped rather than stacked square

Large commercial retaining wall under construction with a stone drainage channel along its base — Drainage channel set before the wall goes up

Commercial building stone retaining wall with a planting bed in front of it — Commercial wall and bed, finished

Commercial retaining wall running along a walkway — A wall run along a commercial walkway

Curved stone retaining wall beside a brick paver walkway, company truck parked at the kerb — Curved wall and paver walk, same job

Pavers and driveways

The part that happens before the joints get filled

Most people only ever see a paver patio, walk or driveway once it’s finished. These photographs are mid-job: base laid, pavers set by hand one at a time, joints not yet swept and filled. It’s the same method whether the run is a commercial plaza or a residential driveway.

Crew member laying brick pavers by hand — Set by hand, one paver at a time

Two crew members installing brick pavers together — Two on the base, keeping the course straight

Brick paver walkway installation in progress, joints not yet filled — Mid-install, joints not yet filled

Residential brick paver driveway installation — A residential driveway, same base method

Close-up detail of a herringbone brick paver pattern — Herringbone, close in

Planting and lawns

Everything that grows

Planting beds, mowed lawns and the palm trees that A & T is the only landscaping company in the local area to offer. Palms are placed as part of the planting plan on the property, not dropped in on their own, which is why the patio and the palms here are the same job.

Front entry landscaping with a vivid red rose bed against a trimmed lawn — Front entry, a rose bed doing the work

Ornamental grasses and a tree in a planting bed — Ornamental grasses and a young tree

Tropical palm trees planted beside a finished paver patio in northern Illinois — Palm trees, part of the planting plan

Residential lawn with a mow-stripe pattern and a colourful planting bed — A mowed lawn and a planted bed, kept together

New-construction lawn installation with the company truck visible — A new-construction lawn, laid from bare grade

Before and after

The same lot, start to finish

A new-construction lot arrives as bare graded dirt. This is the same house after finish grade, sod and planting beds went in. New builds are the easiest time to get the grade and the drainage right, because nothing is in the way yet.

The same new-construction house with a full sod lawn and planting beds installed

New-construction house on a bare dirt lot before landscaping

Free evaluation and estimate

See something here you want on your own property?

Call (815) 509-4566 or send a message and we will walk the property with you, free of charge. Have a look at what we cover on the contact page if you want to reach us directly.

Call (815) 509-4566

All photography by Brian Thomas Photography.