Highland Park, IL
Highland Park's ravines, steep-slope lots, and tree-permit rules each ask for a landscaper who already knows the ropes. MarioScape covers all eight services across every Highland Park neighborhood — and helps you navigate the Village's permit requirements before the work starts.
Overview
Highland Park has more landscape variety than almost any other North Shore village — compact downtown lots, sprawling estate parcels, and the famous ravine properties that drop toward Lake Michigan. What sets it apart for a landscaper is the Village's rulebook: tree removals and steep-slope work both need permits, and getting that wrong can stop a project cold.
Service across all eight categories: lawn care, seasonal cleanups, landscape installation, drainage work (especially common on ravine and steep-slope lots), tree and shrub care (planned around Highland Park's tree-permit rules), hauling, outdoor lighting, and winter snow service.
Ravine and steep-slope properties get walked through individually — slope, runoff direction, erosion risk, and which permits apply all factor into the quote. We help you navigate the Village's tree and Steep Slope permit requirements so the work goes in clean the first time. The owner is on every job, start to finish.
Services in Highland Park
Click any category for what's included and how it gets handled on Highland Park properties.
Weekly mowing, fertilizing, weed spraying. Turf & General certified application program.
Lawn care in Highland Park →Spring openings, fall leaf cleanups. Ravine-edge debris removal where slopes allow.
Cleanups in Highland Park →Mulch, sod, stone, plantings. Zone 6a spring & fall planting, deer-resistant picks.
Landscaping in Highland Park →Ravine and steep-slope drainage, French drains, downspout extensions, erosion control.
Drainage in Highland Park →Trimming and pruning planned around the Village's tree-permit rules. We confirm before we cut.
Tree & shrub in Highland Park →Bulk mulch, soil, stone. Junk removal. Access-aware delivery for narrow estate driveways.
Hauling in Highland Park →Low-voltage LED strip lighting. Weatherproof and built for Chicago winters.
Lighting in Highland Park →Driveway plowing — including steep, ravine-adjacent driveways. Walkways, salt, ice treatment.
Snow in Highland Park →What to know
This is the one that trips people up. In Highland Park, removing any tree 8 inches or larger in diameter (measured at breast height) requires a Village permit — and even a dead or diseased tree of that size still needs one, though there's typically no fee for a hazardous removal. Multi-stem trees are measured at a 15-inch aggregate. Higher thresholds apply to heritage and large trees, which we confirm with the Village before touching anything. We help you figure out what applies and coordinate around it, so a tree job doesn't turn into a citation.
Highland Park's ravine and steep-slope lots require a special Steep Slope permit, because the Village cares — rightly — about ravine erosion, drainage, and how plantings hold the slope. Uncontrolled runoff cuts erosion channels into a ravine within a few storms. The plan usually combines drainage to intercept upland water, downspout routing to keep roof water off the slope edge, and slope-appropriate planting to hold the soil. We build the work to fit the permit's erosion and drainage requirements rather than fight them.
Construction or heavier landscaping near existing trees can trigger the Village's tree-protection requirements, and some Highland Park homes also fall under the Historic Preservation Commission. We don't do the paperwork for you, but we coordinate the work around the rules — protecting root zones, staging around what has to stay, and confirming with the Village where it matters — so the project keeps moving instead of hitting a stop-work order.
Highland Park sits in USDA Zone 6a, so we plant in the spring and fall windows that let roots establish before extreme heat or cold. Deer browse is genuine pressure on North Shore ornamentals — so where deer are a known problem, we lean toward deer-resistant selections and place more vulnerable plants closer to the house. On ravine and slope lots, plant choice also has to earn its keep by holding soil.
Common Questions
In most cases, yes. Highland Park requires a Village permit to remove any tree 8 inches or larger in diameter (measured at breast height) — and even a dead or diseased tree that size still needs one, though there's typically no fee for a hazardous removal. Multi-stem trees are measured at a 15-inch aggregate, and higher thresholds apply to heritage and large trees, which we confirm with the Village. We help you figure out what applies and coordinate around it.
Yes — some of the most common Highland Park properties we walk. Ravine and steep-slope lots require a special Steep Slope permit, and the work has to account for erosion, drainage, and slope-planting. Uncontrolled runoff cuts channels into a ravine within a few storms, so the plan usually combines drainage, downspout routing, and slope-appropriate planting. Everything is quoted after a walk-through.
The goal is to keep water from concentrating and cutting erosion channels down the slope. That usually means French drains to intercept upland water, downspout extensions to move roof water away from the slope edge, and grading plus slope-planting to hold the soil. Because these lots fall under the Steep Slope permit rules, we plan the work to fit the Village's erosion and drainage requirements.
Work near existing trees can trigger the Village's tree-protection requirements, and historic properties may also fall under the Historic Preservation Commission. We coordinate the work around those rules — protecting root zones, staging around what has to stay, and confirming with the Village where it matters — so the project moves without a stop-work surprise.
Highland Park sits in USDA Zone 6a, so we plant in the spring and fall windows that let roots establish before extreme heat or cold. Deer browse is real pressure on North Shore ornamentals, so we lean toward deer-resistant selections where deer are a known problem. On ravine and slope properties, plant choice also has to hold soil, not just look good.
Every property is different, so we quote after a walk-through rather than over the phone. Slope and ravine access, drainage complexity, whether tree or steep-slope permits come into play, property size, and recurring versus one-time work all factor in. You'll get a clear, free written estimate for your specific property.
Highland Park is part of the primary service area. Most call-backs are same or next day, with estimates usually scheduled within 24 to 48 hours. Recurring mow routes hit Highland Park on a fixed weekday, and drainage or runoff problems on ravine and slope lots get prioritized after heavy rain.
Free estimate, no salesy back-and-forth. You'll talk to Mario directly — same person who'll be on your property.
