Landscaping in Grosse Pointe Shores, MI: Long views and a lake to plan around.
HD Landscape plans and looks after yards in Grosse Pointe Shores, on the lake and a few streets back. Along Lake St. Clair the wind, the water and the view all get a say, so the idea is to frame the lake, not wall it off.
- Lakefront and inland yards
- Design through upkeep
- Free, itemized estimates
A finished job, relit for evening
Services in Grosse Pointe Shores
The work we take on in Grosse Pointe Shores.
Pick a service to see how it works. Every one starts with a free, itemized estimate.
Design and build
Lawns and planting
Hedges and trees
Yards in the Shores
A few streets from the lake, it is a different yard.
Grosse Pointe Shores has about a square mile of land and the longest shoreline of any Pointe. It is all single family, with homes that run from modest, well kept houses to historic estates. What a yard needs here depends mostly on how close it sits to the water.
The ground changes too. USDA soil maps show sand over much of the Shores, with wetter, heavier soil in spots. That is a long way from the heavy clay common across Metro Detroit. What is under your lawn should decide the plants, because a plan that suits one block can struggle a few streets away.
The Ford House grounds, right here in the Shores, are a good local lesson. Landscape architect Jens Jensen laid them out with native plants and long views. We are not comparing a back yard to 87 acres, but the idea travels well: frame the water, do not wall it off.
Sand on top, clay further down
Sand moves water through fast and holds less of it than clay, so new plants here can need watering more often while they root. USDA still rates the most common soil somewhat poorly drained, with dense clay about five feet down. Jake can talk you through a schedule, and we can do the watering if you would rather not think about it.
Open lake weather
A lakefront yard takes wind that a yard a few streets back barely feels. Plants there should be chosen and placed with that in mind, and tall ones belong outside the sight lines to the water.
Lawn against a seawall
Record high water in 2019 and 2020 was hard on this shore, and engineers found voids behind the county seawall along Lake Shore Road. So before sod goes up to any wall, look for ground that has started to sink.
A street tree list that helps at home
The city's Tree Board list of approved street trees, last updated in 2012, marks which trees handle wet ground, drought and salt. It bans ash, willow and silver maple for streets, and it makes a useful guide for planting on your own lot.
Away for the winter
The city notes that winter vacations thin out the town. A spring cleanup can be finished before you get back, and monthly maintenance keeps the beds and hedges in hand from then on.
In Grosse Pointe Shores
On the lake side, the view sets the plan.
On a lakefront lot the walk should start at the water and work back toward the house, because the view decides where height can go. If the project is a big one, landscape design comes first. Either way, you can go through the itemized estimate line by line.
Two local rules can shape the schedule. Irrigation hours are limited from May 15 to October 15, with a separate allowance for new sod. And a Wayne County storm water manual posted by the city says grading, fill or stripping within 500 feet of a lake can need a soil erosion permit first, so that is a question for the Building Department before ground work starts near the water.
On leaves, the city has already decided. It says contractors are responsible for removing leaves from their clients' properties, so on a fall cleanup we take them away rather than raking them out for the city vacuum.
- New sod
- Extra watering for 21 days, outside 6 to 10 a.m.
- Estimate
- Free and itemized
- Seawalls
- Not our work. We handle the yard behind them.
- Not included
- Sprinkler installation
I recently had the pleasure of working with HD Landscape to completely revamp my outdoor space, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. From start to finish, the experience was seamless and exceeded my expectations in every way.
Billy W.Outdoor space revamp
Jake is a no pressure, skilled landscaper with excellent communication abilities. Contracting, communicating and paying for services are seamless, and Jake is reliable on time estimates. Highly recommend.
Mark R.Landscaping
I am extremely impressed with the work HD Landscape has done. Great team - they were very responsive and communicative. Very happy we decided to work with them!
Gina D.Landscaping
Questions
What people ask about Grosse Pointe Shores yards.
If yours is not here, call or text (586) 718-8762.
Do you take landscaping jobs in Grosse Pointe Shores?
Yes. HD Landscape works in Grosse Pointe Shores on lakefront lots and inland streets. We do landscape design, renovation, plant installation, sod, hedge trimming, monthly maintenance and cleanups. Taking down a big tree is tree company work, not ours. Our home base is just up the lakeshore in St. Clair Shores.
What are the watering rules for new sod in Grosse Pointe Shores?
From May 15 to October 15, the city's Ordinance 275 lets a newly seeded or sodded lawn on city water be irrigated as often as needed for the first 21 days, except between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. Otherwise, automatic systems on city water may run only between midnight and 6 a.m. Hand watering with an attended hose or sprinkler is also off limits from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. Confirm the current rule with the city. Jake will give you a plain sod watering schedule that fits it.
Do you repair seawalls?
No. Seawalls in Grosse Pointe Shores are work for a marine contractor, and construction below the ordinary high water mark on Lake St. Clair goes through a state permit. We take care of the yard behind the wall once the wall is sound.
Can you plant near the lake without blocking the view?
Yes, and that is where the design starts. Keep low plants and boulders toward the water and put height at the sides, where it frames the lake. In Grosse Pointe Shores a hedge in the wrong spot can cost you the reason you bought the lot.
What trees do well in Grosse Pointe Shores?
The city's approved street tree list is a good starting point, because it marks wet, drought and salt tolerance. Swamp white oak, bur oak, Kentucky coffeetree and bald cypress are all marked salt tolerant. Lake St. Clair is fresh water, so that rating matters most near a salted road. Match the tree to your soil and your view, and we can plant it at the right depth.
Who takes the leaves away in Grosse Pointe Shores?
If you rake them to the curb yourself, the city's leaf vacuum collects them during its fall season. If a contractor does the work, the city says the contractor is responsible for removing them. So on our fall cleanups, taking them away is part of the job.
Nearby towns we serve
Background: a finished job, relit for evening
Free estimate
Get your free estimate in Grosse Pointe Shores.
Tell us about the yard and where in Grosse Pointe Shores it is. Jake will take a look and give you an itemized estimate.