Who We Are

Message from the Owner

As our name implies, Avant is at the forefront. We adapt, innovate, and develop new techniques in gardening, find new solutions to landscape problems, and maintain high standards of stewardship of our land. Nature is our inspiration.

When I first conceived the Avant concept 25 years ago, I knew Avant could make a big contribution to the Midwest garden. Having visited many countries with rich histories in garden design, I saw that in most of the Midwest the concepts of garden rooms, outdoor niches, vistas, and natural landscapes were nowhere to be seen.

Most of the homes and businesses I visited back then had a few shrubs and maybe some yews and arbor vitae as foundation plantings, along with some geraniums and daylilies for color. I saw immediately that the Midwest garden was missing an essential layer — namely the ground layer of perennial plants to add richness, vibrancy, and year-round interest to the garden.

The goal of Avant was then and is still now — to use all of the tools, colors, surfaces, textures and emotions in our palette to create artistic, well-layered landscapes that uplift the spirits of those who live with our designed spaces.

— Liza Lightfoot