16 Years. Same Person. Same Promise.
Jon Harkins started this company in 2009 with a simple idea: do great work, be honest about the price, and stay in relationship with your clients long after the last shovel hits the ground.
That idea hasn't changed. Harkins Unique Landscapes is still owner-operated, still serving central Illinois, and still the same company you can call back next season — and the season after that.
Why "Unique" — and Why It Still Means Something
When Jon Harkins launched the company out of Gilman in 2009, "unique" wasn't just a name — it was a commitment. He'd seen how the landscaping industry worked. Contractors would come in, do the job, collect a check, and disappear. If the wall shifted in spring or the plants struggled in the second year, good luck getting anyone back on the phone.
Jon wanted to build something different: a landscape company where the owner knew your property, knew your preferences, and was genuinely invested in whether the work held up over time. Not a transaction. A relationship.
"Our vision is to develop lifelong relationships with clients as we install landscape projects and continue to maintain them for years to come."
Sixteen years later, that's still the foundation. Harkins Unique Landscapes has grown across five counties and hundreds of properties — but Jon is still on the job sites, still answering calls personally, and still the one accountable for every project that goes out under the company's name.
When you call Harkins, you reach the person who designed the work. When something needs attention a year later, you call the same number. That's what "unique" means — and it's rarer than it should be.
The Values That Built 16 Years of Relationships
These aren't buzzwords on a website. They're the reasons clients call us back — year after year.
Lifelong Relationships, Not One-Time Jobs
Jon built this company around a single conviction: a landscaper should be someone you can call back. We design it, we build it, and we're still here when you need us next spring. Every project is the beginning of a long-term relationship — not a closed transaction.
Honest Quotes. Honest Work.
The estimate you receive is the price you pay. No "while we were here" add-ons, no surprise line items. Transparent pricing has been a core value since day one — because trust is earned quote by quote.
Truly Custom, Never Generic
Every design is built around your property, your preferences, and your lifestyle. We don't pull from templates. That's what "Unique" means — and every project should feel like it could only belong to your yard.
Local Knowledge That Matters
Jon has spent 16 years working in central Illinois soil and climate. He knows which plants thrive here, which hardscape materials survive Illinois winters, and which landscaping shortcuts create problems two years later.
Craftsmanship Over Speed
We build to last. Proper base preparation on every hardscape installation. Plant selection suited to the actual conditions of your property. Work done right the first time is work you won't have to pay for twice.
Owner Accountability
Jon runs the jobs. When you have a question, you reach the person who built your landscape. If something needs attention, the same person picks up the phone. No call centers, no strangers, no runaround.
What Most Landscaping Companies Do — And What We Do Instead
The landscaping industry has a trust problem. Most companies are good at selling the job. Fewer are good at standing behind it.
After 16 years, Harkins Unique Landscapes has been called in to fix the work of other companies more times than Jon can count — retaining walls that shifted, plants that died, lighting systems with no one to service them.
The comparison below isn't a knock on competitors. It's an honest look at how we've built long-term client relationships when the rest of the industry is optimized for volume.
Install the project, collect payment, move on to the next job
Build the relationship — maintain it through each season
Generic designs pulled from templates — same yard as your neighbor
Custom design built around your specific property and lifestyle
A different crew — or no answer — when you need something fixed
Jon picks up the phone — same number, same person, every time
Surprise charges and scope creep after the job starts
Transparent quote upfront — that's the price you pay
Plants and hardscape that look fine year one, fail by year three
Materials and plant selection suited to Illinois conditions — built to last
Based in Gilman — Serving Five Counties Across Central Illinois
Harkins Unique Landscapes covers one of the widest service footprints of any local landscaping company in the region. Based in Gilman, IL, we're genuinely close to most of our service area — not a franchise with a distant home office.
Not sure if we cover your town? Call Jon directly — we're usually closer than you think.
+ Surrounding Counties
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The Relationship Part — In Their Words
These aren't just five-star ratings. They're the thing we care about most: clients who keep calling.
Jon did a great job adding river rock under our deck. The job wasn't easy, fun or creative like most of their other water features or shorelines, but they were quick, on budget and awesome to work with on our project.
Fast, neat and very easy to work with. He listened to what we wanted and drew up a plan that we only minimally tweaked. Reasonable price. Plan on using him again in the near future. Highly recommend!
We've used Jonathan's company twice over the last year and they've done a wonderful job. His designs are exactly what we wanted. The plants are beautiful and healthy. Jon is very pleasant and easy to work with — we have several other projects on our list for him.