Enrique and Christian’s Garden Near Chicago

Small space, big garden

My name is Enrique Zuniga . My married man , Christian Altman , our three dogs , and I live in Forest Park , Illinois ( Zone 5b ) , which is located just west of downtown Chicago . Both Christian and I have had a love of gardening since we were children , but we in full tapped into our inner gardener when we were presented with the opportunity to work with a yard full ofturf grasswhen we move to our current house in 2017 . The vast majority of the 1000 get full sun , so we determine to remove turgid patches of turf grass and plant sunshine - love perennials that are mostlynativeto Illinois .

Since we have done all of the landscaping oeuvre ourselves , we have done one garden task each spring / summer since 2017 . We pass a lot of time out in the yard with our dogs , so we decide to make the garden as interesting as possible with different colour , shapes , sizes , texture , and smell . Our favorite flowers change throughout the uprise time of year , depending on whether they are attractinghummingbirds , bees , moths , fly ball , orbutterflies .

There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the reaction of visitors to our garden . The garden is at a point where we can dig up and give away voluntary industrial plant to friends and neighbor . Most times they come over to our house to pick up the Tennessean plants , and every individual person is in awe of what they see when they accede the garden .

Though we are located in a thickly populatedurban area , we bed that the right plant can not only force in human champion , but they can entice in the nature that we all need in our lives .

Tidy grass paths lead to lush , healthy plant . Raised bedsforvegetablesare to the right , with screen side that keep animals out ( and take care great while doing so ) .

Every patch of earth is a place to garden . Notable plant here includeRudbeckiamaxima(Zones 4–9 ) , with silverish foliage and grandiloquent stem of yellow flowers , some vulgar milkweed ( Asclepiassyriaca , Zones 3–9 ) , and clumps of calamint ( Calaminthanepeta , Zones 5–7 ) that supply airy mass of flowers to tie it all together .

Anise - sweet-scented sage ( Salviaguaranitica , Zones 8–10 ) has tall spike ofpurple flowersmuch loved by bees and hummingbirds .

Summersweet ( Clethraalnifolia , Zones 3–9 ) is a native bush withfragrantflowers that are white or — as with this cultivar — pink .

Calamint is a workhorse plant life . Each flower may be small , but they are make in Brobdingnagian numbers of a long spell in the summer , and bees bed them .

A humblebee has stop by for pollen andnectar .

Agastache ( Agastachefortunei , Zones 4–9 ) is another favorite forpollinators .

Joe Pye weed ( Eutrochium , Zones 4–9 ) is a greatnative perennialwith a bold presence in the garden and masses of heyday in high summertime .

Details of the Joe Pye weed flower .

Enrique sent in so many not bad pic of his garden that we ’ll be back tomorrow to see more !

Have photos to partake ? We ’d love to see your garden , a especial aggregation of plants you get laid , or a wonderful garden you had the chance to visit !

To submit , charge 5 - 10 exposure to[email protected]along with some data about the plants in the pictures and where you took the picture . We ’d hump to see where you are located , how long you ’ve been gardening , successes you are proud of , failure you learned from , hopes for the future , pet plant , or funny floor from your garden .

Have a mobile phone ? label your picture onFacebook , InstagramorTwitterwith # FineGardening !

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet?Sign up here .

all right Gardening Recommended Products

RAINPOINT Sprinkler Timer with Brass Swivel

Fine horticulture receives a committal for items purchased through links on this web site , including Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertizement programs .

A.M. Leonard Deluxe Soil Knife & Leather Sheath Combo

ARS telescope Long Reach Pruner

close up of light purple agastache

Get our latest tips , how - to articles , and instructional TV sent to your inbox .

ratify you up …

Cindy’s Top Summer Blooms Northwest Chicago

Summer in Wendy’s Garden

Garden Party at Bill’s

More of Enrique and Christian’s Garden

Join Fine Gardening for a innocent engaging live webinar feature Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned plant diagnostician as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamental technological director …

When I discern a finical backbone dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few calendar month ago , I know I was in trouble . With a delightful gloss pattern …

When we only prioritise industrial plant we want over plants our landscape painting needs , each season is filled with a never - ending lean of job : pruning , pinching , watering , treating , meliorate , and fertilizing , with …

view of small garden with plants along fence and raised garden beds

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be measured when you enrol the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombard by a distich …