What's Blooming on the Block?

I am an amateur gardener, even though I have had my hands in the dirt since I was big enough to walk into my father's vegetable garden, I learn something new every season.

One of my favorite hobbies is to take a long walk around the neighborhood and see what is blooming and how my neighbors have created and re-created their gardens. Walking up to complete strangers to ask about a red rose, and spending hours talking about flowers and plants, collecting ideas for the next time I try to plant something is a beloved past time of mine.

When we moved here about eight years ago it was my first time getting to plan my own garden. No longer limited to plants in pots, this was going to be a challenge. I found my best ideas from those long walks looking at gardens and asking questions. Starting with a few plants and learning along the way, our garden is growing into the vision I had when we moved in.

I was amazed at the variety of flowers, trees and vegtables that grow in the yards around town. You may see peach, plum, pear, and apple trees grace the yards along these streets.

But there are even more exotic plantings if you take a closer look.

I stopped by our new neighbors, the Yoon family, to ask about their complete overhaul of the yard that sits along Austin Avenue.

A Korean Garden

June Yoon said she comes from a culture in Korea where "...everyone plants the land they have." This includes flowers, fruit trees and vegetable gardens. The Yoon family has planted traditional Korean flowering and fruit trees in their new yard along with an entire raised bed vegetable garden.

Within this green space are also rasberry, blueberry and strawberry plants. June is hoping for a good harvest, but admits this first year "...they'll see what works and what doesn't work. A lot depends upon the soil." 

A Water-Saving Garden

As my walk continued I stopped by a 1930's era bungalow on School Street which has been restored along with the garden.

The Galson family has worked on creating a garden that needs very little watering. Using prairie grasses and native flowers they are able to take a vacation and know the garden will continue to bloom using water that the long roots of the prairie plants can soak up.

In addition to relying on those plants, they also have two rain barrels connected to their roofs which allows them to harvest the rain water and use it during those long hot summer days. Their yard also includes vegetables in the back yard along with herbs in the front and side yards.

A Bird Garden

Talking with folks in town about their gardens has given me inspiration as well. John and Marianne Thill turned their average suburban backyard into an oasis for local and migratory birds, butterflies and other animals.

Marianne's philosophy on suburban gardening is this:

"It is all about creating habitat. Our back yard is certified by the National Wildlife Federation and the Audubon Society as a Backyard Habitat and since 1992 we have documented 98 species of birds and 21 species of butterflies. You don't need acres and acres to be successful. Our entire property measures 66 x 125. It's all about what you do with it. What does our habitat contain? We have planted trees for shelter and nesting; we have planted fruit-bearing shrubs as a food source. There are flowers for nectar and seed and there are host plants for butterfly egg laying. Not every homeowner would want to do all these steps. But,  just think; if every home owner did ONE of the above things; plant a tree, plant one fruit-bearing shrub or installed a bird bath, then development wouldn't have such a negative impact on the land."

Has this article inspired you to do something about those weeds or that neglected rose bush? Take a walk down the block, enjoy the local gardens, ask a question or two and then start digging!