Our Garden in Romeoville

When David and I moved to our new house in October, 2000, we knew there would be lots of hard work to establish landscaping. Although the builder put sod on the front and side, and laid the back with blanket seed, we had no idea how bad the soil underneath was -- rocks and clay! That made drainage a big problem. With soil supplements such as peat, mushroom compost and regular top soil, it's improving. There's still much to be done. Here's where we began...

Once the fence was up, I could anticpate Spring and all the planting we wanted to do. (David digs all the holes!) Most importantly, I wanted to create a haven for butterflies, hummingbirds and any other wildlife which happened upon us. The area around us is "suffering" urban sprawl. I now realize that the coyote and pheasants we saw last fall who disappeared, as well as the hawks and eagles we have currently, eventually move on to where the hunting is better, in the best case scenario. Concentrating on the smaller critters, I've had some success, and keep learning about what the beneficial insects and butterflies are attracted to. We had a purple butterfly bush in Elgin, which we planted underneath the front window on the right. This Summer, that bush and another lavender one (below), have furnished swallowtails, red admirals, monarchs and other types of butterflies with some of the nectar they feed on.

my photo and from the Web.

Here's a list of flowers that have proved to be magnets for the butterflies this year. Lantana, cosmos, African marigolds, sweet woodruff, sunflowers, black-eyed susans and zinnias. I will be sure to find and plant more next Spring.

Please check back often for new features and photos.

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Suggestions? Questions? Please direct all to:

david&lisa7@hotmail.com