Beautiful Surprises in a Small Suburban Yard

Have a seat. Enjoy the garden.

I have know Pam and Jeff for years now. We are neighborhood friends and honestly, don't see each other much these days. Our two sons and their two sons spent many hours playing together as boys, running back and forth from one house and yard to another. They played some Little League together and on occasion they still hang out together in between college classes and work.

While taking photos in the yard, I actually came
across this little remnant from
the boy's play from more than a few years ago.

As I've mentioned before, teen jobs at our house have included pet care for a few neighbors and recently my son pet sat for their cute little pug. Over the same weekend a nasty summer cold ran through our household and my son was unable to visit said poor lonely pug everyday as planned, so some of the the pug care fell to me. The pug herself is a delightful little companion and when I visited, I sat with her in their yard and enjoyed her company.

Enjoy the canine company.

Or relax over here.

I also enjoyed the amazing suburban oasis that Pam and Jeff have created in their small suburban yard. The suburb we live in is made up of small modest homes with predominately small yards. Not really the classic image of expansive lawns one thinks of when thinking of suburbia. Our suburb is much more like a city neighborhood. Filled with Little Cape Cod style houses, Chicago bungalows and multifamily dwellings the yards are small. My husband mowed for years with a human powered push mower, no gas or electric power needed until moving to a home with an extra side yard. Most of these little yards have the typical grass lawn in the front and back.

Kitchen herbs near the door.

However, Pam and Jeff have explored and pushed the limits on what a small yard can be. They have been landscaping with a diverse range of beautiful plants for years within the boundaries of a small lot and around the activities of their boys. But now the trampoline is gone (it's in our yard for my daughter now) young adult life dominates and their wonderful yard plan is coming into fruition. Around every little corner of their property is a flora and fauna surprise. Beautiful apple trees adorn one side of their house.

Producing fruit in a small space.

Apple trees pruned and trained to
grow along the wall of the house.

Creativity expresses itself in as many ways as there are artists. Planting and maintaining a garden is an ongoing creative process. It requires continual observation and the response of the gardener may be based in horticulture but the result can also be an amazing artistic expression.The mixed media of plant life provides a palette of garden delights complete with an occasional offering of a tasty treat.

I responded to the suburban haven with my camera and attempted some artistic photo captures of the lovely combinations of color and texture. While my little pug friend sniffed about, I enjoyed the beauty and abundance of summer skillfully arranged even in this small yard.

A happy home for gold fish is included.

Beautiful color against a brick backdrop.

Beautiful ornamental plantings.

Beauty, abundance and edible harvest, it is all possible, even in a small space.

Resources for doing the same in your own small space at amazon:

Urban and Suburban Gardening - Summer and Fall Harvests

This year for the first time I had a fall harvest of raspberries, a small harvest, but a harvest none the less. I have often wondered about encouraging my raspberry canes to produce in the fall. And it seems there were two contributing factors this year. One I had control over, the other not.

First, I didn't cut back canes as early as I usually do despite the pressure to do so.
My raspberries are between my garage and the alley. A perfect spot for them as it provides natural barriers to the weed like growth tendencies of the canes. The location, however, tends to include the neighbors in my suburban gardening efforts.

The neighbors seem to fall into two groups. The first set includes the concerned and skeptic, they express concern over the possibility of the raspberry canes causing damage to vehicles, specifically scratches on car paint. Even though I want to be a good neighbor, this year I left the cane trimming for later and with the unseasonably warm weather extending into the fall as an added factor, the canes produced again in October. Another group of neighbors doesn't complain. They just harvest freely. This years overly abundant harvest produced enough to share, the heat curtailed any over zealous foragers and they weren't expecting berries in the fall! The small fall raspberry harvest was few but it was all mine!

What ever view the neighbors take, the raspberries love their location.They thrive there and produce in abundance. And maybe I shouldn't admit this but, they really are not labor intensive at all! This year, when on one occasion I made the mistake of picking during the heat of the day, the work was long, tedious and a little sweaty. That task at that time of day forced me to consider those who do agricultural work and pick for a paycheck. They are out picking for hours a day to provide what we can easily find and buy at a grocery store. Remembering them makes me thankful for every bite!

Raspberry care tip for fall: harvest the leaves, cut back the canes (especially by the neighbors garage!), throw on some compost, spruce and pine needles, viola!

Discovering A Local Community Garden

We have a garden in our suburban yard, but I am, at best, a lazy gardener. My raspberries do well, despite my neglect. I have hit or miss vegetables in several raised beds every year. (Usually planted late.)

I have always been fascinated by the community garden idea. My first exposure was in Kiel, Germany. Where many, including my host family at the time, benefitted from the availability of garden space near apartment housing. Then again later, I enjoyed visiting community gardens in Boston, where there is a community garden located on the same ground as when it was begun, as a victory garden, during World War II. Still thriving, it is located in the Fredrick Law Olmsted Emerald Necklace green space of the Fenway in Boston. You can learn about that historic community garden from their website Fenway Victory Gardens.  More recently, during my day to day travels of driving my teen-aged children around, I've been stumbling upon local community gardens in my current Chicagoland stomping grounds.

My 17 year old son has a new job. Sometimes (usually), teenager jobs require the commitment of a parent or other adult. Since he doesn't have a car yet, or for that matter, a driver's licence. His job requires a driver. I'm typically that driver. I don't mind, he has taken on a new responsibility, is learning a lot and I have been experiencing the opportunity to travel a new path because of it. As a result, I have been making a few new local discoveries. The Old Schoolhouse Community Garden being one of them. Located just steps away from the parking lot of my son's work place, the well manicured garden called to me and my camera.

Included are some of my photos of the Old Schoolhouse Community Garden in Westchester, IL.

Their welcome sign is a little bit contradictory. I stayed on marked paths and was careful not to disturb anything. Every raised bed had it's own wonderful and delightful beauty. So many wonderful, sweet surprises to photograph.

Located next to an old schoolhouse with property owned by Immanuel Lutheran Church, the garden is a delightfully well maintained community garden of raised beds. Their website is very informative and complete. It includes an application to secure the use of a raised bed, as well as all of the guidelines for participation. Somewhere, there is a great organizer behind the scenes!

Beautiful, healthy and productive melon plants. Someone is going to enjoy the fresh taste of that one!

A bit of creativity is added to the mix with these colorful little beaded plant identification markers.

The garden is complete with hospitality for the butterflies.

Gardening related classes are offered at the old schoolhouse itself. Unfortunately, I missed the recent canning class. Hopefully, I'll be able to benefit from some of their other upcoming classes.
They do have a few more events listed for this fall.
http://www.oshcommunitygarden.org/events-classes

For further general information about the Old Schoolhouse Community Garden in Westchester, IL, their website is at:
http://www.oshcommunitygarden.org/.

Community garden or home garden, this little tool collection plus folding stool is useful. Click on the image to head over to amazon to view and/or purchase. This is an affiliate link. Thanks for visiting!