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Have You Ever Wondered.....
who plants the parkways on the northeast east corner of Farwell and Sheridan?





Oakleaf Hydrangea











Perserverance Pays Off

If you happen to be walking west on Farwell towards Sheridan Road, you get to see this spectacular Oakleaf Hydrangea in bloom right now and following that the sedum in this planting bed will pop. On your left, you'll enjoy a fully landscaped and carefully considered parkway space with a nice mixture of grass, shrubs and blooming plants. Hit the corner and there's more perennials blooming in perfect sequence and even if you didn't plan on heading north, you might as well; take in the rest of the beautifully planted parkways and narrow wall garden.

Chances are you've seen this corner and chances are you've wondered, like I have over the years, who was responsible for all this hard work that all of us enjoy. Well, I just happened to be at that corner a few weeks ago on an errand and my curiosity just got the better of me and I decided to find out. It wasn't that hard because as I walked through the open gate into the courtyard, Dennis and Paul just happened to be standing there and we just started talking. They made it easy and I appreciated that because it was "got to get to work time" and as I walked into the courtyard I felt a little, well, nosy. We spent about a half an hour talking and it actually inspired this feature because there are lots of things I wonder about here in Rogers Park.

I found out that they met on the same day they both moved into this town house complex over 7 years ago and that's when all the planning and planting started. They began working inside the courtyard and built an 80 foot long raised bed all along the parking area using stacked timbers. It's completely filled with bulbs, shrubs and perennials and makes a huge impact on the courtyard which would otherwise be pretty bland. All available planting areas and Paul's private garden were then planted: there are colorful combinations and textures everywhere you look. .