Landscape Design
Urban Gardens
A Lush Backyard for a Plant Collector
Step into a densely planted Chicago garden with meandering stone paths, vine-covered arbors and a soothing fountain
The design team behind this 800-square-foot garden in Chicago estimates it planted 70 to 80 different species of plants in it — dozens more than it typically uses in a design. “She’s a collector of specimens,” horticulturist Jordan Denny says of one of the homeowners, who worked closely with the design team to handpick many of the plants it included in her city garden. “She’s OK with seeing one plant do its thing and appreciating its beauty,” landscape maintenance manager Matt Wells adds. “She sees a plant for what it’s worth and appreciates it for its lifecycle.”
Before Photo
Before: The design team pretty much started from scratch in the backyard. “It was bland and unusable,” designer Sean Kelly says. “The existing hardscape cut the space in half, and the railings blocked the views to the potential garden.”
After: The team removed the existing paving, replaced the deck railings and heavily amended the soil in order to make the yard more suitable for planting.
The homeowners desired a more natural, organic look for the hardscape, so the designers installed a natural flagstone in a more meandering design. “It’s designed so that you can take a nice stroll,” Denny says. “It’s your own personal park.” The path was designed with meditation in mind, another activity the clients enjoy. The flagstone is dry laid with poly sand.
Plant selection was a critical part of the project, and one of the homeowners was very involved. “She loved plants and was trying to mimic the lushness of her previous California garden,” Kelly says. “We went through a few design iterations and many plant suggestions to get the palettes perfect.”
The homeowner also wanted the garden to be filled in almost immediately, so the team planted the space more tightly than usual and with more mature plants (most of which had to be carried through the garage), which has led to some transplanting since. “[It’s] a constantly moving garden. She’s always recycling and making room for something new and interesting,” Denny says. “I’ve even taken a few plants home.”
The homeowners desired a more natural, organic look for the hardscape, so the designers installed a natural flagstone in a more meandering design. “It’s designed so that you can take a nice stroll,” Denny says. “It’s your own personal park.” The path was designed with meditation in mind, another activity the clients enjoy. The flagstone is dry laid with poly sand.
Plant selection was a critical part of the project, and one of the homeowners was very involved. “She loved plants and was trying to mimic the lushness of her previous California garden,” Kelly says. “We went through a few design iterations and many plant suggestions to get the palettes perfect.”
The homeowner also wanted the garden to be filled in almost immediately, so the team planted the space more tightly than usual and with more mature plants (most of which had to be carried through the garage), which has led to some transplanting since. “[It’s] a constantly moving garden. She’s always recycling and making room for something new and interesting,” Denny says. “I’ve even taken a few plants home.”
You enter the garden from the existing cedar deck just off the back of the house. Cable railings replace the original wood ones, keeping the view out to the garden unobstructed. A stained cedar-and-steel pergola over the deck functions as a trellis for a sprawling wisteria vine (Wisteria frutescens ‘Amethyst Falls’). Walk down a set of steps and you’re in the main area of the garden.
The garden features a mix of evergreens and seasonal perennials in order to create year-round structure and interest. Low perennials and ground covers mix around the flagstone patio and walkway, gradually transitioning to taller and more structural plants against the house and fence.
The blue spruce (Picea pungens) in the background offers beautiful four-season branching structure and color. Dried hydrangea blooms and grasses also stand out in winter. ‘Green Gem’ boxwood (Buxus ‘Green Gem’) also offers year-round garden structure. “Winter is so long here, [so] we have to think about winter interest,” Denny says.
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) grow along the fence. Panicled hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’) grows in the foreground. ‘First Love’ speedwell (Veronica ‘First Love’) is the pink flower growing next to the hydrangea.
‘Pink Spike’ bugbane (Actaea simplex ‘Pink Spike’) and ‘Crimson Queen’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Crimson Queen’) add colorful, purple foliage to the planting arrangement.
The blue spruce (Picea pungens) in the background offers beautiful four-season branching structure and color. Dried hydrangea blooms and grasses also stand out in winter. ‘Green Gem’ boxwood (Buxus ‘Green Gem’) also offers year-round garden structure. “Winter is so long here, [so] we have to think about winter interest,” Denny says.
Quaking aspen (Populus tremuloides) and Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) grow along the fence. Panicled hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata ‘Tardiva’) grows in the foreground. ‘First Love’ speedwell (Veronica ‘First Love’) is the pink flower growing next to the hydrangea.
‘Pink Spike’ bugbane (Actaea simplex ‘Pink Spike’) and ‘Crimson Queen’ Japanese maple (Acer palmatum var. dissectum ‘Crimson Queen’) add colorful, purple foliage to the planting arrangement.
A seating area and fire pit in the center of the yard provides the homeowners with a place to sit and relax with a glass of wine.
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A fountain next to the seating area adds a focal point to the plant-filled garden, its soothing trickle helping to drown the city noise. The fountain also doubles as a bird bath for the garden’s many winged visitors.
The city gave the team a variance in order to build a new fence surrounding the yard that’s taller than the standard 6 feet. “This made all the difference, separating them from the much larger multi-unit building surrounding their single family home,” Kelly says.
Chocolate Chip bugleweed (Ajuga reptans), ‘Rozanne’ cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’) and woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus) grow between the flagstone pavers.
The city gave the team a variance in order to build a new fence surrounding the yard that’s taller than the standard 6 feet. “This made all the difference, separating them from the much larger multi-unit building surrounding their single family home,” Kelly says.
Chocolate Chip bugleweed (Ajuga reptans), ‘Rozanne’ cranesbill (Geranium ‘Rozanne’) and woolly thyme (Thymus pseudolanuginosus) grow between the flagstone pavers.
The meandering flagstone path makes its way to the garden’s perimeter, where you can walk under a clematis-planted pergola to the detached garage at the rear of the yard. “When it’s in its prime, it’s gorgeous,” Denny says of the flowering vine.
For this secondary path, the team used precast pavers with a natural brick border. Even if the precast pavers fade at some point, the designers like that they will provide a nice contrast to the brick. “You can get a mix with natural and unnatural to create good balance,” Denny says.
For this secondary path, the team used precast pavers with a natural brick border. Even if the precast pavers fade at some point, the designers like that they will provide a nice contrast to the brick. “You can get a mix with natural and unnatural to create good balance,” Denny says.
Sweet autumn clematis (Clematis terniflora) grows on the perimeter trellis.
The team has worked with the homeowner since the garden’s installation, weeding, transplanting and maintaining the space for the plant lover who doesn’t have the physical ability to maintain it all on her own — and they’re happy to do so. “I love a client that appreciates plants and the beauty of all types of plants,” Denny says. “I don’t have space like that where I live, and it’s very cool to be part of her garden and see it grow.”
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Irrigation installation: Danny’s Irrigation
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Patio at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two grown children
Location: Andersonville, Chicago
Size: 800 square feet (74 square meters) 40 by 20 feet
Landscape team: Landscape designer Sean Kelly, who oversaw the design; horticulturalist Jordan Denny, who finalized the plant palette; maintenance manager Matt Wells, who maintains the garden, all of Reveal Design
The clients, a retired couple, moved to Chicago from California to be close to their grown children and their families. The homeowners are avid gardeners and had cultivated a large, tropical garden in their old home. They wanted to recreate the same lush garden feel in Chicago as they had in California, despite moving to a much smaller home with a smaller yard. “They are retired so they like to spend a lot of time outside by the fire pit. [They] wanted a functional space to enjoy,” Denny says.
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