FONTAINE-ANDERSON YARD
542 S. Washington
Mary & Mark are in the 30th year in their Park Ridge home. After decades of limited attention to the type of (or benefits provided by) their plants and yard, they decided to make a change in early 2025.
With the assistance of Spirited Gardener, two native rain gardens were installed in their front yard, replacing approximately 500 square feet of Kentucky Bluegrass. Mary & Mark are eagerly learning the ins and outs of the rain gardens, and expect to become, if not experts, then at least avid amateurs in the native gardening field.
The 30+ varieties of native plants in the gardens have been positioned around the established flowering trees, and are listed on the diagram available for review. The plant selection is intended to present a changing scene as the seasons pass, with different plants blooming or changing color from month to month. Favorites so far have included the early blooming Shooting Star, the Willow Bluestar, the Eastern Bee Balm and the Blue Wild Indigo.
To protect the new plants while they become established, temporary rabbit fencing has been installed; baby bunnies love to sample anything green. The plan is to remove the fence by the end of autumn.
Not all of nature’s guests are unwelcome. One of the desired effects of the new gardens is the attraction of pollinators, including various types of bees. For the mason bees’ convenience, two bee houses have been hung from the flowering trees in the gardens.
Creation of the rain gardens required grading of parts of the yard, which in turn required the securing of a building permit from the City of Park Ridge. City personnel were very accommodating in their review and approval of the project, and even expressed appreciation for the bit of variety this project adds to Park Ridge yards.
One important benefit was observed early on. The two water ponding areas are several feet removed from the front of the house, and extension of the existing downspouts was required, along with the inclusion of gravel watercourses to allow rainwater to flow farther. As a result, when it rains (even a hard rain), water is directed away from the house and to the ponding areas, and the house’s sump pump runs much less than it used to. This means less energy use and less stormwater pumped into the Park Ridge storm/sanitary sewer system. More sustainability!
Not related to the rain garden, but nearby, their parkway Elm is robust. Most of the city’s Elms (including another Elm that was located ~30 feet north of the house) have been lost to Dutch Elm disease. Through careful management from Davey Tree, the parkway Elm has been protected with regular Arbotect injections and continues to provide shade, beauty and a variety of animal habitats.
—Mary Fontaine & Mark Anderson
Mary & Mark are in the 30th year in their Park Ridge home. After decades of limited attention to the type of (or benefits provided by) their plants and yard, they decided to make a change in early 2025.
With the assistance of Spirited Gardener, two native rain gardens were installed in their front yard, replacing approximately 500 square feet of Kentucky Bluegrass. Mary & Mark are eagerly learning the ins and outs of the rain gardens, and expect to become, if not experts, then at least avid amateurs in the native gardening field.
The 30+ varieties of native plants in the gardens have been positioned around the established flowering trees, and are listed on the diagram available for review. The plant selection is intended to present a changing scene as the seasons pass, with different plants blooming or changing color from month to month. Favorites so far have included the early blooming Shooting Star, the Willow Bluestar, the Eastern Bee Balm and the Blue Wild Indigo.
To protect the new plants while they become established, temporary rabbit fencing has been installed; baby bunnies love to sample anything green. The plan is to remove the fence by the end of autumn.
Not all of nature’s guests are unwelcome. One of the desired effects of the new gardens is the attraction of pollinators, including various types of bees. For the mason bees’ convenience, two bee houses have been hung from the flowering trees in the gardens.
Creation of the rain gardens required grading of parts of the yard, which in turn required the securing of a building permit from the City of Park Ridge. City personnel were very accommodating in their review and approval of the project, and even expressed appreciation for the bit of variety this project adds to Park Ridge yards.
One important benefit was observed early on. The two water ponding areas are several feet removed from the front of the house, and extension of the existing downspouts was required, along with the inclusion of gravel watercourses to allow rainwater to flow farther. As a result, when it rains (even a hard rain), water is directed away from the house and to the ponding areas, and the house’s sump pump runs much less than it used to. This means less energy use and less stormwater pumped into the Park Ridge storm/sanitary sewer system. More sustainability!
Not related to the rain garden, but nearby, their parkway Elm is robust. Most of the city’s Elms (including another Elm that was located ~30 feet north of the house) have been lost to Dutch Elm disease. Through careful management from Davey Tree, the parkway Elm has been protected with regular Arbotect injections and continues to provide shade, beauty and a variety of animal habitats.
—Mary Fontaine & Mark Anderson
