Chicago's Sustainable Backyards Program

Last year, I found out about Chicago Sustainable Backyards Program from a flyer I picked up at the North Park Village Nature Center. It was with surprise and delight that I discovered that the city could help us pay  for rain barrels, native plants, compost bins and trees. Imagine getting a check, instead of a bill, from the city! And for something that we were already planning on doing anyway!

I was already interested in planting native flowers before I found out about the rebate program, but it gave me the extra push I needed to get going. The previous year, I had dug up most of the plants left by the former owners of our home. I am not fond of tiger lilies or hostas and they had overtaken our garden space. Unfortunately, Alan had just found out that he was being laid off from Chicago Public Schools, so we didn't have the money to buy plants to fill in the empty space I had just created. Whoops! There's nothing like looking at dirt in front of someone's house, huh?

Anyway, that gave me time to research what plants I wanted to put there when we could afford it. I really don't like gardening that much, partly because it causes the eczema on my hands to flare up. Alan's more of the gardener, though he prefers vegetable gardening. So, I wanted to get flowers for the front of the house that would be both easy to maintain and tolerant of shade. Our climate is not the best for growing plants, which is why I decided to go with native plants. I knew they would survive here and require less work than non-native plants.

With the city's rebate program in mind, I looked for a few books on Illinois native plants: Rodale's Low-Maintenance Landscaping and Perennials for Illinois by Aldrich and Williamson proved to be the most useful by providing color illustrations and detailed descriptions of native plant care. While reading these books, I highlighted the plants I liked that would tolerate shade in our front yard.

After checking out the list of approved garden centers for the city's rebate program, I ended up going to Home Depot and Meinke's Garden Center in Niles and bought the plants. (This was after Alan had been re-hired at a new public school.) Since the receipts didn't list the names of the plants, I wrote them in next to the price. Then, I filled out the rebate form, put it in an envelope with the receipts and mailed it. A few months later, I got a check in the mail for $60. It was nice getting a check and not a bill from the city for once.

Here's a few of the plants I purchased:

"Monkshood"

"Blue Star"

The plants are beginning to bloom again in our front yard, though it's still pretty sparsely planted. I'm giving myself plenty of time to fill it out. I didn't know plants could be so expensive!

My next goal is to take advantage of the rain barrel rebate. Our basement flooded the first summer we lived here and I'm hoping that maybe the rain barrels will help alleviate that problem.

I'll add the link to the sustainable backyard program to this blog for easier access. If you're still sitting on the fence about buying a rain barrel or compost bin, now's your chance! The deadline for purchasing these items is Dec. 31, 2012.