Imagine a Beer Hydrangea bearing frosty mugs of ice cold, frothy beer, ready for Dad to pluck off and enjoy on a hot summer afternoon. This is a re-post from June 2012. Craft beers continue to be introduced and enjoyed by many. We wish all dads of legal drinking age a Happy Father's Day. [...]
This week, June 15-21, 2015, is National Pollinator Week, and we thank the contributions of bees, birds, butterflies and bats-- small creatures that play a big yet overlooked role in producing an astounding variety of vegetable and fruit crops that sustain the world. The USDA says pollinators "help to produce crops like apples, blueberries, strawberries, melons, peaches, potatoes, [...]
Nature's Perspective Landscaping, in collaboration with Evanston Environmental Association, recently rolled out the Livable Landscapes Program for residents in Evanston, to promote the practice of water-absorbing, habitat-friendly landscaping to help manage storm water run-off in yards. We hosted two free workshops in Evanston several weeks ago sharing information about rain gardens. In response to the deluge of rain [...]
This time of year, big box nurseries often offer a lot of what’s most popular: lilacs, forsythias, azaleas. Why not "think outside the box" and use Deutzia, a small, carefree shrub that bears pretty spring flowers on arching stems, settles to a neat, rounded appearance in summer and ends the season with lovely burgundy [...]
Spring is an ideal time to plan and install herbaceous perennial plants. Many 1-gallon size perennials will provide a great flower display in the first year. Perennials provide a source of nectar and habitat for pollinators after spring flowers on trees and shrubs have passed. News of our wild pollinators dropping in number in recent [...]
Raised vegetable gardens are a great way to get almost anyone into growing their own fruits, herbs, and vegetables. Kids especially can have an amazing experience seeing plants start as seeds and mature to edible food. Families will be rewarded throughout season with delicious fresh vegetables straight from the garden. A mix of topsoil, compost [...]
Photo: Genie Lemieux. Courtesy of Evanston Environmental Association. Nature's Perspective Landscaping invites you to a fun, worthwhile event that we've proudly supported since its beginning: The Evanston Green Ball on Friday, May 29, 2015. Co-presented by the Evanston Environmental Association and the City of Evanston, this popular event from 7:00 to 10:30 p.m. offers a [...]
Permeable paving is ideal for a large area, like a driveway. Note the existing catch basin towards the garage door. The same driveway, showing the substantial depth of excavation required for the installation. Permeable paving is a transformative approach to sustainable site development. Permeable hard surface construction is part of [...]
Curb appeal: it’s a phrase that we’ve all heard many times. It’s mentioned in most gardening magazine articles and is usually a main focus on gardening television shows. We typically think of curb appeal as what the house looks like from the street or sidewalk. You could say it’s the face of the house, or the view from [...]
The ability to find joy in the midst of great loss is a character trait that is not just hard to grasp, but one to be admired. The inspiration behind this project, located in the Ravenswood neighborhood of Chicago, was to honor the memory of a wife who was taken from this world too soon, and to [...]