A landscape architect adds privacy, a flexible patio, edible plants and pollinator attractors to a charming Chicago home. “This was a quintessential Chicago city project for us, and it was a fun project,” landscape architect Benjamin Himschoot says. His clients, parents of two preteens, had a nice deck off their home but were eager to make the most of the rest of their small yard.
The new design includes a flexible patio where the family can lounge around a fire pit, or they can clear out the area for some soccer practice. They also wanted to plant edible gardens, so Himschoot incorporated pollinator-attracting plants to help those spaces thrive. In the front yard, he added a wide range of colorful plants to create cottage garden curb appeal.
Himschoot planted the beds with a mix of perennials, grasses and shrubs for nearly year-round color and interest. Perennials include ‘Summer Beauty’ allium (Allium ‘Summer Beauty’, USDA zones 4 to 9; find your zone), ‘Visions’ astilbe (Astilbe chinensis ‘Visions’, zones 4 to 9), ‘Walker’s Low’ catmint (Nepeta racemosa ‘Walker’s Low’, zones 3 to 8), ‘Little Spire’ Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia ‘Little Spire’, zones 5 to 9), ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ hosta (Hosta ‘Blue Mouse Ears’, zones 3 to 9) and ‘Petite Delight’ beebalm (Monarda didyma ‘Petite Delight’, zones 3 to 9).
The grasses are golden Japanese forest grass (Hakonechloa macra ‘Aureola’, zones 4 to 9), ‘Ice Dance’ Japanese sedge (Carex morrowii ‘Ice Dance’, zones 5 to 9) and ‘Bowles Golden’ sedge (Carex elata ‘Aurea’, zones 5 to 9).
The shrubs include ‘Ruby Slippers’ oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia ‘Ruby Slippers’, zones 5 to 9), dwarf fothergilla (Fothergilla gardenii, zones 5 to 8), ‘Blue Star’ juniper (Juniperus squamata ‘Blue Star’, zones 4 to 8) and ‘Little Devil’ ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Donna May’, zones 3 to 7).
Plantings between the walkway and the existing fence include ‘Blue Mouse Ears’ hosta, ‘Little Spire’ Russian sage and ‘Little Devil’ ninebark. These soften this area, which has a lot of hard edges.
Accordingly, he suggested a clean-burning, moveable Solo Stove rather than a permanent fire feature. It suits this tight-knit neighborhood, as it doesn’t emit smoke and won’t disturb the neighbors. The modern Adirondack chairs are made of recycled plastic. They are comfortable but also relatively easy to move out of the way.
The homeowners liked the existing raised beds next to the house and wanted to keep them. The rest of this yard, located along the right side of the house, had become overgrown and hard to navigate.
“Part of the project was finding ways to provide privacy, as these houses are close together,” Himschoot says. Just beyond the right side of this photo’s frame, he planted a row of tall, columnar ‘Frans Fontaine’ hornbeam trees (Carpinus betulus ‘Frans Fontaine’, zones 4 to 8) and ‘Red Obelisk’ European beech trees (Fagus sylvatica ‘Red Obelisk’, zones 4 to 7).
Yard at a Glance
Who lives here: A couple with two preteen children
Location: Chicago
Patio size: 240 square feet (22 square meters); 12 by 20 feet
Landscape architect: Benjamin Himschoot of Himsben Design Studio
Before: The home is located in Chicago’s historic Lakewood Balmoral neighborhood, which is full of charming homes. The existing yard was overgrown and a bit unwieldy. The homeowners wanted to preserve two existing hemlock trees, one of which can be seen to the right of the porch stairs here. Himschoot also saved the tall tree located off the right side of the porch.