By Staff Reporter
Downers Grove Reporter

CHICAGO HOMES
by William Hageman, Tribune Newspapers

Bloom Where You’re Planted
Finding a solution for even the peskiest landscape problem

If you stand in the right spot in Tom and Karen Renk’s Sugar Grove yard, you may notice that dozens of trees on the property are in perfect lines. That’s because the area used to be a black walnut nursery, and the 50- and 60-foot trees date back to the early 1950s. These trees are not gardener-friendly.

“We found out that black walnuts, from the leaves and the roots, give off this toxin, juglone, that keeps many other plants from growing,” Tom Renk says.

So began the process of turning what had been an overgrown jungle into a beautiful yard. When they bought the lot 15 years ago, it was all scrub, he adds.

Working their way around the property, the Renks slowly cleared the undergrowth, killed weeds and after letting an area sit for a year or so, planted it. The soil was hostile — many plants would live a year or two at most, then die. But hostas thrived, juglone or not. There are now hundreds around the yard, all from stock he bought years ago.

“I’m constantly dividing hostas,” Renk says. “I haven’t bought a hosta for six years.”

There is also a lot of ground cover and some yews, all immune to the juglone. Day lilies and hydrangeas are also present, but have short life spans. Karen has several flowering plants in containers around the property for a little color. Also not bothered by the toxins: three artificial Christmas trees Renk placed along his back property line for privacy.

“I just dug holes and put them in,” he says. “They’re in their tree stands and everything.”

Soon, though, they’ll be obscured by yews that are thriving nearby. The overall feel of the yard — with a bridge, running water, pond, several paths and dappled sunlight — is of peace and tranquility.

“When you look around, you can see the challenges that we went through,” Renk says. “We’ve probably spent thousands of dollars over the last 14 years trying to figure out what works. We roll with the punches. We figured out what we can’t do and went from there.”

Renk is not alone in having to overcome adversity in the yard. Bad soil, bad topography and forgotten patches of land are all problems that can be surmounted.

A not-so-gentle slope
A gently sloping lawn is one thing, an unmowable steep incline is something else.

“You can’t use that space if it’s your front or back yard,” says Brian Casey, president of Outdoor Upgrades (outdoorupgradesinc.com), a landscaping firm based in Clarendon Hills. “One solution is to make the slope go away by bringing in a retaining wall to level off the grade, or bring in terraces to level the grade in segments.”

Instead of a lawn, you can choose plants that are good on slopes, including native grasses such as switch grass or prairie dropseed; perennials, such as day lilies or hostas; and shrubs, such as juniper, sumac and chokeberry. Erosion-control blankets will help keep plants in place until roots get established.

“Like anything, they say form follows function,” Casey says. “In reality, form follows your finances. The retaining wall is the most expensive, a blanket with seed below it is the least expensive, and a blanket with shrubs or perennials is somewhere in the middle.”

It all starts with soil
Soil can make or break a garden. Heavy shade, rocky ground, clay or roots all present problems. A good first step might be to have it analyzed.

“You can … send it off to your cooperative extension, and they can tell you what’s in your soil,” says Brian Casey. “(Or) somebody like me can come out and tell you.”

He says that truly bad soil can be removed and replaced. Chemicals are not as effective, he says. “Organic material adds drainage, volume, water-retaining capacity. You really make a lot more headway to changing the composition of that soil.”

Copyright © 2012, Chicago Tribune

GET SET FOR WARMER WEATHER BY BEAUTIFYING YOUR OUTDOOR SPACES

CLARENDON HILLS, IL (March 15, 2012) – With the arrival of spring just around the corner, a new company serving homeowners in Chicago’s western suburbs has launched. Specializing in residential landscape renewal, Outdoor Upgrades, Inc.’s philosophy is simple: “In a matter of days, your landscape can be beautifully renewed.”

Brian Casey, an industry veteran with 19 years of high-end residential landscape design, construction and maintenance experience, founded Outdoor Upgrades, Inc. after realizing that there was a need for a different kind of landscape service. “There’s no shortage of high-end design/build landscape companies serving our communities that can provide a new landscape, starting from scratch,” explained Casey. “And there are plenty of maintenance companies offering year-round service contracts to maintain what you already have, but not necessarily improve it. Where we saw a need was for homeowners who are looking to make their existing landscape better without the new landscape price. Our company redesigns existing landscapes to create a new, more updated look in a minimal amount of time and at a fraction of the cost. We call this offering an ‘Update.’ We take your existing plantings and create a renewed landscape in one to three days.”

In addition to the Update, Outdoor Upgrades offers “Upgrade” and “Upkeep” options. For the Upgrade option, the company works with existing plantings but also incorporates new plant material into the design, further increasing a home’s curb appeal. A new twist on the traditional maintenance offering is Upkeep. “We recognize homeowners are looking for maintenance options,” continues Casey. So in addition to the traditional weekly visit option, Outdoor Upgrades offers a four or eight visit package. “This is perfect for homeowners who want to maintain their own lawn on a weekly basis, but need a professional to periodically restore a polished look to the overall landscape,” explains Casey.

Communities in Outdoor Upgrades’ service area include Burr Ridge, Clarendon Hills, Downers Grove, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, Hinsdale, LaGrange, Naperville, Oak Brook, Western Springs, Wheaton and surrounding Chicago-area suburbs. To learn more, contact Outdoor Upgrades at (630) 640-3991.

About Outdoor Upgrades, Inc.
Outdoor Upgrades, Inc. is a privately owned residential landscape renewal company serving Chicago’s western suburbs. Founded in 2012, Outdoor Upgrades is committed to working with what homeowners already have and making it better. The company’s approach helps clients renew their landscapes quickly and save money in the process. Outdoor Upgrades is based in Clarendon Hills, IL. For more information about Outdoor Upgrades, please visit www.outdoorupgradesinc.com.
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