Focus — The Pros at Home
ILCA Visits Industry Members at Home
Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of articles that feature the home landscapes of green industry professionals—landscape contractors, plant breeders, nursery owners, public garden staff and educators. After all, who wouldn’t like a little peak at what peers are doing around their own homes?
Nina A. Koziol
During their busy season—spring through
summer—Karen and Dan Biernacki often work 75 to 100 hours a week. In spite of those long days, they’ve been known to take their work home. “The neighbors used to call us the ‘midnight gardeners’ because we’d come home and turn the spotlights on and work in the garden,” Karen said. It’s no surprise because they manage the renowned Ted’s Greenhouse in Tinley Park. And they love plants. The couple’s stunning home garden in Tinley Park is an incredible collection of tropical plants, succulents, exotic annuals, perennials, ornamental shrubs, specimen trees, a pond and a very productive vegetable garden. But it wasn’t always that way. “It’s changed so much,” Dan said. “The house had wooden awnings and overgrown junipers.” There was no garden to speak of when they purchased the property in 1992. “The yard was a blank canvas,” Dan added. They saw the potential while house-hunting, however. “Before we were even out of the driveway, we knew we were home,” Karen said.
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The house was in Grover Elmore’s 1929 subdivision, which he dubbed the “Poultry Farm Colony. ” Each house was placed on a double-length lot (90’ x 270’) with a huge chicken coop, and homeowners were given 100 chickens. There are about 20 Elmore homes in the area but only three chicken coops remain, including the one Dan renovated behind their home. “The previous owner worked near a scrap yard and I think he brought something home from work every day for 40 years,” Dan said with a groan. “The Coop was completely full and one of the standout memories was the fact that there were over 200 ball peen hammers, and two full pallets of scratch pads, which we still haven’t used up after 28 years. A Garden Transformation Tackling the garden began in stages. “I cut out some beds and started putting in perennials,” Dan said. He installed five semi-truck loads of pavers to expand the driveway and removed several evergreens that had seen better days. (continued on page 20)
The Landscape Contractor February 2021
