Hidden Landscape Gems

Richmond Education Gardens

1 S. Richmond Ave, Clarendon Hills, IL www.richmondgardens.org Admission: free

by Heather Prince On Earth Day in 2017, ground was broken at a small corner where the villages of Westmont and Clarendon Hills meet and a unique garden was born. Funding challenges arose but, in 2019, the rain garden was installed as an Eagle Scout project and the momentum to finish the gardens gained traction. Today, visitors are greeted by newly finished paving, new plants, and a banner proclaiming the garden open to all.

The plot of land is owned jointly by the two villages on a small unused public road right of way between the Clarendon Hills Public Works facility and the Downers Grove Township Highway Garage, south of the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railroad. Its entrance is marked by gabion baskets of stones, a bioswale that directs stormwater to the rain garden and one of two council rings. The landscape design features repeated circles and curves allowing for easy movement between spaces. An outdoor classroom is planned but waits on more funding to be finished. An old-fashioned water pump allows local students and village staff to water as needed. The entry garden is filled with colorful zinnias busy with bees. Native perennials have been installed as plugs and are settling in. Native shrubs including pawpaw, currant, and serviceberry are thriving. Raised beds shelter crops including sunflowers, squash, and beans. And of course, there’s a fenced area for beehives decorated with a colorful bee sculpture. As much as 400 pounds of honey have been collected from the hives.

This is a surprise space in an out-of-the-way corner along a busy rail line. The gardens are humming with pollinators as they bounce from flower to flower. In the late summer, waves of tall boneset (Eupatorium altissimum) provide silvery leaves and clouds of white flowers for bees and butterflies before they migrate or hibernate. Native plants with edible fruit are featured and also draw plenty of birds.

The curving lines of the hardscape draw you in, encourage exploration, and cause you to amble through the spaces. Many features are tucked into this tiny space, including a compost station and utility shed, yet the gardens do not feel cramped or crowded. Volunteers and staff from both villages maintain the space and keep it weed-free and healthy. Local schools have work days and field trips so that students can plunge hands in the soil and experience growing food as well as interact with nature. Now that the hardscape has been finalized and the last of the plants installed, this is a garden to watch. Not only is it a unique public/private partnership and a demonstration garden of permaculture principals, it is also a neighborhood gathering place. The bees have clearly found a welcome home and with a little luck, these gardens will continue to be a productive haven for people and pollinators.