African Garden + work

OOTS: Fall Edition (Out in the Streets)

I've finally managed to take a photo of the garden (I can't call it landscaping) outside of the Palatine Inn restaurant in, unsurprisingly, Palatine, Illinois. All summer I admired it while driving past on our way to the girl's Irish Dance class. Finally, I went there for breakfast last week and, even though it was raining, I got a photo. There is more garden around the corner too. In keeping with the restaurant idea, I swung by The Onion Pub in Lake Barrington to get a photo of their parking lot plantings, which are filled with native plants.

Unfortunately, the day I went, there was a work crew with a large vehicle blocking the main bed. I've been wanting to take photos at The Onion all summer, as they also have a lovely deck with vines and a large waterfall visible from the deck. But I kept forgetting the camera. Next summer, go to The Onion, see their parking lot, eat on their deck, drink their microbrewed beer. You won't be sorry.The following photos reflect what I've been doing lately. The first two were taken at my doctor's office, a short distance from The Onion.

It's amazing that after several hard freezes, this Daylily is still blooming. But it's the grasses that make the planting.

Above, another view, this one with Burning Bushes. (Click to enlarge to see the grasses.)And finally, from the parking lot of the girl's orthodontist in Long Grove, Miscanthus.

You just can't beat grasses for fall interest.OOTS is the brainchild of our favorite Chippingham (England) blogger at Veg Plotting. I've been trying to participate all summer and even had some photos from July and August, but time slipped away, and I missed the September deadline too. Communities and businesses in the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago have made great strides in improving their plantings over the last couple of years. All along Route 14, from Mount Prospect to Barrington, communities have planted the areas abutting the railroad tracks, so they now sport grasses, Roses, and Hydrangeas. Businesses also have incorporated grasses and Knockout Roses in their plantings. It's all very encouraging.