Lesbian and gay gardeners were among those honored at the 45th annual Landscape Awards Program, presented by Mayor Daley recently. The awards program was restructured in 1995, adding many new categories.
For more than 160 years, Chicago's motto has been "Urbs in Horto," or "City in a Garden." Mayor Daley's Landscape Awards give recognition to those who make Chicago's motto come alive.
Landscaping helps beautify local communities and ultimately all of Chicago, by promoting a healthy, enjoyable and livable urban environment. These efforts contribute to the overall goal of improving the quality of its urban environment.
Although originally the awards were targeted at residents who beautify their own properties, the Chicago Landscape Ordinance, passed in 1991, became the impetus for expanding the awards to include businesses, public institutions, community organizations and developers.
First, second and third places are currently awarded city wide in nine categories: Naturalized landscapes, public institutions, rooftop gardens, business streetscapes, interiorscapes, commercial landscapes, vegetable gardens, and this year two new categories were added...window boxes and container gardens.
First, second, and third places are awarded in each of five regions in four categories: single-family residential, multi-unit residential, community landscapes, and schools.
Anne Leighton and Sarah Hoagland, a long-time couple and activists in the lesbian community, won first place in their region ( Region 2 ) in the single-family residential category.
"The theme of our garden is neighborhoods, and the hardscape ( patio, walkway, pond ) reflects delineation and connections," the couple wrote. "Within that, our goal is a balance of informality and elegance to produce a relaxed, enchanted space, vibrant in all four seasons. We've developed discrete spaces with different energies and purposes ( from meditative to social gathering to puppy play ) arranged in a harmonizing whole, with statuary reflecting multicultural celebration.
"We have been working the garden for 11 years. Thirteen of our 24 trees were present when we got our house."
There are trees throughout their garden, including cherry, apple, beech ( tricolor, columnar ) , Japanese maple, hackberry, Siberian elm, ornamental pear, pine ( pinus strobus contorta ) , fringe tree, magnolia, yellow birch. Also bulbs throughout, crocus, hyacinth, narcissus, daffodil, tulip.
... They have a woodland area with ferns, May apple, ladyslipper, jack in the pulpit, false solomon's seal, astilbe, meadow rue, ligularia, trillium, wild ginger, cimisifuga;
... a birdfeeder area with a serviceberry bush, pachysandra, turtlehead, varieties of hosta, ferns ( cinnamon ) , hydrangea, alpine currant, clethra, kerria Japonica, coleus;
... an area surrounding a magnolia with lamium, hosta, clethra, and porcelain vine;
... their triangle area with anemones, waxflower, digitalis, lupine, bleeding heart, coral bells, rose vine, ladies mantle, goats beard, epimedium, astilbe, bergenia, columbine, liverleaf, cimisifuga, Japanese burnette, iris, pulmonaria, and a picea glauca gnome;
... a waterfall/pond-ette quiet area with ferns ( silverleaf, maidenhair, cinnamon ) , hosta, coralbells, umbrella plant, corydalis, painter's palette, hydrangea bush, ivy;
... a patio area with pachysandra, hosta, toadlillies, hydrangea, coralbells, corydalis;
... an evergreen bed with hemlock ( variegated, weeping ) , pinus strobus ( macopin, horseford ) , daphne, lenten rose, chamaecyparis, Russian cypress, heather, and hosta;
... an herb garden for teas and bees/butterflies with thyme, oregano, comfrey, garlic, peppermint, Monarda, lemon balm, rose hips, sage, lavendar, echinacea, and a rose bush;
... behind that, an area with clematis, hydrangea, and rose vines, artemesia, coreopsis, peonies, campanula, sedum, dianthus, shasta daisy, lamb's ear, foam flower, hydrangea, ligularia;
... an annual bed in front of a burning bush, hibiscus, and day lilies;
... and a small bed with periwinkle, home to a contorted hazelnut.
Congratulations to Anne and Sarah ( a professor at Northeastern and author and editor of several lesbian classics including Lesbian Ethics ) . Also congrats to the other lesbians and gay men who were given gardening honors this year.