FIVE COMPELLING & REFRESHING REASONS TO CONSIDER THE PRAIRIE GODMOTHERS FOR YOUR GARDENING & GREENING NEEDS

1. THE GODMOTHERS ASSURE YOU THAT YOUR GARDEN DOES NOT HAVE TO LOOK LIKE THE GARDEN OF VERSAILLES. (And it doesn’t need to cost as much, either!) A garden can be a vista of splendor, an oasis of tranquility or an explosion of color. But one thing is certain, the garden is always very personal to its owner and we are well aware that each person and each space is unique. The Godmothers will work closely with you to determine exactly what you want out of your space and what the parameters of your budget are.

2. THE GODMOTHERS PUT YOUR GARDEN IN BALANCE WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS. Our gardens are designed to conserve water, enrich soil and maintain Nature’s balance. We use sustainable practices that protect our environment, offer refuge for birds and butterflies and restore the land to a healthy state. Also, we don’t do cookie-cutter gardens because they don’t take each unique space into account and frankly, they’re boring!

3. THE GODMOTHERS USE WHAT YOU HAVE AND THOUGHTFULLY ACCESSORIZE. No need to rip your garden apart. We can revitalize an old space with natives and perennials. We can take a plant or shrub from here and place it over there--sort of like moving furniture around. We will add uncommon, eye-catching blooms and shrubs that provide four seasons of interest.

4. THE GODMOTHERS WANT TO MEET YOU WHERE YOU ARE. Some of you are hands-on homeowners, some of you prefer to watch your garden grow. We want your business and we offer options for labor that enable you to garden with us as much – or as little – as you want. We’ll happily work beside you or we can design, plant, tidy up and weed on our own.

5. THE GODMOTHERS ARE GREEN SPECIALISTS. We provide easy methods to improve your gardens, conserve water, limit energy consumption and recycle and re-use precious resources. We de-mystify what it means to go green, showing you that it’s not difficult, disruptive, uncomfortable or even expensive. We offer workshops and presentations that will help you make a difference in the world in which we live.


Give us a call! Tell a friend or neighbor. Talk us up to your condo association. And know that all will be well when the Godmothers step in.

Prairie Godmothers
708.205.5126
info@PrairieGodmothers.com
www.PrairieGodmothers.com

Songbird Hedgerows - Something to Consider

Spring is around the corner and so of course our thoughts are teeming with ideas for our gardens. While we like to repeat what’s working in the garden (that amsonia hubrechti - Arkansas Blue Star - really performed in all four seasons!) we’re also intent on trying new things each year. That’s what makes gardening satisfying and exciting and it just makes sense -- gardens are living, dynamic things. And heck, if the new thing you try out doesn’t work out, well, you can try something different the following year. (We gardeners are often humbled, aren’t we?)

Here’s something to consider for your landscape that’s both a new thing and something different: plant a songbird hedge. This natural growing ‘fence’ can play the same role as a traditional fence: screening out neighbors’ yards, muffling out street noise or establishing property lines. But frankly, metal and wooden post fences are often unattractive or downright ugly (hello chain link fence, I’m talking to you) and they send a message to the community at large that isn’t so neighborly. A songbird hedge is not only much more attractive and a better long-term investment, it’s also incredibly beneficial to the tired migrating birds that might visit your garden, looking for a meal and a little R & R. You can have a “fence” that is very much alive and filled with pleasant sounds, smells and eye-catching textures.

We’re not talking about green things that have to be clipped and manicured and fussed over as though you were Edward Scissorhands. No, we’re talking about a combination of attractive but easy to maintain trees, shrubs, vines and low growing blooms that mature to different heights and are allowed to grow naturally. By incorporating different layers of healthy plants found in your own native landscape, you’ll establish a hedge that is pleasing to look at and is a haven and crucial food source for songbirds. This article from Janet Marinelli at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden expertly (and with biting wit!) makes the case for planting songbird hedges. Even if you don’t build the hedge, it’s a good read simply to learn about the incredible challenges migrating songbirds face.

You don’t have to start from scratch when creating your own songbird hedge. Use the existing canopy and understory trees like the mighty oak, dogwood and sumac and add shrubs, vines and nectar plants. As far as other plantings are concerned, we recommend native shrubs like the spicebush, Mapleleaf viburnum and chokeberry; a Virginia creeper vine; and flowering natives like columbine, bleeding heart and cardinal flower. As far as getting your hands-on these shrubs and trees, Prairie Godmothers uses Godmother-certified suppliers located in the Midwest and we can hook you up!

If we all made the change from fences to hedges, that hackneyed old saying would have to become “Hedgerows Make Good Neighbors.”

GODMOTHER WORKSHOPS & EVENTS

The Godmothers are coming your way in March & April. Pick a workshop or two and let Spring begin!

RAIN BARRELS AND OTHER GOOD THINGS FOR YOUR LANDSCAPE

Sponsored by the League of Women Voters

March 16, 2011

7pm-8pm

Flossmoor Public Library, 1000 Sterling Avenue, Flossmoor, IL

708.798.3600

HISTORIC CHICAGO BUNGALOW ASSOCIATION EXPO

4 WORKSHOPS BY PRAIRIE GODMOTHERS!

April 9, 2011

10am-4pm

Merchandise Mart, 222 Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago, IL

800.677.6278

Registration required at www.chicagobungalow.org

GREEN CLEANING ESSENTIALS

Sponsored by the South Holland Public Library

April 11, 2011

7pm-8pm

South Holland Library, 16250 Wausau, South Holland, IL

708.331.5264

Registration required

SMART PLANTS / SMART GARDENS

Sponsored by the Midlothian Public Library

April 14, 2011

6:30pm–7:30pm

14701 S. Kenton, Midlothian, IL

708.535.2027

GARDENS WITH A THEME

Sponsored by the Morton Grove Public Library

April 16, 2011

2pm–3pm

6140 Lincoln Avenue, Morton Grove, IL

847.929.5122

(708) 857-222ing

GARDENS WITH A THEME

Sponsored by Evilena’s Red Dresser

April 21, 2011

7pm–8pm

59 W. Bankview Drive, Frankfort, IL

815.464.4426

Registration required

AN HERBAL CULINARY ADVENTURE

Sponsored by the Dolton Public Library

April 23, 2011

11am–12pm

14037 Lincoln, Dolton, IL

708.849.2385

Registration required

GREEN CLEANING ESSENTIALS

Sponsored by the Center in Palos Park

April 26, 2011

2:30pm-3:30pm following the monthly luncheon

12700 Southwest Highway, Palos Park, IL

708-361-3650

Registration required

WE’RE TWO PLACES IN ONE DAY ON APRIL 30!

EARTH DAY CELEBRATION

Sponsored by the Oak Lawn Park District

April 30, 2011

10am-2pm

Wolfe Wildlife Refuge

109^th and Laramie, Oak Lawn, IL

708.857.2222

A WINDOW BOX FOR EVERY SEASON

Sponsored by the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association

In Partnership with Jo Stavig

April 30, 2011

3pm-5pm
Rebuilding Exchange
2160 N. Ashland Avenue, Chicago

http://www.rebuildingexchange.org/