Woods to Wetlands, LLC (W2W) was hired by a private resident in 2020 to design and install a native prairie garden at a property located in Inverness, Cook County, IL. The garden area is approximately 1,500 square feet in size and replaced a stand of day lilies (Hemerocallis spp.) and other non-desirable ornamental plants. 

W2W staff ecologists eradicated the existing ornamental plants and prepared the garden bed for planting in 2020. The prairie garden was designed to provide year-round interest and color, provide a refuge for wildlife, and attract and feed native butterflies and other pollinators such as hummingbirds.

Colorful conservative native species were selectively chosen, and the plants were spaced plants approximately 12-18 inches apart to create an immediate robust native community which will discourage the establishment of weed species in the long-term. Shorter growing prairie plants such as side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), butterfly milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa), whorled milkweed (Asclepias verticillata), blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium), June grass (Koeleria macrantha), foxglove beard tongue (Penstemon digitalis), Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans), purple prairie clover (Dalea purpurea), nodding wild onion (Allium cernuum), and others were strategically placed under the windows and along the planned walking path for easy garden viewing. 

Ongoing stewardship and basic garden care to remove weeds and small woody seedlings has occurred since 2021. A river stone path was also installed in 2022 to reduce the need for weeding and provide a pleasant walking space through the prairie garden.