Ellen Steinberg’s River Forest property has been a labor of love for more than three decades.
“Can you go back 35 years?” Steinberg quipped when asked how her garden came to be. “I have always been passionate about growing things. … It’s been a 34-year project, and I’m not finished yet.”
Steinberg’s property recently received the GreenBridges designation from The Herb Society of America; she was the first in Illinois. A sign along the sidewalk explains that it’s a safe place for pollinators and features native plants.
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“The garden is a great conversation opener,” Steinberg said. “It’s a whole world.”
Chicago native Steinberg, 68, said she learned about gardening from her father, who took up the hobby at the family’s summer home in Galena. As an adult, she and her family moved to the Williamsburg colonial on Franklin Avenue in 1981. The grass — which she hated — covering the 75-by-180-foot lot required plenty of care and money, she said.
In 1982, Steinberg began working with Forest Park-based McAdam Landscaping, and over the years, they worked to remove all of the grass — except what the village requires remain in the parkway — replacing it with trees, shrubs, flowering plants and shade-dwellers.
“It was a long process, and I say that honestly because this has been an evolution,” company president Scott McAdam said. “She is a woman that has a very, very specific mindset on that and knows what she wants.”
Steinberg, who is quick-witted and frank, said she wasn’t “all noble” about having a green garden: “It was intrinsic cheapness on my part.”
As she gave a tour of her property Aug. 24, she proudly pointed out the viburnum, alpine currant, rose of Sharon and rhododendrons — the latter, she said, are the largest in the Chicago area. She spends less than two hours a week on her property’s maintenance.
“My garden is really a spring garden. It’s knock-your-socks-off in spring,” she said.
In a nod to the home’s style, Steinberg wanted some aspect of the garden to be reminiscent of Williamsburg, Va. They made brick parterres, creating what Steinberg deemed “the civilized area” of her garden, filled with roses, azaleas, a small pond and an arbor with grapevines.
Flagstone paths wind throughout the property. A sprawling 100-year-old pine tree occupies a spot in the front yard. A vegetable garden fills the space behind the garage, where bricks from the late 1800s also can be found. A wild area in a corner of her backyard is known as “the jungle.”
“I like it because it provides a balance to the civilized area,” Steinberg added.
There’s always a new discovery within the garden, she said. Over the years, Steinberg and her children made a wildlife checklist — they’ve seen everything from deer and mallards to an owl and a coyote on the property. She laughed recalling birds drunkenly flying after eating overripe serviceberries. A swallowtail butterfly once landed on her shoulder.
She sought and received certification as a wildlife habitat by the National Wildlife Federation, and as she heard about the GreenBridges initiative and the effort to encourage pollinators like butterflies and bees, it, too, intrigued Steinberg.
GreenBridges gardens must have a certain number of characteristics including minimal lawn and grass, incorporate native plants and herbs and avoid pesticides and invasive species, said Katrinka Morgan, executive director of The Herb Society of America, an Ohio-based nonprofit.
She’s happy to advertise the GreenBridges program with what she called the little “billboard,” and hopes the sign spreads awareness of the initiative and inspires others.
“I figure if one person can make a difference, then maybe we can save the pollinators,” she said.
Morgan said Steinberg’s garden was the first in the state to receive the designation by a matter of days. Morgan hopes others seek GreenBridges certification, with the goal of someday creating a network of beneficial gardens across the country.
“That’s the whole idea: being conscious of what the plants are doing to benefit the environment,” she said. “It’s all about planting a sustainable garden.”
McAdam said he has few clients like Steinberg, whom he’s known so long, they’ve come to exchange birthday cards over the years. He said it’s been great to see someone have a vision and make it work.
“You have a full garden like that, that’s a labor of love,” he said.
Caitlin Mullen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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