Schaumburg Park District offers gardening tips

From butterfly gardening and native plants to fresh veggies in the backyard, spring is the time to sprout new ideas for the landscape.

Schaumburg Park District's Spring Valley Nature Center, 1111 E. Schaumburg Road, is the perfect place for inspiration.

"We've got a lot of great ideas to get you started this spring," said Dave Brooks, manager of conservation services for Spring Valley. "A little time and patience can yield some gorgeous results in the garden."

Spring Valley's own gardening pros offer these tips below.

Be prepared

Getting garden beds ready for planting can begin as soon as the snow melts, Brooks said. Remove weeds down to the roots and turn heavily compacted soil to a depth of six to eight inches. Add mushroom compost or black dirt to condition the soil.

"Cleaning up and prepping planting beds can start well before planting time," Brooks said. "Planting time in our area will usually be anywhere from late April until late May."

Go native

When choosing plants, consider varieties native to northern Illinois, which are tolerant of the area's winters and summer heat. They also are more likely to be resistant to insects after adapting to local insect populations over thousands of years.

"Native plants are almost always long-lived perennials that will thrive and beautify your landscape for many years without replanting," Brooks said. "In the case of prairie plants, they also are often tolerant of poor soils and, in fact, will, over time, help improve drainage in heavy clay soils."

Native plants also are a great prospect for beginning gardeners or people who feel like they don't have a green thumb or a ton of time to commit to a garden.

"These types of plants are used to thriving in the wild with little human care," Brooks said. "As long as they're not being smothered by weeds, they will thrive for many years to come."

Prairie plants that add color and character to the garden include the purple coneflower, New England aster, black-eyed Susan and common milkweed - a must for monarch butterflies.

Bring the kids

Little ones love to get messy - which makes them ideal candidates for helping in the garden, said Amanda Anderson, environmental educator for Spring Valley. Invite your children to assist in the vegetable garden with the weeding, watering and even planting.

"We know here at Spring Valley that if children can see where vegetables come from, they're more likely to eat their vegetables," said Anderson, who coordinates programs for the Kids' Garden at the Nature Center.

For vegetables, Anderson recommends starting out with radishes, cabbage and kale, which can tolerate the cooler temperatures at the start of the season. Radishes also yield a faster harvest - around 30 days - great for young gardeners who might be impatient after sowing.

Beans, tomatoes and peppers cannot be planted until after the danger of frost has passed.

Contain yourself

No yard? No problem! Sun, quality soil and sufficiently-sized containers are all that's needed for lovely patio gardens at townhouses or condos, Brooks said.

"Sun is the key," he said. "You can grow just about anything in containers except things that need a lot of space like squash and pumpkins."

Spring Valley Nature Center is hosting an upcoming weekend of gardening events for all ages, including Family Worm Farmers, a composting class set for 1 to 2:30 p.m. Saturday, May 19.

Also on May 19, Harper College is hosting an Illinois Heirloom Gardening class from noon to 2 p.m. at the Nature Center. Participants must register for the heirloom gardening class through Harper College at www.harpercollege.edu/ce/enrichment/Nature.php.

A Native Plant and Heirloom Vegetable Sale takes place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, May 20, at the Spring Valley Nature Center, with gardening experts available to answer questions on home composting, attracting birds and butterflies to the backyard, creating rain gardens and other landscaping tips.

For information, call (847) 985-2100 or visit parkfun.com.