The Country Hills Garden Club is delighted to bestow the September Beauty Spot of the Month upon Jason and Jennifer Harvey, at 10104 Cornwall Road.  Since their previous win in 2015, the Harveys have made additions, including new trees, raised garden beds in the backyard, and the incorporation of native plants in the front beds.

Approaching the home, the commanding presence of a mature magnolia tree towers over the property, while a young weeping willow flutters in the gentle breeze.  A prominent camellia shrub, laurels and neatly trimmed boxwoods line the front of the house, their glossy evergreen leaves a striking contrast against the warm, red brick facade. A variety of coleus plants punctuate the scene with bursts of vibrant hues.

Stone pavers and a colorful flowerbed guide visitors towards the front door, where a climbing mandevilla vine, adorned with delicate white blossoms, extends a warm welcome. Profussion zinnias, with cheerful, daisy-shaped blooms in vivid pink, steal the show. Nestled beside them, bright yellow rudbeckia and an array of flowering perennials and annuals create a harmonious symphony of color.  Delicate skippers flutter about, sipping nectar from each bloom. Those that look close enough will find brightly painted stones tucked throughout the landscape, offering uplifting messages of inspiration.

While hidden from view, the backyard contains a garden of raised beds, brimming with an assortment of vegetables and fragrant herbs. A solitary butterfly bush takes center stage, hosting a congregation of skippers joyfully darting to and fro.

With fall soon approaching, the colorful blooms of summer are fading fast.  We hope you take some time to admire the Harvey’s yard, which is still going strong in the month of September.

Kirsten Youngren

Country Hills Garden Club

(click picture to view full sceen mode)

The Country Hills Garden Club is pleased to award the August Beauty Spot of the Month to Hector and Karen Ponciano at 3512 Pinehurst, a first-time honor for them.  The Ponciano’s have been residents for over 15 years and have been working together to transform their landscape into a pollinator friendly haven.  They are proud that no pesticides or chemical fertilizers have been used and have thoughtfully included native plants to reduce the need for watering.

From the moment you approach the house, an inviting island bed captures your attention. Anchored by a majestic butterfly bush, the bed is adorned with a captivating array of brightly colored perennials that promise multi-seasonal delight. Phlox, Shasta daisies, yarrow, coreopsis, mums, gazania, and coleus unite to create a visual delight for the eyes and a sweet banquet for the numerous pollinators that grace the yard. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail butterflies, adorned in bright yellow, contrast beautifully against the deep purple flowers, while a variety of busy bees visit the vibrant coral-pink tubular flowers of an assortment of agastache.

As you wander along the front of the house, meticulously curated flower beds offer a tapestry of continuous interest throughout the growing season.  Stokes aster, coneflowers, butterfly weed, and indigo plant add pops of color, while the velvety silver-gray leaves of the lamb’s ear provide a touch of delightful texture.  A non-traditional cardinal flower is covered in magenta colored flowers.  Autumn Joy sedum and Blackberry lily seed pods, await the arrival of late summer to reveal their colorful bounty.  As you approach the front door, an assortment of container plants greets you, with a love-lies-bleeding amaranthus providing an unusual focal point with its eye-catching deep purple panicles.  

Beyond the view from the street, the backyard contains multiple beds with an assortment of perennials and well-placed shrubs.  The theme of blackberry lilies continues along the back fence, harmonizing with black-eyed Susans, obedient plants, and cranesbill geraniums.  Adding to the backyard’s charm is a special lineage of peonies, a beloved heirloom from Karen’s Great Grandmother, which has traversed through generations, from Massachusetts to New Hampshire, before finding its home in our CCH neighborhood. 

A statue of St. Francis, still recovering from a recent party, is engulfed in a sea of rudbeckia flanked by calla lilies and ironweed.  An aromatic herb garden teeming with an assortment of chives, basil, rosemary, and lemon grass and a small patch of milkweed, donated by their neighbor Scott, flourishes in the sun.  Scott fosters Monarch butterfly caterpillars and hopes that these milkweeds will one day support the lifecycle of these beautiful insects. 

As visitors explore the Ponciano pollinator paradise, it becomes apparent that their efforts have cultivated a beautiful landscape and sanctuary and therefore deserving of this recognition from the Country Hills Garden Club.

Kirsten Youngren

Country Hills Garden Club

The babysitter and petsitter/walker lists have been updated for 2021. See the links below. 

Babysitters

Pet-sitters and Pet-Walkers

Did you know about the Mom’s Group?  This group has been active for literally decades.  Information on the group was recently updated. See – Neighborhood/Social Groups/Mom’s Group.

Or follow this link: http://www.cchca.org/moms-group/

An interesting post about foxes stealing shoes from the neighborhood and storing them close to their den at Blenheim.

(Click on the blue Facebook icon to visit the Blenheim page.)

A few pictures from the Commons. Thanks to everybody for all their hard work!

The Country Hills Garden Club judges drove through the neighborhood on Wednesday night admiring the holiday decorations. The enthusiasm of our neighbors was inspiring. We were particularly struck by how colorful the displays were this year. To everyone who strung lights, hung wreaths, put candles in their windows, and featured inflatables in their design, thank you for your contributions to the Holiday Spirit of Country Club Hills! In no particular order, here are this year’s winners:

First up are Andrew and Catie Bishop at 3410 Park Hill Place:

We especially liked the bright snowman, the spray of blue lights in front that created a tree form, and the balance of different kinds of lights (cool and warm) used throughout the display.

Next we celebrate Steve and Pam Caruso at 3420 Park Hill Place:

Once again, the focal point is a tree created by strings of lights radiating down the hill from a large, bright star on the house. Pretty red and white candy canes are scattered about, and a family of reindeer stands behind a brightly lighted pathway through the yard.

Roman and Margarita Diaz at 10109 Cornwall Road also are winners:

We liked the variety of elements: lighted reindeer and spiral tree forms on the left, softer blue lights surrounding a bright white angel on the right.

Our next winning neighbor is Bob Keith at 10005 Spring Lake Terrace:

There’s a lot to like here: At the top of the driveway there is a bright inflatable Santa on his sleigh, along with his reindeer; multi-colored lights are strung around the shrubs and along the roofline; and in front is an illuminated Rudolph with his bright red nose.

Finally, we honor Kirsten Youngren and Phil Miller at 10003 Blackthorn Court:

This yard is a true “winter wonderland” of delights! (The photo provides only a small sampling.) There are cute inflatables, a profusion of colored lights woven throughout the trees, and a brightly lighted Christmas tree clearly visible in a window.

Thank you to everyone who participated and made this year so festive, merry, and bright. And to all CCH residents, be sure to drive through the neighborhood and experience the wonder for yourselves.

Happy Holidays to one and all!

Jennifer Judelsohn, Joyce Skoglund, Nancy LeBow, and Joan Phillips
(with special thanks to our honorary member, David Stearman, for his wordsmithing skills)