Cait's Garden

Cait is a gardener just northwest of Chicago. She has no formal horticultural training, but has learned a ton through trial and error, gardening magazines and TV shows, and of course, her mom, who is a brilliant self-taught gardener.

All the plants noted in this blog must be hardy to Zone 5 to make it into Cait’s garden. Most of her garden is full or part-sun. Soil conditions tend toward clay, so compost is key. And rainfall varies greatly from excessive to drought, so Cait prefers plants that can withstand the extremes.

Cait also has a lot of wildlife in her backyard thanks to bird feeders and lots of appealing plants and shrubs. Birds (including ducks), rabbits, squirrels, possums, raccoons, skunks, moles, chipmunks, and even an occasional coyote, pass through her backyard regularly. Because of all this wildlife, Cait has switched to organic lawn care products.