10 Plants to Use in Your Chicagoland Landscaping

Landscaping can be quite a project to take on. It’s a lot of planning and work for a single person to take on alone. Before you even start, you have a lot of factors to consider. You have to think about potential themes that can pull the yard together and make it a cohesive space. Additionally, you must have an eye for detail and a deep understanding of your yard. Not only that, but you must consider who will be using your lawn and how often. Most importantly, you must decide what plants to decorate your landscape with. 

When choosing plants, you want to do some research beforehand. You might have your eye on a particular type of tree, shrub, or flower. However, you must remember that not all plants will thrive in your yard. Your lawn may be hostile to some plants. It’s essential to weed out the plants that aren’t practical for your yard. This is because you don’t want to spend your hard-earned money and precious time on something that won’t work. Read along to learn about plants to use in your Chicagoland landscape, native Illinois plants, and front yard landscaping ideas. 

 

 

Why Choose Native Illinois Plants

It’s essential to take some time to research if you’re going to be installing these plants alone. This is one of the basic tenets of gardening and landscaping. Researching the plants you hope to put in your yard will help you save time and money. Plants are slightly different than other purchases you might make for your home. A bookshelf that can’t fit in one corner might be able to work somewhere else in the house. On the other hand, it doesn’t matter where you put a plant in your yard if the conditions are wrong. Lack of knowledge is one of the main reasons plants die or fail to thrive. 

Perhaps you become dazzled by the beauty of a specific flower you saw online. Sometimes it won’t grow well in your garden because of location, soil type, or some other environmental factor. Every plant has areas in the world where they grow naturally. It’s best to use plants in your yard or garden that are native to your area or similar in climate. This is the reality of landscaping. While you can’t always get exactly what you want, you can still work around your limitations to create a beautiful landscape. So, if you’re looking for front yard landscaping ideas, the best plants to use in your Chicagoland landscape are native to Illinois. These are the types of plants that are most likely to thrive. As we all know, plants that thrive make your lawn look much better than plants that are struggling. 

 

 

Front Yard Landscaping Ideas

If you don’t want to be fighting an uphill battle to keep your yard looking nice, choose native Illinois plants. Since native plants are already adapted to the area’s climate, they are the easiest to maintain in your garden. Plus, these native plants help you save money since they don’t usually need more water or fertilizer. Additionally, you can sleep well at night knowing that these plants fit right into their environment. They’re less vulnerable to things like diseases and pests. So, now that you know all about the benefits of using native plants, let’s take a closer look. Here are ten plants to use in your Chicagoland landscaping. 

 

Black Cherry Trees

A black cherry tree is a great plant native to Illinois. They can grow very tall, which is great for curb appeal. In the spring, you can appreciate the white blooms, and in the autumn, you can enjoy the orange foliage. Also, you can eat the cherries from it in the summer. 

 

Garden Flox

Garden flox adds pink to your flowers landscape, incorporating a pop of color. This plant also attracts pollinators like butterflies and hummingbirds if you enjoy watching wildlife from the comfort of your home. 

 

Butterfly Weed

As the name suggests, this plant attracts pollinators to your yard. Like garden flox, butterfly weed adds a pop of color to your yard. You can also feel good about using this plant because it is a host plant for the endangered Monarch butterfly. 

 

Paw Paw Shrub

Paw paw shrubs have a tropical look to them. The fruit produced by these plants is supposedly the most exotic-tasting fruit native to North America. 

 

Yellow Birch Trees

The yellow birch is one of the most recognizable trees in Illinois. Its white bark stands out amongst other greenery and can complement other foliage in your yard. 

 

Indian Paintbrush

This perennial is a member of the sunflower family and native to the Illinois prairie. It blooms in the late summer and can withstand cold temperatures. When in bloom, the petals are a bright red color. 

 

White Yarrow

White yarrow is a wildflower that blooms from April to October. Adding this flower to your landscape is an excellent choice because they are attractive and long-lasting. 

 

Snowberry Shrubs

This shrub grows white or orange flowers from April to July. Snowberries are primarily known for their sweet smell. 

 

Sugar Maple Trees

If you’re a fan of fall foliage, the sugar maple delivers. In the autumn, this tree goes from yellow to orange to red. Plus, after a certain age, they can even produce sap. 

 

Pine Trees

Of course, pine trees are a staple when it comes to landscaping. These trees can grow large enough to provide more privacy, and they look great covered in snow during the winter months. 

 

 

Flowers Landscape

Having beautiful surroundings might encourage you to spend more time outdoors. Having a flowers landscape and other plants can transform your property. However, creating a beautiful garden or landscape doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time, dedication, money, lots of planning, and ultimately some trial and error. To remove the “what if” factor from landscaping, you can hire a professional landscaping company to work with you. If you live in the Chicagoland area and are looking for professional services, check out Apex Landscaping. We work with you to create the landscape of your dreams.