Native Plants

One year ago, we bought a house with a big backyard in Evanston, Il.. This year we have tried our hand at gardening. The garden stretches along the north side of our yard against a white plastic fence. More on the garden later...what I want to talk about are the strange native plants (oxymoron?) that pop up around our house.

- Pokeweed -
This sucker is prehistoric indeed! It can grow up to 10 feet tall if you allow it too. It has a gigantic maroon like stalk that is hollow. The leaves are large and green and it produces little white flowers that eventually turn into berries. At first I was enamored with it but later I learned that they are invasive. Birds like the berries.


- Hops -

We have wild hops growing in our alley. They have very sticky stems that will poke you at touch. They love all the sunshine. Very low maintenance - I haven't had to water them once! I'm going to start a separate Hops post. Here's what they look like.