Winnetka -- Garden of Many Circles

The one-acre property had a traditional style house built during the Colonial Revival period in the 1930's, a swimming pool and cabana and a backyard lawn in 1999 when the owners moved in. They removed the swimming pool and built a berm to block the street planted with deciduous and evergreen trees. Those trees form the backdrop for the colorful perennial borders that have been developed over the years by the self-taught garden designer. There are five distinct garden rooms: the circular motor court with layered green hedges and ground covers; the sunken garden that features a circular fountain in a round pool behind an ornate wrought iron fence; two labyrinthine lawns; the deep perennial borders surrounding the entire property with curving edges that disguise its rectangular shape; and a small succulent garden. Stands of clipped arborvitae staggered and planted at angles add backdrop and contrast to the mounded shapes of other shrubs and perennials. Plant varieties have been chosen for contrasting colors and textures and several large planted urns add dimension.

The lawns are mowed by hand in spirals alternating bands of cut and uncut grass. The garden designer had a background in painting and visited other gardens during open days and the nearby Chicago Botanic Garden to learn how their borders were designed as well as learning about the soil conditions plants need. Early efforts with a few plants that were on sale in the fall and did not survive the winter have evolved to planned groupings of twenty or more plants of the same variety or same color and shrub textures that add winter interest. On the advice of landscape architect Ryan Kettelkamp the entire garden is ringed by a gravel path edged in brick that also cuts through the deep perennial borders. The Garden of Many Circles has been chosen to participate in the Garden Conservancy North Shore Open Days.

Persons associated with the garden include Dr. Howard Rosenblate (former owner, 1970-1999); Kim Visokey (garden designer, 1999-present); Ryan Kettelkamp (path designer, 2009); Ralph D. Huszagh (1898-1977) (architect, 1935).