Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
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HAUTE PROPERTY Gardens designed by Maria Smithburg (TOP TO BOTTOM): Rhododendrons bloom in Old Town; a courtyard boasts lilacs and a water feature; Japanese maples and birch trees create shade at the Bluhm-Kaul rooftop. continued from page 134 "It's about symbiosis; everything in a garden boils down to relationships." —JULIE SIEGEL The Accidental Gardener: Julie Siegel "One day I was sitting at my computer and staring out the window, and I thought I'd much rather be outside gardening like my next-door neighbor," says Evanston landscape designer Julie Siegel. That day 16 years ago, she began her transition from published poet, critic, and University of Chicago– educated writing teacher to published landscape designer and horticultural teacher. It was a swift and self-taught sojourn. "I took every continuing education class I could find," but in short order, "I ending up teaching them [her teachers and fellow students] more than they taught me," she laughs. Now she has built a thriving practice. But education is indelibly tied to her psyche, and she regularly gives classes at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Northwestern University's School of Continuing Studies, the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, and more. She attributes her speedy grasp of the field to the fact that "I got the creative part of the process intuitively. I was raised in the arts." That is an understatement for Siegel, the daughter of renowned Chicago photographer Arthur Siegel (one of László Moholy-Nagy's first hires when he founded the Institute of Design at IIT) and Chicago artist Irene Siegel, whose last solo show was at the Art Institute of Chicago. "When I went into landscape design, I didn't do much homework in the aesthetic aspects of the field, but I really immersed myself in the horticulture," she admits. The intense work paid off; today she is known for her commitment to model gardening practices and sustainability and is a former president of the Midwest Ecological Landscaping Alliance. She's also an advocate for plant communities—putting things together that like the same growing conditions. "It's about symbiosis; everything in a garden boils down to relationships," she says. And the most important relationship of all is that of a garden with the soil. "If you don't address it first, you're wasting every cent," she insists. Yet while Siegel is a true systems wonk, her artistic side asserts itself first. "When I meet clients, I try to get an understanding of what they want visually, psychologically, and horticulturally because they usually have no idea of what to do. That's why they hire me," she says. "And people work with me because I practice what I preach." J. Siegel Designs, 847-733-9854; jsiegeldesigns.com MA THE GARDEN EFFECT Your Garden of Eden has compound benefits. Beyond the tremendous aesthetic and environmental benefits of a beautiful garden, here's one every homeowner can appreciate: a 16 percent increase in the value of your property, according to garden supply conglomerate Husqvarna's 2011 Global Garden Report. Prudential Rubloff broker Melinda Jakovich calls the benefit "priceless," adding, "Good outside space is the first thing every buyer sees. It has a huge visual impact on a home. Even balconies and decks can become entire outdoor rooms with the right landscaping and furnishings." Other facts from the Husqvarna study that make having a garden even more enticing: Houses with good gardens sell faster and for higher prices; neglected gardens lower property prices anywhere from 5 to 15 percent; and the average payback on garden investments is estimated at 3.1 times the money spent. 136 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM 133-136_MA_HP_Opener_SUMMER13_V2.indd 136 6/18/13 12:26 PM