Happy Easter from the Ridge Historical Society.
RHS will be closed tomorrow, Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025.
Some lovely springtime views can be found around Beverly and Morgan Park. This is the Reuben P. Layton House at 10324 Longwood Drive, glimpsed through magnolia, forsythia, and Siberian squill.
Siberian squill and forsythia were introduced into the U.S. by English settlers, and both became popular for gardens in the late 1800s.
Magnolias traveled in the opposite direction – the magnolias native to the southern U.S. were introduced into England and Europe by returning explorers and traders.
Edited: There are daffodils here, too – also introduced into the U.S. In fact, most of the gardens we build are full of plants not native to the U.S. They come from tropical areas so they only last through the summer, or they have been hybridized to withstand our northern climate. Too many people still think of our native prairie plants as "weeds."