Gardening With Chickens in Illinois

Finding ways for flowers and flock to coexist

Today we ’re visiting a garden that blends beauty and practicality .

My name is Hailey , and I live in the northwestern Illinois backcountry . I have a great passion for both gardening and crybaby , and I wanted to have a place for my chickens that was n’t utilitarian but beautiful and that flowed with my garden style . I have been working on my chicken coop garden for several year now , and it ’s really shaping into something beautiful !

Sometimes it can be unmanageable for gardens and a flock to coexist , as chickens love to use up and scratch up plants . I take works that are sturdy enough to resist pecking and scrub , such asRudbeckia‘Goldsturm ’ ( Zones 3–9 ) and common echinacea(Echinaceapurpurea , Zones 3–8 ) .

I also choose plants that the volaille nibble at but do n’t destroy , such as my absolute favorite annual , nasturtium(Tropaeolummajus ) . They especially sleep together the seeds .

I strive for bright cheery colors that would pop against the white coop . Zinniasthrive here , fertilized by fallen tail and shavings , and are very tough , withstanding volaille feet that take cutoff through the beds . My favorite varieties are Queen Red Lime and Starlight Rose , a low - growing looker .

Rosemary(Rosmarinusofficinalis , Zones 7–11 or as annual ) is disliked by chickens because of its firm aroma . It ’s undecomposed for areas you want them to leave alone , and it also has flock of wellness benefits for your flock .

As little as an area it is , I ’m always recover shoes to tuck little piece in . I find this outmoded rooster for five dollar mark at a service department cut-rate sale . I also took an sometime separate chicken feeder and planted purplegomphrenainside .

Even in mid - October 2019 , the garden was still going strong . The genus Echinacea had drop dead , but my starlight old maid flower andchrysanthemumsflourished until the final , killing Robert Frost . I ca n’t wait for leaping to come so I can enjoy more memories with my beloved chickens and my flowers !

Have photos to share ? We ’d love to see your garden , a particular appeal of industrial plant you love , or a wonderful garden you had the chance to claver !

To submit , send 5 - 10 photos to[email protected]along with some information about the plant in the pictures and where you accept the exposure . We ’d love to hear where you are place , how long you ’ve been gardening , successes you are majestic of , failure you memorise from , hopes for the time to come , favorite plants , or suspicious stories from your garden .

If you need to send picture in separate emails to theGPOD email boxthat is just all right .

Have a mobile phone ? tail your exposure onFacebook , InstagramorTwitterwith # FineGardening !

You do n’t have to be a professional garden photographer – ascertain out ourgarden picture taking point !

Do you receive the GPOD by email yet?Sign up here .

Fine Gardening Recommended Products

ARS Telescoping Long Reach Pruner

Fine Gardening encounter a commission for item purchased through links on this internet site , include Amazon Associates and other affiliate advertising programme .

Planting in a Post - waste Earth : Designing Plant Communities for Resilient Landscapes

Nesco Snackmaster Express Food Dehydrator

Get our latest tips , how - to article , and instructional videos sent to your inbox .

Signing you up …

Chickens in Tingshu’s Garden

Pallavi’s Garden in Illinois

Creating Beauty in Illinois

Gardening in the Mojave Desert

Join all right Gardening for a free engage live webinar featuring Dr. Janna Beckerman , a renowned flora pathologist as well as professor emerita at Purdue University and the ornamentals expert manager …

When I make out a particular backbone dollar cactus ( Astrophytum asterias ) at the Philadelphia Flower Show a few calendar month ago , I knew I was in trouble . With a delightful color pattern …

When we only prioritize plant we need over plants our landscape painting needs , each season is filled with a never - ending list of chores : pruning , filch , watering , treating , amending , and fertilizing , with …

Video

Touring an Eco-friendly, Shady Backyard Retreat

You must be measured when you enter the backyard of garden designer Jeff Epping — not because you ’re likely to trip on something , but because you might be dive - bombard by a pair …