I am Ellen, and this is Frippy, one of my Cinco Perros. I am a gardener, a musician, a dabbler in the arts and crafts, and an animal lover. This blog is a collection of ideas and observations of the natural world we live in. I offer up helpful hints and plans to be used in your own backyards. Years back, I became a Master Gardener. I have worked at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, volunteered at Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, and grown an acre of tropical paradise in Puerto Rico. Now, I am back on the mainland, on a woodland acre in the country setting of Barrington Hills, Illinois. I continue my journey with plants and nature with gusto. I aspire to live with the natural world, allowing native plants to fill my grass while helping the local ecosystem thrive. This is a home, my natural landscape along with my ornamental, veggie, and herb beds. A garden is a place we can play in to nourish the soul, build the soil, and protect the world around us. I have had the pleasure of working on a multitude of different home gardens, and I look forward to helping you enhance yours.