Welcome to My Garden, Patch: Cottage Charmer

Maple Street.

Even the name is charming.

One of the less-traveled streets in town, Maple is quietly nestled in Crystal Lake's downtown near Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Older homes, surrounded by big oaks and maples, line the picturesque street. Some homeowners have carefully set pots of geraniums on the quaint front porches.

And, there among them, one smaller house stands out.

With a bright red front door and dark green shutters contrasting to the white siding, the "Cottage Charmer" is adorned with big white flower boxes and a variety of perennials in front yard.

But the backyard is where all the garden gems are waiting.

Homeowner Suzanne Kelsey bought the house eight years ago, and constantly finds herself planting, pruning and seeding.

"I love it," Kelsey said. "When I first moved here, there were just bushes."

Kelsey said she started planting and never looked back. The front gardens are filled with bee balm on the brink of blooming bright red. Rose and clematis plants intertwine in the archway over the front door. Wild geraniums, Russian sage and roses are packed amongst the plants.

Many of the garden accents - including a mosaic tiled butterfly and flower - were made by Kelsey herself. She and four friends meet once a week to create garden art.

"I just do this for fun," she said.  "My friend and I go to Home Depot, and we see these plants, and think 'Are we crazy' as we find ourselves buying more. But you see the plants, and you think, 'These need a home.'"

In the back, Kelsey has created a shabby chic porch. She picked up aged metal chairs and a bench on the cheap. While living in Barrington, she found the wooden outdoor bench that serves as a coffee table. Grapevines crawl up the porch columns and sprawl under the porch roof.

"I plan to add some curtains out here," Kelsey said.

The backyard gardens are blooming with everything from hydrangeas to Angelicas. Her butterfly garden is full of Joe pieweed and milkweed, meant to attract Monarchs, she said. And the small garden shed resembles a big doll house, where poppies and other plants have sprung up between the steps.

"I just can't be inside when it's nice," Kelsey said. "I just kind of fuss around the around."