LINCOLN SQUARE — Ma and Pa Ingalls themselves would not feel out of place on Lawrence Avenue, where the streetscape's prairie plantings are beginning to hit their stride.
Unlike a lot of streetscapes, the sunken planters on Lawrence are filled with perennials, which have taken a couple of years to establish themselves.
Often mistaken for "weeds," the Lawrence plantings — drought tolerant and good for stormwater absorption — are part of the "New Perennials Movement" spawned by the designer of Chicago's Lurie Garden.
Though most of the planters' flowers are spent at this point in the summer, there's still plenty of visual interest along Lawrence thanks to the streetscape's prairie grasses — little bluestem, side-oats grama, feather reed grass and indian grass.
[All photos DNAinfo/Patty Wetli]