We've moved back (Dec. 2004)to my hometown in North Central IL. While living in TN (17 months is all), I got big into natives and plants for wildlife. I planted like a crazy woman! Unfortuantly, I had to leave the majority of them there. We also had lots more land, in the country....I'm now in town, on a corner lot that measures 64 x 134. An 1896 (that's taking most of my time...but that's a whole nother story!) 2 story house and a 2 car garage on the lot. I've also got overhead wires to deal with. They're on the side by the corner, and there's 1 wire from the house to the garage in back. The house came with a row of spirea (the whole length on the side between my house and the one next door), and the back/side 1/4 of the area on the other. I've got an arborvitea in front (near the wires, but it should be o.k.), a crimson maple (again in front but the other side), an unidentified ash (On the same side and the previous owner told me it was an ash but I haven't been able to identify which one), 3 boxwoods (out back by the deck), peonies (both sides), iris's and hostas. That was all here. There was a Quaking Aspen in the back side yard, but in a yard this small, I didn't want to deal with the suckers, so it's gone. Oh, and common lilacs were here also. There's 3 after the hedge of spirea and 1 in front. I brought with me and bought some of the following: elderberry, nannyberry, blackhaw viburnam, mohican viburnam, autumn jazz viburnam, dawn viburnam, asian beauty viburnam, wild raisin viburnam, another viburnam I can't remember the name of, red and bottle brush buckeye, serviceberry, sweetshrub, (3)strawberry bush, native columbine and alumroot. I lost a Michael Dodge viburnam and another yellow fruited one this spring. I've also got a snowball viburnam...had to have that 1 as my friend down in TN has 3. One has bigger than normal flower heads on it, so he calls it Craig's bighead. Hence the having to have...reminds me of him. I've got good black soil, but no wet spots. I haven't had my soil checked, so I don't know if it's acidic or not. I have a cedar out by the garage that I know the city will be coming after in a year or so because it'll be up in the wires. I'm going to have to have that taken out. The tree's that were already here, were planted in the last 5-6 yrs and aren't large enough to cast any/much shade. What are some native/wildlife plants, trees, shrubs, perennials, that I can add to this small lot? I want to get rid of as much grass as I can, as natural as I can. The things that were here, will stay until later.

Thanks for any suggestions!

Terry