Jane Fulton Alt became a gardener after her husband’s death in 2019. Howard Alt set up a certified wildlife habitat – home to insects, birds and native plants – six years ago around their Orrington Avenue home. “Why have a garden when you can have a zoo?” Jane remembered him saying. She felt responsible to keep his garden going. “It’s the best gift he could have given me,” says Jane, who spends five hours a day gardening. “It’s my wild place.” More than 600 people visited the Alts’ garden and eight others in this year’s Evanston Garden Walk. (Photo by Richard Cahan)
Richard Cahan
Richard Cahan takes photos for the Evanston RoundTable. He also is publisher of CityFiles Press, a small but mighty media company that believes in the power of words and pictures. You can reach him at... More by Richard Cahan
I saw Jane at the garden walk yesterday. She and I were classmates at the Social Work School at U of Chicago, class of ‘75…her garden is gorgeous. I’m deeply saddened to learn of the death of her husband, but hugely impressed that she has taken up gardening! I love and appreciate beautiful gardens but take no pleasure in doing the work of tending to them…thanks so much for this wonderful garden walk and for opening up your garden to the community!