Glory-seeking bungalow gardeners, now's the time

"Best Landscape Design" is one of the categories in the annual Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Bungalow Awards, which can bring winners $750 and a brass plaque to permanently brag about it. They also will be featured on the Web site and at the annual expo of the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association. See details at the association's web site.

Unfortunately, the awards are just for Chicago bungalows, since the association, created to encourage the preservation of these distinctively indigenous brick homes, is a city-funded initiative. All the bungalow gardeners in places like Oak Park and Berwyn are out of luck.

But they still can get ideas, inspiration and connections to bungalow- and earth-friendly contractors and materials sources at the association's expo Oct. 17 at the Merchandise Mart. See web site for details. You'll also find a lot of sources listed there if you poke around.