Bridget Doyle, TribLocal reporter

A plot of land once filled with weeds at Prospect Elementary School in Clarendon Hills is now home to a colorful garden that will help support environmental programs at the school.

Earlier this summer, the McClear family of Clarendon Hills donated $762 worth of plants to the Hinsdale Elementary District 181 school 11 Autumn Joy Sedums, 12 Stellade Oro Daylilies, 24 Cat Mint plants and 5 Witch Grass plants.

Teresa McClear, who owns a small Clarendon Hills-based landscaping company, said her sons teacher, Pam Henry, presented the idea to her last spring.

We both thought it would be fantastic to include the children in the weeding and planting process as a learning experience, McClear said. It turned into a community project we had kids, parents and family members from Prospect weeding, planting and laying top soil and mulch.

Though aesthetically pleasing with its bright colors, McClear said she hopes the garden will have a lasting effect on Prospect students.

We did organic planting in the garden  without chemicals, McClear said. Pam (Henry) also talked about looking into using rain bucket-type irrigation system to water the plants to teach the children about conservation.

McClear said although the school doesnt currently have room in its budget, another long-term goal would be to build a larger garden at the school where children can harvest.

It would be great to let the kids work in a hands-on environment and see what they can accomplish after the end of a season, McClear said.

bdoyle@tribune.com