When I looked at the pile of fall bulbs and garlic waiting to be planted, I had to wonder what I was thinking when I ordered it all. This year I decided to plant a little more garlic, mostly because I wanted to try a couple of new varieties. I've been planting garlic the last few years … Continue reading So Much Planting to Do!
Category: Flowers
Lime in the Planter?
I went out to water the front planters the other day and there was dirt and plants all over the front stoop, and a big hole dug in the the tall planter. Then I saw what looked like a lime in the center of the planter. Now maybe that wouldn't be so weird, except this is … Continue reading Lime in the Planter?
First Too Much Water, Now Not Nearly Enough
First we had an unusually wet spring, and now we're in a drought situation here in Chicago and many other locations. What does that mean going into the winter? Nothing good, that's for sure. So what to do? Keep watering each week as long as possible until your plants go dormant. Ideally, all trees, shrubs … Continue reading First Too Much Water, Now Not Nearly Enough
Cheerful and Bright Zinnia Bed
Last year, my friend Susan described to me how she grows a beautiful hedgerow of zinnias every year by collecting the seed heads in the fall (Fall Seed Gathering Means Beautiful Summer Zinnias). I thought I'd give it a try this spring, so I collected all the zinnia heads from my garden last fall. I … Continue reading Cheerful and Bright Zinnia Bed
Purple Sensation Allium
Last year, a fellow blogger (Jason at gardeninacity) wrote a post about his beautiful spring alliums. I have to admit, I was jealous of those amazing flowers in his garden. I've grown edible chives (Allium schoenoprasum) for years, but they are nothing compared to these other garden alliums. Alliums like Purple Sensation, with its the … Continue reading Purple Sensation Allium
Checking on the Seedlings
Why didn't I buy grow lights before?? My seedlings have always been "fine", but after seeing my mom's lush healthy seedlings under her grow lights, and with a little nudge from my husband I decided to take the plunge. I am so glad I did! I bought two 2 ft Hydrofarm T5 Grow Light Systems. … Continue reading Checking on the Seedlings
Nature Walk on Earth Day
It was a beautiful day for a walk, so I headed out to the Morton Arboretum to walk and celebrate Earth Day. Spring flowers were in abundance! Here's what I saw: White Trout Lily (Erythronium albidum) Immature plants produce a single leaf and no flower, while mature plants produce a pair of leaves and a … Continue reading Nature Walk on Earth Day
Spring Colors Are Everywhere!
Spring in Chicago has been on and off again the last couple of months. We were teased with early warm weather and everything started popping out, but then winter seemed to come back and bring everything to a halt. But now, everything has just exploded in color. Of all the wonderful spring blooms, my favorite … Continue reading Spring Colors Are Everywhere!
What Am I Growing-2017
It's always fun to spend time in January and February going through all the seed and garden catalogs to see what I am going to grow this year. It's also during that time, I wish I had bigger gardens and more sun to really plant huge vegetable and flower gardens. But I have what I … Continue reading What Am I Growing-2017
Creeping Thyme Update
A couple of years ago I wrote a post, “Creeping Thyme Problems“, about my patch of creeping thyme that was totally a disaster. This post has also become one of my most popular, so I must not be alone in having ugly creeping thyme! After some scary, severe winter pruning, it came in the next … Continue reading Creeping Thyme Update