Garden Girl

Two Peas in a Pod

2012-01-23T09:07:00.003-06:00

Our long-awaited twin granddaughters arrived last week, beautiful and healthy.

They are identical, and were born with a rare condition called Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome. TTTS occurs in approximately 5-20% of identical-twin pregnancies. When it occurs early in pregnancy, it can be between 80-90% fatal.

What happens in TTTS is the twins share their blood supply through their single placenta. One twin gets too much blood, and the other twin doesn't get enough. The condition is very dangerous for both babies. The over-supply and under-supply of blood can cause a myriad of problems, including organ damage, and often death in both babies.

TTTS is why one of the twins was born over a pound larger than her sister. Normally, identical twins are much closer in size. Fortunately, regular fetal monitoring, their mama's excellent health and strong maternal instincts, the fact that the babies didn't develop TTTS until late in pregnancy, and good medical care helped minimize the problems. We don't anticipate any lasting issues with their health, growth, or development.

Our entire family feels very relieved, joyful, grateful, and blessed welcoming our precious new additions into our lives.

January Blooms

2012-01-15T09:12:00.001-06:00

Clockwise from top, left, Tradescantia pallida, (also known as Setcreasea purpurea or Setcreasea pallida,) pink kalanchoe, Sambac jasmine, African violet, and yellow kalanchoe.

While we have no garden blooms in January, our dining room is home to houseplants and a few overwintering potted plants from the patio. The Setcreasea is in the basement with many other overwintering leafy and blooming things. All help freshen the indoor air. The jasmine's fragrance fills the dining room, and the other blooming things bring welcome color, life and beauty in the dead of winter.

The blooms we're most eagerly awaiting this month are the twin granddaughters expected to arrive any day now. :)

Happy Bloom Day, and for more January blooms, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Let's Grow Together, Chicagoland!

2012-01-06T10:30:00.003-06:00

This New Year's Day, One Seed Chicago kicked off the voting in its annual campaign uniting Chicagoans in a season-long celebration of urban gardening and local eating. This year’s candidates are basil, chamomile, and cilantro.

One Seed Chicago suports novice and experienced gardeners learning to grow the winning seed in their gardens. Just like last year when vegetables were on the ballot, chefs and foodies are encouraged to submit recipes for these herbs for inclusion on the One Seed Chicago website.

Participants vote for their choice using the ballot at www.OneSeedChicago.com. The plant with the most votes wins. Voting closes on April 1st, and the winning seed will be unveiled at the Green and Growing Urban Gardening Fair at Garfield Park Conservatory on April 30th. Free seeds will be distributed at the fair, and subsequently mailed to Chicagoland residents who participate in the website vote.

One Seed Chicago is a project of NeighborSpace, Chicago’s land trust for community gardens. It encourages community by bringing us together in a common gardening project and introducing more Chicagoans to the joys and benefits of gardening. Previous One Seed Chicago winners were sunflowers in 2008, Blue Lake pole beans in 2009, native beebalm/monarda in 2010, and Swiss chard last year. Since 2008 One Seed Chicago has distributed over a million seeds to Chicago-area residents.

NeighborSpace is a nonprofit urban land trust dedicated to preserving and sustaining community-managed open spaces in Chicago. Their growing network of gardens provides thousands of people the opportunity to grow fruits, vegetables and flowers, to restore habitats, and to create unique gathering places in their own neighborhoods. For more information, please visit www.neighbor-space.org .

My vote this year went to chamomile. I've never grown it before. I chose it for it's pretty, daisy-like little blooms, and because I've grown basil and cilantro for many years. Chamomile is an aromatic plant, and makes a good companion for vegetables in the brassica family. It's said to enhance their flavor, discourage cabbage worms, host hoverflies and wasps, and to accumulate minerals such as calcium, potassium and sulfur in the soil.

December Bloom Day

2011-12-15T00:25:00.001-06:00

OK, so they're not really blooms. In December we get a little creative finding blooms in a zone 5 garden.

Most of the blooms are indoors this month. Still, we did manage to find a few in the garden, like these broccoli raab flowers blooming in one of our raised beds turned hoop house for the winter . . .

. . . and this last bellflower. It may not be upright anymore, but in December, a bloom's still a bloom no matter what shape the rest of the plant is in. These tall bellflowers, brought here from Mom's garden a couple of years ago, win the prize for longest-blooming plant in our garden this year. They started in May, bloomed non-stop through mid-November, and eked out a final few December blooms.

Except for a couple of frigid days, this December has been much milder than last year's. Instead of snow, yesterday we had a couple of inches of rain. It's just past midnight here, and it's 54 degrees outside, with temperatures expected to be more seasonal over the next few days.

George and I will head out one more time this evening to enjoy the relative warmth and humid air before it's gone. It will likely be months before we enjoy such balmy temperatures again, and it's a treat to have them even now. So Happy Bloom Day all, and for more December blooms, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Gratitude

2011-11-25T11:03:00.002-06:00

November Bloom Day

2011-11-14T11:41:00.002-06:00

We had our first frost last week. The pickins are slim out there these days, yet we can still find a few blooms in the garden.

The mini-rose has been known to bloom in December, even in the snow. This might be the last flower of the season though, since there are no more buds.

Geranium 'Rozanne' blooms from late May or early June until frost. She's looking a bit bedraggled, but I'll say she deserves a shoutout for making it to mid-November.

Bunnies like heuchera blooms this time of year. This nice, fresh bloom scape on a small division of 'Autumn Bride' heuchera has eluded them so far.

'Blue Hill' salvias have been churning out blooms all summer. No busy bees hanging around here anymore as they did in warmer days.

The only mum left with blooms. All the rest have succumbed to the bunnies. I like how Heuchera villosa 'Mocha's bloom scape is mingling with the mums.

The tall bellflowers have been blooming since May.

A native Great Blue lobelia seedling still has a couple of blooms left.

A few native asters remain, and the hardy cyclamen in the header photo is still blooming too. There's a beautiful cimicifuga (I prefer the old name) here that blooms in November, but our hot, dry summer melted the buds. Oh well, maybe next year!

Happy November Bloom Day! To see more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, please visit our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

The Old Neighborhood

2011-11-07T07:28:00.005-06:00

Funny how certain details stick in one's mind. I still remember the phone number and address from my childhood home.

A social media party at The Yarden on the eve of the 2011 Independent Garden Center Show in August provided an opportunity to visit Albany Park, the northside melting-pot immigrant neighborhood where my family lived during my early years. Wanting to avoid Chicago's infamous rush hour traffic, I headed up north early enough to visit the Peterson Garden Project, and to take a walk through the old neighborhood, just a few minutes' drive from the event later that evening.

The neglected front yard would probably mortify our old landlord. He took great pride in his postage-stamp front lawn, mowing it every week with his green rotary mower whether it was needed or not.

Going back to the old neighborhood last summer brought a flood of happy memories. Although the Jewish bakery our delicious challah and onion rolls came from, the ice cream shop Dad took us to every time we lost a baby tooth, the school store where a child's allowance could buy a big bag of penny candies, and the Treasure Island our groceries came from are all gone now, the neighborhood where our family spent our early years looks much the same as it did over forty years ago.

the dining room window

Back then breakfast and lunch were sit-down family meals, usually in the kitchen on weekdays, and in the dining room on the weekends. Sometimes our milkman would be invited to join the family for breakfast. Dinner was always in the dining room. Even with the shade drawn, the dining room window evokes memories of our antique, upright piano piled high with sheet music, and the beautiful dining room table and buffet with thick, hand-turned legs where we found nooks and crannies to hide the peas and lima beans on our plates when Mom wasn't looking. (That is, until we were busted by that funny smell she noticed.)

I remember sleeping in the dining room under that window with my sister so Aunt Natalie could have our room the week she came to help Mom take care of us after our youngest brother was born.

Across the street where Rachel, one of my best friends lived, is a front yard much like the ones I remember - neatly-manicured lawns, and lots of flowers. New windows and siding were added to many of the buildings, and most of the front yards are now fenced. Otherwise, the old block looks much as I remember it.

My first sleepover ever was at Rachel's house. I've always thought "sleepover" was a misnomer - we were up all night.

Rachel's mom made the best tamales in the whole neighborhood. She and Mom were good friends, and, Rachel's mom always shared a big batch of her tamales with us. Some were savory, and some were sweet, and besides Mom's cooking and Dad's chocolate chip cookies, they are among my favorite food memories growing up here. That's saying a lot in a neighborhood where moms from all over the world made their specialties and shared covered dishes with each other so we kids could grow up loving those wholesome and delicious from-scratch ethnic foods. Fast food and sit-down restaurants were rare treats in our world. We grew up loving real food made in our mothers' kitchens, and learning to cook when we all pitched in to help with dinner.

I haven't seen Rachel since we were kids.

I wonder how her life turned out. I still see her as a sweet, carefree, smart, pretty girl with shining dark hair and big brown eyes.

Our neighborhood was religiously and ethnically diverse. We had a synagogue at the end of our block, but my siblings and I went to church and Saturday catechism a few blocks away. Standing atop a gleaming copper dome, Our Lady was a beacon in the distance as we walked to church.

As a child I thought she was beautiful and mysterious. (That was before I had a zoom lens.)

I was never too excited about the outside of our church. It seemed kind of imposing, austere and dreary.

Once inside though, it felt completely different. I thought it was a beautiful, magical, spiritual place where I could feel close to God.

I remember feeling awed by the scale of things, the stained-glass windows, and the ornate altar. Even though I didn't speak Latin and understood little of what the Mass was about, I was never bored since there were so many interesting things to look at.

Nearly everything seems just as I remembered, including the baptismal font. I expected it all to be much smaller than I recalled. Instead I came away surprised at how big it still seemed.

Father Reardon lived here, in the rectory. He was young, handsome, compassionate, and gave the easiest penance. The line outside his confessional was always the longest!

As a little girl, I wanted to grow up to be a nun so I could marry Father Reardon.

I changed my mind about being a nun when I found out they couldn't get married.

Nuns could garden . . .

. . . but I could garden too, and still get married and have kids. That was about the time I fell in love with Mitchy Braun next door. For our first date we went to the soda shop. He bought a hot dog and a malt. We split the hot dog and had two straws for the malt. Allowance only went so far for seven-year-olds, even in the 1960's. Mitchy's and my love life consisted of picking out furniture and baby toys from the Sears catalog for our future family, and hanging out on the front stoop with the other kids until our moms called us in for dinner.

The school at the end of our block, where I spent my early elementary-school years. At least from the outside, the school was every bit as big as I remembered.

In kindergarten, we sat on this little ledge when the bell rang, waiting for Mrs. Meyerbach to shepherd us up the stairs and into our class. She was a stocky, grandmotherly woman who wore bejeweled cat-eye glasses, stockings with seams, and thick orthopedic shoes with black laces. I loved Mrs. Meyerbach, until, at the end of my first year of school, she told Mom it wasn't good for me to be left-handed, and she should teach me how to use my right hand before sending me back to school in the fall. Thankfully, Mom ignored her well-meaning advice. It took a while, but eventually I forgave Mrs. Meyerbach.

All of our teachers played piano, and there was a piano in every classroom. Music wasn't a special class. It was part of the curriculum throughout the day. Since we lived so close to school, we went home for lunch every day.

While the school looks much the same as it did over 40 years ago,

the gardens are new.

It was wonderful seeing prairie blooms and grasses growing where once there was only lawn. After enjoying the school gardens, I took one last walk to the middle of the block to say goodbye to the old house before heading off to party at The Yarden.

Kindergarten class photo. That's me - top row, first on the left, in a dress Mom made me.

A Trip to Moss Mountain

2011-10-29T19:23:00.007-05:00

Sometime in August, just for fun I submitted a photo to a Garden Safe photo contest. Three winners would receive a weekend trip to P. Allen Smith's Garden Home Retreat outside Little Rock, Arkansas on a ridge called Moss Mountain for an October harvest festival celebrating the (organic) harvest from the farm, and celebrating local food. Those of you who know me, know a local, organic food harvest festival is right up my alley.

Much to my surprise, I was one of the three contest winners. Last weekend The Lawn Man and I flew into Little Rock National Airport to stay at the beautiful, historic, 5-Star Capital Hotel, (with an elevator big enough to accommodate, as the concierge explained, General Grant and his horse.)

Everything was world-class. Every detail was attended to. It was an absolutely wonderful experience from the turbulence-free flight late Saturday morning until we crossed the threshold of Home Sweet Home late Sunday afternoon.

Thank you to Garden Safe for sponsoring this event, and thank you P. Allen Smith for an absolutely wonderful time, fantastic company, delicious food and drink, beautiful sights, great music, gorgeous weather, . . . all of it. Such a memorable experience!

Wildflower Wednesday - Late Bloomers

2011-10-27T10:50:00.001-05:00

Lobelia siphilitica

It might be fitting that this Wildflower Wednesday post on our late bloomers is a little late too. The late blooms are welcome, while the cold I picked up this week, draining sinuses and energy and delaying posting, has been far less welcome.

Lobelia siphilitica would typically be finished blooming before now. This one, started from seed this spring, decided to surprise us with a few late-season blooms. (Notice the cluster of buds on the ground, complements of the bunnies?)

female winterberry holly

The winterberry holly Ilex verticillata is unlikely to have any berries left by winter. Here, birds enjoy them in October. Winterberry hollies need both male and female plants for pollination and berries. While the berries are toxic to humans, winterberry hollies are easy-care native shrubs great for a wildlife garden. Although the blooms are inconspicuous, the berries are ornamental and the foliage has nice fall color.

male winterberry holly in a less sheltered spot, showing its fall color

Possibly Symphyotrichum racemosum, these are the last asters, and the last wildflower blooms of the season in our garden. Asters are rabbit food here, and are fenced to protect them from the bunnies so they may be enjoyed by pollinators and us.

Over this season a number of new native plants found homes in our garden. Some were started from seeds like blue lobelias and a lone new prairie smoke. Others were started from cuttings: another blue lobelia, a purple milkweed, and two more Indian pinks. Still others, like wild ginger, Short's aster, blazing star, spiderwort, and sweet woodruff were passalongs from gardening friends. It's been a good year for wildflowers in our garden in spite of our hot, dry midsummer and the usual rodent shenanigans. As the season draws to a close here in Chicagoland, we're savoring the late bloomers and looking forward to spring.

For more Wildflower Wednesday posts, please visit our gracious host, Gail at Clay and Limestone.

October Bloom Day

2011-10-15T06:45:00.001-05:00

Happy Bloom Day from Chicago's blustery south suburbs, where tomatoes are still ripening and top-heavy pots have been moved to sheltered spots. Wind is blowing, leaves are falling, and the summery first week of October is but a memory now.

hardy cyclamen

It's time for moving and dividing, harvesting and preserving, and time for bringing in tender plants and cuttings for rooting.

This fall the garden saw a major overhaul as lots of stuff was moved around to create a path. It seemed like a good idea at the time. It's fortunate the amount of work it would take was underestimated, for otherwise it surely would have remained undone yet another season.

Short's aster, new this year, nearly naked complements of the bunnies,
valiantly blooming anyway.

the last rudbeckias

Calamintha

Chocolate Joe Pye Weed blowing in the wind

First-ever toad lily

'Autumn Joy' in the shade

purple oxalis

Strawberries - :) seeds courtesy of Renee's Garden.

a lone geranium ('striatum') bloom

'Autumn Bride' heuchera, my friend Meg's signature plant

I hope you're enjoying beautiful autumn weather and the pleasures of autumn (or spring, if you're visiting from the southern hemisphere,) gardening. Happy Bloom Day, and thank you for visiting. For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Thinking Twice About Water

2011-09-26T11:26:00.000-05:00

. . . This. . .?

Or This?

TaPPeD - The Movie from David Garcia on Vimeo.

The Gardens at Ball Horticultural Company

2011-09-20T06:17:00.000-05:00

One of the US's largest sellers of commercial seed for flowers and ornamentals, Ball Horticultural Company develops, produces, and distributes seeds, plants, and cuttings to growers, landscapers, wholesalers, and retailers. Founded in 1905 by George J. Ball, over a century later Ball Horticultural remains family owned.

Last month Mr.Brown Thumb, Monica, and I were invited for a tour of the gardens at Ball in West Chicago, a suburb about an hour northwest of here. It was very impressive, and looked more like a botanic garden than a corporate facility. The hospitality during our visit was exceptional - warm and friendly, like being invited into the home of a good friend. We received a guided tour, followed by free time to wander the gardens. Later we were invited to enjoy lunch in the glass-walled employee cafeteria, where the food was delicious and the view through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls was extraordinary.

Enjoy the slideshow from our visit to Ball, and if you ever have an opportunity to visit in person, by all means do!

September Bloom Day

2011-09-14T11:35:00.001-05:00

The light is changing, evenings are cooler, and mid-September has arrived. The last of summer's blooms remain, as autumn's blooms begin to appear. Here's some of what's blooming in our garden this month.

Phlox paniculata 'David'

smooth blue aster

tall bellflower, blooming since May

impatiens in a hanging basket

Anemone tomentosa 'Robustissima'

Hosta plantaginea

purple oxalis

'Happy Returns' daylily with Salvia nemorosa 'Blue Hill'

Sedum 'Matrona'

Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm'

Four-year-old pelargonium

Calamint

Echinacea 'Magnus' with noid phlox

Agastache 'Blue Fortune' still going strong, looking good

Lobelia siphilitica (Great blue lobelia)

Helenium autumnale (common sneezeweed)

Echinacea 'purpurea'

This has been the best year yet in our young garden, and it's still lush with bloom. That will be changing over the next few weeks as we move into fall. By this time next month we'll be at our first average frost date. Tender plants will be making the transition indoors as perennials wane. Moving and dividing will be in high gear in the next few weeks, as the garden gradually prepares for its winter slumber and life here transitions from chilling and grilling on the patio, open windows and summer breezes, to autumn leaves and warm wool sweaters.

Enjoy beautiful September and the last fleeting days of summer. Breathe in the last of summer's fragrant blooms. Let time stand still and enjoy each moment as beautiful autumn's refreshing breeze kisses summer's heat goodbye. Happy September Bloom Day.

For more Garden Blogger's Bloom Day posts, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Please Help Save a National Treasure

2011-09-05T11:44:00.000-05:00

Landreth Seed is America's oldest seed company, and they could really use your help. They need to raise some money, and quickly, if they are to stay in business.

Here's what Barbara Melera says about their situation on the company's facebook page:

To All of Our Customers & Friends

All of you know the story of Landreth and most of you know me, Barb Melera. My husband, Peter, and I have been working to restore this historic American company for the past 8 years.

We set about to restore this Company because it is the most historically important American small business in existence. It is the only American company, still operating daily, that existed when this country became a nation. Its founders were honorable men who helped establish and guide the agricultural and horticultural industries of this country in the 1700s, the 1800s and the 1900s. Landreth exemplifies American business and the ethics and integrity that built this nation.

On Wednesday, August 31, 2011, the Company’s accounts were frozen by a garnishment order initiated by a Baltimore law firm. If this garnishment order is not satisfied within the next 30 days, Landreth will cease to exist and a part of America’s history will be lost forever. I need to sell 1 million 2012 catalogs to satisfy this garnishment and the cascade of other indebtedness which this order has now initiated.

If you want to help save this piece of America, if you love gardening and heirloom seeds, if you care about righting the injustices of a legal system badly in need of repair, then please help Landreth. Please purchase a Landreth catalog, and if you can afford it, purchase several for your friends. Please send this link to everyone you know, www.landrethseeds.com. One million catalogs is a big number, but with the internet it is achievable. Please help us to save Landreth.

Although Landreth seeds are not certified organic, they use organic practices and have never sold GMO seeds.

From the guarantee page on the Landreth website: LANDRETH DOES NOT SELL AND, IN 225 YEARS OF BUSINESS, HAS NOT EVER SOLD GMO SEEDS OR PLANT MATERIAL. NONE OF OUR SEEDS ARE CHEMICALLY OR BIOLOGICALLY COATED OR TREATED, IN ANY WAY. WE DO NOT USE CHEMICALS OR PESTICIDES IN OUR WAREHOUSE. CAREFUL WAREHOUSE CONTAINERIZATION AND TWO HARD WORKING CATS KEEP MOST OF THE CRITTERS UNDER CONTROL.

I've ordered a catalog and some seeds. At this time in history when the existence of independent seed companies is at risk as more and more are being bought out by the gigantic biotech industry, it's important for gardeners everywhere to support the diversity of choices available to us for our gardens from independent seed suppliers. Please help Landreth achieve their goal of one million catalogs sold this month. And while you're at their website, consider ordering some seeds. You might also like to peruse their other offerings. The holidays will be here before we know it, and Landreth has a number of beautiful offerings that would make thoughtful gifts for the gardeners on your shopping list. Together, we can help save this national treasure.

IGC Show

2011-09-02T09:40:00.003-05:00

Hope you enjoy this slideshow from The Independent Garden Center Show held in Mid-August at Navy Pier in Chicago. There was so much buzz and so much energy, and I really got caught up in it. The only down side of that was the time went by so fast, I took a lot less photos than in previous years.

What a thrill being able to attend this show for the last three years. Although it's closed to the general public, a number of garden bloggers are provided with press passes. This year's show was friendlier, bigger, and better than ever, with more garden bloggers/garden writers in attendance than ever. It's a wonderful opportunity to see what's new and what's coming to local, independent garden centers around the country in 2012.

It was so much fun meeting up with old and new friends, and chatting with independent garden center owners and suppliers. The dinner cruise on Lake Michigan was a wonderful experience - the company was great, the food was fantastic, and the scenery was gorgeous. A number of garden writers enjoyed a kickoff #Gardenchat party/tweetup at The Yarden. Since the location was just a few minutes away from the neighborhood where I grew up, I drove up early and revisited a few childhood memories, and visited the Peterson Garden Project. I'll share some photos from those places in a later post or posts. Until then, hope you enjoy the images from the 2011 IGC Show!

Wildflower Wednesday

2011-08-24T00:38:00.000-05:00

On Wildflower Wednesday, the fourth Wednesday of each month, we join with Gail to celebrate and share the love of native plants and wildflowers across the blogosphere. Wildflowers are beautiful, easy-care additions to any garden, and there are wildflowers suited to any challenging combination of climate, soil, moisture, critter, and sun conditions you might have.

We have a little sunny space in our front yard, but most of our garden space is in back in beautiful, loamy soil. While the soil is great, we're challenged by gardening in the shallow roots of three mature silver maples, where there's little sun, the soil tends to dry out very quickly, and it can take years for new plants to become established. Many native plants and wildflowers have been equal to the challenge. These are the ones we find blooming here this month:

Allium cernuum, or nodding onions, came to live here last year, divisions shared with us by Monica. Tough, easy-care, and seldom bothered by animal or insect pests, their delicate blooms are a welcome addition. Nodding onions are attractive to pollinators and will thrive in full to part sun.

Eupatorium purpureum - Joe Pye weed is a tall plant excellent for the back of the border, with showy flower heads that last a long time. After the flowers fade, the seed heads can remain attractive well into the winter. Joe Pye weed is equal to the challenge of growing in a very dry area of our garden where the roots of the maples mingle with the roots of an old, mature arborvitae hedge.

Monarda fistulosa, a native bee balm, is doing well in its third year here. Although monardas are often plagued with powdery mildew, this one has shown no sign of it so far. Bee balm is a good name for it, considering how many bees visit this plant every day. We have lots of bunnies here, but bee balm is equal to the challenge they present, since our bunnies don't seem to like the taste of it's wonderfully fragrant foliage.

Phlox paniculata cultivars are abundant here. This seedling of unknown parentage turned up last year. Hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees don't care about its pedigree, and enjoy it just as much, if not more, than the cultivars. Phlox blooms well even in some of the challenging shadier spots in our garden.

Now that the main garden area in back is fully planted, in the last three years, we've expanded into the swale way in back. It's a mostly shady area where moisture conditions vary from a shallow area that never dries out to the deep end that goes from constantly flooded in winter and spring to bone dry in summer. We're still working out what, if anything we can plant in the deep end. The shallow area is perfect for moisture-loving, beautiful natives that don't mind the challenge of wet feet, like Lobelia cardinalis, or cardinal flower. Hummingbird magnets, cardinal flowers are hands-down their favorite blooms here.

Helenium autumnale, also called sneezeweed, was started from seeds last year. They bloomed their first year, and are budding again now. They're thriving in the shallow end of the swale too. They too like moist soil and don't mind wet feet. This one was pinched in early July as an experiment, while the others were left to grow as tall as they wanted. Next year they'll all be pinched. All but this one flopped, and it has more buds than the ones that weren't pinched.

Late last winter I ordered seeds for Lobelia siphilitica. Blue lobelia, cardinal flower's cousin, seemed a nice addition to the shallow end of the swale. From an entire packet of seeds, only two germinated, and only one survived the seedling stage. The little lobelia was carefully nurtured until, during it's first week outdoors, in a pot on the edge of the west veggie bed, some critter bit off its little crown. In the bed, wilted but intact, the severed section was found. After re-hydrating it in a cup of water, it was planted in fresh potting soil in a small nursery pot in hopes it might root itself in case the original plant didn't re-grow.

The original plant grew new leaves and survived, and the decapitated portion grew roots, so now we have two! Both are budding in their first season, despite their early trauma. Now they live in the shallow end of the swale, where they were transplanted back in June. I expect they'll be equal to the challenge of wet feet. Hopefully they'll survive the challenge of the bunnies. Maybe in September we'll see some blooms.

We added two little prairie smoke (Geum triflorum) plants three springs ago. One disappeared last fall, and the remaining one bloomed for the first time this spring. One of the blooms set seeds. A few seeds were collected, and started under the light in the basement. In the next few weeks they'll find homes in the garden near their parent that has so far proven itself equal to the challenges of dry soil and and not much sun.

Every garden presents challenges. Through research, trial and error, and experience, native plants can be found which will not only survive, but thrive in nearly any challenging garden conditions we may have.

For more Wildflower Wednesday posts, please visit sweet Gail at Clay and Limestone.

Salad Daze

2011-08-19T10:44:00.000-05:00

today's harvest, tonight's salad

just because they're peaking

August Bloom Day

2011-08-14T11:37:00.002-05:00

August has brought blessed temperature relief with highs mostly in the seventies and eighties, and refreshingly cool mornings and evenings. August is undoubtedly the bloomingest month of the year here.

Stepping out onto the patio with a cup of coffee early each morning is a olfactory delight with the scent of sambac jasmine filling the air. Even with only some morning sun, the jasmine, typically considered a plant for full sun, blooms prolifically, if sporadically, throughout the summer. Hummingbirds in twos and threes enjoy jasmine nectar several times a day.

This hanging basket seems the perfect spot for these Nonstop begonias, gifts from the Lawn Man back in late May. I haven't always had great luck with Nonstops. Some years they've rotted from too much rain. Other years their blooms have been more like Nonstart. The hanging basket is a moss-lined wire basket. They drain exceptionally well even after a few days in a row of torrential rain. This basket seems to be in a perfect spot for the perfect amount of sun. For the first time here, Nonstops are living up to their name.

Surprise lilies just started blooming a few days ago. The hosta camouflages the yellowing foliage as it dies back in late spring.

The hanging basket fuchsia is a delight to the hummingbirds and to me.

All of our coneflowers except one 'Magnus' were started from seeds. They are all unique, varying in plant size, bloom size and color. This is one of the taller ones. It has the palest of pale pink blooms that appear white in photos. Some of them have petals that stay like this, and others have the more characteristic drooping petals of most species coneflowers.

Red Dragonwing begonias bloom nonstop too. This one, along with two pink ones have overwintered indoors for three years, where they continue to bloom without ever taking a break.

The petite Crossandra was a gift from the Lawn Man when we were dating. It has overwintered indoors for eight years. It never gets taller than about eight inches. Each year it gets fuller and has more of these bright yellow-orange blooms. Back in July I was squashing mealybugs on it for the first time. Fortunately they seem to be gone now.

Nodding onions (Thank you Monica!) are blooming in shades of the palest pink.

Impatiens started from seeds indoors back in March are everywhere in urns, pots, and hanging baskets, bringing welcome color to our woodland garden and nectar for hummingbirds, hummingbird moths, and butterflies. I save seeds, and never know what colors I'll get. Last year they all turned out bright, and this year there are pastels in the mix. I like the color surprises. Since most of them aren't blooming yet when they go outside, we never know what color combinations we'll end up with.

Diamond Frost euphorbias perform admirably here in pots, hanging baskets, and even in the ground. Both drought and shade-tolerant, over a dozen of them are overwintered in the basement each year. Bigger and fuller each year, thanks to their drought tolerance they're easy to overwinter and eminently neglectable even outdoors.

Cardinal flowers, the most favorite blooms of hummingbirds in our garden, are blooming a month later than usual, probably due to our chilly spring. They were worth waiting for.

Joe Pye weed, and the tall, stately Herbstsonne rudbeckias in the background attract butterflies and other pollinators in droves.

Closeup of 'Herbstsonne' rudbeckia with great black wasp (Sphex pensylvanicus)

Hummingbirds seem to prefer the red bee balm cultivars here, but every bee in the neighborhood loves these natives.

Agastache 'Blue Fortune' is the palest of gray-blues. I was disappointed in their pale color their first year here. They've been allowed to stay anyway. Bees love them, they don't seed all over the place, they're very drought-tolerant, very fragrant, and they bloom like crazy with only about three hours of dappled sun each day.

Another gift from the Lawn Man when we were dating, this mini-rose blooms a few times each season.

Black-eyed Susans bloom wonderfully here even with just a couple hours of dappled sunlight.

. . . more impatiens!

Hosta rectifolia 'Fujibotan's foliage is ordinary. The double blooms are, however anything but ordinary! Our hummingbirds love them too.

. . . more impatiens!

Phlox 'David' seen with pink phlox, black-eyed susans, and tall bellflowers. The bellflowers, from Mom's, have been blooming non-stop since May.

Agastache 'Golden Jubilee' is a prolific self-seeder. New to our garden, this seedling is blooming sparsely in its first year. I'm looking forward to more seedlings, and watching them mature to show what they can really do. With bright chartreuse foliage, prolific blooms adored by pollinators and much brighter than 'Blue Fortune,' 'Golden Jubilee,' is still fragrant, drought-tolerant, and blooms beautifully even with very little sun. Though marginally hardy in zone five, the seedlings will help insure against any winter losses.

I love everything about calamint - the glossy, clean, fine textured, shiny, fragrant, dark-green foliage, the intricate, delicate, ornate, airy blooms, its shade and drought tolerance, and its value to our pollinators.

The showiest blooms in the east-side vegetable bed belong to this oregano. It draws an incredible number of pollinators to the vegetables and provides fresh and dried oregano all year.

Most of the gardening here happens in back and in the vegetable beds in our sunny side yards. There are some blooms in the full, blazing sun in front too, including the drought-tolerant, long-blooming 'Blue Hill' salvia. Hummingbird moths, hummingbirds, butterflies, and many kinds of bees visit these every day.

'Happy Returns' daylilies bloom all summer long in front.

Borage from Renee's Garden blooms in front too. Renee says pollinators love borage. It's true. She says the flowers are edible and make beautiful garnishes - true, and true!

Finally, like every other blooming thing here, the zinnias have a story. The Lawn Man brought them home from a big box store late in May, where they were displayed with the store's shade annuals. They stayed in pots in back in the sunniest spot on the patio until they started looking raggedy and stopped budding. Each successive generation of blooms got smaller and smaller. We enjoyed them in back for as long as possible, and now they're really showing their stuff after moving the pots to the front and into the blazing sun they need to thrive.

There are lots of stories I could tell you about our human babies. Each plant baby here has a story of its own too. That's one of the things I love about Bloom Day. Visiting other Bloom Day posts, I enjoy reading the stories of the blooms in your gardens as much as seeing the photos. Do your flowers tell stories too?

For links to other Bloom Day posts, please visit our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Veggie Gardens Video Tour

2011-08-05T14:13:00.001-05:00

Come along with me for a tour of our veggie beds.

Many of our vegetables this year are courtesy of Renee's Garden. Renee sells a fantastic variety of vegetable and flower seeds. All of our lettuce came from Renee's Garden. Growing right now are 'Renee's Caesar Duo (red and green romaine mix,) 'Wine Country Mesclun,' and 'Renee's Stirfry Mix (Pan-Pacific Greens, which I've been enjoying raw in salads.) We're also growing Renee's 'Bright Lights' rainbow chard. The cherry tomatoes are from Renee too. We're growing her 'Garden Candy' mix. Each seed packet contains three varieties of cherry tomatoes - yellow, red, and orange - 'Sun Gold,' 'Supersweet,' and 'Sweet Gold' The seeds are color-coded with food-grade stain so the gardener can tell which seeds are which. They're all delicious!

Also from Renee's Garden we're growing fennel, blue borage, flat-leaf and curly parsley, 'Sweet Armenian' and Japanese 'Tasty Green' cucumbers, and 'Romeo' round baby carrots. Seedlings started in the basement for our fall vegetable garden include Renee's 'Crispy Winter Greens,' 'Green Fortune' baby pak choi, and 'Super Rapini' broccoli raab.

In this age of Monsanto buying out small seed suppliers, I'm very grateful for seed companies like Renee's Garden. Visit the link above for more information on how her seeds are selected and sustainably grown. Thank you Renee for the love you devote to what you do, for providing such an awesome selection of seeds, for your outreach to garden bloggers, and thanks so much for filling my vegetable beds with such wonderful, delicious food!

Wildflower Wednesday

2011-07-27T06:43:00.000-05:00

Purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea, has been a favorite native plant for as long as I can remember. Silly me, when first starting our garden, was lured by some of the coneflower cultivars. I won't tell you how much money I ~~spent~~ wasted on bigger, supposedly better blooms in various colors, only to have most of them die within their first season. I wised up and bought a packet of seeds, had flowers the first season, and plants that have all been perennial in our garden for a tiny fraction of the cost of those long-gone cultivars.

Goldfinches LOVE coneflower seeds. I'm not thrilled watching them pick off the petals, but I love seeing them come to the garden for the seeds, and the swallowtail butterflies and hummingbirds who enjoy their nectar.

Nodding onions, Allium cernuum, are about to bloom. Monica shared these with me when she came for a visit last summer, along with a few other native plants that are happily settling into our garden. The blooms of nodding onions can be pink, white, or lavender. (Ours are white.) They're happy in full to part sun, and are to said not to like hot summers. I'm happy they're doing well here in spite of our weather! All parts of the plant are edible. It's a very nutritious plant that was widely enjoyed by Native Americans and early settlers. The juice is said to make a fine insect repellent. (I'm not sure I'd want my skin to smell like onion juice!)

This is a young Culver's Root, Veronicastrum virginicum. It had a smaller, single bloom spike last year. This year's one bloom spike is a little bigger, but still not as impressive as the candelabra of spikes it will hopefully have when it's more mature. At about thirty inches, it's also much smaller than it's eventual five-foot mature height. Still, it's a lovely plant. The foliage has stayed fresh all season, and shows no signs of insect damage or any fungus, yellowing, or crisping whatsoever. Culver's Root is visited by many pollinators. You can see a list of them at the Illinois wildflowers website at the link above, where you can also see a photo of the blooms on a mature plant.

The roots of Veronicastrum virginicum have a long history of medicinal use by Native Americans, mostly for digestive disorders, and as purifying herb which induces sweating. It's believed the plant is named after Dr. Culver, an American physician and proponent of its medicinal uses in the 17th or 18th century.

Eupatorium purpureum's buds are just starting to turn pink. I divided these plants last spring - not an easy task thanks to their very tough roots. The plants resented having their roots disturbed and looked pretty awful the rest of the season. They've recovered very nicely though this year, although they're not as tall as they were before dividing them. The divisions are doing well in another area of our garden, though so far there are no signs of flower buds.

Also known as Joe Pye Weed, these very large, tall plants are wonderful in the garden. Another native with usefulness as a medicinal plant, they're grown here primarily for their ornamental value and attractiveness to pollinators. They draw lots of different kinds of bees, every butterfly in the neighborhood, and even hummingbirds thanks to their tubular flowers. The pollinator traffic on Joe Pye Weed is truly something to behold.

To see more Wildflower Wednesday posts, please visit Gail at Clay and Limestone, who hosts this celebration of native plants and wildflowers on the 4th Wednesday of each month.

The Big Picture

2011-07-24T13:06:00.002-05:00

From the patio door in our family room

It's been awhile since I've posted long views of the garden - hope you enjoy the big picture as much as we do!

From the guest bedroom

From the far east side of our yard

East side of the patio border

From the middle of the lawn

Angel's trumpet and assorted pots outside the back door as seen from upstairs.

View from the guest bathroom

West side of the patio border

Our garden is eight years old now. At times it seemed like we'd never get here. The first three years, most of what I planted was dug up by squirrels, eaten by rabbits, or died for reasons unknown. It was discouraging at times when I first came here, planting this gracefully-curved, beautifully-shaded large bed that was mostly empty except for a few struggling hostas, a small group of struggling pink pumila astilbes now long-gone, a thick layer of pine nugget mulch, and a tangle of silver maple, serviceberry, and arborvitae roots.

Although at times I felt like giving up, ~~perseverance~~ stubbornness won out. Through trial and error we've found native and cultivated plants that thrive here. We're fortunate having beautiful, loamy black soil that has been enhanced even further with the addition of lots of organic matter from leaf mold, home-grown compost, and occasionally, some store-bought mushroom compost added to planting holes. Already an experienced gardener when I came here, and even realizing no matter how much I knew there was always more to learn, this garden has taught me more than I ever wanted to know, and for that I'm very grateful.

July Bloom Day (With a Nod to Julie Bass of Oak Park, Michigan)

2011-07-15T00:05:00.004-05:00

This is for you Julie, with positive energy, well wishes and respect.

It can't possibly be July 15th and time again for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day; yet it is. So let's dive right in and see what's blooming today on a quiet street in Chicago's south 'burbs. Not all the blooms are outdoors - for example, our chemical-free kitchen-table bouquet picked up last weekend at a local farmer's market from the booth operated by Homewood Kitchen Gardens, for the bargain price of $3.00. These talented women produce and sell garden-inspired artwork and crafts, chemical-free, artisan-crafted toiletries, sustainably-produced vegetables, herbs, fruits,and even flowers grown in their suburban back (and front) yards.

red pimento pepper

In honor of the Garden Renegade, a/k/a Julie Bass, I'm featuring some charming blooms that just happen to also produce handsome vegetables/fruits. Julie (in case you haven't heard,) is navigating the maze of a Detroit, Michigan suburb's code enforcement and judicial systems, and was even facing possible jail time if convicted of the heinous crime of growing vegetables in her front yard.
. . .

Royal Burgundy Bush Beans

. . . Apparently Oak Park allows its residents to grow flowers in their front yards. . .

Japanese cucumber, 'Tasty Green'

. . . Dear Oak Park, What's wrong with THESE flowers? I think they're beautiful. . .

'Derby' bush beans

Not surprisingly, the village has ~~dropped~~ (Correction: A judge has dismissed without prejudice the misdemeanor garden charge against Julie, at least for now. This means the prosecutor can reinstate the charge at any time. Julie emphasizes this in a new post today, and I wanted to clarify what I initially wrote. Dismissal without prejudice is not the same as dropping the charge.) Public pressure on the village was intense, and their case was shaky at best. Unfortunately it now appears they're harassing the family - the latest is a kerfuffle over licensing of the family's pets. It appears village authorities are abusing their power in what looks like revenge for the embarrassment they clearly brought upon themselves.

'Brandywine' tomato . . .

Kudos to you, Julie, on your first-ever vegetable garden, and for standing up for what you believe in even at considerable cost. I'm sorry for what a toll all this is taking on you, and I hope things will settle down and return to normal very soon. Positive energy is coming your way from all corners of the globe. Godspeed, and may the village leave you, your family, and now, apparently, your DOGS too, in peace.

Here on our quiet street in our typically quiet suburb, I'm feeling gratitude, realizing the peace we enjoy here shouldn't be taken for granted.

Although we have no vegetables growing in our backyard (not enough sun there,) we do have blooms in the backyard . . .

purple oxalis,

coneflowers (For the first time this year, I've noticed hummingbirds enjoying them.)

Geranium 'Rozanne'

fuchsia in a hanging basket (also frequented by hummingbirds)

pansies (still hanging in there in spite of July's heat)

Heuchera villosa 'Mocha' (I love how the blooms glow in morning sunlight.)

Stokes aster

mini-rose and astilbe

Spring Fling petunia, overwintered and blooming for its third season

jasmine - smells heavenly

love-in-a-mist

pink and white astilbes

'Happy Returns' daylily

'Rosy Returns' daylily

tall bellflowers and bee balm (hummingbirds are loving the bee balm.)

Geranium sanguineum var. striatum

'Sunday Gloves' daylily

May we all be free to enjoy the peace, beauty, and sustenance of our gardens, wherever we choose to plant them.

To see more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, please visit our host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Wildflower Wednesday

2011-06-22T00:01:00.005-05:00

Asclepias purpurascens, (purple milkweed) is blooming albiet sparsely, for the first time ever. Added to our garden three years ago, purple milkweed is one of few asclepias that prefer part sun, although it will also grow in full sun to part shade. If these two little blooms are pollinated and set seed, the seeds will be collected and sent to Native Seed Gardeners, an organization that uses volunteer home gardeners to grow and harvest native plant seeds for restoration of protected conservation landscapes in the Spring Creek Forest Preserves in Chicago's north suburbs.

Purple milkweed is primarily pollinated by long-tongued bees, butterflies, and skippers, and Monarch butterflies feed on its foliage. Fortunately, it's rarely bothered by rabbits and deer, thanks to its bitter-tasting, toxic foliage. Although we don't have deer issues in our garden, we do have a lot of bunnies, and they can wreak havoc on vulnerable plants and shrubs here.

I found a little piece of the milkweed broken off a few weeks ago. A few lower leaves were removed, and it went into moist potting mix in our cool basement where a few summer vegetables are being started from seeds. The little cutting rooted easily with no special care, and is already growing and sprouting a crop of new leaves.

A favorite native in our garden, Spigelia marilandica, or Indian pink, just started blooming this week. Attractive to hummingbirds, Indian pink is easy grow, and prefers well-drained, fertile soil in part sun to part shade. Gail grows this in her garden too, so I think it's safe to say that while it may prefer well-drained soil, it's adaptable and will also grow in clay soil. Ours gets no more than a couple of hours of mostly dappled sunlight, and produces lots of these sweet, unusual yellow and red blooms.

Tradescantia ohiensis, commonly known as spiderwort, is native in Illinois. We have a few passalong plants - new additions to our garden this spring. I was on the fence about spiderwort for years, but its sweet blue blooms and the fact that they were free finally won me over. I'm happy to have them in our garden, and hope the bunnies will leave them alone. Spiderwort's leaves and stems are edible for humans too - one of many edible wild plants enjoyed by foragers. If they get too spready here, a few just might end up in a stir fry one day!

This is Penstemon digitalis - foxglove beardtongue, also native in Illinois, and blooming for the first time after three years in our garden. The tubular flowers attract honeybees, bumblebees, Anthophorine bees, Miner bees, Mason bees, and large Leaf-Cutting bees. Halictid bees, butterflies, Sphinx moths, and hummingbirds may also visit the very pretty blooms.

Growing in a spot that gets about an hour of sun in the morning and two more hours in the afternoon, it was slow getting established. As you can see it's blooming nicely now, although high winds and heavy rains have caused it rather poor posture. Even a bit bendy, it's taller in our garden than 'Huskers Red.' This native penstemon is a welcome addition with its pristine white blooms that show up nicely even at night.

Our garden is by no means all native, but the more of them that come to live here, the more I appreciate their quiet beauty and tough constitutions. Adding a few (or a few more!) native plants to an ornamental garden is one of the best ways to attract butterflies and other pollinators to our gardens, and to enjoy nature's beauty in our own backyards. For more Wildflower Wednesday posts, please visit Gail at Clay and Limestone.

Garden Visitors

2011-06-20T07:48:00.000-05:00

It's raining today. again! Our swale has rarely been dry this spring, thanks to the torrential rainfalls we've had. We've been lucky having had just a little seepage in the basement, while others in our area have suffered some pretty severe flooding. Thanks to all the rain, the gardens have been very happy. We've also had frequent visitors to the garden, thanks to all the rain. Most notable among the welcome visitors have been Ed and Zelda. We've also had mosquitoes in record numbers, but that's a story for another day.

A few weeks ago, Ed arrived without Zelda. When they're here together they take a relaxed swim, then often come out and onto the lawn for a nice rest before heading out again. This time Ed was here alone. He seemed to be looking for Zelda the whole time, and didn't stay as long as usual. I hoped she was ok.

Ah, there she is, and all is right again in Ed's world.

June Bloom Day

2011-06-14T23:48:00.000-05:00

Happy Bloom Day from Chicago's south suburbs, where it's 98 degrees one day, 58 the next; and where one can't be sure if there'll be blazing sun and oppressive humidity, or torrential rainfalls and power outages. The weather has kept us on our toes this month. While a little beaten up after over 5 inches of rain last week, the gardens here continue to bloom nicely, even as weeds and tree seedlings sprout in record numbers and grow at record speed.

Starting at the top left and going clockwise. here are some of our June blooms: The hellebore 'Mrs. Betty Ranicar' started out white earlier this spring, is still lovely in June, and has aged to a pretty soft green. The Lawn Man wanted to see more annuals blooming, and brought home (among other things,) some white and red New Guinea impatiens - plants we haven't had here for a few years. Last fall's pansies are still hanging around in spite of last week's oppressive heat, and the mini-rose that has outlasted all the others has half-open buds and is fuller and healthier-looking this spring than ever before. Last year's Lacinato kale came back to bloom and set seed which I'll collect for next year's vegetable beds.

I fell in love with Tahitian bridal veil (Gibabsis geniculata,) in a hanging basket when I saw it last fall in the Master Gardener office. Although it was labeled as African bridal veil at the nursery, when I wanted to learn more about it, everything I found on the internet calls it Tahitian. Whichever, it's lovely. The blooms close in the early evening, and open again each morning. It's growing and blooming well even with very little sun.

Lamium 'Pink Pewter' has settled in well after a few years of underwhelming performance, and has been blooming since April. The hanging basket begonia was another gift from the Lawn Man, who was a bit underwhelmed by the overwintered double impatiens cuttings which grew very slowly during our chillier-than-usual spring. In the center, snow peas, also a bit slow this spring, have the loveliest blooms that would be just as much at home in an ornamental garden as they are in our vegetable bed. They look like little orchids to me.

The blooms of Heuchera 'Lime Rickey' are tiny, but I enjoy them all the same. I enjoy their delicacy, and they glow in the waning light of evenings enjoyed relaxing on the patio. I've been a little afraid of spiderwort's spreading ways, but I've always loved them and said yes to a few passalongs. Penstemon 'Huskers Red' has been a stalwart of our June garden since the beginning. It was one of the first plants I added to what was, eight years ago, a barren bed of mulch under three huge silver maples. The yellow foxgloves Digitalis grandiflora have been here almost as long. A few more were started from seed two years ago and they're blooming for the first time this month.

The tall blue bellflowers Campanula persicifolia 'Telham Beauty' were passalongs from Mom, taking the place of the ones that broke my heart just a little when they didn't make it the first time I tried them here. Their translucent violet-blue blooms have been favorites in several gardens before this one. They glow just as beautifully in moonlight as they do in midday sun, and our bumblebees visit them from early morning to dusk.

Penstemon digitalis is a native plant relatively new to our garden and blooming for the first time this year. It's a little floppy thanks to our torrential rains, but it's pretty all the same, and the pollinators are loving it. It's time to divide Geranium x Cantabrigiense 'Biokovo,' and it's a little worse for wear after the rain, but the bees don't seem to mind a bit. Nepeta x faassenii (catmint) attracts lots of pollinators too, and I like its shorter, less sprawly form better than 'Walkers Low' (a misnomer if you ask me, since it gets about three feet tall. :) Oops there's another pea blossom - guess you can see I really like them! And finally, in the center is Centaurea Montana also known as Mountain bluet, and a favorite of mine for longer than I can remember.

There are quite a few other things blooming here in June, but lest this turns into a book as I wax on over this month's blooms, I'll leave it at this for now. Happy Bloom Day all. To see more June flowers from gardens all over, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Baby Pak Choi

2011-06-03T05:27:00.001-05:00

Earlier this spring I received an offer I couldn't refuse: a Media Kit from Renee's Garden, which included my choice of 18 free packets of seeds. Now that our weather has sufficiently warmed, (finally!) last weekend many of those seeds were sown in our two tiny raised bed veggie gardens. Earlier this spring I sowed a few cool-season vegetables including Renee's Broccoli Raab Super Rapini (also delicious, and all gone.)

I took advantage of the opportunity to try a number of new varieties, and in some cases, entirely new-to-me vegetables, including the broccoli raab, and baby pak choi. I have eaten pak choi (also known as bok choy,) but have never grown it until this spring. I grew Renee's F-1 hybrid Baby Pak Choi Green Fortune. Beautiful, tender, sweet, crisp, and delicious, its small size is perfect for a small vegetable garden like mine. Although neither of our two raised beds receives full sun, the pak choi grew very fast, and very well. Before planting, the soil was amended with organic vermicompost from my basement worm bin. (The red wiggler worms are fed only organic kitchen and garden scraps.) No other fertilizers were used or needed.

Traditionally used in stir-fry in Asian cuisine, I've yet to try it that way. Green Fortune is so delicious raw in salads, that's how I've been eating it, every day for over two weeks. And no, I haven't gotten tired of it. Besides eating it myself, I have also been using it as the vegetable in George's homemade dog food. He loves it too! He eats it mixed in with his food, and also enjoys it picked straight from the garden, as a treat unadorned. Since it's an early-spring vegetable that matures quickly, I planted a lot of it. After it's all harvested there will still be time to fill in the empty space in the garden with summer vegetables. As you can see in the photo above, I've already done this in one section of the garden, with tomato plants surrounding the remainder of a row of pak choi. Well-planned succession planting is one of the ways we manage to get an incredible amount and variety of vegetables even from our very small beds.

Pak choi is very low in calories, yet is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available. A nutritional powerhouse, it's packed with vitamins A, C, K, carotene, lutein, B vitamins, respectable amounts of several minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, and zinc, and 28 different polyphenols, including kaempferol, a phytonutrient shown to have strong anti-cancer properties.

Renee's Baby Pak Choi Green Fortune has been very easy to grow, not bothered at all by pests, and very productive. I'm so glad I picked it as part of the Media Kit. I will definitely grow this again!

Wildflower Wednesday

2011-05-25T00:16:00.001-05:00

It's Wildflower Wednesday - the fourth Wednesday of the month, when bloggers all over the world share their love of gardening with native plants and wildflowers.

I've always loved the beautiful columbines, and grew a variety of cultivars in the past. Columbines are perennials, but can be somewhat short-lived. The solution - natives! While they too are sometimes short-lived, when allowed to set seed, they sow themselves freely around the garden. Extra plants can be left where they're growing, moved to more desirable locations, shared with other gardeners, or easily weeded out if they're too plentiful. Deadheading (removing spent blooms,) will prevent them from self-sowing if you prefer.

The columbine shown above is Aquilegia canadensis, also known as Eastern red columbine, or Canadian columbine. Although one of its common names is Canadian columbine, it's also native to much of the US, including Illinois. A few of them were added to our garden three years ago. All three have continued to come back each year, and we also now have a few extras that have sown themselves around the garden.

This one is Aquilegia coerulea, also known as Colorado blue columbine or Rocky Mountain columbine. Ours were started from seeds three years ago, and bloomed in their second spring. Native in the Rocky Mountain states, they've been happy here in our Illinois garden. Their soft blue and white blooms are most welcome.

Polygonatum commutatum, commonly known as Solomon's seal is native in Illinois. There's a nice little patch of Solomon's seal here. The blooms are small and demure, and hang sweetly beneath the foliage. I was given a half-dead pot of Solomon's seal that had struggled in a nursery's 'hospital zone' all year. It was mislabeled as Tricyrtis "Lemon Twist,' commonly known as toad lily. Since this plant struggled in our garden for a couple of years, and since I'd never grown either toad lilies or Solomon's seal, although I questioned its identity, I didn't know what it was until it bloomed for the first time last spring. Since then I've added a few toad lilies, and I'm thrilled having this nice patch of Solomon's seal in our garden. I'm not convinced this is a native Solomon's seal, since it came from a nursery that doesn't specialize in natives, the foliage is shinier than what I've seen on the natives around here, and it was mislabeled as a Tricytris to boot.

Senecio aureus, commonly known as golden ragwort, is in its glory right now. Covered with small, yellow, daisy-like blooms, it's native in Illinois, as well as in Tennessee where Gail, the host of Wildflower Wednesday lives. A few years ago Gail shared some with me. They've been happy here in our woodland garden. I love the shiny evergreen basal foliage and the bright yellow blooms.

According to the Illinois Wildflowers website, the nectar and pollen of golden ragwort attract small bees and flies. Among the bees, are such visitors as Little Carpenter bees, Cuckoo bees (Nomada spp.), and various Halictid bees. Among the flies, are such visitors as Syrphid flies, Tachinid flies, and miscellaneous others. The caterpillars of the moth Orthonama obstipata (The Gem) feed on Senecio spp. (Ragworts).

Podophyllum peltatum, commonly known as mayapple, is a recent addition to our garden. Last spring while visiting Mom, I spied a large colony of mayapples in Mom's woods, and brought home two of them to add to our garden. I was excited to see it bloom this year! Most native plants are slow to establish in our silver-maple-root-riddled garden, but one of the mayapples surprised me with this lovely bloom a couple of weeks ago. The blooms hide beneath the umbrella-like foliage, and are worth looking for. Later in the season, the blooms form little fruits that are edible, although toxic consumed in large quantities. Mayapples have medicinal value for cancer and certain skin conditions, however due to their toxic properties, medicinal applications are best left to those who are highly knowledgeable in their application.

I called this trillium red in my recent Bloom Day post, but it may actually be a purple trillium. It was purchased five years ago at a big box store, and was labeled only as a trillium. If anyone knows what kind it is, I'd be thrilled if you let me know. It only took five years to finally bloom, and whatever its botanical name, I'm happy it finally did!

I first saw Prairie Smoke (Geum triflorum) three years ago at Chicago Spring Fling, and promptly got two of them at a native plants sale a few weeks later. The second one disappeared last fall, and this remaining one is blooming for the first time. I hope it seeds itself around the garden. I'll probably save some of the seeds too, to boost the odds of having a few more of these neat little plants in our garden.

Wild geranium (Geranium maculatum) was also first seen during Chicago Spring Fling, at the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool garden in Lincoln Park. It too jumped into my hands at the same native plant sale prairie smoke came from. Unlike the prairie smoke, wild geranium bloomed in its second season here.

Wild ginger (Asarum canadense,) is a commonly occurring woodland native in Illinois, and the most recent native introduction to our garden. You must look under the foliage, close to the soil surface to get a peek at its unusual bloom. Although not related to the ginger root found in your grocery produce section, or the dried, powdered spice, wild ginger root smells and tastes very similar and can be used in cooking. There are no plans for that here - our wild ginger will be left in the ground to form a colony in its new home.

To see more Wildflower Wednesday posts, please visit Gail at Clay and Limestone.

A Murder of Crows

2011-05-20T23:13:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago a pair of robins built their nest on our guest bathroom windowsill. Not wanting to disturb them too much, I opened the window exactly three times - once to sneak a peek at the eggs while Mama robin was at the edge of the garden in search of worms, scattering mulch all over the patio (a daily ritual.)

Once while Mama was way in back taking a dip in the swale,

And one last time, after a ruckus between a pair of robins and a couple of crows. I hoped this wasn't what the ruckus was about. Sadly, it was. Crows are back. We started seeing them again around here late last summer. They'd been absent for years, possibly due to West Nile Virus.

I worried about those babies. Two stories down, below the guest bathroom window, is our concrete patio. I wondered how they'd fare when it was time to fledge. I'm sorry they didn't get that chance.

A group of crows is properly called a murder of crows. Maybe this is why.

May Bloom Day

2011-05-14T23:16:00.001-05:00

It seems to be the refrain this spring . . . After an unseasonably warm few days last week, we're back to chilly, damp, rainy weather again.

The rain is welcome, as last week's extreme temperatures parched the soil. As for the chill . . . well . . . since I'm not a fan of extreme heat, the cooler temperatures are welcome too. 94 degrees in May, which we had last week, is just a bit much. If I got to choose, I'd pick sunshine and temperatures in the 60's, 70's, and 80's all. year. long, with rain only at night. I think that means I should be living in Maui, although even there it rains during the day.

In spite of the vagaries of this month's weather, our garden is blooming beautifully. In spite of how busy spring can get for me, I always remember to take time to stop and smell the flowers. Working in a client's garden last week, I thoroughly enjoyed the intoxicating scent of Korean Spice viburnums following me everywhere I went. I'm sure this weekend's weather has done them in. I find myself looking around our garden for space for one here.

Happy Bloom Day to all. For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Wildflower Wednesday

2011-04-26T21:42:00.002-05:00

Following a winter break, April is a good time to re-join Wildflower Wednesday, Gail's monthly celebration of (mostly native) wildflowers. It's such a joy having wildflowers blooming again here in the Chicago southland.

The foliage is just as pretty as the flowers on celandine poppies (Stylophorum diphyllum, above,) also commonly known as wood poppies. While I've read they need consistently moist soil, they thrive here in our dry shade woodland garden. Celandine poppies self-seed readily, so I generally try to stay on top of deadheading them. Keeping them deadheaded also helps keep them blooming here spring through fall.

I'm not sure if this a red or white trillium. We had both, though two of them haven't reappeared this spring. The reds were planted five years ago, and the white one two years ago. This will be the first one to ever bloom. Trilliums, also known as wake robin, can take years to become established and bloom. They are becoming more and more rare in their native habitats. Prized by many gardeners, care should be taken that they are purchased from reputable growers. Mom is very lucky to have a nice stand of them in her woods, but this is one of the plants I wouldn't disturb to bring home for our garden.

It's the first year our Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica,) are blooming! Planted three years ago, some came from Possibility Place, our local native plants nursery. A few also came from K's (my firstborn's) garden last spring. They sulked after transplanting them here, wilting and dying back within a couple of weeks. I was so happy to see them come back this spring!

Virginia bluebells, like trilliums, are spring ephemerals. Ephemerals are woodland plants with a short growing season during which they leaf out, bloom, set seed, and then the above-ground part of the plant dies back. Bluebells can be prolific self-seeders, forming large colonies in a few years. Now that our long-awaited blooms are here, some will be allowed to set seed, but most will be deadheaded to prevent them from taking over the garden. Extra seedlings can also easily be weeded from the garden or shared with fellow native-plant lovers.

Last but certainly not least are these mystery Spring beauties (Claytonia virginica,) another ephemeral. I'm not sure how these tiny plants got here, but am happy they came! Most likely their seeds arrived with the other woodland natives transplanted from Mom's woods or K's gardens last spring, or maybe they were planted by squirrels or birds. Spring beauties are also known as fairy spuds, as the tubers (which are edible and said to taste like chestnuts,) look like tiny potatoes.

Wildflower Wednesday is hosted on the fourth Wednesday each month by my friend Gail who blogs from Tennessee at Clay and Limestone. In honor of spring, this time she's celebrating wildflowers with a week-long extravaganza. Native plant lovers will revel in the plethora of inspiring posts by Gail and other participating bloggers.

April Bloom Day - Yay Spring!

2011-04-14T23:30:00.001-05:00

Between our still mostly-chilly days this month, we've enjoyed a few gloriously mild, sunny ones. Every moment of those warmer days has been savored, with windows thrown open, patio furniture uncovered, and every possible minute spent outdoors. Blooms are a bit behind schedule compared to our last two springs, which were warmer than usual. I can't help hoping the cooler spring will lead to a milder, wetter summer than the last two hot, dry ones.

We have daffodils, scillas, hellebores, bloodroot (bloodroot thanks to Mom and Monica!) pulmonarias, and celandine poppies blooming, with Virginia bluebells and a hellebore (Mrs. Betty Ranicar with white, double blooms, added three years ago,) about to the bloom for the first time. We have a few more bluebells transplanted last spring from my oldest daughter K's garden, and three of those will be blooming shortly too. Bleeding hearts, wild geraniums, epimediums, anemones, and columbines, serviceberry, and Bradford pear are budding. Indoors, the African violet is once again in full, glorious bloom, and the one dragon wing begonia that's not in the basement is enjoying the streaming morning sunlight in the east window where it waits for warmer weather.

The garden continues to mature and this season will bring more blooms than ever. At this moment though, what I'm most excited about is that bloodroot; and mayapples, Dutchman's breeches, shooting stars, and trout lilies - the natives brought back from Mom's woods last spring. All survived the winter and are up and growing. The trout lilies won't bloom yet this spring. They are young, and each has only one leaf. But what beautiful, unusual leaves they are with their brown and green speckles. Speaking of Mom's, by the time you read this I'll be on my way up to Southwest Wisconsin for a visit. I wonder what will jump out of the woods and into the car for the trip back home this time!

For more Bloom Day posts, please visit Carol, the host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day where she blogs at May Dreams Gardens.

A Mom Learns About GMOs

2011-04-10T08:59:00.001-05:00

A mom-turned-activist talks about what she learned after one of her children had a severe allergic reaction to a typical industrial-food breakfast.

Part II: Be the Change - Garden Bloggers' Sustainable Living Project

2011-03-25T08:30:00.001-05:00

This post is inspired by Jan, who is hosting the second annual Garden Bloggers Sustainable Living Project in honor of Earth Day on April 22nd. To participate and/or to see more garden bloggers' posts on sustainable living, please visit her where she blogs at Thanks for Today.

When Mom and her Garden Buddy retired and moved north to rural southwest Wisconsin, besides (of course!) planting a large vegetable garden which provides nearly all of of their produce needs during the season, they preserve much of the surplus, which lasts until the next harvest. They've established a wonderful web of local, sustainable, organic farmers who provide them with pasture-raised eggs, dairy, meats, and some of the fruit they don't grow themselves. I've long wished I could find the same kind of food, but alas, here in Chicago's south suburbs, the best we could do for a long time was to grow some of our own vegetables and shop for organic food at local health food stores.

Homewood Kitchen Gardens at the last farmers market of the 2010 season. They grow organic herbs, vegetables, and flowers in their yards(!) to sell at the market, and create chemical-free soaps, body washes, candles, insect repellent, nature-inspired artwork, and other wonderful products.

Fortunately the food landscape here and in many urban and suburban areas throughout the country is gradually changing. People who want the best quality, sustainably, organically, locally-produced food now often have more options. Our own, and every surrounding little burg now has a farmers market. While organic produce is still not as readily available in our local farmers markets as I'd like, there are a few vendors who are selling organic food, and those are the ones I patronize.

We have two small raised beds in our semi-sunny side yards where I grow a surprising amount of food. Both are intensively planted, and supply most of our vegetables and herbs during the growing season; with enough extra to freeze, pickle, and dehydrate for winter. Even now in late March, we still have dried and frozen herbs, pickles, tomato sauce, and chopped, frozen peppers left from last summer. (Some of the peppers came from Mom's garden.)

Even a small garden can be surprisingly productive, especially one built with raised beds filled with really healthy soil and lots of compost. Here in our raised beds,every inch is used. Succession planting increases the yield. Containers add valuable real estate to our vegetable growing space, and are used by many small-space vegetable gardeners and urban farmers for growing some of their own food. All our veggies are heirloom varieties started from seed, grown organically. Some are started from seeds I save from year to year.

Buying clubs and CSAs (community supported agriculture,) are thriving in the south suburbs and NW Indiana, and becoming more readily available in urban and suburban areas around the country. Our local health food store, and a little local mom-and-pop grocery with a much larger-than-average percentage of local, organic, and sustainably-produced food fill in the gaps.

Using these wonderful resources, I've opted out of the industrial food machine. Although looking for alternatives to large grocery store chains, purchasing from a variety of sustainable resources, and cooking from scratch can be time-consuming, the benefits far outweigh the effort. Once the systems are in place, it becomes easy, efficient, and routine. Since ramping up efforts to seek sustainably-produced local food, my health has improved. And, it feels so good knowing who, and where our food comes from, and knowing it's being produced without chemical toxins like artificial hormones, antibiotics, fertilizers, fungicides, herbicides, test-tube additives, and without genetically-modified ingredients.

For others who would like to get creative with their food supply, discover a rapidly-growing community of like-minded eaters, get to know the dedicated farmers growing wholesome foods in their area, and seek local, sustainably-grown produce, pasture-raised eggs, poultry, dairy, and meat, Eat Wild and Local Harvest provide information and resources for finding local farmers, buying clubs, co-ops, and farmers markets. Have fun, and enjoy the flavors, fragrances, textures, colors, and environmental and personal health benefits of REAL FOOD!

Thank you Jan, for hosting the second annual Garden Bloggers Sustainable Living Project. May we all be a little, or a lot more inspired to do as much as we can to live in harmony with Mother Earth. We need her a lot more than she needs us.

Truth alone will endure, all the rest will be swept away before the tide of time . . . You must not lose faith in humanity . . .
You must be the change you want to see in the world . . . ~
Mahatma Gandhi

Part I: Be the Change - Garden Bloggers' Sustainable Living Project

2011-03-18T06:25:00.002-05:00

Growing up in a family of farmers and organic gardeners, and being a life-long organic vegetable gardener myself, I've always been passionate for sustainable, healthy living. My parents, four siblings and I spent our early years living in a 2-flat on Chicago's north side, and moved to our little house with the big yard in the spring when I was ten years old. Our first big family projects in our new home were building a very large compost bin and a huge vegetable garden. We grew up on organic vegetables, and local, free-range chicken and eggs Mom bartered for in exchange for her excellent sewing skills.

Mom and her Garden Buddy still grow a large vegetable garden. Most of the rest of their food comes from local organic farmers.

For some of our other groceries, Mom shopped at the local health food store, and a local farm stand, long before the days of the prolific farmers markets that continue to pop up all around the Chicago area and around the country. Almost everything we ate was fresh, whole, slow food. Even though we lived in an inner-ring suburb with little nearby farm land, we were locavores as much as possible in those days, long before those terms were coined and those concepts were trendy.

As young children, we came home from school every day for a freshly-prepared, wholesome lunch. Our cream-top milk from a local dairy was delivered in glass returnable bottles along with eggs, butter, and other delicious, farm fresh food. After we moved to the suburbs and carried our (re-usable) lunchboxes to school, our lunches were made from whole foods and fresh fruits and veggies. Snacks besides vegetables, nuts, fresh and dried fruit were almost always homemade. (I still have fond memories of Mom's healthy and delicious oatmeal-raisin cookies, homemade bread, and whole-grain pizzas!) Our sandwiches were made from wholesome ingredients on brown breads while our friends were eating processed cold cuts, Wonder Bread and Twinkies.

My own three girls were raised on the same kinds of fresh, whole, wholesome foods, and got to grow up experiencing the pleasure of fresh garden vegetables, often eaten still warm from the sun. There was little room for boxed, canned, and other processed foods in our house, and there were times the girls, like their mom, aunt, and uncles before them were envious of friends who were growing up on the prolifically advertised and touted-as-modern-and-convenient heavily-processed boxed, frozen, and canned foods, and sugary sodas. Ding Dongs and orange cheese doodles were a lot more popular at school than fresh fruits and vegetables and real-food homemade snacks. We were the kids no one wanted to swap lunches with.

Just as I had, my daughters grew up on fresh, mostly homemade and home-grown slow food. Even then, organic was our first choice for everything that didn't come from our garden. As adults they have adopted these same kinds of choices in how they feed themselves and their own young families. They're grateful for having been raised as 'conscious eaters.' They understand the importance of, and know how to provide themselves and their families with whole, health-sustaining, as unadulterated-as-possible, nourishing foods.
My youngest in her grandma's garden

Over the years, the SAD (Standard American Diet) has become even more nutritionally-deficient, artificial, chemical-laden, inferior, and filled with cheap, health-robbing, government-subsidized commodity ingredients. Processed, convenience, and fast foods are produced by the enormous, highly-profitable US industrial food system and are pesticide-laced, artificially-colored and flavored, high in sugar, preservatives, hydrogenated and trans fats, genetically-modified, stripped of nutrients, and then, incredibly, fortified with cheap synthentic, poorly-assimilated isolated vitamins and minerals that cannot possibly take the place of whole, natural, fresh food.

Farm animals in this country are mostly raised in industrially-run CAFOs (Confined Animal Feeding Operations,) where they are fed horribly unnatural, genetically-modified diets supplemented with unspeakable garbage, treated with antibiotics, artificial and genetically-modified hormones, and housed in unnatural, often filthy environments, crowded and barely able to move, and often standing, sitting, and lying in their own waste. It's no wonder food-borne illness has become such a huge issue in our country. Food-borne illness takes a huge toll when it strikes families and individuals. It kills. When it doesn't kill, it can leave it's victims with chronic, incurable diseases. I am one of the unlucky individuals who learned this first-hand.

The waste from CAFO-raised animals is a huge problem which pollutes our water, air, and soil, and damages the quality of life in surrounding communities where the toxins and stench they unleash into the the environment lead to health problems for surrounding residents, especially the most vulnerable: the children. Antibiotics fed to livestock raised in these unnatural conditions are contributing to the dangerous rise in antibiotic-resistant superbugs like MRSA and certain strains of e-coli.

It's little wonder the United States now ranks 49th in the world for life expectancy, down from 24th in 1999, and 11th in 1986. Two years ago the US ranked 28th in the world in infant mortality, down from 12th in 1960. For the first time in US history, today's young children can expect shorter lifespans than their parents, and are suffering from a host of health conditions virtually unknown in previous generations. Diet-related obesity and diabetes are afflicting our children at rates never seen before. And while the population of the US and the world is growing unsustainably, the alarmingly increasing rates of infertility and miscarriage are probably not the most desirable means of population control.

The US industrial food system is producing disease and our health care system is broken. Our air, water, and food are filled with dangerous toxins, and factory farming and industrial food are major contributors to these problems.

Here in the United States, the unholy alliance between our government and industrial polluters, Big Ag, and Big Pharma has led to a seriously broken system that is taking a huge toll on human, animal, and environmental health. Genetically-modified foods are being unleashed into our environment and into our food without proper, ethical scientific evidence of their safety. The news is not good.

As gardeners we may be in more direct contact with the natural world than the average person. We know the importance of organic and sustainable gardening - for the sake of our soil, our pollinators, and the other wildlife that visit our gardens, and for the health our of pets, our families, and our own health. Most of us know that pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides are not healthy for the natural world, of which we are inextricably a part. More and more of us are using organic, sustainable gardening methods.

More and more of us are learning of the importance of native plants for the health of our soil and our beleaguered pollinators. More and more of us are planting open-pollinated heirlooms in our vegetable gardens, saving and swapping seeds, and going organic from seed to table. And more and more of us are becoming activists and advocates for local, organic, and sustainably-produced food. Home vegetable gardening is growing in popularity, and encouragingly, more and more young people are becoming sustainable, organic food gardeners and farmers.

In Part II, I'll talk about how I've opted out of the unsustainable industrial food system as completely as possible.

March Bloom (and Bud) Day

2011-03-14T23:40:00.000-05:00

The usual suspects are blooming away happily indoors, paying no attention to the vagaries of Chicago area's typical mid-March weather. Pictured are oxalis, fuchsias, dragon wing begonias, and African violet. The violet bloomed for three months straight, took a 2-week rest, and is blooming again. The others have bloomed all winter. And the fuchsia is still healthy! I killed the last two with kindness the last two winters. Going easy on watering in winter seems to be the trick. They're thirsty outdoors, but indoors in winter they seem to like drying out thoroughly between watering.

With spring less than a week away, the garden is waking up! No blooms yet, but we have buds - snowdrops and hellebores so far. In the lower right corner, Helleborus niger has its first-ever bud! This is its third year in our garden. As you can imagine, I'm delighted it finally decided to bloom (even if there's only one bud so far.)

A very happy (almost) spring Bloom Day to all, and thank you to Carol for hosting. For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, please visit her at May Dreams Gardens.

Chicago Flower and Garden Show

2011-03-07T11:28:00.001-06:00

The Chicago Flower and Garden Show opened this weekend, and runs through next Sunday, March 13th at Navy Pier. The weather outside the Pier, especially on Saturday, was frightful. Inside the exhibition hall one could forget about the snow showers and 70-MPH wind tunnel gauntlet she walked through crossing the last street before reaching Navy Pier's entrance. The cold and bluster of Chicago's lakefront was soon replaced with the fragrance of hyacinths, exotic tropical blooms, and hardwood mulch, and all the sights and sounds of the official start of Chicago's gardening season.

The best part of the show for me was the opportunity to meet up and hang out with new and old gardening friends - too many names to mention them all! So much time was spent socializing on Saturday, I'm glad I went back on Sunday to take in more of the show. Plenty of time was spent socializing again on Sunday - this time with a smaller group. We enjoyed lunch together, and most of the rest of the time was spent making the rounds of the exhibits. With so many photos, the slideshow seemed like a good format to cram in as many as possible, and I hope you enjoy it!

Evergreen

2011-02-25T05:30:00.006-06:00

The seasons are what a symphony ought to be: four perfect movements in harmony with each other. ~ Arthur Rubenstein

It's been an eventful month weather-wise with near-record snowfall. With snow in the forecast this weekend, the Chicago area could break our February all-time record if we receive another inch of the white stuff by Monday.

Last week's balmy temperatures melted our two-foot snow cover. As much as I enjoy winter's slower pace and freedom from gardening chores, it sure is sweet seeing a bit of green, and knowing spring is just a few short weeks away.

February Bloom Day

2011-02-15T05:15:00.003-06:00

Blooms are scarce here in February! Still, we do have a few indoor blooms to share, like this jasmine. Sitting out winter in our sunny dining room, this plant is growing like crazy, and has been blooming all winter. The fragrance is wonderful!

The fuchsia is hanging out in the basement under our big light. While the blooms are paler indoors, it blooms nonetheless, and has been since early January.

I've collected some succulents over the winter, and while this echeveria (labeled only as Silvery-Blue-Grey,) isn't a bloom, in February it can pass as one.

There are a few Dragon Wing begonias overwintering indoors too, and blooming non-stop.

The garden's been snow-covered most of the winter, and now we're in the midst of a thaw. Nothing looks very pretty outdoors, making our indoor blooms so appreciated as we wait for spring.

Happy Bloom Day all! To see more February blooms, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens - the originator and host of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day (who is also hosting a seed giveaway right now!)

After the Storm

2011-02-02T20:22:00.000-06:00

We Will Not Go Quietly!

2011-01-31T13:42:00.003-06:00

Last Thursday Tom Vilsack, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary announced he would allow unrestricted cultivation of genetically-modified Roundup-ready alfalfa.

We already know GMO corn and canola have escaped their areas of cultivation, invading organic fields, and particularly in the case of GMO canola, roadsides and native landscapes.

The decision to allow unrestricted GMO alfalfa is a threat to the environment, and to the food supply of organic consumers, especially those of us who choose pasture-raised organic meat, eggs, poultry, and dairy.

Last fall in my quest to improve our diet and hopefully as a result heal or greatly increase the health of my poor digestive tract, (which was ravaged about ten years ago as a result of food poisoning from factory-raised pork eaten at a forth-of-July cookout, and the IV antibiotics used to 'cure' me,) I searched EatWild, and found our local farmer. Our eggs, beef, poultry, and pork are now all USDA inspected, locally, sustainably, humanely, organically, pasture-raised about an hour south of us, and processed by a Central Illinois Amish farmer using traditional methods and without nitrates or MSG.

I found a source for certified organic, pastured dairy products, provided by a (semi-local) dairy cooperative in Iowa. Most of Kalona's farmers are Amish and Mennonite, with herds averaging 35 cows grazing on land that has never been treated with chemical fertilizers or pesticides.

I learned how to ferment foods using the traditional methods of ancient cultures - kefir made from traditional Caucasian kefir grains with our organic, pasture-raised milk, home-brewed kombucha, and cultured vegetables. I discovered organic miso, a Japanese soybean ferment, raw cider vinegar, and traditionally-fermented organic soy sauce. (Organic soy is a must for me, since most conventionally-grown soy is now genetically-modified.) The probiotics in these foods have helped bring peace to my digestive tract beyond any probiotic pill I've ever tried.

I've gotten toxins out of my personal-care products like deodorant, shampoo, body wash, toothpaste, and laundry detergent, and use simple things like vinegar and baking soda for everyday household cleaning.

While our government has been wrangling over health care reform, I've taken personal responsibility for my own health. And gradually over the past few months, my health has continued to improve. Besides the hoped-for improvement in a chronic inflammatory bowel disease, there have been unexpected benefits like the recent disappearance of pain from chronic tendinitis in my left shoulder, elbow and wrist. It's hard to express how amazing it feels being so much healthier, and even how other family members have been inspired to take better care of themselves too.

I believe it's my God-given right and responsibility to take charge of my own health.

Recently in a Motion to Dismiss a lawsuit brought by the Farm-To-Consumer Legal Defense Fund, et al., our government argued otherwise when it said There is No Right to Consume or Feed Children Any Particular Food (pg25) and There is No Generalized Right to Bodily and Physical Health. (pg26.) The potential implications of these claims, are, at least to me, astounding. Are they not to you too? For starters, it seems they've reinforced that view in the decision to release GMO alfalfa in the environment and into our food supply.

I strongly disagree, and am doing what I can to stand up for my right to bodily health and to safe, unadulterated, non-GMO food. I encourage you to do the same. Please contact the White House through the Comment Line at 202-456-1111, by fax at 202-456-2461, or through this Contact Form, and let President Obama know how you feel about the recent decision to allow unrestricted cultivation of genetically-modified Roundup-ready alfalfa. Polls have demonstrated repeatedly that consumers, if given the choice, do not want GMOs in their food, and want labels on GMO foods. What about you?

For more insight into this issue, please visit the Huffington Post, New York Times, The Atlantic, Rodale.com, and/or Organic Consumers Association.

One Seed Chicago

2011-01-20T05:11:00.002-06:00

2011 marks the fourth year One Seed Chicago is uniting Chicago-area gardeners in an annual project planting a common seed as part of a season-long celebration of urban gardening and local food. A project of NeighborSpace, Chicago’s land trust for community gardens, One Seed Chicago grows each year, as home, school, and community gardening continues to rise in popularity.

The project begins with the announcement of three seed candidates followed by democratic selection of the kind of seeds we'll be growing. Voting has already begun, and continues through April 1, 2011. The winning seed will be announced at the annual Green and Growing Fair, April 30th at the Garfield Park Conservatory. If you live in the Chicagoland area and would like to vote, please visit OneSeedChicago.com. Following the announcement of the winner, participants will receive a free packet of the winning seed mailed to their home (or school) for planting in their own gardens.

Last year's candidates were three favorite native forbs: nodding onion, bee balm, and purple coneflower, with bee balm bee-ing the winner. This year's choices are eggplant, (yum!) Swiss chard, (beautiful!) and radish (my choice!) I chose radishes since they were the first vegetable planted and harvested in the first vegetable garden my family ever planted when I was a skinny little ten-year-old kid. I guess you could call them my gateway plant, since I've been gardening all my life, starting with those radishes.

Radishes are easy for beginning veggie gardeners, including children, to grow. They don't need a lot of space, and are perfect vegetables for containers and other small urban growing spaces. Involving children in gardening, especially vegetable gardening, can be a healthful, fun, hands-on educational experience. Gardening gets kids outdoors and provides healthy exercise, fresh air and sunshine, and is a wonderful family activity. Research has shown that kids who grow vegetables, whether at home or at school, "eat them regularly and with gusto."

Radishes can be ready to harvest as little as four weeks after planting. The satisfaction of enjoying these crunchy, delicious nuggets so early in the gardening season is quick reward for both new and experienced vegetable gardeners, young or old. Succession planting while the weather is still cool can provide weeks of wholesome snacking and colorful salad additions. As they're harvested, their space in the garden can be replanted with warm-season vegetables.

Radishes are rich in vitamin C and other anti-oxidants, minerals, vitamins, phytonutrients, and fiber. The entire plant - root and leaves - is edible. (I think the leaves are best cooked, but young, tender leaves can also be used as salad greens.)

One Seed Chicago aims to introduce more Chicagoans to the joys and benefits of gardening, and has distributed over one million seeds to Chicago-area residents since 2008. If you live in the Chicago metro area, we'd love to have you join us! (While those outside the Chicago area aren't eligible for the free seeds, we'd love to have YOU join us by planting the winning veggie in your garden too!)

January Bloom Day

2011-01-15T05:00:00.003-06:00

The Lawn Man brought the bromeliads (and the Chinese Evergreen/Aglaonema sp.,) home from work a few months ago. His office did some remodeling and they got some new plants, so these needed a good home. Technically the bromeliads aren't blooms, but they're colorful enough to stand in, especially in January!

I started playing around with succulents when the middle girl was here over the holidays. (She loves them, and plans to incorporate them into her wedding decor in fall, 2012.) This one is Senecio Rowleyanus, a/k/a String of Pearls. I've never grown cacti or succulents, (except the prickly pear Monica gave me,) and am having a lot of fun with all these curious new plants. They seem very happy in their special soil in our south-facing windows.

OK, this isn't a bloom (yet.) This gardenia nearly died from neglect last winter. (It's the second time I've almost killed it. The first time, it was pot bound and not draining, so it started to rot. I rescued it then too, and it actually survived.) Although I've always enjoyed its glossy foliage, I wasn't really that upset about it's near-death the second time, since it hasn't bloomed once in five years. Although it looked dead, I cut it way back in spring, and put it outside. The Lawn Man must have thought I was nuts, because it really did look dead (for months, actually!) Towards mid-summer it started to sprout some new leaves, and now, it's covered with buds just like this one. I'm amazed it survived, and thrilled it's actually going to bloom!

Last, but not least, this is third month of bloom for the African violet. It's almost done, but I'm thrilled it's bloomed this long. I don't remember the ones I grew in childhood blooming for so long.

There are other blooms here, mostly in the basement: fuchsias, pelargoniums, Diamond Frost euphorbias, Dragonwing begonias, purple oxalis, and some pale blue hyacinths that smell heavenly. I rescued the hyacinths from one of Meg's pots. Since they were dormant I wasn't sure what they were (or how hardy,) so I brought them indoors. If I'd known they were hyacinths I might have planted them in the garden last fall. It's ok though - I'm truly enjoying this beautiful sweet reminder of a dear friend in cold, snowy January.

Happy Bloom Day! For more January blooms, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Troy-Bilt Storm 3090 XP Snow Thrower Review

2011-01-06T09:52:00.003-06:00

Christmas came early when Troy-Bilt offered us the opportunity to host a snow-thrower giveaway here, and receive a free snow thrower in exchange for a review of our freebie. Ramble On Rose was the lucky winner of the giveaway, and you can read her review of her machine here.

The Troy-Bilt Storm 3090 XP is one big, honkin' snow thrower! Somewhat larger than our old one (which was passed down to my oldest daughter and her husband, who REALLY needed one in their new home with their large horseshoe driveway,) both the Lawn Man and I have each had an opportunity to use it once so far this season.

To be frank I was a bit intimidated by the size and features of the snow thrower. Its operation appeared to be somewhat more complicated than our older snow thrower. But I took my time reading the manual and the quick-start guide, and it was actually much easier to operate than it looked. Features like power steering, one-hand operation, and the joystick chute control make handling this large machine a piece of cake even for me. Since my work is seasonal and I'm off in winter, I like to take care of the snow so the Lawn Man can just come home and relax after his long work day.

The first time out, I took my time with the Storm 3090 XP as I familiarized myself with its operation and features. Since I used the machine in the morning when the sun was blazing, I didn't need the headlights. I'm sure they'll come in handy in the future though. Although this machine is very heavy, the automated features like power steering and turning, and six-speed forward, two-speed reverse self-propelled motion make it surprisingly easy to handle. Although I tested it on a fairly light (3") snowfall, this machine is very powerful. With its wide augers and the powerful way it throws the snow out of the chute, I'm confident it will handle a much heavier, wetter snowfall with ease.

The feature I love most of all on this machine is the hand warmers! Even with thick, warm, waterproof gloves, my hands were almost always very cold, and even painfully so with the old snow thrower by the time the driveway and walks were cleared. Not so with our new snow thrower! Of course I still wore gloves, but the heated hand grips are a wonderful addition to this machine. Even after just one use, I can't imagine ever owning another snow thrower that doesn't have this feature.

The sidewalk in front of our house is old, and somewhat uneven. I had problems with the snow thrower 'jumping' when it hit an uneven spot in the walk. Referring back to the manual, the problem seems to be with the skid shoes, which fortunately are adjustable to accommodate uneven surfaces. It may take a bit of experimenting to get them in the right position so the snow thrower will operate smoothly over the sidewalk.

The Troy-Bilt Storm 3090 XP is a well-built, sturdy, large, powerful, yet easy-to-handle snow thrower, with lots of excellent easy-to-use, well-designed features, and one I would highly recommend for anyone looking for a snow thrower of this size.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-21T19:46:00.000-06:00

If you haven't already (heck, even if you have, it's worth seeing again!) please enjoy this flash mob performance of the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

December Bloom Day

2010-12-15T05:01:00.000-06:00

It's a travesty but it's true - this month's first blooms are (gasp. . . )

FAKE!

The floral arrangement and matching candy cups came from the south suburban garden club's holiday pot luck. The little bouquet was a door prize. I was thrilled since it's so cute, and surprised since I rarely win anything. (Mom made the quilted table runner for us, and the lotus candle holders were gifts from the Lawn Man's mom our first Christmas together.)

The African violet is still going strong, with lots more blooms than last month. Another one or two might end up coming home from the grocery store over the winter, if I can find another couple of sunny spots to put them. I've fallen in love with African violets all over again. The last time I had one, I was still a kid.

Down in the basement, there's a bunch of stuff overwintering under our big grow light. Some of it's blooming again already, even though everything was cut back hard before coming inside a few weeks ago. It's hard to believe this fuchsia is 'Blackie.' Under the big light in the basement, we still get blooms, but they're much paler than they are when the plants are outdoors. Fingers are crossed on the fuchsia. I've killed one over the winter each of the last two years.

Here's a close-up of a red dragonwing begonia - another example of pale basement blooms. Outdoors this begonia's blooms are truly red.

Also blooming in the basement are purple-leaf oxalis, pink dragonwings, a peach-colored geranium, and a bunch of Diamond Frost euphorbias.

It's 9 degrees outdoors as I write this, and the garden is covered in a blanket of snow. Winter is settling in here in Chicago's south suburbs. The kids and grandkids are healthy, the freezer and pantry are stocked, Christmas decorations are up, and the Middle girl and her fiance' arrive from tropical Florida this weekend. All's well in my world, as I hope it is in yours too.

For more Bloom Day posts, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Tuscan Kale Salad

2010-11-21T07:02:00.000-06:00

This is a colorful, elegant salad that's a pleasure serving with love and a toast to good health, made from one of the most nutrient-dense vegetables available. One cup of this delicious salad provides 1,300% DV vitamin K, 200% DV vitamin A, 88% DV vitamin C, and many other nutrients including protein, minerals like manganese, magnesium, calcium, and copper, antioxidants like Superoxide Dismutase, sulforaphane, lutein, kaempferol, and quercetin, and other phytonutrients including at least 45 different flavonoids.

Tuscan Kale Salad

Ingredients*:

4-6 cups loosely packed, finely sliced kale leaves with center ribs removed. (I used Lacinato (dinosaur) kale. Any variety of kale can be used.)
two shredded carrots
one diced red, yellow, or purple sweet pepper. (Either raw or frozen peppers work well in this salad.)
juice of 1 medium lemon
1 tablespoon organic raw apple cider vinegar
3-4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 small or l large clove(s) garlic, mashed
1/4 c fresh chopped parsley (or 2 t dried)
1 T fresh chopped basil (or 1 t dried)
1 T fresh chopped oregano (or 1t dried)
Celtic or Himalayan sea salt & pepper to taste
red pepper flakes to taste
2/3 cup grated Pecorino Toscano or other flavorful Italian grating cheese like asiago or parmesan

*Use as many organic ingredients as possible. Feel free to substitute your choice of herbs.

Method

"Massage" the shredded kale leaves with clean hands. This helps tenderize it and develop sulforaphane. Combine kale, shredded carrots, and diced pepper.

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, herbs, salt, pepper. For an extra kick, add a pinch (or more to taste) of hot red pepper flakes.
Pour over kale in serving bowl and toss well.
Add 2/3 of the cheese and toss again. Garnish with the rest of the cheese.

This salad should be prepared at least a few hours in advance, and keeps well for a couple of days covered in the refrigerator. Many raw fruits and veggies are difficult for me to eat due to my digestive disease. When I first tried kale, both raw and cooked, it didn't seem to be a vegetable I could tolerate. Advance preparation of this salad though, combined with lemon and raw cider vinegar, not only helps develop the sulforaphane, it also tenderizes the kale, making it easily digestible even for someone like me with a very sensitive digestive system.

Snow-Day Memories and a Snow Thrower Giveaway!

2010-11-16T19:55:00.003-06:00

The stricken metropolis lay gasping, barely able to move. The storm swatted it, slugged it, smashed it, crushed it in 75 million tons of snow. But in the end the metropolis did not break. Like a dazed giant, it shuddered under the monstrous weight and began stumbling to its knees . . . then regained its feet . . .

Tens of thousands of Chicagoans fought the storm, from the first. They met the superstorm and the storm could not break the city. So, remember: It snows in Chicago. It gets cold in Chicago. And we do not break. ~ M. W. Newman, from the now-defunct Chicago Daily News.

And so it was on Thursday and Friday, January 26th and 27th, 1967. For a nine-year-old girl, those were exciting, wonderful, memorable days. Beautiful muted light came through snow-covered windows as a hearty, homemade stew bubbled in the kitchen. Outside, impromptu snowball fights broke out. Snowmen, snow forts, and snow angels were created. In homes throughout the city, little jackets, mittens, and scarves were draped over radiators to dry while rosy-cheeked girls and boys sat at kitchen tables sipping sweet, steamy Ovaltine.

Mom remembers our street didn't get plowed for a long time. (I know, hard to believe this could actually happen in Chicago. ;) She recounts, "Residents with snow shovels (who had snow blowers in those days?) got together and shoveled out streets and alleyways. In our neighborhood, the only way into your garage was through the alley. Garbage trucks went down alleys to pick up garbage. There was no garbage pickup until you got your alley shoveled out yourselves, so garbage was piling up and adding to the blockage. I remember Dad and a couple of others shoveling out that whole alley. Out on the street, cars were buried over their tops in snow. When you tried to shovel out, there was no place to put the snow. There were lots of unhappy people who, when they finally shoveled their cars out, came home to find that the snow from someone else's car had been dumped in their spot. It took many, many days to clear out."

We don't remember for sure how long school was closed. It was a long time though, maybe even as long as two weeks. Normal life in the city was disrupted for a long time. Even putting food on the table was challenging for many families in the aftermath of the storm. Mom says, "Stores ran out of groceries because delivery trucks couldn't get through. I don't remember how long it was before we could get to the store, but it was quite a while. I think the cupboard was getting a little sparse. We ran out of milk and some other staples. We didn't know how long the supply of toilet paper would last - I think we finally had to use kleenex for a couple of days."

I remember running out of milk too. I remember them talking about the milk shortage on the 6:00 news. It was a big problem. We needed it for our Ovaltine!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's my snow-day memory - what's yours? Share a favorite snow-day memory in the comments section of this post for a chance to win your choice of one of the following snow throwers compliments of Troy-Bilt:

The compact Flurry 1400 is ideal for milder winters, smaller driveways and lighter snowfalls. Designed with features that make it easy to operate, including a dependable push button electric start.
Other specs:
· 11 amp electric Troy-Bilt engine
· Push-button electric start
· E-Z Chute™ manual pitch chute control
· Auger-assist drive system

The Storm 3090 XP 2-stage snow thrower features a wide 30" clearing width, Touch 'n Turn power steering and heated hand grips, plus an in-dash headlight and reflective strips for greater visibility in low light.
Other specs:
· Touch ‘n Turn power steering
· Push-button electric start

· Just One Hand operation – steer with one hand, freeing the other hand to adjust the chute direction without stopping
· 30” clearing width
· In-dash headlight and reflective strips for safer operation
· Standard heated hand grips

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Contest Details: Snow thrower giveaway is sponsored by Troy-Bilt, and is open to US residents only. Winner will pick between the 3090XP and the Flurry, depending on where they live and snowfall. (Troy-Bilt can provide assistance to winner in making their selection if unsure.) Contest ends at midnight, CST December 3, 2010, and winner will be selected using Random.org.

FTC Disclosure: As host of this giveaway, I will be receiving a complimentary snow thrower, and will review it in a later post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

12/4/10 Update: As I write this, we are in the middle of our first snow storm of the season, with about 2 1/2-3 inches on the ground already this morning. Our new snow thrower has arrived and been uncrated, ready to go to work later today.

Entries for the drawing closed last night, and this morning, using Random.org, a winner has been chosen. (Drumroll, please!)

Congratulations Ramble On Rose!!! You are our winner, and you'll get to pick which snowblower is best for your family's needs. I'm very excited for you!

November Bloom Day

2010-11-14T23:20:00.001-06:00

While we still have a few late bloomers in the garden, this is my favorite bloom this month. I haven't had an African violet since I was a kid. This one was picked up at the grocery store a few months ago. This is the first time it's rebloomed. Looking at it makes me feel nostalgic, reminding me of being a little girl, doing my first plant propagation experiments with African violet leaves, spider plant babies, and purple passion cuttings.

In the garden, mums are still looking pretty good.

Although we had our first hard frost of the season earlier this month, Rozanne geraniums haven't quite called it quits yet.

Also blooming in our mid-November garden are asters, calamint, hardy cyclamen, and a late-blooming cimicifuga. We even have a hosta and a foxglove (Digitalis grandiflora) that decided to rebloom this month. Both are much less showy than their first blooms, but they're blooming nonetheless.

It's not a bloom, but the Bradford pear has been especially gorgeous this fall. (The burning bush hedge has been particularly beautiful too.)

Chicago's warm, sunny fall is yielding to November's typical cloudiness and chill. I used to hate this time of year. Something's changed in me though in recent years, and I now welcome it, and winter too. Life is beautiful in all its seasons.

Happy November Bloom Day. For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Superoxide Dismutase is Expialidoshus

2010-11-11T05:10:00.006-06:00

Redbor kale at Chicago Botanic Garden (September 2010)

Superoxide Dismutase is Expialidoshus,

Even if the sound of it is something quite atrocious.

If you say it loud enough you'll always sound precocious,

Superoxide Dismutase is Expialidoshus!

Kale is rich in antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer nutrients. For example, Superoxide Dismutase (SOD,) is an important phytonutrient, an antioxidant abundantly present in kale. Kale is an all-around nutritional powerhouse; rich in calcium, iron, magnesium, manganese, lutein, beta-carotene, omega-3 (ALA,) at least 45 different antioxidant flavonoids, fiber, and vitamins A, C, and K. It's a sulfur-rich vegetable, which in part accounts for its reputation as a detoxifying, medicinal superfood. Sulforaphane is formed when sulfur-rich cruciferous vegetables such as kale are chopped and chewed. Sulforaphane triggers the liver's production of detoxifying enzymes, helping the body cleanse itself of some of the dangerous environmental and ingested toxins we're exposed to in this chemical age.

We're growing kale in our garden for the first time. I didn't know much about it when it was planted, only that it looked cool, and would be one of the hardiest vegetables I'd ever grown. While this might be the first time kale has grown here, it won't be the last now that I know what a fantastic food it is. And, while most of the veggies are now toast following a killing frost last week, our kale is still beautiful and delicious. We can expect to still be harvesting it for weeks to come, even here in our zone 5 garden. In fact, like brussels sprouts, the flavor of kale improves and becomes even sweeter with the frost and typically chilly weather of November in Chicago.

There are many delicious ways to enjoy kale, either raw or cooked. It can even be a beneficial addition to a beloved pet's diet. George enjoys it immensely. He eats his kale raw, finely chopped and mixed in with his homemade, whole-foods diet. Kale is one of a variety of nutritious vegetables recommended by George's new holistic veterinarian. It's so rewarding knowing I'm growing some of the food that is nourishing him through his remarkable recovery from a number of geriatric health challenges.

Back in September, when I met up with Monica, Diane, Rose, and Beckie at Chicago Botanic Garden, we saw Redbor kale not only in the vegetable gardens, but also in ornamental plantings throughout the gardens. As you can see in the photo, it is really beautiful. For ornamental gardeners who don't have dedicated vegetable growing space, consider adding kale to your ornamental beds for its beauty, and be sure to harvest some for your kitchen for your own inner beauty and good health!

Wish I Lived in Iowa on Tuesday

2010-10-31T09:29:00.006-05:00

Update 11/5/10 - Francis Thicke ran for Agriculture Secretary of Iowa. He was the only candidate for statewide office in the entire country running on a sustainability platform. Running against a candidate whose campaign was largely supported by Big Ag, he unfortunately wasn't able to garner enough votes to win the office - a loss for Iowa, and a loss for the entire country.

My fervent hope was that he would win. Our country is sorely in need of environmental consciousness among our elected officials. Although Mr. Thicke didn't win this election, he had broad-based support in Iowa and added a great deal to the very important conversation in the US regarding the need to return to sustainable agriculture. Small family farms have taken a beating in recent decades in this country. Government subsidies have contributed in large part to the growth of industrial-scale farming and contributed to the decline of family farms.

With the explosive growth of farmers markets in recent years and a small percentage of consumers demanding and seeking out safe, healthful food for their families, organic, sustainable farming methods are on the rise. While the end of October also signaled the end of farmers markets for this year in our area, I encourage everyone who hasn't yet to investigate how your food is being grown. If you haven't, and if you're purchasing conventionally-grown, factory-farmed meat, eggs, dairy, and produce, you might be quite shocked at the conditions your food is being grown in and shocked at the hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, and other chemicals on your dinner plate. If you haven't already, watching the documentary film Food Inc. is a good place to start.

It's no wonder the health of our nation has declined so dramatically in recent decades. The rise in degenerative disease in this country is shocking. Big Ag is poisoning our food, water, and air, and Big Pharma is continuously coming up with new, and often more dangerous drugs to treat the diseases our adulterated diets (not to mention our chemical-laden soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, deodorants, cosmetics, and cleaning supplies) are triggering.

Events in my own life in recent years, including developing a chronic, inflamatory autoimmune digestive disease several years ago, returning to my vegetable gardening roots in the last couple of years, and nurturing my ten-year-old puppy George back to good health through a radical change in his diet have been eye-opening experiences.

You may be wondering why I'm talking about this. This is a garden blog after all. Aren't I supposed to be talking about pretty flowers and beautiful tomatoes?

Although I was told several years ago when I was handed the diagnosis of my condition that it was treatable (with drugs,) but not curable, I'm now on a mission to prove the doctors wrong. Heartened by witnessing seeing my beloved companion George healing from his chronic, supposedly incurable health conditions through dietary changes, I'm resolved to get the toxins out of my own diet, and out of my environment as much as I can. If changing from a commercially-prepared diet to a healthy, pure, whole-foods diet works for an elderly dog, it can work for humans too. I'm on a mission to prove that for myself, and will be sharing my journey with you in the hope that it may be of some value to you too. If it makes a difference in the life of just one person, or even one pet, it will be worth the effort.

Wildflower Wednesday - Canada Hawkweed

2010-10-27T10:47:00.002-05:00

Last year I began participation in Native Seed Gardeners, an organization that uses home-gardener-volunteers to grow native plants. The purpose is seed collection and use of the seeds in restoration of conservation lands. We're growing purple milkweed, cream baptisia, and Canada hawkweed for the project. Just this morning I mailed this year's seed harvest - a packet of hawkweed seeds.

So far only the hawkweed has bloomed. Purple milkweed (Asclepias purpurascens,) is little, but still has big fall color.

Canada hawkweed (Hieracium canadense,) bloomed its first season, and bloomed off and on again this year from late June through September. I'm sure I must have a few, but since I couldn't locate any photos of the hawkweed in bloom, here's what it looks like now.

Canada Hawkweed is in the aster family. It looks like a tall dandelion, and can be anywhere from about two to five feet tall. This year It grew to almost three feet, and bloomed well in a spot that gets about three hours of filtered sunlight a day. It's a sunny, cheerful bloom. It's not a plant I would have thought to add to the garden if not for participating in the Seed Gardeners project.

Here's a Canada hawkweed photo found on Wikipedia:

While it's not my favorite native in our garden, I'm happy to grow it for the Seed Gardeners project. It's a good feeling, knowing the seeds help restore native habitat in our area.

For more Wildflower posts, please visit Gail at Clay and Limestone; lover of native plants, garden blogger extraordinaire, and our host for Wildflower Wednesday.

Non-GMO Month

2010-10-20T06:57:00.003-05:00

Knowlege is power. We can make a difference by educating ourselves and voting every day with our wallets. Together we can push to the tipping point what may be one of the most pressing health issues of our time. For the health of our children and their children, if you haven't already, please educate yourself and share your knowledge with family and friends. For more information please visit The Institute for Responsible Technology.

October Bloom Day

2010-10-15T05:00:00.001-05:00

Here in zone 5a, our first average frost date is October 15. The last two years we haven't had frost until mid-November. Although we're on borrowed time and the weather has taken a chillier turn, there's been no frost yet. The hardy cyclamen is still blooming, and its foliage is up now too. Aren't they pretty!

We have good luck with mums coming back year after year if we plant them in spring. These were added in spring 2009. This year they were pinched in May and July. A few new ones were started by sticking a few of May's cuttings in the ground. Six cuttings rooted, and they're blooming now too.

Pansies are quintessential cool-weather blooms. We're enjoying their sunny faces.

Here's another mum planted in spring last year. This one flopped as mums are prone to doing, in spite of being pinched in May and July. The blooms are still welcome even if the plant isn't perfectly shaped. This year, Liquid Fence is doing a good job keeping the blooms coming. Last year the bunnies ate them as quickly as they opened. Love 'em or hate 'em, mums add color to the garden at a most welcome time of year. They're easy-care, easy to start from cuttings, drought-tolerant, and bloom well in full or part sun. Ours get less than three hours of sun a day and still bloom beautifully.

Here's another pansy just opening up.

The nasties seem to like the cooler weather. They still aren't blooming very prolifically, but look - two blooms at once! I've given up on removing the yellow foliage.

The tropical hibiscus has a lot of buds, and this one opened just in time for Bloom Day.

It's been about two weeks since we've seen a hummingbird. The fuchsia helped attract them all season. Fuchsias have been challenging to overwinter, but I'll try again this year. I think I tend to over-water them after they come indoors. They like moist soil, but not too moist.

Last but not least are this month's most magnificent blooms. The patio smells like heaven. Last year the angel's trumpet didn't bloom at all. This year it was moved around until a spot on the patio was found where it got almost full sun. This is the second time it bloomed since finding this spot. The first time it had seven or eight blooms. This time it has thirty - more blooms than ever. In the past two weeks as the sun drops lower in the sky, it's getting just a little sun in the morning, but it's ok. The buds were formed while it was still getting lots of sun, and it will soon be coming indoors for the winter.

There are still lots of annuals blooming here, along with 'Autumn Joy' and 'Matrona' sedums, 'Happy Returns' daylilies, calamint, 'Rozanne' geraniums, 'Autumn Bride' heuchera, and a few sporadic phlox, coneflower, aster, and rudbeckia blooms.

To see more October blooms in gardens across the country and around the world, please visit our gracious Bloom Day host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Gardening for George

2010-10-10T14:57:00.001-05:00

Just before Christmas, George will turn ten years old. He's definitely not a puppy anymore. In the last three years he's developed some health challenges, including hypothyroidism, unhealthy weight gain, and chronic staph skin infections. His hip dysplasia and arthritis have worsened. He walks with a pronounced limp, gets up and down from a reclining position, and on stairs with difficulty. He's shortened his stride with his back left leg, and had developed considerable swelling and atrophy in his left hip.

I've done a lot of research on geriatric pet health in recent months, and was pretty mortified about what I learned about most commercial pet foods. In an effort to improve his quality of life for however much time he has left with us, George recently visited a holistic veterinarian. We're in the process of transitioning his diet from commercial dry kibble to a homemade grain-free and raw diet. He's now enjoying a smorgasbord of homemade lightly-steamed turkey, dark green vegetables, sweet potatoes, raw eggs, water-packed sardines, wild salmon, fish oil, (raw, organic, unrefined) extra-virgin coconut oil, glucosamine and chondroitin, a high-quality prepared commercial raw dog food, and a blend of Chinese herbs targeted to improve the condition of his liver, joints, and skin.

This year we grew dinosaur kale in the garden. Early in the season I realized it didn't agree with me, so I've just been letting it grow, enjoying it's wonderfully crinkly blue-green leaves.

Since starting to grow veggies here two years ago, George has enjoyed keeping me company while I work in the beds, especially when I'm picking peas and green beans - two of the veggies, along with kale, that his new vet has recommended. He's been enjoying peas and green beans in season, picked fresh and served immediately. Little did I know when I planted all this kale that I wouldn't be able to eat it, but that it would help George get healthier.

In three short weeks since beginning to modify his diet, George's skin infection is gone, his fur is growing back, his coat is shinier, he has more energy, he's taking longer strides, his hip swelling has gone down considerably, he's even enjoying exercise again, and he's losing his excess weight. He's a lab mix, and being a retriever, he's always loved chasing sticks, balls, frisbees, and his stuffed toys. We haven't been able to play with him like that in the last couple of years - he would get too sore and stiff.

In just the last week or so, he's back to running around, chasing his toys, and enjoying a whole new, more active, less painful, and more fun life. He gets up and down more easily, and seems to be on his way to much healthier days ahead. We're looking forward to a better quality of life for however long he has left, maybe even a longer life than he might have had if we'd continued his old diet, and hopefully much lower vet bills than he's had the last couple of years.

It never occurred to me when starting the veggie beds that George would also benefit from our fresh, organic produce, or that the kale I planted this spring that seemed as if it might go to waste, would become part of what was needed for improving our sweet doggie's health and quality of life.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T08:35:00.001-05:00

This Might Be Goodbye

2010-09-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

About this time last year, during the annual autumn visit to Mom's; something, probably rabbits, wreaked havoc. Decimated is not too strong a word.

A fresh dose of smelly stuff will be applied here before leaving tomorrow for this year's fall visit.

Just in case, this is what the shade garden looks like. Our garden has taken a long time to establish. I haven't always been patient. Year Seven has been the best yet. It feels like a garden to me for the first time.

I hope it's still here when I get back.

Wildflower Wednesday on Friday - Asters

2010-09-24T21:53:00.001-05:00

Last year when the asters looked about like this, something ate them down to the ground (along with about a third of the rest of our shade garden, while I was away visiting Mom.) This year the asters and other most vulnerable plants are fenced, and Liquid Fence, that lovely smelly stuff, has been applied after recently discovering one of our Japanese forest grasses had been grazed on.

This one is commonly known as small white aster. It may be Symphyotrichum lateriflorum. One volunteer was found at the edge of the lawn under a blackhaw viburnum last year. It was rescued from the lawn mower and added to the shade garden. One was a blogalong passalong from Gail.

I love their puffy cloud of blooms, gracefully-curved stems, and carefree nature.

Three smooth blue asters were added last year too. The bluish leaves play nicely with the other foliage colors here, and I love their sweet blue blooms.

Asters and other late-blooming native plants like goldenrod make wonderful additions to gardens, blooming at a time of year when flowers are generally less plentiful, adding color to the garden and providing valuable food for pollinators.

Wildflower Wednesday is the bloggers' celebration of native wildflowers begun by our dear Gail at Clay and Limestone, and held on the fourth Wednesday of each month. Please visit her blog for links to more Wildflower Wednesday posts.

September Bloom Day

2010-09-15T05:00:00.004-05:00

September is one of my favorite months in general, and in the garden. The hardy cyclamen likes September too. This is the second one to bloom. The third bulb is MIA.

The 'Spring Fling' petunia has been cut back hard at least three times this summer. In its second year, it has grown to gargantuan proportions, especially considering it only gets three hours of sun each day at most. Maybe I'll overwinter it again to see what happens.

Helenium, a/k/a sneezeweed is a native started from seed this spring from Monica's seed swap. It's growing happily in the swale way in back.

The first formerly-known-as-aster to bloom is this teeny tiny one from Gail. When it really gets going it'll be a cloud of beautiful airiness. Late last September, during a visit to Mom's, all the asters, and many other plants were chewed to ground by something, I think rabbits.

These are August blooms, too late for August Bloom Day. We found a sweet spot on the patio where the brug gets lots of sun.

I love the foliage of the variegated brugs, but still was determined to find a spot where ours would bloom more than once a season. In its new spot since mid-August, it bloomed for the first time this year in late August, and already has its next set of buds.

Love double impatiens in hanging baskets! This color is salsa. We've been eating a lot of salsa lately with all the beautiful tomatoes growing in the veggie beds.

Calamint is still going strong. I'm not sure who loves them more - the bees or me.

'Blue Hill' Salvia is blooming even more prolifically than last month.

Not many coneflowers left - the goldfinches have pulled off most of the petals. Only a few on the other side of the garden escaped their notice.

Rudbeckia 'Herbstsonne' has been blooming since July,

as have the agastaches. Strong winds early this month pretty much flattened them though. Normally they stand nice and tall.

Hummingbirds visit the hanging fuchsia several times a day.

I love the soft color of Sedum 'Matrona.' Last year they didn't flop, this year they did. They're pretty anyway.

Smooth blue aster has escaped the bunnies (so far) in its protective cage. Everything that got eaten last fall is caged. The fences are easier than spraying something stinky all the time. They disappear from a distance (kind of.)

More double impatiens - I like them with 'Diamond Frost' euphorbia - like roses and baby's breath for shade.

Pink Dragon Wing begonias bloom non-stop spring to frost, and are easily overwintered indoors. We have the reds too. Ever notice how foliage colors are slightly different with different colors of the same plant? The reds have ever-so-slightly darker foliage. The double impatiens are like that too.

We have the nicest farmers' market in a neighboring town. This bouquet came from the booth of neighborhood organic backyard kitchen gardeners. They sell home-grown veggies, herbs, and cut flowers, and hand-crafted organic homemade teas, soaps, lotions, lip balms, even insect repellent and dog shampoo, and more. I try to visit the market early, before the kitchen gardeners' flowers, and the farmer's eggs in another booth sell out. Our own town's farmers' market is nice too, while much smaller. I shop at both as often as I can.

We still have pink and white phlox, 'Happy Returns' daylilies, sambac jasmine, 'Rozanne' geraniums, all sorts of heucheras, lots of single impatiens and wax begonias, purple oxalis, Susans, and a few other odds 'n ends.

Last but not least, Japanese anemones, almost forgotten a second time. They're blooming for the first time ever. They've been blooming since early August. Our second attempt at these, I thought our garden might be too dry for them since the first ones withered and died their first summer. These started life here as tiny transplants from a client's garden, and haven't seemed to mind the dry shade. They took three years to bloom, and were worth the wait.

I hope you're enjoying the cooler weather of September. Here it's been a welcome relief after a very hot summer. I won't say long hot summer though - time seems to go by far too fast anymore, no matter what the weather.

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day is celebrated on the 15th of each month by bloggers around the world. To see what's blooming right now in gardens everywhere, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens. Happy Bloom Day!

Garden Party

2010-09-12T09:34:00.001-05:00

Between us, my Lawn Man and I have five adult daughters. When we met, his Oldest was away at college. During our first year together, his Youngest went away to school too. So my friendship with them has been mostly long-distance.

After the tragic passing of their beautiful mama when they were little babies, he raised his daughters on his own, with loving support from family and close friends.

Both girls are beautiful inside and out, and easy to love.

It's been a busy year for our family, with the Oldest and her College Sweetheart announcing their plans to marry.

The festivities were held in the garden of dear friends of the groom's parents. They were wonderful hosts. It was pure pleasure being in their company.

The gardener/host in this lovely place works with the groom's mother. Coincidentally, they design and maintain gardens for their living, just like me.

This was our table for the wedding feast. And I do mean feast - the food was extraordinary.

We had a wonderful time. Our garden party was a great success.

The weather was perfect.

Every detail was beautifully realized.

This kind of joy is what life is all about.

What a privilege it is being part of this lovely family.

What a joy it has been getting to know the groom's family and friends.

The best things in Life are made from moments like these.

The enchantment, love, beauty, grace, elegance, joy, warmth of this day made memories to last a lifetime.

When children find true love, parents find true joy. Here's to your joy and ours, from this day forward.

Nasty Update

2010-09-11T05:57:00.000-05:00

There must have been buds last weekend, but I didn't notice. I'd given up on checking for them weeks ago. I figured they were like the proverbial watched pot. Other than watering them, pinching off yellow leaves, and taking a photo for the monthly updates, the nasties have been mostly ignored. Suddenly, there are tiny buds like this all over. While there were buds here and there even during our record heat, before they developed past this stage, they would yellow and fall off (just like the leaves.)

Suddenly, with our much cooler weather, the buds are holding fast.

We even have blooms. I was so excited yesterday seeing them finally burst into bloom! Now that the weather has cooled off, hopefully we'll see lots more of these brilliant gems. They were worth waiting for!

September Nasties

2010-09-05T06:10:00.002-05:00

The 'Spitfire' climbing nasturtiums have been growing in this pot since May. We enjoyed a few blooms early in the season, before the Chicago area experienced one of the hottest summers on record. I've read, and now seen first-hand that nasties aren't particularly fond of hot weather. Ours have continued to grow (slowly,) and produce new foliage to replace leaves that yellow and fall off. While they haven't bloomed much, they have cute round, bright green leaves.

In our area the average first frost happens mid-October, although for the last two years we haven't had frost until mid-November. With fall and cooler temperatures in the air, especially at night, we hope to see more blooms before frost does them in.

I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.

Things That Make You Go "Hmmm. . . "

2010-08-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

Can you guess what it is?

I'll give you a few hints. It was started early this spring from seeds obtained from a swap. Hmmm . . . can't remember for sure if it was Monica's mail swap, or MBT's garden show swap.

I've never seen a variegated form of this plant, and the blooms are normally completely different. Started from seed, it may take up to 3-5 years before it blooms. It would be unusual for this species to bloom the first season. Remember, this seed was started this spring.

Here's an example of another seedling in the packet. All the seeds looked basically the same, with the slight color variations normally seen in these seeds - anything from light brown, to nearly black. (The seed pods are black at maturity.)

Here are more hints: This is a native plant, and the blue-blooming variety was recently (I won't give away which year,) chosen as Perennial Plant of the Year.

Here's more of the plant in question. Initially this seedling had plain foliage just like the others started at the same time from the same seed packet. A few weeks ago a few top leaves suddenly developed the white edges, flower buds formed, and within a few days, the tiny blooms opened.

Did you guess what it is? Have you ever tried starting them from seeds? If so have you ever seen variegation and blooms like this before on your seedlings? I wonder what will happen to this plant if I decide to put it in the garden. Will it continue to develop variegated foliage? Will it survive the winter? Will it have these uncharacteristic blooms again next year? Is it a stray seed of some other plant that has the same kind of foliage as what I think it is that snuck into the seed packet, and not really what I think it is? Do I have some kind of unusual sport or hybrid? Perhaps only time will tell.

Today's Harvest

2010-08-27T10:13:00.003-05:00

Yay - the first cucumber! Last year cucumbers were started in the basement around May 1st, and they produced like crazy beginning in early July. We had such a bumper crop I ended up making several jars of bread and butter pickles with the extras we didn't consume or give away. We've been enjoying the delicious (if I do say so myself) pickles since, and the last jar is almost empty.

This year I started cukes from seed in the west veggie bed in mid-May. Unfortunately cutworms destroyed all the seedlings within days of their emergence. So about a week later I started more seeds in the basement, and let the plants grow there until they started vining. They started producing male blooms weeks ago, and finally, finally the female blooms are coming. It will be a late harvest, but I'm thrilled finding the first ripe cucumber of the season this morning. Needless to say, I'll be keeping the cucumber seedlings in the basement in the future until they're sturdy enough to foil the cutworms.

It's been a great year for tomatoes. Every couple of days I gather the ripe ones. The photo is representative of what I harvest several times a week. We really don't need thirteen tomato plants, but I've been enjoying experimenting with several heirlooms I've never grown, along with the usual staples I've loved for years. We've been enjoying them all for weeks. The yellow pears came from a volunteer plant that I left in the east veggie bed. They're not my favorite cherry-type tomato, but they're not bad and they're kind of cute.

Except for a few tomatoes that have fallen to the ground and gotten yucky, not a single one has gone to waste. Several batches of salsa have been made, some have been eaten out-of-hand, especially the cherries, others have made wonderful pasta sauces, and many have been shared with friends and clients. For sauce, after cooking the tomatoes and running them through a sieve, I add a small can of tomato paste to thicken them up instead of boiling them down forever. Adding the paste minimizes cooking time and heating up the house during what has already been a hot enough summer.

There are beets out there ready to harvest, and I even picked a few beans I missed yesterday. The peppers picked yesterday ended up in a delicious Thai curry dinner, made with leftover jerk chicken, organic coconut milk, peanut butter, garlic, onions, herbs, spices, and peas, and served with organic brown Basmati rice. Guess what's for lunch today!

gratuitous dragonfly photo

Speaking of bumper crops, we've had a bumper crop of dragonflies this year. I've had several up-close and personal encounters with them, having them land on me and land nearby. A couple of weeks ago one landed on a daylily in a client's garden, and seemed to be checking me out quite intensely, for a really long time. As I moved around the garden, he followed, and was my companion for at least 20 minutes. I've wished the camera was with me to capture images of the dragonflies encountered this season.

This one was resting here for a nice long time, and was accommodating enough to wait for me to grab the camera. I believe it's a female Green Darner.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Wildflower Wednesday - Sneezeweed

2010-08-25T19:04:00.000-05:00

Helenium autumnale, commonly known as sneezeweed, joins cardinal flower in the swale at the back of our property. Both are blooming and thriving in the section that never dries out. It should be a perfect spot for them, since they like moist to wet soil.

Started from seed from Monica's seed swap just this spring, it's a thrill seeing helenium bloom its first season, especially since it's planted in a pretty shady spot in our swale. This is the first time having helenium in our garden.

Native in Illinois, common sneezeweed grows 3-5 feet tall, and will bloom in full to part sun. It's deer- and rabbit-resistant thanks to its bitter-tasting foliage. Since we have rabbit issues here, I was happy to learn this while researching it before choosing the seeds from Monica's swap.

Sneezeweed blooms late in the season, making it a great plant for adding color to the garden at a time when blooms can be in short supply.

To see more natives plants growing in gardens everywhere, please visit Gail at Clay and Limestone, who hosts Wildflower Wednesday on the 4th Wednesday of each month.

Wednesday at the IGC Show

2010-08-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

Even bigger and better than last year, this week the Independent Garden Center Show at Chicago's Navy Pier was Garden Blogger Central. There was more to see than a person possibly could in one day, at least this person, who enjoyed talking to vendors and running into bloggers everywhere.

Most of the day was spent with Kylee and her mom, visiting as many booths as we could fit in. We met in person for the first time at Chicago Spring Fling and enjoyed some memorable moments together. It was a joy seeing them again, and hanging out at the show.

When I arrived, Kylee was shooting photos of Jean Ann and Amanda's podcast with P. Allen Smith. If you haven't listened to the podcast yet, you're missing all kinds of hijinks and hilarity. Really, you should listen to it!

The social aspect of attending the show was wonderful, and so were many of the products on display. My hands-down favorites were these indoor gardening LED lights. I'm telling you, these things were awesome. While a little pricey, they are beautiful, very energy efficient, and perfect for anyone like me who does a lot of indoor gardening. The holidays will be here before we know it, and one of these units would make a wonderful gift for the gardener in your life.

Herbs could be overwintered under these,

seedlings could be started, even vegetables can be grown indoors over the winter with these fantastic lights. Invented by an entrepreneur with a passion for both technology and sustainability, SonnyLights are energy-efficient, elegant, and technologically more advanced than any other grow lights I've ever come across. It would take an entire post to tell you what's so great about them. Better yet, visit his website where he can tell you all about them himself.

Renee's Garden is one of my favorite seed companies. Renee has really reached out to garden bloggers, sponsoring events for us including Chicago Spring Fling, and this year's very fun Grow Project. I visited her booth twice, and enjoyed nice conversations, and even got some free seeds and a lovely lavender sachet that's sitting here on my desk as I type. (mmm. . . smells so good!)

Left to right, Nellie (Marketing,) Renee, and me!

Tuesday, I had been working in a client's garden. One of my tasks was pruning and deadheading the roses, and Wednesday I walked around at the show with two thorns - one in my right thumb, and one in left index finger. You know how it is with thorns - sometimes it takes them a day or so to make their presence known. (OUCH!) As luck would have it, one of the booths I visited was SeaMar Gloves, importer of Atlas gloves, my favorite gardening gloves in the whole world. John, the sales manager manning the booth, graciously allowed us to pick out a pair of sample gloves. With thorns fresh on my mind and in my fingers, I chose a pair of Juggernaut goatskin gloves. When I got home Wednesday evening, I dug the thorns out of my fingers, and wasted no time putting these excellent gloves to work on Thursday.

If you work with roses, these gloves are fantastic! Reinforced with two layers of leather in all the places where I usually end up with thorns embedded in my skin, when my work was finished I had nary a scratch, and no thorns stuck in my fingers or hands. Developed hand-in-hand ;) with rose growers, these gloves should be in every rose aficianado's glove collection. (A long-length version will be rolled out soon!)

One day at the IGC Show was definitely not enough to see everything and visit everyone. There were some excellent seminars I'd loved to have attended, but one day wasn't enough for that either.

Kylee posted lots of photos from the show on her facebook page, and keep an eye out for Shirley Bovshow's Garden World Report from the show, coming soon to a computer near you.

August 2010 Bloom Day

2010-08-15T05:00:00.023-05:00

Here's what's blooming in our August garden. Collages may be clicked to enlarge.

nodding onion, (Thank you Monica!) celandine poppy, (blooms sporadically all summer if deadheaded,) dragon wing begonia, sambac jasmine, Echinacea 'Ruby Giant,' 'Rozanne' geranium, (blooms early June to frost,) double impatiens with diamond frost euphorbia, Phlox 'David,' noid pink phlox.

Calamintha nepeta subs. nepeta, (Love. this. plant, and so do the pollinators!) Echinacea 'Fragrant Angel,' Joe Pye weed and 'Herbstsonne' rudbeckia, 'Sparkling Burgundy' heuchera, 'Frosted Violet' heuchera, (blooms all summer if deadheaded,) Echinacea purpurea, (butterfly and goldfinch magnet,) noid phlox and surprise lilies, Monarda 'Jacob Cline,' (hummingbird magnet, blooming for over a month, almost done now,) Hosta rectifolia 'Fujibotan,' (also blooming for over a month.)

'Happy Returns' daylilies (blooming non-stop for the 2nd year in a row,) Salvia 'Blue Hill,' (true blue,) Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm,' (I don't care if they're common,) beautiful, fragrant, and enjoyed by our hummers: Hosta 'plantaginea,' (my first hosta 30 years ago, and sentimental favorite.) About the middle photo - this plant was a gift from the Lawn Man the first year we were together. It came with a little folded info sheet, and according to the sheet this plant is called Cassandra. In trying to find the botanical name I looked up Cassandra plant, and Cassandra flower, both web and images, and found nothing resembling this plant. It's a tender/tropical plant with very glossy, narrow leaves. The information sheet says it needs temperatures above 50 degrees F. So does anyone know what it is? And now onward: Monarda fistulosa, cucumber blossom, Lobelia cardinalis, (hummingbird heaven,) and Rudbeckia 'Herbstsonne,' (a party for goldfinches!)

'Happy Returns' daylilies and the salvia grow in full sun in our front landscape, and the cucumbers grow in the veggie garden in about 5 hours of sun a day. The rest of this stuff, and more, all grows and blooms happily this month in three hours of sun or less per day.

In spite of the heat it's been a good season for our gardens. Except for a dry spell in late June and early July, we've had more than enough rain. We've been enjoying produce from the veggie beds every day since May. August finds the veggie beds peaking. Cucumbers have been the only disappointment, thanks to cutworms that decimated the first planting. There's still time for the replacements to fruit. Ripe tomatoes are being picked every day since late July. Hummingbirds, goldfinches, butterflies, and bees provide endless fascination and entertainment. (We won't talk about the whiteflies, slugs, and Japanese beetles.)

I hope this month of dog days finds you, your dear ones, and your gardens thriving. For more Bloom Day posts, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

August Garden

2010-08-12T05:00:00.002-05:00

This season marks seven years since moving here and starting our shade garden. Slow and sometimes frustrating in earlier years, it feels like this season the garden has finally come into its own. While the garden will continue to evolve and tweaking will continue as long as gardening here continues, this season, all season, as I look upon the garden, I feel pleased.

In the second year of our west-side, side-yard veggie bed, I was so happy with the harvest from the part-sun bed last year, I added a bed in the east side yard early this spring. Almost identical crops are planted in each bed - an experiment to see what grows best where. Tomatoes are happier on the west side, and peppers on the east.

Lettuce, assorted greens, beets, beans, radishes, and herbs seem equally happy in both beds.
Peas thrived until early July in the west bed, and cucumbers are now climbing the trellis in their place. Cucumbers have been dissapointing this year, since cutworms attacked the seedlings of the first sowing. The second sowing was done indoors, and the seedlings were allowed to start vining before they were planted out in the garden. They're thriving, and covered with male blossoms. The female, fruiting blossoms should be coming along soon. Cucumbers grow fast, so while I expect a much smaller harvest than last year, I still hope to have lots of cukes in a few short weeks.

Every gardening season brings challenges and rewards, and this season has been no exception. With more rewards than challenges this year, in spite of the above-average high heat and humidity, it's not a stretch to say this has been my favorite year yet gardening here in the shade.

Busted!

2010-08-08T18:35:00.002-05:00

I was pretty sure the goldfinches were pulling off the coneflower petals, and now I have proof! The video may be a little shaky, but the evidence is rock solid.

Dear Mr. Goldfinch, I love your presence in our garden. I even had you in mind when planting all the coneflowers here. I hoped you'd enjoy the seeds. But hey, what's up with pulling off the petals? You don't even eat them. If you please, I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd keep to the seeds, and leave our coneflower petals alone.

Of course I realize you'll most likely ignore this request, but I had to get it off my chest anyway. Thank you.

Ho Hum Nasties

2010-08-01T09:36:00.003-05:00

Not much to say about the nasturtiums this month. They don't seem to like the heat. Yellow foliage is pinched off. Flower buds form and fall off. The extra sun at the west-side veggie bed hasn't brought blooms.

I push the envelope in the shade garden, experimenting with perennials whose performance is best in full sun, but bloom respectably in part sun, adding more color with annuals. The cosmos we tried this year courtesy of Renee's Garden are little more than seedlings two months later. I appreciate the opportunity to try them for the no-risk observation that cosmos aren't a good choice for this garden.

I'm enjoying the Seed Grow project, experimenting with the nasties, and the bonus cosmos Renee's Garden provided to participants. It's fun checking out other participants' tips and progress. I wish I had more exciting nasty news to share. Maybe they'll be more fun when fall brings relief from the relentless heat and humidity. Will I grow these in future years? The cosmos - definitely not. The nasties - the jury's out until fall.

I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.

Wildflower Wednesday - Cardinal Flower

2010-07-28T05:30:00.003-05:00

Lobelia cardinalis, whose common name is cardinal flower, is a plant I've lusted after for years, and the first plant I thought of for the area of our swale that stays moist all the time. Cardinal flowers can be somewhat short-lived, but have a better chance of longer-term survival and self-sowing in consistently moist, or even wet soil in full to part sun.

Native in Illinois, cardinal flowers are highly favored by hummingbirds, their primary pollinators. This year hummingbirds have seemed more scarce than usual here. Although the tiny birds aren't easy to see and even harder to photograph way back where the cardinal flowers are, if we look carefully, we see them sipping nectar from the brilliant red blooms off and on all day.

Aside from a few hostas I've transplanted upstream at the back of the swale as the shade garden has been planted (previously, the overabundant hostas had been 'place holders' in the shade garden,) the plan is to plant exclusively native plants in and around the swale. Three years ago a river birch, red-twig dogwood and a pair of winterberry hollies were planted slightly upstream. They're all thriving in the moist soil. Early this summer, heleniums were added, started from seeds from Monica's seed swap late last winter. They should love the moist soil, but might prefer more sun than they'll get here.

With cultural requirements identical to cardinal flowers, blue lobelia will also be tried in the always-moist part of the swale. It 'only' took about seven years to get the shade garden entirely planted. The swale is much smaller and should go more quickly.

Wildflower Wednesday is celebrated on the fourth Wednesday of the month. For links to more posts, please visit Gail at Clay and Limestone.

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-21T07:30:00.001-05:00

Hosta rectifolia 'Fujibotan'

The foliage is ordinary - long and pointy, glossy, deep green, and slightly ruffled. The blooms however, are anything but ordinary. We look forward to seeing them every July.

July Bloom Day

2010-07-15T06:21:00.002-05:00

Although not yet actually blooming, the blooms I'm most excited about this month are cardinal flowers. Now that our shade garden is fully planted, attention is being turned to the swale. Functional, but not particularly attractive, since the weeping willow in the yard behind us came down, a large section of the swale is always wet. Last year Lobelia cardinalis, a native plant I've always wanted to grow, was added there. In the next few days, it will bloom for the first time.

Several colors of double impatiens are blooming in hanging baskets - this pink, a red called 'Salsa,' a hot pink, and a bright coral. Salsa was purchased, and the others were started from cuttings in the basement over the winter from last year's plants.

A few feet can make all the difference here. Last fall I moved this bee balm a few feet where it now gets more sun, and the blooms are much bigger than they used to be. I'd almost forgotten what they were supposed to look like!

Coneflowers and Agastache

Coneflowers and 'Rosy Returns,' a reblooming daylily also moved last fall, and blooming again. Last year, Rosy didn't bloom at all.

Stokesia.

Also blooming are Sambac jasmine, Geranium 'Rozanne,' 'Happy Returns' daylilies, Dragon Wing and wax begonias, Black-eyed Susans, phlox, Rudbeckia 'Herbstsonne,' Johnnie jump-ups, Spring Fling petunias, pelargoniums, heucheras, hostas, single impatiens, catmint, calamint, feverfew, beautyberries, celandine poppies, a NOID white eupatorium volunteer, and in the veggie gardens, peppers, tomatoes, peas, bush beans, arugula, and radishes.

To see what's blooming in gardens around the country and around the world, please visit the creator of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

A Little Garden Art

2010-07-11T19:20:00.001-05:00

This weekend I attended my first-ever garden walk. I had such a wonderful time I'm inviting you to come along from the comfort of your home. As blog slide shows go, it's a bit long, but I've already paid for your ticket, you won't be hot and sweaty, and you won't even need a hat.

This was the Union Street Gallery's sixth annual garden walk. This year's theme was A Little Garden Art. There were ten gardens on the walk. I made it to seven, and photographed six. I hope you'll join me on this visit to a few of south suburban Chicago's lovely gardens.

Nasties on the Move

2010-07-06T08:30:00.003-05:00

After producing two blooms last month, the nasties weren't budding or blooming. It's been a little challenging finding a sunny enough spot for them, and last week I moved them back to the veggie garden where those two buds were produced. Although the foliage seems less happy with the heat and sun in this spot, the nasties are budding again. Maybe we'll have a few blooms to show off for Bloom Day next week!

Sorry for the tardy post - work, the holiday, and a hospitalized relative took priority over blogging.

I'm growing Nasturtium "Spitfire" for the GROW project. Thanks to Renee's Garden for the seeds.

Sunday Gloves

2010-06-29T05:55:00.001-05:00

Her name evokes memories of growing up in the early-to-mid 1960's, back when ladies young and old dressed in their Sunday best for church. Proper attire included hats or lacy mantillas, dresses or skirts, (females wearing slacks, or, gasp. . . jeans were unheard of in church,) "dress" shoes, (mine were patent leather,) and of course, pristine, pure white gloves.

'Sunday Gloves' is no ordinary daylily. Her very fragrant, creamy white blooms are over five inches across. and she's a rebloomer. Added to the garden five years ago, this is the first time she's bloomed. She's been moved three times at season's end in search of a sunny enough spot, most recently last fall.

Eureka! We've found the sweet spot, and finally patience and determination are rewarded. Isn't she lovely?

Wildflower Wednesday - Indian Pinks

2010-06-23T08:24:00.003-05:00

Although not thought to be native in the northern part of the state, Spigelia marilandica, commonly known as Indian pink or woodland pinkroot is native to moist woodlands in Illinois, and much of the southeast United States.

With our rainy spring, this year it's growing in moist soil. Last summer, its first here, it thrived even our typically dry shade garden. Since it was new, it received supplemental watering every week we didn't have a good, soaking rain.

Indian pinks are slow to emerge in spring, and I'm glad I left last year's dead stems. The stems are sturdy, even a little woody, making it easy to find even though it's a late sleeper. Indian Pinks grow to 1-2 feet tall with a spread of up to 1-1/2 feet, and are hardy in zones 5a to 9b.

The tubular crimson blooms with their sunny yellow throats and star-shaped lobes are an excellent source of nectar for hummingbirds when they bloom in June. Operation Rubythroat lists this sweet wildflower as one of the top ten native hummingbird plants.

(Gratuitous Hummingbird video ;)

The seeds ripen in July, when the capsules become black on top and black-green on the bottom. Within a day or two of ripening, the capsules explode and the seeds scatter. We had no seedlings this year, so once they're finished blooming I'll try the pantyhose trick, wrapping some of the capsules in a piece of old hose to capture some seeds.

Indian pinks aren't easy to find in nurseries. I found this one last summer during a visit to Gethsemane Garden Center with my fellow Chicago Spring Fling Organizers. I'm glad it was in bloom at the time. I may not otherwise have noticed it among all the wonderful plants Gethsemane stocks.

Wildflower Wednesday is the brainchild of garden blogger extraordinaire, Gail at Clay and Limestone. For more native plants posts, hurry on over and visit her blog today!