April Bloom Day

In the garden this Bloom Day are pansies, scilla, daffodils, hellebores, Cornelian cherry dogwoods, bergenia, and pulmonarias.

The usual suspects are blooming indoors waiting for warmer weather just like me!

Back to work at the greenhouse today - Monday was a cold, rainy day, so I got a reprieve. I took advantage of the day to work on my Master Gardener final exam and finalize a few more Spring Fling details. We've reserved a charter bus for SF Saturday events. If you're attending Spring Fling, please visit the event website for the latest news, including how to reserve your seat on Saturday's bus.

Happy Bloom Day everyone, and thank you Carol at May Dreams Gardens for hosting Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.

Happy Easter!

Awake, thou wintry earth -
Fling off thy sadness!
Fair vernal flowers, laugh forth
Your ancient gladness!

~Thomas Blackburn, "An Easter Hymn"

Lake Katherine Nature Center & Botanic Garden

The local University of Illinois Extension office partners with Lake Katherine to provide a variety of volunteer opportunities including maintaining the gardens and grounds and conducting tours. Another wonderful public garden in the Chicago area, Lake Katherine is an easy commute from home, and a place where I hope to devote some MG volunteer hours. Tuesday our Master Gardener class visited Lake Katherine for a tour, orientation, and a pot-luck lunch social.
The Heritage Garden at Lake Katherine is a large organic demonstration garden featuring a variety of fruits and vegetables.

This was my first visit to Lake Katherine, although I've been hearing about it for years. It's still early in the season and not much is going on there yet, but we could tell in a few weeks this place will be beautiful.

I love old rusty stuff, especially old farm equipment. This display is located near the Heritage Garden.

It was a chilly, windy day, but we dressed warmly and enjoyed our tour.

More old rusty stuff. I fell in love with the old wood stove.

One of several sculptures at Lake Katherine carved from felled trees.

The man-made waterfall aerates the water before it joins the lake, benefiting the ecosystem of the 20-acre man-made lake, including the resident beaver and swans.

Entrance to the conifer garden

Another delightful tree-trunk carving.

I'm looking forward to seeing the butterfly garden bloom.

A view of the large herb garden.

Lake Katherine

Lake Katherine offers a variety of programs for children and families, school and scouting groups. There are special events throughout the season, and the clubhouse at Lake Katherine is a popular venue for weddings and other special events. There are many lovely spots for wedding party photos. The indoor nature center is an educational spot for families and groups, with a variety of flora and fauna including snakes, rabbits, frogs, and a very cute and popular ferret who enjoys lots of naps in the hammock in his aquarium home.

I hope to spend some of my volunteer time at Lake Katherine, and will share more photos from this beautiful spot as the season progresses.

Are You Tired of Hearing About Spring Fling Yet?

Last Friday Mr.Brown Thumb, Gina from My Skinny Garden, and I met for a private tour of Macy's State Street store's Garden Show taking place now through April 19th.

Mr.Brown Thumb and I were able to spend the rest of the afternoon downtown. We thought Spring Fling participants might enjoy coming along with us on our walk to see what we saw after Gina headed back to work for the afternoon.

Steps away from Club Quarters Hotel, this might be a popular stop.

How convenient! This is kiddycorner from the hotel.


Right around the corner, a nice pottery display, and a sale.

You may have recognized the name on the hotel sign in yesterday's post - that's where some of you will be staying during SF. Here's the lounge. You can see the lobby in yesterday's post. If the hotel hadn't been fully occupied, the staff would have been happy to show us one of the rooms.

The people we talked to were exceptionally nice, and we liked the serene vibe and white-glove cleanliness of the public areas.


We also checked out several potential SF Friday night reception sites. Gina had suggested this one, and we really liked it alot. More information about the reception will be available soon.

After taking care of business, we walked to Millennium Park. You can't go there without seeing Cloud Gate, affectionately known as 'The Bean.'

And then of course, the Lurie Garden is not to be missed. I expected the Lurie to be bigger than it actually as. Believe it or not, this was the first time I'd ever been there.

This is only a small part of the garden - don't worry, it's larger than this! Plants are sprouting everywhere, and the Lurie will look much different in late May.

Only crocus,

and scilla were blooming when we were there.

I'm glad I finally made it down to the Lurie. There's really no excuse not to, since it's a very, very short walk from my train station. I'm looking forward to going back again soon. If I make it back before Spring Fling, I'll share the progress of the garden with you here.

I hope you've enjoyed your sneak peak of a few of the sights you'll see here as I report on Spring Fling, and in person if you're one of the lucky ones who gets to come to Chicago in less than two months for the second annual Garden Bloggers' Spring Fling.

A Word to the Wise (Notes to Self)

There will be lots to see in less than two months when Chicago is host to the 2nd annual Garden Blogger's Spring Fling.

Probably lots of walking involved even if there's a tour bus.

It's been a long, cold, snowy, winter.

In spite of notes to self at the end of the season last year,

I didn't keep up with my resolve to stay fit over the winter.

Did a lot of walking Friday.


Saw a lot of really cool stuff.


Climbed a few stairs.

I knew I should have taken more walks this winter, or worked out in our very convenient exercise room.

Been thinking about all this as it might pertain to Spring Fling,


how it might not be a bad idea now that the weather's warming up,


to get out there in the fresh air and sunshine,

and take some walks.

Please pass the ibuprofin. (Ouch! ;)