Thinking Twice About Water

. . . This. . .?

Or This?

TaPPeD - The Movie from David Garcia on Vimeo.

The Gardens at Ball Horticultural Company

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

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

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

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!