More From Chicago Flower & Garden Show

I'd planned to go back to the garden show Wednesday, but the Lawn Man was sick and we ended up at d0c-in-the-box instead - good thing since antibiotics were in order. I'm on my way back to the show this morning. Come along with me. . . it's only a train ride and and short cab trip away.

Ah, here we are! That didn't take long. Come, there's something I want to show you - this viburnum x juddii. It's a hybrid with a heavenly scent.

Please, come closer so you can experience its sweet fragrance.

Oh look, this rose sculpture is where I ran into one of my Master Gardener classmates with her guide dog and friend on Saturday. She's an inspiration to our class, volunteering her time on gardening projects for blind and visually-impaired people. This thornless sculpture is just one of many tactile experiences at the show. Aren't the roses fragrant? And here's another topiary from the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences display. It was designed and constructed by the students, and made from materials recycled from previous projects. When it's dismantled everything will be reused or recycled. The mission of this unique public magnet school on the city's south side is being a college preparatory high school that provides opportunities for diverse students from across the city to study agriculture with the goal of developing marketable skills as well as college level competencies. It's a very cool school!

I wonder if they use this tractor on their 72-acre farm.

Isn't this pretty? Purple heucheras might be nice here too. Maybe I'll add some yellow-green heucheras and hardy ferns to the english ivy sprawling into our side yard from next door. The heuchera looks like a villosa. . . wish we could find a label somewhere! Let me know if you spot one.

This Cedrus Atlantica 'glauca pendula,' or Weeping Blue Atlas Cedar isn't hardy here in zone 5, but it might be happy in your garden if you're in zone 6-9.

I enjoyed this sculpture of liatris, agapanthus, and bamboo. Isn't it cool?

Oh look, I remember this gigantic bouquet!

Before we go, let's take one last look at that flowerpot Yorkie. I'm not very crafty but he looks like something even I could make. I think he and George would get along just fine.

I'm glad you came along to check out the garden show. I hope you enjoyed your visit. This was my first year attending the show, but definitely not the last. Maybe you can get away again next year for a stroll through Navy Pier and a peek at the show with me.

Time to catch the train back home where we're still waiting patiently for spring.

Heirloom Seed Giveaway!

Renee's Garden, one of the sponsors of this year's Spring Fling, graciously provided Fling Committee members free seeds to give gardeners attending our discussion on garden blogging at the Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show on Saturday. Renee's garden sells fine heirloom flower, herb, and gourmet vegetable seeds from around the world.

Since Renee was so generous and provided more seeds than we needed at the show, I have some to give away!

Aren't they pretty?

I have fourteen packets of Merveille de Quatre Saisons heirloom lettuce to share, and I'll do it the old-fashioned way by drawing names out of a hat. Listen to the description of this lettuce:

This centuries-old French heirloom bibb lettuce has big heads of radiant color with beautiful ruby-red leaves that surround tightly folded green hearts.

Merveille is a visual treat that is wonderfully ornamental in the garden. This cherished favorite of many generations will please your palate with large heavy rosettes of crispy, fine-flavored leaves. We import our selected cultivar of Merveille from Europe, because it reliably produces an abundance of big, heavy heads with a particularly lovely color, form, and flavor.

If you live in the US or Canada and would like a packet of these seeds, please leave a comment telling me what other vegetables you're growing in your garden this year. Even if you don't normally grow veggies, this lettuce is so pretty it would be divine in an ornamental garden. Leave your comment by midnight central time on Saturday, March 14, and on Sunday I'll draw names from a hat and announce the winners!

p.s. I'm off to the garden show again today!

3/16/08: Hi Everyone! Thanks for playing! Please see the March 15, 2009 post for a list of the winners.

Winners, please email me your full name and mailing address, and I'll get seeds out to you pronto!

Garden Art at Chicagoland Flower & Garden Show

I had a memorable day my first time attending the Chicagoland Flower and Garden Show on Saturday with Spring Fling committee members Gina from My Skinny Garden, MrBrown Thumb, and Mr. McGregor's Daughter. You've probably seen some of their 'big picture' shots, so I thought I'd share a few fun pieces of garden art from the show. A moss pig looks like he was getting ready to nosh on the marigolds at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Art's display garden. The first three shots are from this display, created by students at the school.

My niece attended the Ag. school, and was valedictorian of the first graduating class at it's new location sited on 72 acres - the last farm in Chicago. The rooster was made of coleus and begonias - and (I think) dried grass for the tail. He was also part of the high school's large display garden, along with the bee below.

The bee was suspended from cables, and glided back and forth along tracks at the ceiling. It was difficult to get a clear photo of it because of the movement - Advanced Sports Shooting came to the rescue for this shot.

On a different theme, there was something serene, yet whimsical about this ginormous Buddha.

This guy, made from flower pots, was my favorite critter. If I'd found a replica at one of the vendor's booths, I would have had one more thing to carry home!

There was so much to see I could do a month of posts. For now I hope you'll enjoy some of the more lighthearted garden art I saw at the show.

Our presentation went very well. I was nervous when I started, but felt more comfortable as I got into it. I'm not sure I'll ever get over my fear of public speaking entirely, but it was confidence-building to get through it without passing out or making a fool of myself! Thanks to all of you for your encouragement and support, and for your comments! They were a big part of my presentation, and I really appreciate you taking the time to share your reasons for blogging with me so I could share them with our audience.

Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune garden writer was in the audience. I was thrilled we got a chance to meet and chat with her. Mr.Brown Thumb, Gina, and I stayed at the show for awhile after our presentation to talk with audience members who stuck around to chat with us. We received such positive, enthusiastic audience feedback - it was really nice. The three of us also got a chance to chat with Bill Aldrich, publisher of Chicagoland Gardening magazine, and received very positive feedback from him as well. All in all, I'd say while I have no plans to quit my day job, our presentation was a success, and I'm proud of us!

A Knock at the Door

The clock ticks. The fire splutters. The cat sings. There's a knock. Open the door and there's a smile, outstretched arms, a splodgy kiss and a rush of feet. And a day transformed.

Pam Brown

Youngest Daughter and her little guy recently moved back to the Chicago area. They came to visit and play Sunday afternoon. What a joy to welcome them home!

Our little guy catching bugs in the back yard at his birthday party last year.

The Growing Challenge - From Seed to Seed

While following links recently, I came across a site called One Green Generation. I remember seeing badges for The Growing Challenge in other bloggers' sidebars last year and visiting the site. With no place to plant veggies, I sighed and moved on.

I'm glad I ran into it again, perused the site, and came across The Growing Challenge - From Seed to Seed . It's a ramped up version of the Growing Challenge, which encourages gardeners to grow food from seed. Gardeners can participate in either challenge. The former includes saving seeds from the garden for planting the following year.

Last fall I built a raised bed in our sunny side yard and filled it lasagna-style, leaving it to rest and do its microbial thing over the winter. The reason for the bed is to once again be able to grow some vegetables, something I've been doing since the age of ten and have missed tremendously the past five years.

I decided it would be fun to join The Growing Challenge, and will post about my adventures (and misadventures!) in veggie gardening at least weekly during the growing season. I'll be collecting some of the seeds from the fruits (and vegetables) of my labor, and you'll be hearing about that here too.

I want to encourage anyone who is growing vegetables to visit One Green Generation, check out the two challenges, and consider joining the fun!