Month: March 2013
First Flowers of Spring!
For some time now, I’ve had a growing sense that everyone around the world is rejoicing in their many colorful spring blooms. Everyone, that is, except myself and other winter-weary gardeners in Chicago and further North. It’s a feeling akin to knowing that there is a really big party out there to which you were …
Gardeninacity In The News!
One of the birders who came to see the Varied Thrush in our yard was Jeff Reiter. Jeff writes a birding column for The Daily Herald, the leading newspaper in the Chicago suburbs. Today’s column was about seeing the Varied Thrush, which happened to be the 500th bird species he has watched – an important …
Stackable Snacks For The Birds
We are still snow bound. Last week, I thought the snow might be on the verge of melting for the last time of the season. Silly me. On Tuesday, we got another 8″. It is melting again, but slowly. So not very much to be done in the garden right now. Instead, I can fiddle …
West-Of-The-Driveway Bed
About two years ago I put in one of my newer beds. It’s situated between the crabapple tree on the north and the sidewalk on the south. A thin strip of lawn separates the bed from the driveway to the east, and on the west is the neighbors’ lawn. Though it gets a bit of …
5 Reasons To Be Grateful We Are Not Having An Early Spring
Mother Nature is a tease. Since early February here in Chicago, we have several times been granted a couple of lovely mild days. The snow would melt. Us gardeners would tentatively venture out to sniff the air and perhaps prune a shrub or two. We would start to think – this is it, we’re having …
Farewell to Impatiens?
Recently I have read a number of articles and posts about the devastation caused among Impatiens (Impatiens walleriana and related) by downy mildew. While usually just an unsightly nuisance among perennials, this strain is deadly for Impatiens. It can be treated but only if caught early and if you are willing to resort to the …
Bluebeard and Red Poppies, Plus Other Plant Combinations from the Chicago Botanic Garden
Looking at photos from a summer outing to the Chicago Botanic Garden, I was particularly struck by three of the plant combinations Judy took pictures of. (UPDATE: As Alison and Alberto point out in comments, the blue flower below is a tall variety of Nepeta, not Bluebeard. Sorry for the error!) First, Bluebeard (Caryopteris) and …
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