In mid-summer the Monardas take center stage in the Sidewalk Border. The blue and purple salvias retain a bit of color, but are mostly done. The ‘Husker Red’ Penstemon (Penstemon digitalis) and golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) have been cut back. Now come the Monardas in red, lavender, and purple (yes, purple). The Monarda that demands …
This past weekend was the first to really feel like spring. Saturday started cold and cloudy, but improved when the sun came out. And Sunday was even – dare I say it? – nice. The snowdrops (Galanthus nivalis and G. elwesii) are blooming and it was warm enough for them to open up their little …
We usually think of fall color in terms of trees and shrubs. But there are many herbaceous plants that also offer good color in autumn. Here are a few in my garden right now. Starry Solomon’s Plume (Smilacina stellata) has long-lasting golden yellow foliage. Deep red berries add contrast, though most of the berries are …
The Lurie Garden is dramatically beautiful right now, and an excellent vantage spot from which to view the lakefront skyline. Judy took a walk this afternoon during a break from the work day, and snapped these pictures with her cell phone. Grasses and foliage provide a tapestry of gold, tan, green, brown, red, and yellow. …
So a few days ago the weather turned genuinely cold. I hope that means we will soon see some fall color. However, these pictures were taken just prior to the shift. At that point there wasn’t much foliage of interest in our garden except for the grasses. The most impressive grass at the moment …
The colors of autumn are only starting to settle in here in Chicago. Grasses often have more of a fall look than does the foliage or flowering perennials. The ‘Northwind’ Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) are displaying their airy panicles, though the leaves are still blue-green. The ‘Northwind’ Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) are displaying their airy panicles. …
In my last post I wrote about the impulse purchase of my new rose, ‘Strike It Rich’. What I didn’t mention is that I went back to that garden center sale twice more that weekend. Surely it would have been wiser to wait until the milder days of September to plant more perennials, but who …
Last fall I did a makeover of the raised bed on the west side of our parkway. The bed was full of larger perennials and was a bit too big and wild-looking for something between the sidewalk and the street. My goal was to have something relatively low-growing and tidy but colorful and full. It …
After the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Lurie Garden should be the next must-see item on the agenda of any avid gardener visiting Chicago. It is a five acre garden in the heart of downtown, designed by Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel. Truly a garden in a city. The Lurie Garden has a prairie-style design, but …
About seven years ago I dug up an L shaped length of turf, with the longer section along the front sidewalk and the shorter one along the property line with the neighbors. The result was a border in almost full sun, 4-5′ wide and about 25′ long. The soil was rich and moist, even before …
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