In several recent posts I have discussed the glacial (pun intended) pace of spring this past April. On Tuesday and Wednesday, though, temperatures suddenly jumped up to the upper 80s (about 30 degrees Celsius for you foreign types). On Monday morning, it was in the 40s and spring was just sitting in the corner, timidly …
Spring around here has not had its breakthrough moment, but it is making progress. This past weekend there was still a distinct chill in the air, but at least the sun was out. (Please note that I took today’s photos, so they are not up to our usual standard).
Sunday night I drove from Chicago to Springfield, about 200 miles heading south, and it snowed most of the way. At home we’ve got a number of Daffodils that have been on the verge of opening for days and days, but they’re wisely keeping their buds shut until a reasonable degree of warmth is achieved. …
The catalogs made me do it. My intention was to add only a few new plants this spring. But then the catalogs came. Before I go to sleep, I like to leaf through the garden catalogs. I find it soothing, and I told myself I was only looking. There’s no harm in looking.
Excuse me while I go on a little rant. This year’s plant catalogs are starting to arrive, which is generally a wonderful thing. However, some of those catalogs are touching a sore spot with me: namely, the never-ending supply of ugly and unnatural varieties of Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).
It’s New Year’s Day, and I’m sitting on our back porch looking out on the garden, which is in a state of deep freeze. Now seems like a good time to think about the flowers that made me happiest over the year that just passed.
There’s a lot less to do in the garden these days, so I’m thinking more about what I’ll be planting in the spring. I would say these thoughts are about plants that fall into two categories. First, there are plants that are needed to fill some empty niche in the garden. And second, there …
Time for another installment in my monthly series on Chicago’s Lurie Garden. By November, the flowers have pretty much vanished, and yet there is still plenty of color. The sky was grey and overcast on the day I brought the camera downtown, which was a little disappointing. On the other hand, November tends to be …
For some bee species, cities can provide a more welcoming habitat than the countryside. In fact, cities are emerging as important players in bee conservation. That’s the message of an article I stumbled upon in the online magazine Yale Environment 360.
October is the golden month at the Lurie Garden.
gardeninacity 