Garden weeds and whats up?!

I started this garden season like others revamping my customer base. This is a scary thing. Giving up customers and income. But as the saying goes close one door and another opens. I had taken on some design only projects and really am weeding out what the parts i don't want while waiting for that other door to open I will post more about my summer projects and plans And even pictures. Many know me well and my love for travel so i will be taking some trips and hope to blog my way through those. So keep coming back. I miss seeing many of my regular customers and love hearing from you.

October 8, 2011, Indian Summer

Indian summer in chicago ...this is just been the best 7 days of the whole year I think... and we should have at least 4 more... we have been busy with a few last of the season plantings and beginning the seemingly never ending task of garden closings... time to put it all to bed and store it away for the season ...this past week we installed a new turf plot with small planting .. pictures are here ...and I went down to the Wee Ma Tuk cottage and began the end of season closing ...sad since I didnt even stay for one week all summer ... oh well there is next year .... here are pics...

patio and reclaimed wood planter box

I completed a small patio with natural flagging and sand base. As we excavated the area it was clear we had alot of really nice top soil...which when we designed and bid the job we were going to haul and dispose of ... (usually in another garden , as I hate to waste anything) but as it piled there I thought ... this could actually be something... how to use this ...and voila ... a planter box was built... with some new wood(left over from another project) and reclaimed pieces (from the customers own stock) we whipped together this box around the pile of dirt...check it out in these pictures

summer 2011 #2

summer 2011

this has certainly been a quick summer ...it seems as if it just began and all of a sudden it is August... we have been maintaining gardens, they always seem to grow so quickly between visits. This season we had some record breaking rains, or amount of rains... In July we had more than 10 inches of rain for the month and it has continued into the beginning of August. The rains are unusual for Chicago in that they produce a lot of rain in a short time and lots of lightning... they are more tropical in feel than the mid west...anyway ... this has made for some very humid weather, and soggy working conditions. held up a few times for installations this past month we hope to have those new projects finished soon and pictures following... in the mean time here are some summer pictures ...enjoy and thanks for checking in...

topiary ducks

These cute ducky topiary...installed today ...anyone want some ...all sorts of topiary available ... can't wait for the plants to sprout out of them ...

New Moon in May

I have not posted in a few weeks...well since the full moon ... of course this time of the season it is busy ..but we ended the month of April with the most rain in that month in something like 140 years...it did rain what seemed like every day ... we have had a few days of good dry weather ..but the temps are cool ... last night it was about 40 degrees in the city center .. my little starts and plants that I have out are startled... I know I have been pushing it a bit , but I need to oplant at home when I get the chance... I love the spring months ... it is warmer ... and the trees are greening and flowers are popping up everywhere ... seems the color is in stark contrast to the grey winter... I like to cut flowers in the garden and bring them into the home... I think it makes for a smile... I start early when I prune shrubs and trees bringing in the the branches and forcing them ... and recently I picked tulips from my garden in central Illinois... there we are a few weeks ahead...and this month when I go the lilacs will be blooming ... here are pics of my tulips and a lonely pasque flower that I could not pick yet but love it because it is such an early bloomer...oh and some hyacinth, perfect spring scent.