this and that

and the other .... just few pictures of blooms and interests....and a cat

installation

we have finished our installation for Design Within Reach furniture showroom in Evanston. I will try to attach a copy of the invite to the main garden event on Saturday May 29 4- 8 pm...these pictures are of the container planting as it was created and installed....

oops! sorry to disturb...

look what we found while cleaning...




















































quack quack quack...quack!

projects before during after

garden projects

These are before and after pictures of small scale gardens...

forget me not...

all blooming on the farm ... forget me nots, iris, peony, thyme and sage... we weeded and weeded transplanted and cleaned the garden beds the last two days... it was a wet and sweet smelling visit to the farm... hopefully we will have some of these items for your garden next year...

Dawn Redwood, smoke bush and honey locust

This dawn redwood is an amazing tree... we planted a tree that was about 14' tall 7 years ago... now this is at least 45' tall ... it would be difficult to take a picture showing you the majesty of this tree...but the trunk and bark are an amazing addition to a wooded lot or even as a specimen tree... and the colour of this smoke bush against the bright green/yellow of the honey locust leaves are just amazing spring display....

Tree Peony

This is the last of the blooming days for our tree peony... the blossoms are quite large, almost the size of a plate...such a sweet smell and a wonderful addition to a semi shade spot in your garden

Transplanting Tips

For many gardeners, May is the biggest transplanting month. A seedling’s move to the outdoors can be traumatic. Here are some tips to minimize transplant shock:

• Be sure that the plants “harden off.” During the plants’ last week indoors, lower temperatures a bit, withhold fertilizer, and water less often.

• For the last 7 to 10 days, bring seedlings outdoors for increasing periods each day, first placing them in dappled shade, protected from winds, and then gradually moving them into full sun and wind.

• Do not leave outside if there is danger of frost. Our frost date is May 15... so keep an eye on the weather

• When buying transplants at a nursery, choose stocky plants with deep-green foliage. You’ll need to harden off these transplants, too.

• Ideally, the transplants that you grow or buy are in individual containers so that you do not disturb the roots of neighboring seedlings when you remove each plant.

Frost Saints

Ch-Ch-Chilly S-S-Saints

Spring may be in full swing, but May 11, 12, and 13 often revert to the colder days of winter, according to weather lore.

The Three Chilly Saints—Mamertus, Pancras, and Gervais (also called Mammertius, Pancratius, and Gervatius or Servatius)—often celebrated their feast days during a cold snap. Some called them the Ice Saints or Frost Saints, and many farmers held off planting until after the Three Chilly Saints’ days had passed.

Germans knew these days as the Icemen Days, and both the English and French watched for a late frost at around this time. St. Boniface (May 14) and the chilly “blackthorn winds” were sometimes associated with them, too.

St. Pancras Day [May 12] never passes without frost.

gardens and beer...

Who says gardening and drinking beer don't go.... here we are in the process of installing a vegetable garden bed at our local Pub.... if you watch the blog you will see pictures of the progress... in these photos are Eddie , our local tender of the bar...no vegetable gardener... I think Eddie will be telling us about the progress at the Paddy Long's Web Site...Check it out and come see our progress and have a pint....

just a thought...

"Gardening will teach kids to appreciate nature, and is a great way to introduce them to healthy eating."

I don't know where I came accross this but it seems fitting as we are all trying to eat healthy and make better meals for our families...and in addition to teaching appriciation of nature and intro to healthy eating they get some exercise and time outdoors away from computers and gadgets...just a thought...

greening our lives should be very easy... making our homes more green should be easy and creating a roof top garden should be easy and not very expensive....

it seems this week we have a bit of chill left in our system and it is passing through ..and by next week it will be warmer with those 70 degree temps coming... it is right on time ...