Bugs of Summer
It’s July and the garden is literally humming. As the milkweed flowering peters out, the echinacea has kicked in, bringing another round of bugs to the garden.
Tulip Time
Magical. Charming. Delightful. TULIPS! I can’t help but love them even if the bunnies and squirrels prey on mine. I plant a few every year with a handful of daffodils or alliums and hope for the best.
Late Winter Gifts
I know a lot of folks coax flowers into bloom for the holiday season. Our traditional poinsettias grace every table, window, and mantel. However, I find I need flowers in the latter half of winter more.
Warm Winter Wishes
Literally.
We’re flirting with 50s and looking at 60s and I’m longing for snow. I adore winter is all it’s snowy, icy glory. Climate change weather just keeps getting weirder.
Rewilding Chicago
Or at least bringing a bit of prairie to the urban landscape. I had a chance to visit Horner Park in the Irving Park neighborhood with a colleague. The new naturalistic planting along the Chicago River is thriving!
Trees, Rocks, and Water
Trees, rocks, and water. This is how we escape from the hectic every day. We recently took a week to explore southeast Missouri in and around the Mark Twain National Forest. It was a beautiful time of exploring, hiking, and getting away from it all (including Internet service).
Wonderful Wasps
I am embracing wasps this summer. I’ve never been fussed about them, but after doing some more reading, I’ve learned how key they can be to garden health and pollination. Plus, it reinforced the lesson that sooner or later, everybody gets eaten by somebody else.
A Rose Romance
Ah, June! Roses are at their height and bees are buzzing. I confess a romance with roses, especially the heirlooms. However, in my garden where it’s survival of the fittest, only the tough make the cut.
Tiptoe Through the Tulips
It’s tulip time! Last year I tried a small order from Old House Gardens which specializes in heirloom bulbs. I opted for some unusual tulips that harken back to the Ottoman Empire and its fascination with stiletto petals.
Spring Eternal
Flowers have returned. In January when our bodies are convinced winter will last forever, we wrap ourselves in blankets and pour over seed catalogs, watch garden TV, and suspect spring will never arrive.