Every year, I plan a budget friendly road trip that appeals to the whole family. It's not easy when you're traveling with two teens. But we got lucky. The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC, had something for everyone. I wanted gardens. My husband wanted trains. And the girls just wanted to be somewhere other than Illinois. By the end of the Biltmore experience, we all were blown away. You can't grasp the enormity of the place until you pass the entry gate. It was then that I realized we had entered a different world. One where the roads are lined with an impenetrable bamboo thicket and the forest leading up to the estate is pristine and full of enormous trees. Even the small stone bridges were worth admiring. So much care and thought had been put into this very grand, but incredibly ...
Six Tips for Managing Food Allergies on Vacation
Vortex Doughnuts was an exceptional bakery in Asheville, NC, and quite possibly the highlight of my daughter's entire vacation. Their selection of soy-, nut- and egg-free doughnuts, as well as made-to-order coffee, had us wishing they were closer to home. I felt my hips expanding with every inhalation. Food factors into everything. How we socialize, celebrate, train, relax, connect, vacation. It's the vacation part that scared me most when my daughter, Abigail, was diagnosed in 2016, with Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and allergies to soy, nuts and eggs. We can't fly by the seat of our pants and eat anywhere. Every move requires a plan of attack. While I still approach vacation with a bit of trepidation, I have a better handle on how, who and what to ask when it comes to ...
Japanese Beetles and Fond Childhood Memories
My daughters have been trained killers since the ages of three and four. Weapon of choice? Dish soap. It was fun and made mommy happy. I sound like Joan Crawford in the garden. But a few weeks ago, my oldest, Emma, who will be 18 in a few months, told me it wasn't until recently that she realized her childhood memories were slightly different from those of her friends. I cringed as I waited for her to elaborate, my mind Rolodexing for any moment that may have left a mark. The tale she shared with her friends involved death, roses and soap. At Last rose by Proven Winners, my latest addition to the garden Desperate Times, Desperate Measures It was late June and the roses were opening. At the time, I had three Frau Dagmar Hastrup rugosas planted beneath my family room windows. Their ...
Boxwoods Feel the Burn of a Brutal Winter
Spring in the front garden. The boxwoods were looking pretty pathetic but I still had hope. July is here and I'm pulling the plug on the boxwood. It's tough to do considering they've lined my front walk for over a decade and never once have they looked like this. A brutal winter left me with toasted boxwoods, otherwise known as winter burn. I'm not alone though and that's some consolation. The Chicago Botanic Garden and the Morton Arboretum have reported significant losses in their boxwood collections. Misery loves company. At least this time I'm not to blame. Most of my neighbors with boxwood have taken the same hit, as have my customers at the garden center. They often come in with a photo or sprig of golden boxwood wondering, their voices full of concern, what to do to "green them ...
Lamb’s Ear: A Spirited Child Goes Rogue
Have you known parents who refuse to discipline their child for fear that they may "break their spirit?" I don't know about you, but I generally like most children, until I cross paths with one who's spirit has yet to be broken. I can't get away fast enough. Their cuteness teeters on obnoxious, until their dominating presence becomes completely unbearable. I can't stand those kids and look to the parents and wonder what the hell they're thinking. Last night, I imagined that's what other gardeners must be thinking when they see my front bed and the cute, soft, pretty little thug that's swallowed the entire planting. Stachys byzantine 'Silver Carpet', aka Lamb's ears, is my spirited child. Last night I ruled with an iron fist, and a pitch fork, as I began the arduous task of putting ...
Repotting a Fiddle Leaf Fig…With Trepidation
I can't remember ever having a plant that's caused me more stress than the fiddle leaf fig I bought on a whim at Costco last July. But it's not the plants fault it's a bit of a diva. I'm asking a rainforest plant accustomed to humidity to suck it up in a midwestern climate marked by dry furnace heat in winter and cold air conditioner breezes in the summer. Not exactly the environment these guys crave. It's my fault for having jumped on the bandwagon with other fiddle fanatics. But I'm glad I did because, for now, I think I have this thing licked. Fiddles are everywhere these last several years. From print to TV, they appear in most staged room designs and people have to have them. Including me. Bringing it home reminded me of the day my husband and I brought our first daughter home ...
- 1
- 2
- 3
- …
- 8
- Next Page »
