As I'm writing this, the wind is howling, the furnace hasn't stopped and the current temperature is -26F in the Chicago area. With the wind chill...-47F. Ugh. The dog is resting at my feet in a sweater to which she's reluctantly adjusting and all I can think is how grateful I am that the garden is blanketed with seven inches of snow as we wait this out. Frost quakes, or cryoseisms, have been rattling the garden all morning and seem to have subsided now that the sun's out. Cryoseisms occur when saturated soil endures a massive temperature drop. The soil expands, stressing its surroundings, until the pressure becomes so great that a tiny explosion occurs. While I didn't feel the earth shake, the quake that occurred at 11am was enough to wake my daughter. School's closed for the next few days ...
Eight Houseplants for the Beginner
I used to think dust was the only thing I could grow on my windowsill. Houseplants were not my thing. So you might be wondering, after such an admission, why the heck you should trust me on this one. My answer is simple. I haven't killed these guys. And that's saying something. I'm not the most doting houseplant mom. Most of them get the third child treatment. You know, the kind where you temporarily ignore the saggy diaper and crusted snot smeared across his face long enough to down a cup of coffee, brush your teeth and attempt to look human. You care about their wellbeing but aren't maniacal about it like you were with your firstborn. Lucky for us, most houseplants thrive on neglect. Children, not so much. But I've matured enough to know that a little attention to their health is worth ...
An Urban Backyard Reimagined
One of the perks of my job is receiving permission from homeowners, many of whom I've never met, to poke around in their gardens. I imagine it's a lot like getting a backstage pass to a concert. The thrill is real because I have absolutely no idea what I'll find. I get a little giddy actually and, when a stunning landscape reveals itself, a little choked-up by the beauty of it all. When I walk into a magical place, a space that transports me into another world, well that's pretty cool. And the thing about it is, it doesn't have to be an enormous landscape to elicit an emotional response. I've found that the most memorable spaces are the small intimate ones that make you feel like Mother Nature has enveloped you in her protective embrace. Like the one you're about to experience. I was ...
My Succulents Have a Case of the Fuzzies
Every fall I bring in several plants from the patio to overwinter as houseplants and most fare well indoors. Except for my terracotta teacup full of succulents. I love the way the burros tail spills over the edge and the senecio stretches like steam. All goes well for those first few weeks in my south-facing window. Until one day, fuzzy critters (aka mealybugs) arrive and I'm forced to deal some death. All. Winter. Long. Protected by a soft, fuzzy exoskeleton, mealybugs camp out in clusters along the undersides of leaves and reproduce rapidly. A single female lays anywhere from 400-500 eggs in her short life. She dies after egg laying. Piercing-sucking mouthparts enable them to extract nutrients from their host and diminish its vigor. They tend to favor fresh new growth. A ...
How to Divide Amaryllis and Why You Should
I'm not a resolution kinda gal. Perhaps a vow to initiate the dormant cycle on my growing collection of amaryllises in September instead of December is a good starting point. After all, they're supposed to be holiday flowers. But I find I'm most in need of flower power in February when holiday magic seems a distant memory and Spring is Winter's indefinite captive. That's what I love about amaryllis. I decide when I want them to flower. I hold the magic wand. But all the abracadabra I can summon won't change the fact that my pot-grown amaryllises are in need of a little attention. Something's Up I rescued a forgotten red lion amaryllis bulb from the top of my work bench a few years ago and potted it up in a cobalt blue pot. Unsure how it would perform, I placed it on the patio with ...
How to Prevent Christmas Cactus Buds From Falling Off
It was a very "Rocky" sort of moment. If ever a plant could bring out my inner Russian boxer, it is most certainly this Christmas cactus. Last December I brought it home from my local grocery store. At just $2.99, it was no big investment. How hard could it be, right? Covered in fuchsia flowers and dozens of buds, I figured this would make an excellent addition to my growing collection of houseplants. Its "cactus" status screamed low maintenance. VERY misleading. Bathed in ignorance and weakened by my longing for flowers, I envisioned it fitting right in with my other thrive-on-neglect comrades. How could I go wrong? Who knows how long the thing sat in the grocery store before it sucked me in. No doubt it was already suffering from the trauma of shipping and exposure to low light and dry ...
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