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 ...
Soak Seeds to Speed Up Germination
I live in the Chicago area, which more or less means I could start the day in a bikini and end it in a snowsuit. Case in point...on April 25, it was 73 degrees F, on April 27 it was snowing. Yes, snowing. On April 28, the rain was relentless and the thermometer barely reached 45 degrees F. Bitter. My growing window is unpredictable and I often don't set anything out until at least Mother's Day. Even then, I'm leery and hold some things like tomato seedlings until the last week of May. Direct sowing tomatoes, jalapenos and ground cherries (some of our favorites) is impossible here. A narrow growing window means the time it takes directly sown seeds to germinate, produce flowers and finally fruit brings me to the first fall frost and zero chance of enjoying my hard work. So I resort to ...
Coffee Grounds for the Garden: How Much Is Too Much?
When I was a kid, my mom would sprinkle her philodendrons with a combination of coffee grounds and egg shells. The plants grew like wildfire, especially the one on the kitchen table. It got an additional jolt from the mixed vegetables my brothers and I buried in there during dinner time. We were raised in a home where you weren't excused from the table until your plate was clean. Mom and Dad would leave the table, having finished their meal, and us kids would sit and stare at each other until one of us came up with a brilliant plan. We each took turns serving as lookout as the others deposited a spoonful of mixed veg into the planter. To this day, lima beans still make me gag. We hated them and the plant was an excellent way to dispose of them. Mom discovered our little secret a year ...
The Splinter That Inspired A Pergola
In 2007, opportunity knocked in the form of a three-inch sliver in my four-year-old daughter's little foot. It was as gruesome as it sounds. Despite that, I asked the surgeon to save the piece of wood for posterity. For now, it's in her baby box that contains lots of "firsts." First sippy cup. First favorite toy. First story book. I'm willing to bet she's the only kid with a giant piece of wood sealed in a urine specimen jar with a label that reads "Abigail's First Sliver" along with the date. She'll be 16 in a few months and has yet to inquire about it. Too many bad memories, I suppose. To this day, I don't know why I told her to come in and put shoes on. We tend to run around barefoot in the backyard. But I suspect it had everything to do with an article I read about skin-penetrating ...
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