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Search Results for: urban backyard

An Urban Backyard Reimagined

January 17, 2019 By Heather Blackmore Leave a Comment

Urban Garden

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 ...

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Filed Under: Gardening, Top Posts, Virtual Garden Walks Tagged With: edible garden, espalier, outdoor living, small space garden, urban garden

Portfolio

It’s been my pleasure to linger in all of these gardens, get to know their gardeners, and tell the story of how these lovely spaces evolved. I’ve worn many hats – writer, photographer, stylist, producer – to bring these gardens to life in regional and national publications. From rebuilding a flooded garden the night before a shoot to coordinating 20 dogs and their humans for a garden party, it fulfills my insatiable desire to experience beauty and the unique ways gardeners express it in their spaces. Country Gardens Early Spring 2018 Article: The Early Show - Written and Produced Synopsis: Drifts of spring-blooming bulbs and perennials are the key to creating a garden seemingly designed by Mother Nature herself. Chicagoland Gardening Jul-Aug 2018 Article: When Great Garden Minds ...

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A Traffic Stopping Front Yard Garden

January 24, 2020 By Heather Blackmore 4 Comments

front yard garden

In all my garden scouting, I very rarely saw front yard gardens. Most had the typical smattering of evergreens and deciduous trees, but few relied on perennials to carry a design. Oftentimes, front yard gardens are like mullets - business in the front, party in the back. Fortunately, the figurative garden mullet is much more appealing than the actual hairstyle. Homeowners often save the good stuff for the backyard or more intimate spaces not observable from the street. What a treat it was to experience a true front yard garden where the homeowner let it all hang out! In a good way, of course. The garden was designed by landscape architect Robert Milani for a home on Chicago's North Shore. There's nothing cookie cutter about the area. The one thing most homes have in common though, is a ...

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Filed Under: Gardening, Top Posts, Virtual Garden Walks Tagged With: Detroit Garden Works, front yard garden, garden design, Midwest garden, perennial gardens, perennials, Robert Milani

The Splinter That Inspired A Pergola

April 11, 2019 By Heather Blackmore Leave a Comment

Finished 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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Filed Under: Gardening, My Garden Tagged With: outdoor living, outdoor room, patio, pergola, vines

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I'm Heather and I love to grow stuff. LOTS of stuff. Most importantly, a healthy family. I'm a stay-at-home mom with a passion for playing in the dirt. Read More…

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When your bedroom windows face south, the sills be When your bedroom windows face south, the sills become seed starting central for us gardeners with limited space. #seedstartingtime #indoorseedstarting #smallspacegardeningideas #gardeningonabudget #onmywindowsill #offandrunning #bringonspring #windowsillgardening #zone5bgardening #chicagogardening #hereshegrows #heatherblackmore
What’s not to love about a flower as big as your What’s not to love about a flower as big as your head?! Summerific Evening Rose hibiscus is a showstopper. Last summer, I had so many neighbors asking about “that giant flower next to the garage.” I love that the garden is such a conversation starter. @provenwinners #summerific #wowthem #perennialhibiscus #perennialgardening #eveningrose #statementplants #inmygarden #zone5gardening #zone5bgardening #chicagogardening #backyardgardeners #smallspacegardens #hereshegrows #heatherblackmore #girlswhogarden
This part of my garden used to be a swamp after a This part of my garden used to be a swamp after a rainfall. With a storm sewer and several adjacent sloped yards draining into our backyard, it was rarely dry. But with good tree choices, like river birch and pussy willow, we were able to remedy the problem. I’d classify this area as dry shade now that the trees are established and hog every last drop of moisture. Thank God for dry shade plants like hellebore, aralia (which is new and quite tiny in this pic), and sweet woodruff! Head to the blog and search “dry shade” for more cool plants for this very challenging growing situation. #dryshade #shadegardening #madeintheshade #toughplants #shadeplants #plantcombos #smallspacegardens #inmygarden #backyardgardening #lowmaintenancegarden #chicagogardening #zone5gardening #zone5bgardening #mixedborders #perennialgardens #hereshegrows #heatherblackmore
Do you see what I see? #buhbyewinter #springscomin Do you see what I see? #buhbyewinter #springscoming #daffodilseason #daffodils #gardenart #lochness #inmygarden #winterisending #springgarden #zone5gardening #zone5bgardening #chicagogardens #backyardgardener #smallgardenspaces #illinoisgarden #smallspacegardens #springbulbs #hereshegrows #heatherblackmore
For me, a rose has to have three attributes. 1️⃣Fragrance 2️⃣Disease Resistance and 3️⃣Pollinator Friendliness. Rugosa roses check all these boxes and a few more like fall interest with their huge orange hips and gorgeous plum-colored foliage. They are the easiest roses in my garden, requiring nothing more than a hit of Rosetone fertilizer a few times each spring/summer (if I remember). No need for foliar spray applications, matter of fact they resent it and will let you know. Aside from the Japanese beetles, these repeat blooming roses are unfazed and perfume the air with the most wonderful clove fragrance. I’ve grown several varieties but this one, Frau Dagmar Hastrup, is a smaller form at 3-4 ft tall and wide that fits my smaller garden. Rugosas are tough and worth a look, especially for us cold climate gardeners. They’re hardy to zone 3/4 depending on the cultivar. #rugosarose #pollinatorfriendly #pollinatorgardens #lowmaintenanceplants #pollinatorsofinstagram #rosesofinstagram #coldclimategardening #floweringshrubs #inmygarden #zone5gardening #zone5bgardening #chicagogardening #hereshegrows #heatherblackmore
CHICAGO HARDY FIG update on the blog! They’re wa CHICAGO HARDY FIG update on the blog! They’re waking up which can only mean one thing...SPRING IS COMING!!! I’ve been growing two figs in a container for four years, overwintering them in a pitch black basement with very little TLC. So easy to do and so worth it for the sweet goodness it produces every September. #gettinfiggywithit #figsfigsfigs #figtree #containergardening #chicagohardyfig #fruittreesinmybackyard #fruittrees #inmygarden #growfigsincontainers #coldclimategardening #gardeningideas #zone5gardening #chicagogardening #zone5bgardening #hereshegrows #heatherblackmore
Over the garden gate. My favorite place in the wor Over the garden gate. My favorite place in the world. #latesummergarden #mygarden #smallspacegardens #backyardgardens #pergolas #gardenpergola #gardenstructures #mixedborder #perennialgardening #zone5gardening #zone5bgardening #chicagogardener #chicagogardens #suburbangardener #lowmaintenancegarden #growwhatyoulove #wildspaces #hereshegrows #heatherblackmore
The pussy willow catkins are swelling and in a lit The pussy willow catkins are swelling and in a little over a month, the sun will shine and the tree will hum with honeybees. I can’t wait! #springtrees #salixdiscolor #pussywillowtree #pollinatorfriendly #pollinatorgardening #springgarden #springgardening #nativeplantsofnorthamerica #honeybees #pollinatorsofinstagram #pollinators #inmygarden #catkins #zone5gardening #zone5bgardening #chicagogardener #midwestgardens #hereshegrows #heatherblackmore
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  • A Traffic Stopping Front Yard Garden
    A Traffic Stopping Front Yard Garden
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