Spring is overwhelming. There are a million things to do in the garden, not to mention all the family stuff. One daughter coming home from college. The other about to graduate high school and playing lacrosse all over the Chicago area. Everything's a blur right now. Then I decide to plant a new garden complete with a Tina dwarf crabapple. Restraint is not my strong suit. It should have been a quick planting job. The tree was small, container grown in a 10-gallon pot. No big deal. So I dug the hole, slipped the tree out of it's home and realized this "quick" job was about to get a little more involved...and dirty. Not hard, just time consuming and time is limited right now. But I want to do this right. Trees are an investment, something you hope will last for many years, not just the ...
Soil Test Results Say Back Off Organic Matter! What?
My soil test results contradict everything a gardener is told to do. As promised, I received a letter in the mail less than two weeks after submitting the soil samples to the lab detailing the shortcomings. As it turns out, both areas are pretty similar despite the fact that one is an established garden, the other hardly touched except for the tricolor beech and two Techny arborvitae that are no bigger than a minute. But there's one significant difference and it's a game changer. The redbud garden, which is no longer home to a redbud on account of verticillium wilt, was one of the first gardens I dug almost 20 years ago. It's seen a lot of compost which explains why it tested "very high" for organic matter. A whopping 10.0! Too much organic matter can be a bad thing. Ummm, wait, what? ...
Callery Pear Is the Unfortunate Harbinger of Spring
It's that time of year when you're hungry for green, searching for reassurance that spring is near. The Callery pear tree delivers in late March/early April in the Chicago area, peppering landscapes and swallowing fields and woodlines. It's everywhere and a clue to it's invasive nature. It's the first glimmer of spring we often see in our area and when I worked for a tree nursery several years ago, the most common question I got from customers this time of year was, "What is that beautiful white tree I see everywhere?" And then... "Do you sell it?" People couldn't get enough of it and when you don't know much about trees, it's easy to give into the squeakiest wheel. It seems like a safe, reliable choice. Don't fall for it! BIG mistake. In an effort to bring awareness, I covered ...
Letting Go of “Tidy” Spring Garden Cleanup
I'm all for a spring garden cleanup that saves me time and money. Toss in the added bonus of increased organic matter and improved soil health and I'm sold. Several years ago while working at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, I was chatting up my friend Scott Stewart who, at the time, was at the helm of Chicago's Lurie garden. It was mid-March and I mentioned that their compost bins must be overflowing with all the debris they were cutting back. What he said changed my approach to spring garden cleanup forever. You know the drill. Cut, rake, bag it, haul it to the curb, repeat. The curb in early spring used to look like a skirmish line of lawn bags waiting for the garbage truck to haul them away. It bothered me to think that all that garden goodness would benefit someone else. I ...
No Planting Yet, Get a Soil Test First!
I have a confession to make. My garden hasn't had a soil test in 10 years. There are plenty of things in the garden, like the chlorosis on the little lime hydrangea and the groundcovers that never seem to cover any ground, that have been telling me now's the time. I'm finally prepared to listen and only wish I'd done it a whole lot sooner. But with the new side yard bed I told you about last week, I'm determined to do things right. And while I'm at it, I'm going to sample the bed that used to contain my beautiful redbud. It bit the dust last year and nothing in that area, aside from the hosta and solomon seal which could probably survive Chernobyl, is thriving. So I'm double dipping, so to speak. Most states have a university extension office that you can call or look up online for ...
I Can’t Stop Thinking About That Side Yard
Sometimes I wish there weren't so many plant choices. It really complicates things. Just when I think I have it figured out and I'm forming a plan of attack, man this sounds like I'm waging war, I crack a new magazine or see someone's Instagram post and all hell breaks loose again in my mind. Now let me be clear, I don't need to build a garden in the side yard, but darn it I'm sick of seeing nothing but grass and my neighbor's white siding as I look out my laundry room window. This place is screaming for plants and I'm ready to dish it up. I've been saving since October and while it's not much, it's enough to fill this small area with some lovely plants. More on those later. But first, the grass. I considered the no-dig approach but decided against it because I know my soil is going to ...
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