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Espalier DIY: A Small Space Garden Solution

November 30, 2017 By Heather Blackmore 2 Comments

Espalier Kefir Pear

In 2012, I was scouting magazine locations and came across a garden along Chicago's North Shore unlike any I had ever seen. What stood out was the tree positioned in a narrow planting bed on a north-facing wall and I was instantly intrigued. So much so that I knew I had to figure out how to put something like that in my small garden. The homeowner, Kim Visokey (a self-proclaimed Garden Freak), had planted an espaliered Kieffer pear tree that produced plenty of edible fruit. Espalier is a pruning technique developed by a French monk, Father Legendre, in the mid 1600s, who stumbled upon the idea purely by happenstance. Food production can be a challenge, especially when you're faced with the task of feeding a monastery. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention. Fruit buds ...

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Filed Under: Gardening Tagged With: espalier, fruit trees, gardening, small space gardening

A Grateful Gardener Gives Thanks

November 21, 2017 By Heather Blackmore Leave a Comment

Grateful Gardener Cat on Fence

  Sometimes I wonder what I would be doing if I didn't have a garden. It's work, man is it work. But when you love something so much, it doesn't feel like it. Ok, sometimes it does. Like when the English ivy is sucking the life out of your serviceberry and you have to remove every. last. bit. of. it. Ugh. But it's done and the robins and cedar waxwings will be thrilled to have their favorite tree restored. I've learned to NEVER plant ivy, no matter how lovely a ground cover, again. In retrospect, I'm thankful for the lesson. Plants with attributes like "will tolerate sun and shade" or "fast spreading" and "tough as nails" are glaring red flags. Too much of anything is often not good. Unless it's chocolate. Every year brings new challenges, new realizations and plenty of new ...

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Filed Under: About, Gardening Tagged With: gardener, gratitude, soil, Thanksgiving

Slow Food With Strangers for Thanksgiving

November 2, 2017 By Heather Blackmore Leave a Comment

Slow Food Candelight Dinner

If thoughts of gathering round the table with family for Thanksgiving send your blood pressure through the roof, consider dining with strangers, seriously. They can't sling dirt, they don't know you. And even if they did, you'll likely never have to see them again. It's a win, win. Agritainment, a national trend that gives people a taste of the rural life, might be the solution for the holidays. This was my first experience and it got me thinking that this type of venue may be perfect for people who don't exactly enjoy family dinners. My husband and I were invited to experience one of Locavore Farm's Dine On The Land events. What a treat! This was business and pleasure for me as I was scouting the location for a potential magazine story. The invitation came from Rachael Jones, AKA ...

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Filed Under: Food Tagged With: dinner, farm-to-table, food, organic, slow food, Thanksgiving

Amaryllis: Forcing For the Holidays

October 25, 2017 By Heather Blackmore Leave a Comment

Aphrodite amaryllis

For as long as I can remember, an amaryllis has graced my kitchen windowsill at Christmas time. They're elegant, incredibly easy and, as I learned this summer, full of surprises. Typically I'll buy a bulb in October and plant it in potting mix, or sometimes leave the soil out entirely and allow only the root plate to touch the water in a clear glass vase. Long, strappy leaves emerge like green tongues from the bulb and grow incredibly fast, giving way to a thick stalk that houses the bloom. The south-facing window offers up plenty of light and I get something to look at as I conquer the nightly dishes. Aphrodite bloomed last Christmas. In the past, I've gotten amaryllis bulbs from big box stores for $5. At $15, Aphrodite was a splurge, but so worth it with her pink edged, frilly white ...

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Filed Under: Gardening Tagged With: bulb forcing, flowers, Indoor gardening

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Hi there!

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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I love the chop and drop method of garden clean-up I love the chop and drop method of garden clean-up and I did a little of it today. You could also run your lawn mower over your perennial beds and I’ve done that as well. But we’ve had some rain and the ground is very soft. I went with the pruners to avoid compacting my already dense soil. Do you chop and drop? It’s such a budget friendly way to build your soil! #chopanddrop #springcleanup #gardentipsandtricks #soilhealth #healthysoil #budgetfriendly #garden #gardening #gardentips #soilhealth #gardensoil #smallspacegardening #chicagogarden #zone5b #hereshegrows
What better welcome home than several clumps of Fl What better welcome home than several clumps of Flore Pleno snowdrops? #earlyspringflowers #galanthus #snowdropseason #florepleno #springgarden #smallspacegarden #zone5bgardening #chicagogarden #springbulbs #bulbs #backyardgardener #hereshegrows
After visiting the @naplesbotanical garden, I want After visiting the @naplesbotanical garden, I want to hang orchids from all my trees this summer. Then reality sets in and I remember I live in a cold climate and all the orchids I see in my imagination will have to be brought inside for winter. So yeah, reality check. Aren’t those roots amazing?! #orchids #epiphytes #houseplants #orchidcollection #hangingorchids #orchiddisplay #orchiddendrobium
Happy Spring! American Goldrush rudbeckia is anoth Happy Spring! American Goldrush rudbeckia is another low maintenance perennial that gives way more than it takes. Despite my back and forth with plant choices for the redo of my patio garden, this has been a constant. I have several clumps of it throughout the garden and will divide it again for this space. Other plants in this very narrow garden include Allium ‘Millenium,’ Shasta daisy ‘Becky’ and James Galway climbing rose from David Austin. It’s a popular pollinator spot and so easy to maintain. #pollinatorgarden #pollinatorgardens #rudbeckia #allium #easyplants #garden #gardening #gardendesign #gardenideas #perennialgarden #perennials #perennialborder #zone5b #smallspacegarden #chicagogarden #hereshegrows
Twenty years ago, I was a young mom with two babie Twenty years ago, I was a young mom with two babies in diapers and this was where I began. I didn’t have a clue what I was doing and a lot of plants met their end here. The most important part is that I kept gardening and learning more every single day. I think that’s what I love so much. The not knowing. It’s an ongoing experiment and I’ve been in love with the process since the first time I buried my kitchen scraps in this area that I hoped would become something lovely and good. #mygarden #smallspacegarden #chicagogarden #gardening #garden #gardendesign #zone5bgardening #zone5 #perennialgarden #plantcombinations #urbangarden #sungarden #easyplants #latespring #perennialborder #gardeninspo #hereshegrows
My shady entry garden is heavy on foliage, light o My shady entry garden is heavy on foliage, light on flowers and it’s one of my favorite spaces. Hosta, heuchera and geranium macrorrhizum are some of my favorite low maintenance plants for dry shade. I love the patchwork of colors and textures and the randomness of the Everest alliums that dance above it all in the spring. #shadegarden #shadegardening #entrygarden #dryshade #easyplants #gardening #madeintheshade #garden #gardendesignideas #gardenideas #perennialgarden #foliageplants #chicagogarden #zone5bgardening #smallspacegardening #hereshegrows
Flowers are fleeting, but foliage is where it’s Flowers are fleeting, but foliage is where it’s at. You can’t go wrong with coleus, lungwort and colocasia. The coleus was a single plant that I pinched back several times to create this rounded beauty. #foliagefriday #foliage #gardening #coleus #lungwort #gardenideas #gardenplanning #gardendesign #entrygarden #gardengate #zone5b #chicagogarden #urbangarden #smallspacegarden #hereshegrows
I’m happy with how this newest part of my garden I’m happy with how this newest part of my garden is coming together. The Abies concolor ‘Blue Cloak’ was a birthday present I gave myself two years ago. The long blue needles are so beautiful. Eventually, that arbor will be covered in pink David Austin James Galway roses. I planted them bareroot last year so give this area a little more time and we’ll circle back to it. It’s hard to be patient! #garden #firtree #gardenideas #arbor #inmygarden #smallspacegarden #zone5b #chicagogarden #hereshegrows
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