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Cafe au Lait Royale

Annuals | Gardening | Tropicals

My First Year Growing Dahlias

I’ve always collected cool things - feathers, smal

I’ve always collected cool things - feathers, small animal skulls, antlers, rocks, shells. And I’ve always wanted to snag an intact wasp nest. I have bits and pieces of some but this is a big score! I think I’ll put it on the shelf and call it a conversation piece. #waspnest #naturaldecor #baldfacedhornet #nests #collecting #hereshegrows

This year I had two reasons to reach out to Davey

This year I had two reasons to reach out to Davey Tree. One reason was no surprise. The pussy willows had been declining for several years. But the devastating storm damage to the crabapple is what brought me to tears. #daveypartner

The great thing about Davey Tree is the initial on-site consultation is free and done by a certified arborist who’s from your area. Which means he or she knows what species will work in your space and what pests and diseases are most common.

I asked him A LOT of questions during that consultation, not just about the crabapple and pussy willows, but about other things like my tree lilac with deformed foliage on one branch. And there was the Redwing viburnum that had begun to lean. Not to mention the maple in the parkway that was being choked out by girdling roots. Then there was the nudge I needed to cloud prune my Tamukeyama Japanese maple this winter.

I learned so much in that visit! There were things that I could do right now to correct problems in my garden. And there were other things like that girdling root that I think I’ll leave to Davey.

It’s nice knowing there are certified arborists who can lend a hand when my beloved trees are in need of a doctor’s touch. Use the link in my bio to schedule a visit from a Davey arborist near you!

@daveytree #arborists #treecare #treehealth #suburbangardening #hereshegrows #trees #treecare #treecareprofessional #certifiedarborist

I don’t remember a better year for fall color! The

I don’t remember a better year for fall color! The leaves are hanging on longer and we have yet to have a hard frost. Here are a few standouts in order of appearance…

1️⃣ Blue Star juniper with a backdrop of Tamukeyama Japanese maple. I LOVE the color combo and texture here.

2️⃣ Little Twist cherry with a carpet of Helen von Stein lambs ear

3️⃣ North Wind maple

4️⃣ Juicy orange hips on the David Austin James Galway climbing roses

5️⃣ My front yard carpeted with leaves from my Autumn Blaze maple

#fallcolor #fallgarden #hereshegrows #suburbangardening #chicagogardening #zone6a #treesofinstagram🌳

After a recent storm blew through and I was finall

After a recent storm blew through and I was finally able to see what that loud crack was just beyond the window, I was devastated. My favorite tree, a Prairiefire crabapple planted nearly 20 years ago, had been split in half. Its gorgeous display was the talk of the neighborhood every year. #daveypartner

So I called @daveytree to assess the damage. I asked their arborist to check out the two pussy willows while he was at it too. I knew their days were numbered so it came as no surprise when he determined all three trees should be removed.

While I had my own ideas about replacements, I loved hearing what the arborist recommended as replacements for these empty spaces. So I took those into consideration too.

The Davey team did an excellent job navigating my densely planted suburban garden. Not a single plant was damaged during the process.

And I liked knowing that Davey offers a special Plant Health Care program that’s dialed into the specific needs of my landscape. The service is focused on the long-term health and proper care of trees and shrubs, which can help protect trees before a storm comes through. From timely pruning to storm damage prevention, Davey tree doctors identify potential issues before they have a chance to get worse.

Find your nearest Davey office using the link in my bio.

#treehealth #arborists #trees #suburbangarden #zone6a #chicagogardening #treeremoval #hereshegrows

A recent study published in Science of the Total E

A recent study published in Science of the Total Environment revealed the impact of leaf removal on our pollinator populations.
According to the study, there’s a 45% reduction in moth and butterfly numbers. Spiders decline by 67%, beetles by 24% and non-stinging parasitoids by 56%.

Another study published this spring in Science magazine revealed a 22% decline in butterflies over the last 20 years in the United States.

The common denominators include pesticide use, climate change and habitat loss.

Further research revealed that one of the most destructive things we can do in our landscapes is remove the leaves that provide winter habitat pollinators rely upon for protection. It’s where eggs, pupae, larvae and adults wait out winter.

Without fallen leaves, your garden becomes a death trap.

To help pollinator populations, leave the leaves in your garden beds. And rake those on the grass into beds where they’ll decompose while also providing a safe haven.

#pollinatorgardening #fallgarden #leavetheleaves #zone6a #suburbangardening #hereshegrows #protectpollinators #conservationathome #theconservationfoundation

I’m a week out of knee surgery and moving my leg i

I’m a week out of knee surgery and moving my leg is getting easier. So I hobbled out to the berry bed to look at the gorgeous red foliage on my blueberry bushes and couldn’t believe how many strawberries were ripe for picking. It’s October 30 by the way! What’s even more miraculous is that none of them had been nibbled by the chipmunks. Perhaps they knew I needed a little lift. This is an everbearing variety called Gasana from @greatgardenplants and they weren’t kidding. These little plants are productive! I kicked off the season with soil acidifier from @true_organic_ and followed up monthly with their berry fertilizer. As an organic gardener, feeding and replenishing the soil it’s important to me. The soil is at the heart of this berry bed and why I don’t worry about washing the strawberries before I enjoy them. They never made it into the house! #trueorganic #everbearingstrawberries #strawberries #foodgarden #octoberharvest #truecrew #soilhealthmatters #raisedbedgarden #zone6a #hereshegrows

You can grow the most delicious food you’ve ever h

You can grow the most delicious food you’ve ever had. And once you give it a go, you’ll never want another grocery store tomato or blueberry again. Having been raised on organically grown produce, my kids are food snobs and I’m pretty damn proud of that! Kids should know and appreciate the taste of real food! #organicgardening #homegrowngoodness #growwhatyoulove #foodgardening #raisedbedgardening #smallspacegarden #backyardgardener #suburbangardening #zone6a #hereshegrows

I wasn’t planning to do any fall containers this y

I wasn’t planning to do any fall containers this year but how can you refuse the most unusual pansies you’ve ever seen?

So I grabbed a bag of @true_organic_ worm castings to refresh some potting soil and planted Elegance pansies from @incredible.genetics in a pot just outside my back door.

I’m not one for buying new potting soil every time I plant, a bit of a refresh is all it takes to give these cool-season beauties what they need to flower well into winter.

Elegance pansies are hardy to -10F and hopefully, given that they’re in a site protected from the North wind, there’s a good chance they’ll return in the spring too! 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼

To purchase True Organic fertilizers, check out my Amazon store (link in bio) or go to your local Menards.

#thetruecrew #trueorganic #containergardening #coolseasonflowers #elegancepansies #pansies
#fallcontainerideas

I love building beautiful soil in my @vego_garden

I love building beautiful soil in my @vego_garden raised beds. It’s not hard to do and far less expensive than having soil delivered. All of my beds are lined on the bottom with hardware cloth to prevent burrowing animals then I do a lasagna of cardboard, compost from my bin, kitchen scraps, bits of turf, lots of leaves and some bagged topsoil. Water it all in and come spring you’ll be amazed by the gorgeous soil you’ve built. My little raised bed veg garden produces the most delicious, organically grown produce. #foodgarden #raisedbedgardening #buildsoil #organicgardening #growyourown #vegogarden #growwhatyoulove #soilhealthmatters #chicagogarden #zone6a #hereshegrows

I loaded my @vego_garden raised beds full of tulip

I loaded my @vego_garden raised beds full of tulips and if it plays out next spring the way I imagine it, the veg garden should be lovely. What spring blooming bulbs are you planting? #thinkspring #raisedbedgardening #springbulbs #fallgardening #backyardgarden #springflowers🌷 #zone6a #hereshegrows #vegogarden

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