Sweet Home and Garden Chicago

SWEET HOME AND GARDEN CAROLINA IS NOW LIVE !

2012-03-09T18:50:00.001-06:00

Hey Y'all Come on Over and visit at my new blog, http://www.Sweethomeandgardencarolina.blogspot.com

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

Farewell to Sweet Home and Garden Chicago

2011-07-18T06:39:00.000-06:00

I never thought that this day would arrive but now that it has I am torn between joy and sorrow ; joy for a new chapter in my life, and sorrow on leaving my home and garden of over 40 years.

I've always said that it would take a lot to make me leave my home and garden but a 2 and 1/2 year old proved me wrong. It didn't take much for her to steal my heart with her winsome smile and " C'mon , gwanma, let's go ! "

The reason I've got " Carolina on my Mind "

Chicago winters also make me long for the shorter Southern ones I grew up with and the chance to garden almost year round.

I have enjoyed meeting so many fellow gardening lovers , bloggers and writers since I created my blog four years ago . It was great to welcome 50 bloggers from across the country into my garden two years ago during the SpringFling.

As I close the garden gate for the last time I will think of you and all the great exchanges we've had.

Its ironic that I am moving back to North Carolina, the state where my first Irish ancestor settled in the 1700's. It will take some time to get acclimated but I look forward to getting acquainted with this beautiful state and its people.

We don't say goodbye down South, instead it's " Y'all Come ! " And like Scarlett I " won't think about that right now. After all, tomorrow is another day. "

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

Garden Blogger Bloom Day

2011-07-15T06:24:00.000-06:00

July, the second month of summer in Chicago and it has been a very dry one. Despite it, the garden is flourishing. It's hard to believe but I still have pansies in bloom !

Here's what going on in the garden this bloom day :

Flowers too numerous to mention : Bellflower, Coreopsis, daylily, roses, annabelle hydrangea, blackeyed susan, marigold, and sedum.

And the veggies in the potager are in flower and fruit.

Tomatoes, tri-colored beans, cukes, salad greens, green onions, green peppers, basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, and kale have finally started their flowers and fruit .

When I think of my friends in the South and Southwest who've had a brutally hot summer with little or no rain, I'm even more grateful .

Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens and see what's blooming all across the country.

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day

2011-07-01T06:17:00.000-06:00

July

I see you in the red rose

and the stately oak

I hear you in the song of the brook

and the birds melody at dawn

The wind sends your fragrance on the summer breeze

the sun warms my very soul

Jewel of summer
welcome to the garden.

-Carolyn

The Potager in June

2011-06-29T05:47:00.001-06:00

Blueberries, kale, tomatoes,chard, beans and spinach, oh my.

This is the first season for my potager, and while it requires more maintenance, I have been enjoying its harvest. I sowed the seeds in early April and watched as the spinach, romaine, baby bok choy, chard and spring onion quickly grew and soon ended up on my table. There's nothing more delicious than a home grown vegetable to me.

The cucumbers, beans and tomatoes will take longer to mature and the blueberries are at last ripening. Two grapevines planted on the pergola are loaded with fruit as is the Asian pear.

The roses, dianthus, lilies , iris and blackeyed susans and lamb's ear look lovely among the veggies. Jojo and I are keeping a vigilant watch on that wraskily wabbit we saw munching on the plants last year. So far, other than a baby possum she caught, we've been lucky; fingers crossed, not to have any unwelcomed visitors to our June potager.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2011-06-15T06:24:00.000-06:00

The month is June, the subject is roses. I am going about the neighborhood to see how many roses I can capture.

This creamy yellow beauty is in my neighbor's garden

This rose greets me every morning.

It seems I'm not the only one who loves roses. I spied these on my walk around the neighborhood.

To see what's blooming around the country visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens .

Princess Di Graces the June Garden

2011-06-09T20:53:00.000-06:00

Princess Di, short for Dianthus, has returned in regal splendor to my garden this June. Self-seeding readily, this annual seems more like a perennial. Commonly called Sweet William, Pinks, or Carnation, her name translates as " flower of the gods. "

For centuries Dianthus has been one of the sought after flowers because of its ease in growing and the palette of colors it comes in from bright solids of white, rose, red, lavender and pink as well as bi-colors with beautiful eyes. There are more than 300 species to chose from.

Dianathus has many design uses in the garden -here I've used dwarf and mat-forming varieties in my potager and it looks good next to my herbs, blueberry shrubs, boxwood, roses, beans and tomatoes. It also mixes well with grey colored perennials such as Lamb's Ear, or Sage.

GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY

2011-06-01T06:09:00.000-06:00

"Wisteria woke me this morning,

And there was all June in the garden;

I felt them, early, warning

Lest I miss any part of the day.

Straight I walked to the trellis vine.

Wisteria touched a lifted nostril:

Feelings of beauty diffused, to entwine

My spirit with June's own aura."

- Ann McGough, Summons

Blooms on the Bee's

2011-05-26T06:21:00.000-06:00

My favorite clematis, 'Bees Jubilee ' not only blooms early, but often. It's lovely, large pink blossoms repeat bloom throughout the summer, making it a real show stopper i the garden.

The 7 Year Wonder

2011-05-24T06:41:00.000-06:00

Seven years in the making , Wisteria chinensis has finally arrived in full glory. Time to break out the bubbly ! If you've had a wisteria for a long time and it hasn't bloomed you can try my method. First root prune it - take a shovel and chop the roots to within a half foot of the crown or trunk, sprinkle a high phosphate fertilizer around it and water it in.

And of course as you are leaving you might say something like " Bloom damn it or it's off with your head ! "

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2011-05-15T05:28:00.000-06:00

" All things are possible in May. " May be, May be not. First we have near 90 and then 45, extreme temps that reap havoc on plants in the garden. One day the Magnolia is in bloom the next day ; gone. Tulips and daffodils droop their lovely heads in exasperation.

This is the second season for my new "blue lawn " ( vinca ) seen below on the right. The Korean Azalea has produced its lovely bell-shaped lilac flowers, the creeping phlox looks lovely and the wisteria is about to break bud. Airy Brunnera's beautiful blue flowers nod above its silver leaves. And last but not least, the golden leaves of ' autumn moon' maple have finally emerged fromt their long winter's sleep. And that's just in the front yard.

Meanwhile, out back, blooms are breaking out all over.

'Olga Mezzit ' rhodo is in full flower as are tulips and daffodils. Fragrant Daphne 'Carol Mackie' perfumes the air and the Asian pear has lovely blossoms. The heatwave caused my gorgeous Magnolia and Koreanspice Viburnum to fade like Scarlett O'Hare in the Georgia sunshine. My herb and vegetable garden grew several inches during the warmth.

The heat has been replaced by below normal temperatures in the mid-40's and is expected to last for several days.

To see what's blooming across America visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens .

Gotta Getcha' One

2011-05-11T07:50:00.001-06:00

Introducing ..... . Daphne burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie ' -queen of the Spring garden with gorgeous variegated leaves and fragrant blossoms. Named for the famed lover of Apollo you too will love Daphne , especially if you have a small garden. She'll take partial shade to full sun and will grow to 3 x 4 feet.

Daphne also attracts hummers and will re-bloom in the Fall. Even when not in bloom her variegated leaves are effective all season. In my experience it will take several years before Daphne comes into her own. I used to overlook her at the garden center because she didn't look that impressive, but I saw a mature one in a client's garden and it was love at first sight She grows more beautiful with each passing year . Wish I could say that!

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

Party Time!

2011-05-03T08:18:00.000-06:00

You are cordially invited to a party celebrating the forthcoming blooming of the Wisteria, a rare sight that has taken 7 years . Last year there was one lonely little bloom .

The First Showing 2010

Today while out in the garden I couldn't believe my eyes. The Wisteria tree was full of buds!

This is a Chinese Wisteria which is pretty finicky in Chicago's climate. I purchased this standard ( vine grafted onto a tree trunk ) 7 years ago when it was reduced from $500 to $100. I was about to whack it down when I decided to go all out in a last ditch effort to make it produce blooms. I root pruned it severly and cut back the branches to within a few shoots and applied triple phosphate . Of course I think I also threatened it with " Bloom dammit ! " My efforts finally paid off.

Now if we can have some sunshine please and get the celebration started.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day

2011-05-01T06:13:00.000-06:00

May

'Tis like the birthday of the world,

When earth was born in bloom;

The light is made of many dyes,

The air is all perfume:

There's crimson buds, and white and blue,

The very rainbow showers

Have turned to blossoms where they fell,

And sown the earth with flowers.

- Thomas Hood

Happy Birthday, world ! And to me and Judy Collins, TimMcGraw and Rita Coolidge, all born on the 1st of May !

America's Favorite Berry

2011-04-26T08:13:00.000-06:00

Another rainy April day ( no surprise -we've had the rainest April in 126 years ) but rather on the warm side so I decided to plant Strawberry baskets. I planted 15 each of two varieties -Ozark Beauty and Quinalt, both superior in fruiting and disease resistance. I used wire hanging baskets and lined them with the cocoa shells. Just poke a hole in the sides and insert the strawberry plants. Fill basket with a good potting soil and tamp the plants down. Plant two or three on top and keep well watered. Strawberries are heavy feeders so apply a good fertilizer at least once a week. This is a fun project if you have children or grandchildren. Strawberries start producing fruit in 5-6 weeks. The Ozark Beauty, an everbearing, claims to have as many as 200 strawberries on one plant. If this is true I'll be giving friends and family a lot of strawberries this summer.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

Catch Wicked Bugs in Chicago this Weekend

2011-04-21T14:23:00.000-06:00

Catch garden writer and blogger Amy Stewart in Chicago this weekend to promote her latest book, Wicked Bugs. On Saturday, April 23 she'll be at the Chicago Botanic Garden at 7 p.m. and at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville on Monday, April 25 at 7 p.m.

Welcome to Chicago Amy, and enjoy yours stay. Wish I could meet you but I'm working both days. Good luck on your book. It sounds fascinating.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden ChicagoAll rights reserved

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2011-04-15T04:44:00.000-06:00

Just got back from a 5 day visit with my little Sweetpea down in North Carolina. Like a beautiful flower she has matured and runs to me with arms up in the air, shouting
" Grandma ! "

It's been warm in Carolina for at least a month and the Dogwoods along with Redbuds, Camellias and Lilacs, are in abundance.

Back to reality. Unlike last year, we are experiencing cold, windy days this April. I was surprised at how much had bloomed since I left-daffodils, forsythia, squill and tulips add a lot of color to the barren landscape. My dwarf weeping crabapple has just started to show her lovely burgundy foliage.

Meanwhile I have many people breathing down my neck to get started on their gardens. Chicago winters are just way too long. Hurry May !

Go on over to Carol's at May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in your neck of the woods or around the U.S.A.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day

2011-04-01T06:34:00.001-06:00

Poetry in the Garden

In Chinese and Korean gardens there are 5 important elements : Water , which equals life, plants and trees which are nature's clothing, rocks and stones, earth's strength , architecture, the foundation and poetry that reflects the joys of nature.

Traditional Chinese poems, called couplets, consists of two lines . For example :

10,000 flowers

dare to blossom in the snow

Spring. A single tree leads the world in greeting

In the beautiful Huwon Garden of Cheongduk Palace, home to 13 Korean Kings, a boulder in the Ongnyucheon ( Jade ) stream is inscribed with the following poem written by one of them in the 16th century :

The stream flows away endlessly

the waterfall plummets down from the sky

these remind me of a white rainbow, thunder and light flooding the valley.

Sijo, an ancient form of Korean poetry which uses three lines, was styled after the Chinese and is similar to the Japanese Haiku, but much older.

It is said that the King and his cohorts would float cups of wine down the Jade stream and the recepient had to compose a poem or song before it reached them. No easy task.

April is national poetry month. Gardens have made poets hearts sing since the beginning of time. Mine is no different. I only wish I had a big,beautiful boulder upon which to write so that generations of gardeners to come could read it and be inspired.

April

Welcome, April
come right in.
I've been waiting for you.

Here in the garden you will find
Purple crocus
golden buttercups
velvet pansies
red tulips
and me.

Robins and Cardinals
too busy to sing
follow my hoe
seeking worms

Now that you are here
there is much to be done

Beans will go here and tomatoes there
I draw an imaginary plot in the air
Cabbages and onions all in a row.
And of course flowers,
flowers everywhere !

Dear April
I'm so glad you came.
But surely you've noticed
what a stir you've made.

You arrive so splendidly
in garments of green and gold
with Spring in your pocket
you touch the gardener's soul.

-Carolyn

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

A Frontyard Ornamental Veggie Garden Plan for a Small Urban Plot

2011-03-31T06:03:00.001-06:00

Sure to get your neighbor's attention. " You're gonna what ? Plant veggies in your frontyard?

Yes, a veggie garden in the frontyard, but one that looks good. I'm not speaking of rows of corn . Saw that in a frontyard last year and it looked unkempt .

This plan was designed for a dwelling that has a side entrance and fence around the entire front . To grow veggies and the plant material in this plan you'll need from 4 - 6 hours of sun .For DIYers the main task here is to prepare the soil , adding amendments as needed. It is more economical to order large quantities of topsoil and garden mix by the load than the bag so check landscaping supply companies in your area. Pay close attention to the soil in the veggie garden- it must be very fertile, with good compost and manure . To reduce maintenance an above ground irrigation system, Mr. Landscaper, not only saves 70 percent water, but protects your investment because watering is one of the most important things you can do for a newly installed landscape. This system is so easy to put together and with the addition of a timer, you can go on vacation and not worry about who's going to water.

Inexpensive trellis for the climbing veggies along the fence can be purchased from Home Depot.

Once you have an abundance of tomatoes and zuchinni to share with the neighbors I think they'll come around to seeing how a vegetable garden can work in the frontyard.

Small Urban Frontyards : A Zen Garden

2011-03-28T12:25:00.000-06:00

I designed this Zen Garden for a very small front yard of a contemporary townhouse for clients who wanted a low-maintenance, no-mow landscape. This garden looks good in every season due to its structure of evergreens, rocks, granite/gravel base and decidious ornamental tree. Minimal maintenance involved is watering, planting annuals for seasonal color ( optional ) and removing any leaves that may accumulate in the Fall, for which a leaf blower would be ideal. To further reduce the maintenance of watering, a low-cost, drip irrigation system with a timer could be added.

For DIYers that would like to tackle this project, I would advise starting by adding amendments to your soil ( compost and manure for sandy soil; cotton burr compost and black forest soil condition for heavy ) , and begin by selecting and planting the ornamental tree and shrubs. For small yards, garden centers can tell you how many bagged goods are needed to cover your landscape to a 3-4 inch depth . If your yard is larger, ordering a load of garden mix soil would be more economical. Dig it in well with the native soil. For the stones and gravel and garden mix topsoil , check out businesses in Chicago under " Landscaping Supplies " that carry these and pay them a visit with measurements of your plot in hand. Apply the gravel over a layer of paver base to a depth of 2-3 inches after everything is planted, and tamp it down .

Garden centers usually carry a good selection of water features, soil amendments statuary and of course, the annuals and perennials as well.

FOR ALL THE GARDENING WEEKEND WARRIORS: Here's a Plan for You .

2011-03-25T11:31:00.009-06:00

Every Spring they come to the garden center bearing photos and drawings of their small urban yards. Brave souls that have spent their last dime on the interior and now not much left for the exterior so they want to do it themselves. Good old American gumption, which I like.

So I help them design their little Urban Eden. One yard down and so many more to go in this city whose motto is : " City in a Garden " to which I roll my eyes. How I wish. I want to take a stroll and see a lovely landscape as I pass beautiful homes but unforunately I'd have to walk for miles and miles to find one. It saddens me because it really doesn't take that much money or effort to create a pleasant garden. Just like the clothes you wear say who you are so does your garden and its there in public for all to see.

So for those of you who want to do your own landscape, I say go for it. I'm here to cheer you on. This is the first of several plans for urban gardens that I'm featuring. Don't hesitate to comment or ask questions about your own landscape plan or this one.

Aiming and Fixing

2011-03-19T16:02:00.000-06:00

Been aiming and fixing to :

Put this coldframe I purchased last year together.

Paint this rusty chair I found in the alley.

Clean up the potager.

Put up this birdfeeder my neighbor gave me.

Put a border around my herb garden . Don't throw away the red twig dogwood branches, they make a nice border.

I do believe my aim is getting better -I managed to do four out of five this time. I'll save the coldframe and seeds for another day.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

2011-03-15T06:21:00.000-06:00

Spring came to Chicago last week and it put on quite a show. The Chicago Flower and Garden Show, that is. Gorgeous, bright flowers dazzled the eye and lifted the spirit.

Meanwhile in my indoor garden a lonely Christmas cactus has produced one bloom and the Pointsetta still thrives under the grow light. Soon trays of sprouting seeds will take up most of the space.

I visit the blogs of my Southern friends to see what Spring, which has been in swing there for a month already, has brought them. My daughter sends me pictures of the trees in bloom in North Carolina. Later this week Spring weather will visit Chcago for a day or so with promises of temperatures in the 60's.

For winter-weary Chicagoans Spring is as "slow as molasses in January " but for now we see hopeful signs.

Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in America.

OUTSTANDING IN THEIR FIELD

2011-03-10T08:44:00.001-06:00

The list of new woody plant materials our Tree and Shrub buyer at Gethsemane scours the country for is long so I'll just pick out a few of some that I think are special.

Fall color of Betula nana 'glengarry' - a dwarf bog birch that grows to only 2 feet.

Photo by Carol-Annie, Flickr photostream

Chionanthus retusus 'tokyo tower ' - a pyrimidal form of the Fringe Tree, sure to be a hit for the urban garden.

Wow! Similar to the Coral Bark Maple - Acer cirinatum 'Pacific Fire ' is sure to be a best seller. It slowly grows 10 ' in 10 years.

Weigela florida 'shining sensation' -I've always loved this shrub for its long bloom - 6 weeks and deep burgundy foliage but now this beauty is a reliable repeat bloomer!

Garden seasoning kicks off soon - our Tree and Shrub department opens early in April. Those of you in the Chicago area stop by and see our sensational selections and I'll be glad to give you a tour of our fabulous garden center, voted the best by the Chicago Reader and other media.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

SPRING IS TIME TO THINK OF FALL

2011-03-07T08:29:00.004-06:00

Don't wait until Fall to think about Mums that usually don't survive the Chicago winters. I have a strong dislike for the annual Mums I see plopped in the garden each Fall-don't like their color, form, or how unnatural they appear.

Garden centers are sorely lacking in perennial mums - even the largest one in Chicago that I work for carries only the Korean Mum, a rather pastel color. I ran across a great on-line Mum store in Minnesota ( Faribault Growers ) that carries cold hardy mums in the yellow and red I prefer. They have a great selection of "novelties" and at a great prices -$2.50 each .

Above are two of my favorites. Shipping for these mums are from Apri 10-June 15. The time to plant Mums in Chicago is when all danger of frost is past, or around mid-to-late May.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved