Sweet Home and Garden Chicago

53 IN DECEMBER

2009-12-02T08:47:00.001-06:00

First Snowfall
by Moi

Most people reading my post title would automatically think " Oh, she's turning 53 in December." I wish ! Only gardeners would know I'm talking about the temperature.

Gearing up for winter I've been painting snow scenes but haven't seen the real stuff yet. Taking advantage of the mild temps I've also got my Christmas tree lights up outside.

I still have dianthus in bloom. Flowers in the snow, a little red peaking out. Might make a good subject for my snow series, one of which is above.

I must be careful what I wish for as they say. The difference is I know I'm gonna get it. Sooner rather than later.

GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY DEC.1

2009-11-30T08:22:00.003-06:00

An Arrangement for Jason
by Moi

The Garden in Winter
 
by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Frosty-white and cold it lies   Underneath the fretful skies;

Snowflakes flutter where the red   Banners of the poppies spread,
 
And the drifts are wide and deep   Where the lilies fell asleep.

But the sunsets o'er it throw   Flame-like splendor, lucent glow,   

And the moonshine makes it gleam   Like a wonderland of dream,
  
And the sharp winds all the day   Pipe and whistle shrilly gay.

Safe beneath the snowdrifts lie   Rainbow buds of by-and-by;

In the long, sweet days of spring   Music of bluebells shall ring,
  
And its faintly golden cup   Many a primrose will hold up.   

Though the winds are keen and chill   Roses' hearts are beating still,

And the garden tranquilly   Dreams of happy hours to be­

In the summer days of blue   All its dreamings will come true.

THE BOUNTY OF THE FIRST THANKSGIVING MEAL

2009-11-25T09:59:00.007-06:00

The First Thanksgiving
by Jean Leon Gerome Ferns

Native Americans were the first gardeners and they saved our early pilgrim settlers by teaching them their craft. Most of the seeds brought by the settlers from their English homeland did not thrive in the new soil and climate . They would've starved to death if the Native Americans hadn't shown them how to grow the "three sisters " -corn, beans and squash. We gardeners are very familiar with their wise saying : "When the oak leaves are as big as a mouses ear, it is time to plant the corn " . The early settlers also learned to find nuts, berries, lobster, clams, and to hunt ducks, geese, deer and bear.

That first Spring they " tilled and planted with heavy hoes ".. .20 acres of corn, 6 acres of wheat, barley and rye . A vegetable garden was also planted and harvested .

The harvest was abundant and so they invited their Indian neighbors to celebrate with feasing, singing , dancing and games.

From all indications, turkey was probably not on the first Thanksgiving menu but most likely fowl such as duck, geese, and pheasant were. The first Thanksgiving was a BBQ with venison, fowl and fish roasted over an open fire.

Potatoes hadn't been cultivated at the time and due to the shortage of flour and sugar there was no pumpkin pie, but boiled pumpkin instead. They did have barley for beer and corn for corn bread.

So as we gather to give thanks on this 232nd Thanksgiving let us be grateful and remember those American pilgrims and their kind neighbors, who, like gardeners everywhere, couldn't pass up an opportunity to introduce their craft.

Happy Thanksgiving.

LET THE GARDENING SEASON BEGIN

2009-11-22T12:04:00.004-06:00

I started a succulent garden this summer and moved all the pots inside my sunny west facing dining room . My daughter, Cathy at Outside In, the indoor plant guru, however; advised me that I needed a grow light if they are to be kept alive. Cathy uses grow lights and has plants that bloom throughout the winter . She tends to over a hundred of them. Wonder where she got that green thumb :-)

Ninety dollars later ( ouch! ) I have an LED grow light that covers 5 feet of space and emits a rosy glow at night. It is energy efficient, burning only 15 watts and is said to last for 11 years so spread over that amount of time it is a bargain.

Plus, if the grow light keeps my two treasured rosemary trees alive it will be well worth the cost.The tag on the rosemary said the secret to keeping it alive is water. So I placed the rosemary in a tray and I check it for moisture daily.

I think I'll add some orchids and force some bulbs . This indoor gardening can be very intense. Being surrounded by plants certainly makes the winter more bearable.

NOVEMBER BLOOMS AT SWEET GARDEN CHICAGO

2009-11-13T10:11:00.004-06:00

Click to enlarge

What's still in bloom and leaf ? Viburnums , oakleaf hydrangea, mums, dianthus, ornamental grasses, curly fox sedge , autumn joy sedum and the last rose of summer , the Knock Out which just keeps on going until winter rears her ugly head.

Pardon me, am I dreaming or is this November ? Days of sunshine and temperatures in the 60's and 70's have more than made up for a dreadful October. As you can see from the above collage there's still a lot going on in the garden.

A year ago the most beautiful flower came into our life -Lathyrus odoratus a.k.a. Sweetpea. Lea is celebrating her first birthday on GBBD and Granny is throwing her a little party. Never thought I'd find a hairless, toothless human that needed to be fed and diapered frequently so precious. Babies are just like seeds. They don't look like much at first sprout but then they soon grow into a beautiful flower.

I WILL REMEMBER YOU

2009-11-11T07:33:00.004-06:00

To my first Irish ancestor who fought in the American revolution to my brother in the Korean war, and my cousins in WWII , my graditude to everyone who has served our great nation.

HEY AL : A WARMER WORLD IS A SAFER WORLD

2009-11-10T07:24:00.008-06:00

From my kitchen window overlooking the garden :

Feb. '97 Blizzard

I've always felt that climate change was a natural occurrence and that warmer is actually better. Global warming? Ha ! Digging out of many Chicago blizzards I used to ask aloud , " Al, where's that global warming you've been promising us ?

Now comes Dennis Byrne, Chicago Tribune columnist, who says that the Intergovernment Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC) study by the climate alarmists is most likely manipulated for political reasons and is full of flaws. Chicago-based Heartland Institute has published the Nongovernmental International Panel on Climate Change ( NIPCC ) Climate Change Reconsidered that checks the work of fellow scientists to see if it stands up to a rigorous review of available research, data and conclusions.

" What they found was stunning, " Byrne said. " For example, the IPCC claimed that " most of the observed increases in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely ( at least 90 percent certain) due to the increase in anthropogenic ( man-made) greenhouse gas concentrations ". Wrong; the opposite is true. Blame it on natural causes, the NIPCC said. Told you, Al !

And I like this one even better : " The IPCC claims that global warming will wreck humanity and the Earth. Wrong. The NIPCC concludes--using the data and science available - that a 'warmer world would be a safer and healthier world for humans and wildlife alike . '

Mr. Byrne concludes with " Beware of any "science" that claims to fully describe in single theory any phenomenon as complex as global climate change.

Thank you Mr. Byrne and the IPCC. I , too, believe that the global warming alarmist are politically and financially motivated . Must be nice to fly around in your own private jet, collect money and donations, appear in magazines and on television and make movies that bring in loads of money.

Click on the link below for the full column :

Beware the climate change alarmists -- chicagotribune.com

Posted using ShareThis

An Outstanding Shrub for Spring, Summer and Fall Interest

2009-11-09T09:21:00.005-06:00

Viburnum 'carlesii ' compactum

Viburnum ' carlesii ' , or Koreanspice, is a very popular seller in the tree department of the garden center where I work and while I sold many myself I didn't think I could find the space for my rather small city garden. Then along came a compact variety so this summer I purchased and planted one.

The Koreanspice has long season interest, beginning with its rather unique Spring blossoms which open pink and turn to white as they mature. The fragrance is similar to a spice cake or cloves and permeates the area so its ideal to plant nearby so you can enjoy its perfume. Expect many bees and butterflies to enjoy it as well.

The summer interest is the beautiful leaves which turn a gorgeous wine and scarlet in the Fall as you can see from the photo I snapped just yesterday. The Spring blossoms mature into red berries as well and add even more interest, especially for the birds.

Avoid watering the leaves of the Koreanspice as they can be prone to mildew and give it a lot of good air circulation. It does not like to be dry so a lot of humus when planting and a good mulching will help maintain moisture .

One of the Most Striking Trees in the Fall Landscape

2009-11-04T17:59:00.004-06:00

Sorbus Altinifolia

I have the pleasure of frequently passing this Korean mountain ash in the parkway in our neighborhood and am always impressed by it's four seasons of interest. While it's foliage is beautiful all year , Fall brings out the best in it. The leaves haven't yet turned to yellow-orange because it hasn't been chilly enough yet but the beautiful cherry-red berries are striking.

In late Spring flat clusters of delicate white flowers appear and gradually turn into the beautiful berries. This is a medium to large tree, reaching 40 feet and has a 20 foot spread. While many Sorbus varieties are prone to root rot , pests and disease, the Korean mountain ash is very hardy and disease resistant.

The winter interest is its smooth gray elegant bark. The Moutain Ash provides food for our feathered friends and while the berries are edible, they are much to acidic to be eaten raw.

Green Tomato Time

2009-11-02T08:13:00.005-06:00

This is what was left of the tomatoes

Good thing I made a photo because these are long gone.

Goodness gracious I never expected to see grits or fried green tomatoes go gourmet but they have. They've made the fried green tomatoes healthier by using olive or vegetable oil , That's where I draw the line. Gotta have that taste of bacon fat. Yum. And I add a little drop or two of tobasco sauce to pep up the flavor. I don't eat a lot of junk food so I guess this is one time of the year that I can indulge my quaint taste.

I didn't grow the regular or large tomatoes this year so I'm making little bite size tomato sliders. They look like something out of Martha Stewart's appetizer cookbook.

I miss the thick large slices of green tomatoes so I am already formulating my plans for a little veggie plot for next year.

GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY -NOV. 1

2009-10-31T21:18:00.004-06:00

Forty six years ago - A young gal from rural Alabama and a foreign student from South Korea tied the knot. Guess I was a rebel way back then even because marriage to someone from a different race wasn't widely accepted, South or North.

But here we are today, 46 years later , 3 wonderful children and a first grandchild. We are truly blessed to have surmounted all the trials and tribulations that life has given us. Coming from totally different backgrounds and circumstances I would dare say that it was at least 2 or 3 times harder to overcome the obstacles of marriage that people from similar backgrounds encounter.

I think the thing that helped me the most was becoming acquainted with the Korean culture whereby I gained an appreciation and understanding of my husband. I became a rather well-known figure in the Korean community in Chicago because my husband brought his mother from Korea and she lived in our home for 10 years. Even modern day Korean daughters-in-law could not have endured living with their Mothers-in-law. So I became a sort of legend in the community. My children and I were the beneficiaries, however, because our " halmoni ", grandmother in Korean, was a wonderful, loving person that taught us a lot. I'm so glad that my children had beautiful memories of her since my own mother passed when I was four.

Forty six years and I still feel as if it were yesterday. The years have flown by so quickly and are so full of wonderful memories. We live each day as if it could be our last because we've seen many friends and acquaintances leave unexpectedly.

In this here today gone tomorrow world we look back and see the two young people we were taking a chance on life and we've never regretted it.

AN EVERGREEN SOURCE OF DELIGHT FOR GARDENERS

2009-10-31T20:06:00.000-06:00

When National Geographic and The University of Missouri Botanical Garden get together on a book you just know that its gotta be good. More than 200 beautiful illustrations are reason enough to enjoy Flora Mirabilis, an exquisite book, but the interesting stories about how plants have had such a profound affect on our daily life adds another dimension.

I was contacted by National Geographic and offered a free copy of the book but I found it reasonably priced at Amazon.com for $23. When I'm not able to get outside to garden the next best thing is reading a good book on plant life.

A TREE FOR SPRING AND FALL BEAUTY

2009-10-28T07:35:00.000-06:00

Cornus Florida 'cherokee princess '

This beautiful American dogwood is in my neighborhood and I enjoy its beauty both in the Spring when it's covered with large pink blossoms and in its October red dress pictured above.

If memory serves I believe that Tennessee has been dubbed the Dogwood State . Actually the dogwood grows in abundance throughout the South and is a favorite tree for many.

When I first planted my garden in Chicago I chose two trees - the dogwood and a regular magnolia. The magnolia didn't survive the first winter but the dogwood did. Every Spring when it was time for it to bloom a hard freeze nipped it in the bud. It finally succumbed to disease.

Working in the tree department at our local garden center I learned that the American dogwood, had been improved to be more disease resistant and hardier for the Chicago winters.

The Asian dogwood varieties bloom later than our American ones and while not as showy, this can be a big plus for the late freezes that tend to affect the Spring blooming trees.

I HAVE A BEEF WITH QUIZNOS

2009-10-27T10:13:00.007-06:00

In this very politically correct culture of ours who in their right minds would produce a repugnant, racist commercial to sell their products ? Quiznos, that's who. When I first saw the commercial I was appalled, but apparently I am not alone. It's all over the net and on Youtube.

The second Youtube video is very suggestive and in my opinion not fit for a young viewer.

Quiznos has got my " Irish " up and this Appalachian American is going after them full blast. That Ad agency is going to get an earful from me. I don't get it. What does a hot tub have to do with a sandwich ? Are you people clueless ? Whatever happened to making food appetizing so that potential customer want to eat it ?

In the meanwhile, Momma says " Eat at Jimmy Johns. "

500 POSTS, YALL !

2009-10-25T21:08:00.005-06:00

Jason,my son, the Webmaster

A few years ago my son Jason suggested that I start a blog. A what ? says I . The word blog sounded repugnant, like something out of a horror movie. " Oh, Mom all you ever do is live and breathe gardening so you might as well write about it.

I'll try just about anything once so I jumped in head first as Jason patiently tutored me on the how to's of a blog. Just how did it come to this, I wondered, when the child becomes the teacher?

Anyhoo, 500 posts later I look back and appreciate my son's confidence in me. I've made many friends with similar interests and I've enjoyed blogging about my garden and gardening experience.

So thanks, Jason. I hope your momma has made you proud.

AUTUMN COLORS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD

2009-10-20T14:15:00.015-06:00

These are the autumn colors in my small city garden :

An annual mum made a surprise appearace

The tiniest of hydrangeas at 2 feet : ' Spreading Beauty '

The most amazing hydrangea : ' Limelight '

Boston Ivy

Bergenia Cordifolia

Azalea

Autumn Moon Maple

And these are colors I captured while strolling around my neighborhood :

(Click to Enlarge )

Above are : Sugar maples, serviceberry, mountain ash , burning bush, sumac, boston ivy, Japanese maple, and daylily.

FALL RETURNS TO CHICAGO

2009-10-19T09:52:00.009-06:00

A green and white tulip - Spring Green and Cape Cod, a beautiful orange

Love the oranges and yellows -
That 's Orange Emperor on the left and Sweetheart on the right
Also ; the earlier the better.

A red and yellow Crown Imperial. These are so majestic

108 Narcissus and Daffodils
All petite and all early

Today was an exceptional Autumn day after the coldest 3 weeks in October in 82 years. Sixty Seven wonderful, warm degrees ! I visited the garden center Sunday and picked out some lovely tulips and daffodils for my new garden bed. While over a hundred bulbs seem a lot they cover a small area.

Had a rare day off so I used the time to get all the bulbs planted and watered. Tomorrow promises another warm day and I plan to make the most of it .

Can't wait to Spring to see the newest additions to my garden. How do they get a green and white tulip ?!

OCTOBER BLOOM DAY

2009-10-14T07:42:00.007-06:00

Autumn Moon Japanese Maple : Beautiful year round but more so in October

Close Ups of October blooms

In the Limelight : Hydrangea and Azalea in Fall dress

October opened with record cold and has continued its chilly grip, killing many of the tender perennials and annuals. It has been the coldest October in 82 years. I am not ready for such an early cold Fall and so Providence, hearing my heartfelt plea, will send some nice warm weather this coming weekend.

There's still so much left to do in the garden. I'm dividing and transplanting perennials and I have Spring bulbs left to plant.

Visit Carol at Maydreamsgardens to see what's blooming this October.

Indoor Gardening Begins

2009-10-06T08:22:00.004-06:00

Click to enlarge

Weather report for October : Brrrrr. Coldest temps in 5 months. Yesterday was nice and sunny with highs in the upper 60's so I began the enjoyable task of moving the house plants indoors.

I must say I'm very pleased at how the variegated geranium, ' peppermint ' performed after over wintering indoors last season. I've still got coleus and fuschia to pot up and bring inside.

My dining room now looks like a mini greenhouse but I enjoy having all the plants around . My daughter Cathy, the indoor plant expert, informs me that I need a grow lamp for the cacti so I'm off to find a proper one.

Can You Ever Have Too Many Greenbeans?

2009-10-04T07:56:00.002-06:00

Ceci's greenbeans

Nah. Can't have too many greenbeans. Love them everywhichaway. We Southerners tend to cook everything to death, including green beans, smothered with bacon grease. Yum.

My good neighbor Ceci planted her bean stalk and it found its way to my side of the trellis. Finders keepers. So far I've collected several large bags of beans.

Green beans seldom show up in Asian cuisine but the Chinese have quite a few good recipes. I made a mess of them last night using soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seed. I cooked them for only 7 minutes and they were both tender and crunchy.

Think I'll make me a big pot of Brunswick Stew for supper. In addition to green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, and corn the recipe calls for a squirrel and a rabbit. Maybe that rascally rabbit that has been nibbling on my plants in the frontyard and the squirrel that made off with one of my juicy pears.

OCTOBER 1 MUSE DAY

2009-09-30T14:11:00.005-06:00

Autumn moon

Leaves of gold and red

welcome October.

-Carolyn Choi

Is Civility Dead?

2009-09-27T10:35:00.000-06:00

Is civility dead ? If not it's surely bruised and badly beaten. I just stared in disbelief at the TV a week or so ago when Kanye West grabbed the mike from Taylor Swift and ruined the 19-year-old's acceptance speech for her first MTV video award, telling the audience that Beyonce was much better and deserved the award instead of Taylor. I don't care if you are red white or blue, in any case , that is just plain rude. Then Serena Williams, she of the fabulous Tennis game, spat venom at one of the judges in language that couldn't be aired on the news. And those are just two of the many examples of public figures that have stuck their foot in their mouth .

What's wrong with people today? Many seem out of control and ready to explode at the least bit of stress. Rudeness rules the day. People speak without thinking about how it could hurt them or others.

In the recent past I've had two incidents happen to me in which I could not overlook the rudeness without responding.

When I first emerged as an artist a mentor suggested that I volunteer at an arts organization so that I could get to know the art community. There I met all sorts of interesting artists and got to view their work as well.

A visitor approached my desk and asked to see the director. When I told the director her name she rushed out to meet her so I surmised she must be one of the important patrons of the arts . " So, ", the director asks, " How was your road trip through the sunny South. Did you take in a lot of culture?"

Visitor flung her head back and uttered : " Ha! Culture ? In the South ? Now that's an oxymoron. " Director cleared her throat. I was expecting her to say something back . Silence.

I could feel the steam slowly escaping from my ears and I held on as long as I could. " Excuse me. What you just said, " I declared. " Am I correct that you believe culture is indigenous to Chicago ? Are you telling me that Harper Lee, author of the Pulitizer prize winning To Kill a Mockingbird, considered one of the greatest books of all time, is not cultured? Truman Capote, Fannie Flag, Winston Groom , Tennessee Williams, William Faulkner, Edward Osborne Wilson, to name a few, ever hear of them ? And these are just the writers. How about Roger Brown, considered one of the great contemporary Chicago artists? Well he's from the South as well.

She stared, mouth open for a moment. Regaining her composure she said, " Me and my big mouth! I must apologize. There's no excuse for my remark and I didn't intend to insult you or the entire South. It just so happens that I'm in a foul mood because I went speeding through a red light in one of those sleepy little Southern towns and got caught by the Sheriff. After giving me a lecture on the dangers of speeding, he levied a heavy fine."

" Apology accepted, " I replied. " Unlike many these days you've taken responsibility for your words. " I admire that. The director sighed, relieved that we'd come to an amicable conclusion.

Art patron spoke to director and said that we ought to have cultural exchanges with artists between the South and North as a way of getting to know each other better. I thought that was a brilliant idea and the art patron and director agreed to start such a program.

The second incident was with a friend of a friend who , detecting my Southern accent, asked where I came from. When I told her Alabama she asked how long I had been in Chicago and I replied that I left my hometown soon after high school graduation. " Just as well, " she said, rather arrogantly. Making sure I understood her, I politely asked " What do you mean ?"
"Oh, " she says, " the way they talk down there. " " So, ", I replied, " do you think Y'all sounds worse than ' Youse Guys ?" Dead silence .

If I were the judge in the case of these loose lips I'd sentence them to a month of gardening. The first week would deal with weeding, the second week with double digging, third week planting trees and the last week planting bulbs. I think such a sentence would go a long way to reducing the stress of rude people everywhere.

I learned at a very early age that if you lose your good reputation you lose everything and its something that you can seldom regain again.

NOMINATION FOR BEST ILLINOIS BLOG -BLOTANICAL

2009-09-24T08:13:00.011-06:00

I was pleasantly surprised to see my nomination for the Best Illinois blog and even more surprised to see that my daughter Cathy of Outside In was in the same category with me. I'm so proud of her as she is a rather new blogger.

You don't have to be a garden blogger or writer to vote but you do need to register here . To vote, visit Blotanical here .

The Last Day of Summer

2009-09-21T20:26:00.007-06:00

Farewell to Summer

Today is the last day of summer according to the calendar. September has been more summer-like than most, albeit; very dry.

Last night a gentle rain fell, the first in a few weeks, and I fear, not enough to really soak the dry earth.

There's still so much left to do in the garden and I am waiting until the cool Fall days of October arrive to plant bulbs and divide and separate perennials.

Some good news on the weather front in today's paper : El Ninyo looks like it will bring us a milder than normal winter.

Looking back on this summer I cherish it for the many wonderful days I spent with my first grandchild , Lea. Each day we greeted the morning in the garden. I hung a stained glass art bird on the pergola and she loved to pull its string to make it fly. When I asked her " where's the bird ? " her face would light up and she looked right at it and smiled. Sometimes language isn't needed at all.

Grandpa often uses sign language instead of words and Lea always greets him and others with a wave of the hand. She's ten months old now and will soon be walking.

We dread the onset of winter but will long remember the wonderful days of Lea's first summer.

GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY-September

2009-09-14T17:15:00.008-06:00

The above photos are the short shots of some of my flowers:
Host, geraniums, Korean mum, fuschia, Proven Winner petunias and Profusion zinnia

The long shots of my September garden

September and summer is finally here. We're enjoying hot, sunny dry days and cool mornings and evenings.

The petunias gave out early this year no doubt due to the weather - too much rain, not enough rain . I was really surprised by the Proven Winner dwarf petunias and how well they did. They've been blooming non-stop all summer and I didn't have to deadhead them at all.