container gardening, garden

Container Gardens

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Trailing Vinca on the front porch ~ pre-potted for me but my favorite!
Every year, I like to experiment with plant combinations in pots and tubs.
It’s fun throwing colors and textures together and then waiting to see how they grow.
Some turn out some don’t, but I enjoy the experience non-the-less.
Annual Purple Feather grass & Potato vine and Impatiens & Torenia
Hens & Chicks and Blue Spruce Sedum
close up of chicks
and finally an update of the White & Fuzzy Tub….
The washtub is almost hidden from view & the snow in summer is starting to trail the ground and the Yarrow is now completely hidden…

Oh, no wait…. Here it is….  Maybe next year it will flower.
birds, container gardening, garden, Illinois

White roses, Green tomatoes & an Uncooperative Chickadee

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Last month I ‘rescued” a miniature white rose from my IGA store. You know, the little roses you find sitting among assorted house plants and such in the grocery store’s floral section. 
This little rose was sitting there all by it’s self, looking lonely, and loosing it’s blooms for lack of light~ 
so of course I had to take it home.
(Yes, this is an addiction….  and when they come out with the TV show, “Plant Hoarders Intervention”, I will probably be one of the featured guests!)
 Anyway, I gave it a new home with lots of organic compost and plenty of sunshine. 
It really loved this and was quickly covered in new growth and fat little buds!
Isn’t it pretty?
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And, I finally have green tomatoes! Yay!
I got my garden in late so I’m very happy to see these now. 
There’s nothing better than a garden grown tomato! These are Rutgers.
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And last, my garden has been made home by a family of Chickadees this year!
I’ve been trying to get pictures forever of these quick little guys 
but by the time I snap the picture, they’re off and flying again!
This is one of the babies and he’s not afraid of me at all. 
He’ll sit on the feeders right next to me as I work in the garden! 
He just didn’t want to hold still for the camera!
container gardening, Illinois

Bonsai! ~ sort of…..

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You may remember in a previous post that I showed you this Red Japanese Maple in a nursery container.
Well, I decided to keep it in a pot until I can find the perfect place to plant it.
I found this really cool pot that is made from resin, fiberglass and rock dust. 
Not exactly a Bonsai container but I think it suites the tree.

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I’ve Been Adopted!

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I’m now the proud mama of a Juvenile brown headed cowbird!
while this is not the actual bird, this is what he looks like. I didn’t have a camera with me at work
All afternoon, the little bird followed me as I worked in the garden center, walking back an forth around my cart as I pruned and organized perennials, pecking at bugs and listening to me talk to him. It was slow tonight so I didn’t have to worry about him getting under foot around customers, though I did have to make sure I knew where he was before I moved.  And like a good mama should, I was knocking Japanese Beetles off the plants and on to the ground for him where he feasted his little heart out, pausing every once in a while for a quick little nap. This went on til closing time. 
It started to get dark and I was getting ready to leave, but he was getting sleepy and wanted to stay near me. This of course made me feel bad, so I left  him sleeping by my cart while I hurried and locked up. He was still sitting on the ground when I got done, but I didn’t want him to sit out in the open all night, so I had to finally shoo him under the racks and told him it was time to roost and I’ll see him when I come back.  
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Okay, Yes, he’s just a bird- but it’s hard to get rid of that mothering instinct!
I think my little guy here might have been blown in on the storm we had Monday morning. 
I know he’s been here since then. 
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0 – 330 in 3.95 seconds!

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 Now that’s fast!
(Sorry for the blur ~ Old camera couldn’t keep up)
Today we went to Rt. 66 raceway in Joliet IL. for the NHRA Nationals.
Had a blast, blew out ear drums, even got to see
John Force up close!
Life is good!
Illinois Railway Museum

Illinois Railway Museum

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4th of July at the Train Museum
Our family took a little trip to Union IL to see and ride restored antique trains and street cars.
(this is an annual event for us)
We had a lot of fun, got lots of pictures (lots and lots of pictures!) and a little sunburn as well~
so without further ado ( and little words), here’s our version of the vacation slide show….
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~Oh, and we’d like to thank our son Chris for his Military discount! ~
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(love that place!)
Here’s a link for more info about the Museum:
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built 1948 ~ Chicago Transit Authority 4391 ~ aka “crowd swallower… people load in the back doors while people unload out the front…
Inside 4391~ very nice, I say we bring these back to the cities!
Hey Look! It’s the trolley from Mr. Rogers!
Electric street car’s power source… the conductor has to manually hang out the window and position this on the wire using the white rope ~ every time they change direction
Delaware Lackawanna & Western 567~ 1914 coach
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hallway of tiny sleeping berths~ very tight!
one of the more luxurious booths
Can you imagine traveling crosscountry in this little booth? that chair opens up to a bed and that little purple seat is your toilet!
Happy diners of the era~ picture was taken in a similar dining car as below
dining car
view into a restored 1800’s dining car
early 1900’s electric street car
conductor’s station- when the car changes direction, so does the conductor
early advertising
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O scale model railroad
This is cool! did I mention we also like model trains?
plenty of old railroad station signs everywhere
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Yard engine moving an interurban
Lots and lots of train depot art (they just don’t put the detail into the buildings like they used to!
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Illinois, Illinois Railway Museum, train

Barn # 9

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Out of all the barns and events at the Illinois Railway Museum, our favorite place to visit is Barn # 9.

Train of the Goddesses
 It houses all the Old Steam engines ~ waiting to be restored ~ a few Diesel, and electric engines and best of all, it is where the Nebraska Zephyr is housed.O

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We can spend hours just perusing up and down the isles, 
looking and touching these now silent metal giants.
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I took around 500 pictures on this visit.

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So rather than fill this blog with all of them, here are few of my favorites….
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Barn # 9 with the Zephyr in her stall

Can you imagine seeing and hearing this giant in operation?

Burlington Northern Diesel

among giants

a giant electric engine

collecting dust and cobwebs

the mechanic side kicking in….

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The Nebraska Zephyr and her cars were not in operation this visit which was a little disappointing because we look forward to  riding it every year. 
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But we found out she is going on a special trip soon. 
She’ll be joining America’s Railroad Celebration in Rock Island, IL.  
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these signs are posted on the barn wall about the Zephyr
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container gardening

Blooms & Barrels

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As summer carries on…
the Daylillys are popping
Double Old Orange Lily ( Hemerocallis fulva )

 The label said Stella D’ Oro when I bought this lily, but it’s a little more orange than it should be
The Butterfly weed has finally bloomed
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
 The Foxglove is Foxy
Digitalis
The Tick Seed is ticking
Coreopsis
And the Arrowood has Berries
Arrowood Viburnum ( Viburnum dentatum )
 My Barrel ( container ) gardens are doing great too!
Catmint, Coreopsis, & Obedient plant ~ there is a barrel under there somewhere, Honest!

The herb gardens (notice the wire around the strawberries? Annie ate last years plants! Wire seems to be working!)

Purple Ruffles Basil from seed~ really easy, get soil wet, sprinkle seeds, lightly press in with fingers and don’t cover seeds. It needs light to germinate. If the soil is warm enough, Basil seed will swell and sprout within 24-48 hours!
And my Newest project! 
Red Japanese maple
Daisy Says~ 
“Don’t miss next week’s episode to find out what Mom does with the Maple!”