Tag Archives: garden

garden, Illinois, perennials, winter

January Birch

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January 6th and still no significant snow. Temperature was 55 ~ I actually left my coat behind today.
I really don’t mind. I got to go outside and mess around in my garden a little~ picked some kale and looked at my new perennial bed. The lavender and wormwood are still looking good and the penstemon seems impervious to the little cold spurts and frosts we did have. My butterfly bush still has green leaves on it! I do live in North Central Illinois right? Average January temps around 10 ~ 20 degrees…  with windchill….
flowers, garden, Illinois

Well Worth the Wait…

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Finally, the tomatoes are starting to ripen!
Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom, Vintage Wine, Cuore De Toro, Martino’s Roma
Despite my garden’s late start- end of June-
all the extra nurturing and care 
(and the new dog proof fence) is finally starting to pay off!
Here’s today’s bounty. In a few days there will be more. 
These are heirloom and open pollinated. Very sweet and yummy~
though a little cracked here and there but that was due to the hot dry weather and
 my uneven watering.
And here’s the second crop of red raspberries.
heritage raspberries ~ everberring
And my August Lily Hosta is right on cue
and my Zinnias are in full bloom~ this is the first time I’ve planted Zinnias from plants from the Garden Center and not seed. Not bad I think.
and finally, Daisy, waiting for me to drop some more grapes and raspberries.
No… I’m not begging….
garden

Night Lights

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Come sit with me on the back porch,
Come listen to the crickets chirp and the tree frogs play.
Hear the quiet of the evening slowly turn into night,
and shed the hassles of the day.   ~LM Davis
garden

Greeting Cards

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Introducing Greeting Cards at my Etsy shop
They are blank inside and professionally printed on high quailty cardstock 
with my some of my favorite photographs. 
Hope you enjoy them!
garden, Illinois

Getting Excited!

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Green tomatoes everywhere!
Vintage Wine
I can hardly wait until they turn red!
Cuore De Toro
Martino’s Roma
It’s been so long since I’ve had fresh tomatoes out of my garden….
Lillian’s Yellow Heirloom
Vintage Wine
Thanks to to my new welded wire Annie Repellant!
My Vegetable Garden Early On… right after the attack. Everything’s bigger now
For the last two years, no matter how I try to protect the garden, 
this dog, as innocent as she tries to appear, 
has bulldozed through all barriers and ate her self silly.
she’s eaten everything I’ve planted~ 
tomatoes, beans, carrots, celery, strawberries, lettuce…
the list goes on.
the only thing I found she doesn’t like is Swiss Chard and Kale.
The Devourer of Gardens and Fresh Produce~ AKA Annie
garden

Early Light

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Early morning is one of my favorite times for taking pictures…

flowers, garden

Lazy Sunday

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I’m going to be lazy today and just post some blooms and plants without too many comments. 
We finally got the rain we were waiting for
and it has cooled off a bit, 
so rather than sit here and do a lot of writing, 
I’m going to go out and enjoy the rest of the day….
Self sown Echinacea or Coneflower

Blackberry Lily finally bloomed

 More self sown coneflowers ( I’ve got these everywhere)

Diablo Ninebark ~ Physocarpus opulifolius ~ newer leaves on stem tips

older leaves

Gazania Daisy

Blanket Flower ~ Gaillardia

new buds on blanket flower

Portulaca grandiflora

Honeysuckle reblooming ~ Dropmore Scarlet

 Wormwood ~ Artemisia absinthum

ARTEMISIA ‘SILVER BROCADE’

Lambs ear doing well

second round on the Kmart rose
Wha’cha doing mom?
container gardening, deer, flowers, garden

Torenia aka Wishbone Flower

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 When I first met this little flower, I was introduced to it as the “wishbone” Flower.
Torenia fournieri ~ If you look closely, you will see a ‘wishbone’ just above the yellow. It’s also been dubbed ‘Clown Flower’. If you look at it for a bit, you’ll see a silly smiling face!
I wasn’t very impressed. They were featured in hanging baskets in the normal Peat mixture, which if you didn’t water it daily, dried out quickly resulting in burned and crispy plants.
I did my best to keep them watered and presentable but like me, most of the customers passed them by. 
Last year, I was looking for an annual to 
put in my deck rail basket that would tolerate shade most of the day.
I looked at my options but didn’t really want to do Impatiens again. 
I remembered that the Torenia liked shade and decided to give it a try. 
 
I put three little white flowered plants in the basket along with my special mix of potting soil and kept it well watered all summer. Once it got established, it grew like crazy.
Well, I was very happy with it. 
 
This year I bought eight plants of the purple and planted the basket right away.
It filled in quickly and the heat hasn’t fazed it one bit. 
It’s defiantly my new favorite!
Unopened flower buds
 and it blooms nonstop until frost.
 Here’s some features~
 
Light:Part Sun,Shade
Soil: Average to Moist
Plant Type:Annual
Plant Height:8 to 12 inches tall, depending on type
Plant Width:6-9 inches wide, depending on type
Landscape Uses:Containers,Beds & Borders
 
Special Features:Flowers,   ~ Deer Resistant! ~
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?
~~~~
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.
~~~~
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!