Over this past weekend, I had a chance to attend the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, as part of a Garden Writers Association meeting. This is my second time at the show, and I really enjoy the colors, the flowers and the great information we garden writers are exposed to. (More on that in future posts.) But the truth about…
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As part of my big project for 2013, I’ll be using winter sowing containers to grow several kinds of wildflowers from seed. Wildflowers lend themselves very well to winter sowing because many of them require cold stratification, which is a period of chilling prior to germination. Equipment For winter sowing, you need the following items: Clear plastic containers, at least…
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The biggest garden project I have planned for 2013 is to plant more prairie-style plants in the meadow behind my house, which runs adjacent to a city-owned walking path. It’s my DIY meadow project for the year. While I planted wildflowers in it when we first moved out here, this area has become overrun with wild parsnip, giant ragweed and…
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Do you ever have that experience downloading photos where you go — wow! — I can’t believe I captured that image? Garden tours often leave me with that sensation — though it’s more due to the beauty of the gardens than any skill I bring to the party. This year, I visited Monet’s Garden in France, where nearly every picture…
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Within a week or two, the pile of seed catalogs next to my reading chair will be just about to topple over. It’s that time of year—and I love it. Though I’m not a complete Luddite and do much of my work online (ahem, this is a blog), seed ordering seems to require paper and pens. The reasons I prefer…
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