Too Cold To Garden? Color!

“Those who can, garden. Those who can’t, color.”

Perhaps that is not exactly how the quote was originally written, but it is still true. So though it’s a bit chilly (OK, frigid) in Chicagoland, I can still add color to my not-so-real garden. Coloring books for adults are a big thing right . . . → Read More: Too Cold To Garden? Color!

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Painting Renee Style

It’s not that there isn’t color in my yard already. It’s just that most of it is green right now. Don’t get me wrong. After a long Chicago winter, green is good.

For example, these sedum are green, and that’s good. I sure wouldn’t want them to be brown at this point.

And this daffodil. . . . → Read More: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Painting Renee Style

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Color In My Winter Garden

I’ve got color in my yard. Yes, December in Chicagoland and I have color! Granted, none of it is provided by flowers, but I’m not going to let that little detail stop my yard from being colorful. Certainly the snow has been a bit of a detriment to color in the garden. Or has it? . . . → Read More: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Color In My Winter Garden

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – What’s Blooming at Boerner?

Field Trip! I was in Milwaukee for a business trip, which of course means you get to see pictures of a garden I visited. Writing for you gives me a reason to visit gardens when I’m out of town (as if I need a reason). If you want to get picky about it, Boerner is . . . → Read More: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – What’s Blooming at Boerner?

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Louie’s Favorite Fragrant Roses

It’s automatic – We see a rose; we smell the rose. Seems kind of like a useless exercise these days, as so many roses have had the fragrance bred out of them. It’s not that hybridizers don’t like fragrance, it’s just that we consumers insist on roses that are disease resistant, survive the elements, and . . . → Read More: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Louie’s Favorite Fragrant Roses

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – A Love/Hate Relationship With Daylilies

Imagine a field of daylilies. Better yet, leave nothing to the imagination and just look at the pictures of Open Heart and Siloam Ribbon Candy. You can see why Mike and I came home from the daylily farm many years ago with clumps of several different varieties.

Right now, they are all A+ . . . → Read More: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – A Love/Hate Relationship With Daylilies

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Best Blooms EVER On Thornless Rose

Photo by Kevin Penczak

Zephirine Drouhin has never looked better. She is blooming with wild abandon on my Chicagoland garden gate. Zeffy, as she is affectionately known at Antique Rose Emporium, is officially a zone 6 rose. I’m zone 5 and I needed a thornless rose on my garden gate. Call me silly, . . . → Read More: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Best Blooms EVER On Thornless Rose

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Job Whale Done

“Job well done”, or in my case, “job whale done”! Those are words that are written on the bottom of this cute little whale. I checked my notes to see when I did a 6 week contract training/help desk job for Baker & Daniels in Indianapolis. It was 9 years ago. Wow. And still I . . . → Read More: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – Job Whale Done

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – For Everything There Is A Season

A garden distinctly marks the passage of time. Kind of like life, with people growing and shining, and sadly over time, gone. We are experiencing this in both our garden walk and life walk in pronounced ways. Dahlias gone, mums shining, Linda failing, grandchildren shining.

In the category of ‘gone’, we have the dahlias. Mike’s . . . → Read More: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – For Everything There Is A Season

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – 82 Zinnias Is Enough For Me

You may remember that I just had to have my zinnia garden back. I had one before and it was a beauty. This year’s bed will rival that one. It’s huge. 82 State Fair zinnias are bound to take up a fair piece of real estate.

My niece Kathryn gave me a funny . . . → Read More: Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – 82 Zinnias Is Enough For Me