By Carol Cichorski, on February 26th, 2013 
Yes, gardening in Chicagoland has arrived at the Cichorski house, even though 4-6” of snow was also arriving as I wrote this.
• My first published paid article ever is in the March/April issue of Chicagoland Gardening Magazine.
• I’ll be introducing the speakers at the Garden Show March 9 – 17. Ok, it’s not the Oscars, but Seth could have some hosting competition next year if I do well. Just sayin’.
• I’m speaking at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show again on March 12th at 2:45. My topic is ‘Creativity in the Garden’. I’ve even started to write the presentation. No pressure here.
• Mike has dahlias growing in the basement.
• We are both speaking to Garden Clubs in March. Mike on Dahlias for the Park Ridge Garden Club. Me on ‘Gardening by the Blog’ for the Darien Garden Club.
• My amaryllis, though behind schedule, will be chiming in with a bloom any day.
• Did I mention that my first published paid article ever is in the March/April issue of Chicagoland Gardening Magazine? Its about our fence.
Growth is really a process, isn’t it? I’m not talking about my yard, I’m talking about people. And growing enough to write for Chicagoland Gardening Magazine has been a goal of mine. As has working for the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. Do you have some goals, latent or in-process?
I think Bill Hybels (Pastor at Willow Creek Church) was right this last weekend when he said we reach our goals by getting them on our calendar. I’ll add that they are just dreams till we start taking action. In Bill’s case, he wanted to be a Great Dad when Shawna and Todd were small. He penciled in 4 nights a week on his calendar for family time. Not a natural for a busy pastor, but it was what he felt he needed to do to meet the goal.
I’m glad that my calendar finally includes a weekly Bible Study. What we give our time to says a lot about who we are, or in this case, who I want to grow to be.
Over the last several years, I’ve also committed to writing this blog, posting 3 – 4 times a month. Hmmm, sounds like a calendar entry, a rather lose one, but an entry none-the less. I don’t know if the collection will ever be the basis for my book ‘Creativity in God’s Garden’, but the book is much more likely to happen thanks to the blog.
Perhaps it’s time for your dreams to become goals. Start with a calendar entry today.
Did I mention that my first published paid article ever is in the March/April issue of Chicagoland Gardening Magazine?
By Carol Cichorski, on February 15th, 2013  If there is one thing I know about plants, it’s the importance of having the right plant in the right place. I know this because I move my plants so often that Mike says they have wheels not roots. I’m perfectly willing to move plants when they are less than thrilled with their location. Eventually I get it right. Usually. Ok, often.
A point in case about the importance of location. I was walking around yesterday looking for blooms to post for Garden Blogger’s Bloom day. I know that February in Chicago is not the ideal time for high expectations. Yet here I am enjoying these blooms because they are in the right location. I will admit that the selection is limited. Pansies, for example, are more tolerant of chilly weather than most flowers.
I did find some other options as well. These planters by the Ruth’s Chris Steak House were doing well…
Then there is always the option of enjoying a low-maintenance area that focuses on foliage over flowers…
 Or even foregoing greenery altogether in lieu of hardscape…
But wait, you say. Carol, how can this be?
I’ll go right back to my original statement that having the right plant in the right place is important. As my camera and I made the rounds yesterday, the right place was Atlanta.
Do you want to know what else is blooming in the February garden? To see what other bloggers have blooming on the 15th of every month, visit May Dreams Gardens – Bloom Day for our Garden Bloggers’ Bloom day entries.
By Carol Cichorski, on February 5th, 2013 
It’s Elementary. Valentine’s Day is not the time to make a Boo Boo Honey. You want your loved one to know they are a Person of Interest to you. Whether you are a Modern Family or among the Young and the Restless, you don’t have to Keep Up With the Kardishians or take a trip to Vegas.
Ladies, even if you are one of Two Broke Girls vying for his love, you can get some simple craft supplies to decorate the Castle. No Extreme Makeover needed.
Be The Good Wife and do some Goodwill Hunting to find reasonably priced decorations. You can earn bonus points by including the cat if your sweetheart Must Love Pets. You don’t have to be a Jersey Girl to be his American Idol.
 Gentlemen, even if you are just a regular Family Guy, send her flowers at The Office. Be sure to include a card that says P.S. I Love You. It will get you a lot of Leverage. Roses can be expensive, but The Price is Right if you no longer want to be The Bachelor. After all, if there are Two and a Half Men in her Life, you don’t want to be The Biggest Loser.
So for today’s Favorites of the Fifth, my suggested favorite place to go is Pesches, Bertholds, or your own local florist. You don’t want her Trading Spouses or calling Dr. Phil for Anger Management.
I know you can do this, because America’s Got Talent and we all want Happy Endings. Deal or No Deal?
By Carol Cichorski, on January 31st, 2013 My first trip to the Chicago Flower & Garden Show was 18 years ago. It was a defining moment for me. Mike and his Mom were already gardeners. My gardening experience at that time came down to ‘that which would grow in my gutters if I didn’t clean them.’ Perhaps I knew that the smiley faces I was making in the picture below were being made with mums. Perhaps I didn’t. I was no plant-ologist, that is for sure.
Now it seems that I live, eat, and sleep gardening. And each year when I go to the show, I wish I could somehow be a part of it. Lookout world – here I come! Yes, I was at the show yesterday, January 30th. Festival Hall at Navy Pier is almost ready.
And the mobs of anxious visitors are beginning to arrive.
Oh, I can’t fool you. That is a very empty Festival Hall, and a very empty pier. 10 AM on a January morning is like that. I did find this lovely garden bench in the Chicago Children’s Museum.
I wasn’t at Navy Pier to see the sights though. This trip was serious business. I want to work at the show, and Gabe Coronado can and did make that happen. Yours truly will be managing the sessions. When a speaker has a microphone, it will be because of me. When you can see their PowerPoint presentation, it will be because I turned down the lights. When there aren’t enough handouts, well, that will be because of someone else, I hope.
Mark your calendar with the Chicago Flower & Garden Show dates of March 9th – 17th. I did. See you there.
By Carol Cichorski, on January 22nd, 2013 Here we go again. I’m recommending another blogger to you and it’s not even ‘Favorites on the Fifth’, my regular day for doing so. I must admit I haven’t followed Kiss My Aster‘s author Amanda Thomsen, but I am intrigued by anyone who can get a gardening book published in today’s heading-to-paperless society. Amanda will be speaking at the Southtown Dahlia Club’s meeting on January 27th, and I’m very excited to be going. Mike and I usually attend the meetings for the Central States Dahlia Society, especially since he is now President. We’re going to accept Southtown’s gracious invitation to attend their meeting, and you are welcome as well.
Here is what Southtown Dahlia Club has to say about the meeting:
January Guest Speaker: “Kiss My Aster” Blogger, Amanda Thomsen
Nationally renowned garden blogger Amanda Thomsen will entertain us with a light hearted talk about designing an outdoor space that is exactly what you want.
Amanda is currently booked for a national speaking tour that includes the renowned Boston Garden Show in March 2013. Amanda’s much anticipated book “Kiss My Aster: A Graphic Guide to Creating a Fantastic Yard Totally Tailored to You” was just released in January 2013.
Amanda will give us a preview of her tour speech and will accept questions from the audience as to how we can adapt Dahlias into our landscape. Please plan on joining us for this humorous talk about outdoor landscape choices and ask your gardening friends to share in the laughs.
Additionally, Southtown Dahlia Club member, Corny Morgan, will give a PowerPoint demonstration showing New Dahlia Introductions from the 2012 season. 2012 introductions are eligible for a special award at our 2013 Show. Choosing show quality dahlia varieties will be a priority at this meeting.
Southtown Dahlia Club meetings are held the 4th Sunday of the month unless exceptions are noted. Meetings are held at the Crestwood Civic Center 14025 S. Kostner, Crestwood, IL 60445 from 1 pm until 3:30 pm.
By Carol Cichorski, on January 15th, 2013  Winter blooms – not around here.
Winter color – that we have.
I was a bit surprised to find so much color in my yard, as I didn’t really notice the range until I looked at the pictures. Could it be that you too have more color in your garden than you realize?
Granted, the brighter colors are surrounded by more brown than green, and the phrase ‘quantities are limited’ certainly does apply. Still, I have to admit that my quest for those non-existent blooms ended on a positive note. I’m sure you’ll have to agree that the bittersweet pictured to the right is attractive. I think this plant knows it has to do something outstanding in the winter for me to put up with it in the summer. It grows so fast that I sometimes think I need a machete, which is totally contrary to my low-maintenance mantra.
For a totally different color, we have the beautyberry branch, complete with purple berries. There aren’t nearly as many berries as there were in the autumn, but they get credit for being there at all. I wish this bush was in a more visible location.
The cotoneaster takes us in another direction again, with many clusters of red berries. This one is right by the front door, where we can appreciate the show.
Even the berm has color contrast. The pachysandra in the foreground is quite a different shade of green than the ivy, with both of those groundcovers being a different green than the mugo pine. Add the tall grass glowing in the sun, and this view out our bedroom window is nice to wake up to.
I do have to keep in mind that though my winter garden doesn’t begin to compete with the blooms of summer, it has its own beauty. I just have to look a little harder.
Do you want to know what else is blooming in the January garden? To see what other bloggers have blooming on the 15th of every month, visit May Dreams Gardens – Bloom Day for our Garden Bloggers’ Bloom day entries.
By Carol Cichorski, on January 10th, 2013 I want free tickets to the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, don’t you? Check out their Facebook page to see that you can win tickets by sending in pictures of their advertising.
 A CTA Bus Tail sent in by LaManda Joy of The Peterson Garden Project. I’m going to be watching out here in the ‘burbs and when I work downtown in a few weeks. Its kind of like an adult version of counting license plates from different states. It passes the time and is so much more fun than thinking ‘Are we there yet?’.
The Chicago Flower & Garden Show runs from March 9th to 17th at Navy Pier. I’ll be speaking on the 12th about ‘Creativity in the Garden’. Make a note that you can get $2.00 off tickets by purchasing online. I’m not going to do that though, because I’m going to win the free tickets. Feel encouraged to give me some competition.
By Carol Cichorski, on January 5th, 2013 Mike’s snowman pancake is pretty impressive. Now that’s my idea of creativity. Creativity that you can copy for breakfast tomorrow.
Ah, but the creativity that it takes to make a real snowflake; that is creativity on a whole different level. That’s creativity God-style, with a twist. I can just picture him thinking up the fluffy white stuff, then saying “but wait, each snowflake will be different. Millions and billions and gazillions of snowflakes, yes, I think each one will be different.”
Zone 5 gardeners, we finally have one on all of our warm weather friends. We can get up close and personal with snowflakes. Russian photographer Andrew Osokin did, with his macro lens. So for today’s Favorites on the 5th, I will send you (virtually of course) to appreciate the beauty of a snowflake without the bothersome weather factor.
My thanks to Regine for this great blog idea.
By Carol Cichorski, on December 29th, 2012  Here’s an easy idea for your yard in winter – display the sled. In our case, that meant Mike had to climb up into the deep dark recesses of the far corner of that attic, drag it down, and carry it to the yard. That’s ok. He had a few Christmas cookies to wear off, so it was good exercise. On second thought, it was only easy for me. I watched.
I got the idea from a house in Marengo a few weeks ago on their Holiday Housewalk. That sled had been taken to a whole different level when decorated with skates and greenery. Lynn and I go to the Holiday Housewalk every year. We are bound to come home with a treasure from the crafters. My calendar is already marked for next year’s walk on December 7th and 8th.
 Mike tried finding a pair of skates for our sled at Goodwill without success…yet. For now, our sled remains in clear sight on the back porch, reminding us of the way sleds were when we were kids.
And how about today’s kids? It seems to me that though things change, they still remain the same. Allie is safer in this plastic sled when John and Heather took her for a Christmas tree a few years ago, but the sheer joy of sledding remains.
By Carol Cichorski, on December 20th, 2012  I’m thinking it is time to start my Christmas shopping. After all, today is December 20th. I did take care of the important people – the grandkids. They were easy. Allie is 3 and loves crafts, just like Grandma. So I went on Pinterest and searched for preschool crafts. I printed out some pictures and used them as my shopping list. We did a sneak preview yesterday when she and I made star shaped ornaments for each member of her family.
 That Mike guy isn’t so easy. We’ve been around a while, married a while, and the good news is, we are past the stage of needing or wanting a lot. If you too have a gardener to shop for, and have noticed that Christmas is coming soon, here is an option for you – order dahlia tubers. They won’t ship now anyway, so it won’t look like you waited till the last minute. I’ll even give you a few suggestions of Mike’s favorites. After all, a recommendation from the President of Central States Dahlia Society will make it look like you really did your homework.
Mike’s first suggestion is always Kelvin Floodlight. Kelvin is a great performer, with dinner plate size blooms.
 The Santa Claus dahlia (pictured from Brecks) is huge and on Mike’s list, and is oh so appropriate for Christmas.
Consider printing the pictures and taping them to a piece of ½” rebar that is 5’ long. These are big flowers – they need a serious stake anyway, and the visual effect of the wrapped stakes will keep people guessing. The rebar you are seeing in the Woodland’s Wildthing picture below came from a big box home improvement store. Mike went the extra mile and painted it green. You could even do that. Let’s consider Woodland’s Wildthing to be a suggestion from me – Christmas Carol.
My other suggestion … Have yourself a Merry Little Christmas!
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