By Carol Cichorski, on June 15th, 2012  It was one of those times when our garden was experiencing a lull. The spring flowers were bloomed out and the summer flowers had not yet stepped up to the plate. Our yard was very green. Lovely, but just green.
Then we got hit right between the eyes with John and Lucky’s garden. Asiatic lilies blooming everywhere. Amazing.
Time for a quest! Mike conquered our green garden by adding Asiatic lilies as well. We had a few, as my niece’s son Kyle sold plants for a school fundraiser once. But now…well now…we have this. Asiatic lilies blooming everywhere. ‘Amazing’ has come to our garden.
Do you want to know what else is blooming in the June 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 June 11th, 2012 My shade garden shines in the spring. After that, not so much. Till now! In just 3 easy steps, it went from bland to beautiful.
Step 1 – I left it looking like this while I went garage sale-ing.
Step 2 – Insert chair from garage sale.
Step 3 – Add container from garage sale with plants.
All better!
By Carol Cichorski, on June 5th, 2012 I welcome you to ‘Zone 5 Favorites on the 5th’. I’ve started posting on the 5th of every month, redirecting visitors to a favorite posting relative to zone 5.
This month, we are talking vegetables. Not growing them, though that would tie in nicely with a garden blog. Peeling them. Yep, peeling vegetables. We do that in zone 5 as well.
 We are going to travel outside of the blogosphere to the strange and wonderful world of YouTube. Speaking of travel, do you remember Gilligan’s Island? Yep, the series from way back in the 60s? Stretch your memory to envision the girl next door, Mary Ann. Her real name is Dawn Wells, and she has a video on peeling potatoes. Yep, peeling potatoes. Perhaps she knows something you don’t. Let’s take a look at her potato video.
Dawn Wells Potato Peeling Video
An interesting tidbit: In 2005, Dawn consigned for sale her original gingham blouse and shorts ensemble from her signature role. A Beverly Hills auction house, Profiles in History, sold it for $20,700.
Then there’s Ken. He has a video on shucking corn. Yep, shucking corn. I don’t think he is famous, or has sold any ensembles for $20,700. Still, he may know something you don’t. Let’s take a look.
Shucking Corn with Ken Video
I’ve invited other zone 5 bloggers to join me for Zone 5 – Favorites on the 5th. If that’s you, please leave a comment so everyone will know you are part of the gang.
If you are a reader hungry for zone 5 sustenance, please follow the blogger’s links to feed upon their favorite postings.
By Carol Cichorski, on May 31st, 2012 There are some areas of my yard that refuse to participate in my low maintenance gardening efforts. Some of them are worth the effort, and I gladly (usually) do what needs to be done to get results like this.
Pretty impressive, huh? I think so too. It will look different in a week for the Elk Grove Garden Club walk, but equally impressive I’m sure.
 Still, there are tasks that are just overwhelming, like edging and mulching. I can usually get daunting tasks off my list in one word – that word being ‘Mike’. When I want low maintenance gardening, it often requires nothing more than putting something on Mike’s To Do list. This makes him the sexiest man alive.
But what about when his To Do list looks like this one:
• Replace broken window (and patch bullet holes in wall)
• Deskunk the dog
• Rabbits are gone, now how about the coyotes
• Talk to next door neighbor about walking around his yard naked
• Remove cousin Clement and family from spare bedroom
• Indoor plumbing would be nice
• What is that smell in the basement?
• Finish the addition (not likely)
Ok, so his To Do list isn’t quite that bad, but somehow edging and mulching have traditionally been mine. Lots of edging. Lots. And lots of mulching. Lots. He goes to Bertholds for a landscape trailer full of mulch. I empty it. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Not this year!!!
Enter Bill, and his friend George. (Sorry, I’ve only got a picture of Bill.) They come with the strength and endurance of 15 year olds. Because that is what they are. 15 year olds anxious to make some money. 15 year olds just a bit too young to get a job at the grocery store. 15 year olds who are helping me. Woohoo!
We are moving along in the edging and mulching process. I use the word ‘we’ very loosely as I mostly act as the drill sergeant. Everything is falling into place, and I’m so glad I called in the troops.
By Carol Cichorski, on May 26th, 2012 I’m continuing my quest for a large garden with less maintenance. Parts of my garden are low maintenance, parts are heading in the right direction, and other parts are worth the work. I’ll also continue sharing what I learn, so come back for more.
I recently posted a low maintenance shrub list from Heather at Berthold’s Garden Center. You may be wondering if she has a list of low maintenance perennials as well. Yes! Here it is:
Coreopsis Creme Brulee – Heather’s bloomed from end of May until frost without deadheading.
Salvia Blue Hill – Doesn’t get as tall as other salvias, LONG bloom time. Does flop by end of season but in Heather’s garden there are other plants around it to support it.
Dicentra Candy Hearts – Everblooming dwarf bleeding heart.
Echinacea Pica Bella – More compact, better manageable size for smaller gardens.
Heuchera Beaujolais – Nice, burgundy/chocolate leaves–good combo with Japanese painted fern in shady garden.
Rudbeckia Viette’s Little Suzy – Excellent disease resistance, cleaner plant that old Goldsturm variety, long bloom time & bright vibrant gold color.
Dianthus Dragon Fruit – Not only long bloom time but also double pink, spicy scented flowers. Blue green foliage also looks nice all season. Small plant, easy to use anywhere.
By Carol Cichorski, on May 21st, 2012 In gardening, the key is planting the right plant in the right place. That seems simple enough. It seems like common sense. It must be what I’ve been doing all these years. Not so much.
When we planted our forsythias some 15 years ago, I didn’t know that it wasn’t the right place for tall shrubs. Our forsythias insist on doing what forsythias do – they want to be taller than me. I have to trim them several times a year to be the right size, and in the process I cut off the early spring blooms. Lots of work, no blooms, and less than attractive results.
In my quest for low maintenance gardening, it was time for the forsythias to go. I’m not sure who it was more painful for, them or me. Judging by the picture below, I’m going to have to guess them, or maybe Mike. He was tasked with removing two of the three forsythias. Maybe next year we can bear to let the last one go.
I do have a list of low maintenance shrubs I could replace them with. I got it from Heather at Bertholds earlier this year. When I needed that list for my Low Maintenance Gardening presentation, I knew exactly who to turn to. Heather knows what she is talking about, and I can trust her to give me good advice. Here is her list of favorite low maintenance shrubs:
Forsythia Gold Tide – Dwarf type stays compact, feathery-edge foliage. Nice burgundy fall color giving multi-season interest.
Deutzia Gracilis – Loads of white bell-like clusters of flowers over entire shrub in late spring, also has really nice burgundy fall color.
Hydrangea Twist-n-Shout – Lacecap hydrangea flowers pink or blue depending upon pH. Very hardy and another nice semi-shade plant.
Magnolia Ann – Dwarf magnolia for those who love magnolias but don’t have room for a large tree. Beautiful deep pink/fuchsia flowers.
Spirea Tor – Does not look like typical spirea! White flowers, rich grey-green birch-like leaves turn orange, red & purple in fall. Only 2-3′ high & wide.
So which am I going to get? Probably none. Heather and I have talked about a tree, and I haven’t quite found one large enough to give us light filtered shade and be only 20 – 30 feet tall. I want the tree in, and I want it in now. But I’m not going to do that. I eventually will find the right plant for the right place. Just not today.
By Carol Cichorski, on May 15th, 2012 Sometimes you change a word in a saying and it is still absolutely perfect. I agree with
The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
I also agree with
The best time to plant a wisteria is 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
It’s easy to pass wisteria by at the garden center when you know it will be many years before it blooms. It’s not easy to pass it by at Morton. It’s darn near impossible. Between the fragrance and the flowers, it was a people magnet this weekend.
Our wisteria is rather sad. Actually, our wisteria gets credit for just being alive. When Daisy gave us a piece from her yard, we temporarily put it in the vegetable garden. We knew it didn’t belong there, but we planned to find a place for it in the sun, a place with a strong support. The operative word is ‘planned’, as that is about all we ever did. Mike finally tried to move it years later, but it had quite the tap root. He dug out as much as he could and transplanted it. That part died. The tap root refuses to give up and this year it got its first bloom.
 We surrender. A plant that wants to live that much deserves to live. We do want it to live – we just don’t want it to take down the fence. It will take a long time till our wisteria is filled with flowers as pretty as this one at Morton, so we have time to think about a stronger support.
Apparently it can bloom with limited sun. Ours is in a rather shaded area, and we are not going to try moving it again.
Speaking about something that is worth the wait…how about this cutie. I bet she was worth the wait too.
Do you want to know what else is blooming in the May 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.
Looking for a dahlia or plant club sale this weekend? Here ya go:
Rolling Meadows Hometown Plant Sale
I’ll be there on Saturday, May 19th
9 AM – 2 PM
William D. Ahrens Building at 3200 Central Road
Elk Grove Garden Club Plant Sale
Mike will be there on Saturday May 19th
10 AM – 3 PM
Farm House Museum Campus at 399 Biesterfield Road
Central States Dahlia Society Plant Sale
Saturday, May 19th
10 AM – 2 PM
Kinsch’s Garden Center, 301 W Johnson St., Palatine
By Carol Cichorski, on May 11th, 2012 There was a time when my zinnia bed looked like this:
 Pretty impressive, right? They are still short in the picture as it was only July. They quickly grew 3 – 4 feet tall and bloomed all summer. They got lots of sun, and enough air circulation that powdery mildew was non-issue.
But I also really wanted River Birch trees. The Birch won, and the zinnia bed became the home for 3 trees. I love the bark and we really needed some trees in our yard. But, oh, those zinnias. I could not get them out of my head.
So here we go again. Mike made me a new zinnia bed, and it will soon be filled with State Fair zinnias, which we can look at while sitting under the birch you see in the background. I accept no substitutes. Really, I don’t!
By Carol Cichorski, on May 5th, 2012 I welcome you to ‘Zone 5 Favorites on the 5th’. I’ve started posting on the 5th of every month, redirecting visitors to a favorite posting relative to zone 5.
On this 5th day of the 5th month, I could gripe that our brick path isn’t done. But I’m not going to. Never mind that the path was started on April 16th, almost 3 weeks ago.
You might comment that it’s just a path for gosh sake, and we should have finished it already. Ya, right. I have to admit that our brick path has gotten only this far.
It has been 2 steps forward, 1 step back, and then no time to step at all. Even now, its past midnight as I write this, and Mike and I need to be at the Bloomingdale Plant Sale (201 S. Bloomingdale Rd.) to start selling dahlias at 9 AM.
Instead of being concerned that the project we started on April 16th isn’t done, I’m going to be inspired by a completed project. I quote Carolyn, from This Grandmother’s Garden, who says “For six years we dreamed of a beautiful Flagstone Patio where we could sit back and enjoy the beautiful landscape we had created.”
Compared to six years, perhaps I should consider 3 weeks to be just a drop in the bucket, an insignificant ripple in the space/time continuum. With great optimism, I will look forward to the day that my paths and patio are done, rivaling Carolyn’s.
 Photo by Carolyn of This Grandmother’s Garden In addition to the inspiring pictures, Carolyn has these articles on the actual process:
The articles get right down to the nitty gritty of building the patio. Carolyn’s handyman is her self-proclaimed ‘honeyman’. You’ve got to like a gal who says he is the “bombdiggity”.
Also check out her poetry and lovely photography. Carolyn may not be a zone 5 gardener, but one visit to her site and you’ll see why I send you there to celebrate Zone 5 – Favorites on the 5th.
I’ve invited other zone 5 bloggers to join me for Zone 5 – Favorites on the 5th. If that’s you, please leave a comment so everyone will know you are part of the gang.
If you are a reader hungry for zone 5 sustenance, please follow the blogger’s links to feed upon their favorite postings.
By Carol Cichorski, on May 2nd, 2012 I noticed that not every one of you showed up for Mike’s presentation last night, but I’m still going to share some dahlia growing secrets with you. Sure, you could have learned more if you were at the Lake Zurich Garden Club meeting, or at Mike’s presentation at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, but all is not lost.
Here are some tips for planting dahlias:
1 – What are you waiting for? Get that tuber started. In our zone 5, there could still be frost, so plant it inside for now. When it sprouts, start giving it some sunlight. It can go outside as long as the weather permits. If you want to start it outside, that’s ok too, but the ground is still cold, so planting in a pot indoors will expose the plant to warmer temperatures which will hasten the development. If you plant outdoors, watch the weather report. If it freezes, you’ll lose any sprouts that emerged unless you cover them at night.
2 – Don’t have any tubers to start? That’s even better. Get to a dahlia sale and buy an established plant. It will flower sooner anyway. There are sales in the Chicagoland area throughout May.
3 – Put a stake behind your plant right away. Better yet, plant the stake first so you don’t put the stake through the tuber or root system. That would be cruel. Mike uses half-inch rebar painted green. You can see by the picture below of Bodacious that this is not a wimpy plant. Do not use a wimpy stake.
4 – Tape a name tag to the stake. Use an ink that won’t fade in the sun. Mike has good luck with black Sharpies®.
5 – Dahlias love sun. Make sure they get at least 5 to 6 hours.
6 – When the dahlia gets about a foot tall, tie it loosely to the stake. If you get a lot of wind, you may want to do this even sooner. For gosh sake, don’t choke the poor thing.
7 – To fertilize or not to fertilize, that is the question. If you ask 10 dahlia growers, you’ll get 10 different answers. Mike traditionally puts in 1 tablespoon of Osmocote at planting. He puts the Osmocote in the bottom of the hole and mixes it in with the dirt at the bottom. Next he puts the plant in, and fills in the remaining soil. He has used Miracle Grow once a month and other chemical fertilizers, but is using them less and less and less and trying to go organic.
8 – Soak the plant the day that you plant it. Mike puts water with a little Miracle Grow in a bucket, submerges the entire pot, and watches the bubbles come up as it happily absorbs the moisture. When the bubbles no longer come up, set the plant in a place where it can completely drain. You now don’t need to worry about the plant drying out for at least a week.
9 – Want more information? Try the American Dahlia Society or the Colorado Dahlia Society.
10 – Stop reading this. Go and start those dahlias.
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