By Carol Cichorski, on March 31st, 2012 This is about all of those great pictures that I haven’t taken. Because now I can! This is for all of the times I would have liked to brighten a picture. Because now I can! And about all of those times I wanted clear and crisp detail. Because now I can! And I can select my focus area, blurring out other areas, as you can see below.
There are advantages to having a son who is a professional photographer. Though I do wonder how we have reached a point in our lives where I am getting his hand-me-downs. In this case, its a very old digital camera, professional quality none-to-less. In its day, it probably went for $4,000. Now it wouldn’t cost much more than the little Canon Sure Shot I use for most of my pictures. I love the ease of use and small size of my Sure Shot, but there is a trade off. See paragraph one if you have a short memory.
 Walking around with the Canon EOS-1 is impressive, and a chore. I’d say it weighs about the same as a bowling ball. The batteries don’t last long, and like the camera, they are huge. The pictures will be even better when I get a zoom lens and I learn how to do the settings. Still, when I took it to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, I was SOMEBODY. It screams “Don’t mess with me – I’ve got a big camera, a speaker’s badge, and a press badge. I am a Blogging Goddess.”
The up-side is the quality of picture and what Kevin can do with it. The format is TIFF, not JPEG. His LightRoom program works well with TIFF files. I certainly can’t say I’ll use the big camera all the time, or that I’ll be able to spend the time to learn LightRoom myself, and then spend the time to edit the pictures. That sounds more like Kevin than me.
Here’s Kevin when he held the leading role in a local production of ‘Singing in the Rain’.
 Photo and creativity by Kevin Penczak Gotcha! This is really Kevin working his magic to create something not quite real. You can see how its done at KevinPenczak.com.
Sometimes I do get to places just when God’s ready to have somebody click the shutter. ~Ansel Adams
By Carol Cichorski, on March 26th, 2012 It’s time to start sharing secrets. If you’ve seen the size of our gardens, you probably wonder how we do it. After all, this is a half-acre lot and Mike and I have full-time jobs and a life. I started leaning towards low maintenance gardening several years back. Many parts of our yard are low care or no care. Certainly not all of them. Anything I planted when I first got the gardening bug is high maintenance. We aren’t going to go there today. We will start talking about the areas that are low maintenance, the ones I talked about recently at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show.
Our low maintenance front yard looks beautiful right now. The yellow tulips and pansies catch your eye from the street. When you get closer, purple dominates.
The yellow and red flair tulips don’t count as low maintenance. Sorry. I love ’em, but once they are done blooming, we’ll have to leave them up till they dry out and then cut them back. Ah, but all the little purple flowers that are in there make it fun to walk up the path. The red bench sure gets your attention too. Don’t be afraid of color.
The vinca, or periwinkle, is a flowering groundcover. I like that combo – flowering and groundcover in a plant. The vinca is covered in purple flowers in spring. Though we try really hard to stay away from chemicals, there is one I need in the front yard to keep the area low maintenance. Grass-No-More is a spray that keeps that pesky grass out of my vinca. I tried to do it by hand. It just wasn’t doable with all of the roots intertwined.
Then there’s the scilla. Scilla goes were scilla wants to go. Which is fine with me because when it’s done blooming, it just whoosh, disappears.
The grape hyacinths spread as well. When they are done blooming, they disappear.
The purple and pink lungwort flowers will go as well, but the speckled leaves of the plant will stay.
The rest of the year, the vinca is so much better than grass. For one thing, it will grow under the tree, where shallow roots and shade preclude most anything else from growing. And you don’t have to mow it! Yep, low maintenance.
Stop back again to visit. Low maintenance is going to be a regular theme around here.
By Carol Cichorski, on March 20th, 2012  Is it the vernal equinox? Is it Mike? Is it me?
I’ve got this picture of eggs standing up on my kitchen counter all by themselves. It’s not a fake or me pulling a fast one on you. Mike came in the kitchen this morning, took eggs out of the refrigerator and in just a minute had these two eggs standing on end.
Rumor has it that he was able to do this because today is the vernal equinox. We have an equinox twice a year when the length of day and night are the same. The vernal equinox is the first day of
spring (today, yay!). The autumnal equinox is the first day of fall.
It is now 3 hours later and I’ve tried it myself – twice. Same eggs. I can’t do it! Is it me? Is there some truth to the tale and Mike got the timing just right? Is Mike more patient and he can always do this? No conclusions here. Just the facts.
By Carol Cichorski, on March 15th, 2012  She says: “Oh Max. Here comes Carol Cichorski and her ever present camera. What makes her so special that she is taking our picture at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show before it even opens?”
He says: “Don’t worry Snookems. Everyone from the Garden Writers Association can do that today.”
Snookems: “And I suppose they all had muffins for breakfast, a lovely salad for lunch, and even exclusive speakers of their own.”
Max: “Its true Snookems. Tony Abruscato is the new Show Owner. He’s already brought Hort Couture and your beauty to the show. He told them about his plans to do more.”
Snookems: “Oh Max. Did Dan Heimes speak too? He is the president of Terra Nova Nurseries. I just hate when others get close to presidents and I don’t.”
 Max: “Yes they did. Did you know Terra Nova Nurseries cross-bred 275,000 plants in 2010. By the time all was said and done, only 5 were high enough quality to make it into the catalog. All first class, like you my dear. I especially adore the new Heuchera Paprika”
Snookems: “Mrs. Witherspoon told me that Carol and that wonderful husband of hers enjoyed their first outside breakfast of the season. We should get out more; you look so pale. What else does she have that I don’t have?”
Max: “Pansies I’m afraid. They were one of the door prizes for the Garden Writers. She planted them herself, so now she can write about them for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day at May Dreams Gardens. Those other bloggers write about their blooms as well. There is no stopping them.” 
Snookems: “The husband also brought out that positively adorable red swing of theirs. I hear she sits out there waiting for him to come home from work. They both have jobs you know, how sad.”
Snookems: “She isn’t fooling anyone with those tulips. Even I can tell they are a prop for Garden Bloggers Bloom Day.”
Max: “How true. It takes one to know one.”
 Max: “Well at least she is leaving now, my love.”
Snookems: “For the moment at least. She and Mike are both back on Saturday the 17th. He will talk about those delicious dahlias at 12:15. She will talk about low maintenance gardening at 2:45.”
Max: “Come sit with me. We can vote for her blog at About.com while we wait.”
By Carol Cichorski, on March 9th, 2012 Ah! Best Laundry Detergent got your attention. It got mine too. Best Laundry Detergent is one of the categories you can vote for at the About.com – 2012 Readers Choice Awards. Maybe I should be interested in something more esoteric, but I am going back on March 30th to see what the Best Laundry Detergent is.
So, as long as you are there voting for OhWhatA.com as the Best Gardening Blog, (you are, right?), check out the Laundry Awards as well.
And please join Mike and I at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show on Saturday March 17th. Mike will talk about dahlias at 12:15, and my presentation will be on Low Maintenance Gardening at 2:45.
By Carol Cichorski, on March 5th, 2012 I welcome you to the debut of ‘Zone 5 Favorites on the 5th’.
I’m going to post on the 5th of every month, redirecting visitors to a favorite posting relative to zone 5.
 It could be mine
It could be another bloggers
It could be old
It could be new
For sure, it will be good!
Today, we will venture into a world that evades me. I just can’t get myself to grow more than one or two tomato plants, let alone grow enough varieties to critique them. Hanna at This Garden Is Illegal doesn’t have that problem. Join her for Hanna’s Tomato Tastings 2011 (or 2010, or 2009, or 2008, or 2007, or 2006 for that matter). Though Hanna is officially in zone 6, tomatoes taste the same here in zone 5.
Intrigued? Here is what Hanna has to say about the Crème Brulee Tomato…
I expect this tomato to be sweet, because why else would you name a tomato (or anything really) after a dessert if it was not sweet. I mean it would be just a cruel trick to name a vegetable after a luscious dessert if in fact it was not sweet.
Plus, this is another black tomato. Num-num-num. But, knowing that, I am confused. Black tomatoes do not normally bill themselves as sweet tomatoes. They tend to lean towards the savory end of things. Maybe that is about to change. We will see. Read more at Crème Brulee Tomato.
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.
A few last reminders…
Vote for my blog early and often at the 2012 About.com Readers Choice Awards.
And please join Mike and I at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show on Saturday March 17th. Mike will talk about dahlias at 12:15, and my presentation will be on Low Maintenance Gardening at 2:45.
By Carol Cichorski, on February 29th, 2012 One look at the picture and Feeding Frenzy is what you are likely to call this event.
Chicago Botanic Gardens called it a Seed Swap, but Feeding Frenzy feels right to me. I was among those vying to get our mitts on those seeds. Over 300 people had attended Diane Ott Whealy’s kick-off lecture for her new book ‘Gathering: Memoir of a Seed Saver.’ We relished every minute we could going down memory lane with Diane. Then I think everyone ran, not walked, to get a spot amongst the others who came for the seed swap.
Mark your calendars for the next Chicagoland seed swap event – March 11th at 3 PM. That’s when The Great Chicago Seed Swap is going to happen at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show.
I would have never guessed what a popular event a seed swap was, or that I would have had so much fun. I generally don’t buy many seeds. With Mike growing hundreds of dahlias in our basement each year, we run out of room for other plants. Plus I can’t bear to buy a package of 50 seeds if I just want to try planting one or two of something.
 But this event was a game changer. I packed tiny seeds in tiny quantities in tiny envelopes. Just a few pole beans, just a few angel melons, just a few each of several kinds of tomatoes. I also now have heirloom nicotiana – a real get for me as the commercial variety has forsaken fragrance. Actually, I think I now have just a few seeds for every plant known to man and then some.
If you have an interest in seeds, I have two Chicago sites for you:
Check out the blog of Mr. Brown Thumb. Look through his many postings on seeds. Also scroll down to the bottom of his site to learn how to save many different kinds of seeds, and tips for starting seeds. I’ve met him – this man knows seeds.
One Seed Chicago is the other place to go. Each year, One Seed Chicago selects one plant to be the focus of a season-long celebration. Go there to vote for your 2012 favorite – chamomile, basil, or cilantro. They’ll reward you with seeds of the winning herb. Teachers can request a classroom size packet along with an educator guide.
 Sunday was also a surprisingly warm day for a pseudo-winter walk. Did you know that the Botanic Gardens is quite lovely when all of those flowers and people aren’t distracting you from the lovely vistas? Who would have known?
A few last reminders…
Vote for my blog early and often at the 2012 About.com Readers Choice Awards.
And please join Mike and I at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show on Saturday March 17th. Mike will talk about dahlias at 12:15, and my presentation will be on Low Maintenance Gardening at 2:45.
By Carol Cichorski, on February 25th, 2012 My blog is in the running for an award! So of course, I’d love for you to go there every day till March 21st to vote. It’s even ok if you check out my competition.
As I look at About.com 2012 Readers’ Choice Awards, I see this is about more than me (darn). Here are the categories in the Gardening section:
I know I’ll go back on March 30th to check out the Best Gardening Book categories. I have a $40 Barnes and Noble gift certificate that is burning a hole in my pocket. I’ll probably take a peek at who won the Best Blog Award as well. Ok, I’ll definitely be looking at that one. First.
The Parenting and Family Awards look interesting as well. Everything from Best Infant Car Seat to Most Admired Grandparent.
Here is the complete list of categories for the About.com 2012 Readers Choice Awards:
P.S. Mike and I are speaking at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show on Saturday, March 17th. Mike is talking about dahlias (of course) at 12:15. I’ve got Low Maintenance Gardening at 2:45.
By Carol Cichorski, on February 18th, 2012 I write to you with fingers numb.
I think that I might lose a thumb.
Chicago’s temperature is 33.
Yet I was gardening – crazy me.
The sun was shining.
The birds were singing.
I was smiling, trimming, digging.
Digging through the shed so deep,
my gardening tools buried in the heap.
But out they came and so did I.
A joyous day oh my oh my!
It’s true. I just could not stop myself from gardening on this February day. Well, maybe I didn’t want to stop myself. Not even when I saw the dreaded inside of our shed…
Eventually, I found this, my basket of gardening tools…
It was the urn that was calling to me this morning. Time for a little spring cleaning.
It took just a few minutes to make it look like this…
And the best part, look what I discovered as I cleaned up by the mums – new growth. Spring is coming early to our garden.
This was SO worth it!
By Carol Cichorski, on February 15th, 2012 Like all expectant parents, we’ve been anxiously awaiting the arrival of our new little one. We are so proud to introduce you to our first bloom of the year, winter aconite. At no pounds and only 2 inches tall, this newborn arrived today, amidst much speculation about the arrival date.
 Oh, there will be more. Winter Aconite shows up reliably in mid to late February.
In a week or so it will be scattered throughout my vinca. We’ve got it right outside the front door so there is no missing it.
Ours came from at a garage sale – we were allowed to snatch it right out of the garden. I’ve also bought a few packages of the tiny bulbs over the years. They’re a good get – small, inexpensive, and you plant them really close to the top of the soil. Easy.
Our other new addition is ever so much more exciting. This one is 22 inches tall and weighed in at a full 9 pounds. Cameron is our new grandson, and he was born on December 28th. Welcome little one. Grandma loves you!
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.
A sure sign of spring – the Chicago Flower and Garden Show is March 10th to 18th. Mike and I are both excited to be speakers this year. Join us on March 17th, when Mike will talk about dahlias, and my presentation will be on Low Maintenance Gardening.
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