By Carol Cichorski, on January 1st, 2012 The month of January, per Edith Holden’s “Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady”…
Named from the Roman god Janus, who is represented with two faces looking in opposite directions, – as retrospective to the past, and prospective to, the coming year.
And an interesting motto that Ms. Holden has been kind enough to share with us…
Janiveer freeze the pot upon the fire.
I know the book cover says Edith Holden lived in England. The January motto makes me wonder though, did Edith really live in England, or was it Chicago she is describing? We are certainly due for some of that freezing weather with this being such a mild winter.
Whereforth cometh the inspiration to wax poetic? Garden Bloggers’ Muse Day, where Carolyn Choi of Sweet Home and Garden Chicago has invited bloggers to share our favorite poems, songs, verses and quotes about gardening on the first of the month. Carolyn has left Chicagoland and her blog to follow her heart to North Carolina. Thanks to Carolyn for her inspiration.
By Carol Cichorski, on December 27th, 2011 What did I get for Christmas?? Let’s start with what I didn’t get…
- I did not get a new grandchild. The doctor says tomorrow. Really.
- I did not get Christmas dinner at my brother Bob’s house. We got to make dinner at our house with 3 hour notice and only the Japanese grocery store open. California Spring Rolls and fish were perhaps a bit non-traditional.
- I did not get to play the guitar at my brother Joe’s house. This is a good thing. Pretty much everyone else did play the guitar while we all sang Christmas Carols. What a wonderful time!
- I did not get to stop laughing for a long time during Holiday Charades.
I did get a few garden related gifts.
We watched my new ‘First Flight’ video last night. Quite the short story. If I was lucky enough to have a mother hummingbird nest at my house, we’d relish watching her and her babies, but I certainly would not have the gear to get the amazing videos that Noriko and Don Carroll took. Nor would I have the patience to do so over the several years it took to complete the story. Put this lovely video on your own shopping list if you have to, but get it!
First Flight – A Mother Hummingbird’s Story – Trailer
 Then there were the plant tags from Mike. His persistence in finding the perfect plant tag for me is amazing. I think he did it! They won’t get lost, the writing won’t wear off, they won’t break, and the price was right. Wow. He used a nail to easily scribble ‘Merry Christmas’ on one. The tags will be placed on the Christmas light holders you see here. Now that’s thinking outside of the box.
I have been blessed this Christmas with the gift of baby Jesus. Soon I’ll have the gift of baby Cameron as my new grandchild. My family is growing, and that is a wonderful gift from God, for Christmas, and for the rest of the year.
What other gift ideas did Carol have for gardeners? See:
By Carol Cichorski, on December 20th, 2011 Here is an opportunity to please your gardening friend, as well as his or her feathered friends. When it comes to Christmas gifts, Wild Birds Unlimited has a great variety of bird feeders and supplies.
Saturday morning at our house is for the birds. Well, not literally, but they can reliably be seen right outside of our bedroom window. We’ve got a shepherd’s hook with two feeders, and I can watch them while we’re all snuggled up in bed. This red-breasted grosbeak stopped by last spring. They must have been just passing through as we only saw them for a few weeks. The feeder on the right has been around for a long time, because that’s what happens when you buy a quality item from Wild Birds Unlimited.
 Saturday morning is also big breakfast morning, during which, we watch the birds again. No, we aren’t official bird watchers who go out looking for them, more the kind who want the birdies to come to us. So we’ve got this suet feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited right outside the kitchen window in the winter. The birds like the high fat content of this high energy food. It can be hard for them to find food this time of year, and those extra calories help keep them warm. Of course, WBU has suet in a variety of flavors to please even the most discriminating guest. In the summer, the suet feeder is replaced by a hummingbird feeder.
The WBU squirrel-proof feeder is just a bit further away, still within site of the breakfast table. It’s perfectly placed right by the little pond that provides water, and the contorted filbert that provides a safe perch.
You can find a Wild Birds Unlimited location near you. We’ve got a Wild Birds Unlimited nearby in Arlington Heights at 321 East Rand Road.
Want more ideas for Christmas gifts for gardeners? See:
By Carol Cichorski, on December 18th, 2011 I have received so many amazing gifts. For example, my family, which includes my son Kevin, who took these pictures.
The pictures are of other gifts I have received as a gardener, like this rose of sharon that God gave me.
And this crab apple tree that God gave me.
And this millions bells that God gave me.
He even gave to my yard the butterfly and bee that Kevin caught on camera. They pollinate the flowers and continue the cycle of life according to His plan. As a gardener, I see the beauty, the intricacy, the interdependency, and I have to believe there is a God.
This week, gardeners and non-gardeners alike can celebrate the gift that God gave us in Jesus Christ. He is what the Christmas season is all about. And I am so thankful.
Celebrate at your local church. Or celebrate at mine, Willow Creek. We’ll welcome you, and so will He.
Sunday, December 18 at 5 & 7 p.m.
Monday, December 19 at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, December 20 at 7 p.m. (conducted entirely in Spanish)
Wednesday, December 21 at 7 p.m.
Thursday, December 22 at 7 p.m.
Friday, December 23 at 5 & 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 24 at 12:30, 3, 5:30, & 8 p.m.
Willow is at 67 E. Algonquin Road, South Barrington, IL 60010. Call (847) 765-5000 or check out the Willow Creek website to learn more about Willow, and about their other locations in Chicago, Crystal Lake, DuPage County, Huntley, and Northfield.
By Carol Cichorski, on December 15th, 2011 Could it have been just 9 days ago that Santa was looking over these blooms? It’s true. They may be tiny, but I was sure happy as Mike delivered them one by one during his ‘Its almost winter, I’ve got to get the yard cleaned up’ effort.
I’m sure the real Santa has a shortage of flowers up at the North Pole. Complain all you want about Chicagoland winters, but he seen no sunlight there since October, nor will he till early March. That’s 94 more days of total darkness. I don’t care how much hot chocolate you bribe me with; I wouldn’t have much to ho-ho-ho about. He does get plenty of sun in the summer, as the North Pole stays in full sunlight all day long throughout the entire summer.
It is also a bit on the chilly side at the North Pole. The low on December 13th was minus 34 c (minus 29 f). The high (if you want to call it that) was minus 17c (1 f). This data compliment of PAWS, the Polar Area Weather Station Buoy. That truly qualifies as ‘The Weather Outside is Frightful’. If you are not sure you believe me that it’s really really cold, take a look at this You Tube Video of the North Pole posted by the World of Travel in February of 2010.
Maybe Santa has birdhouses and trellises and garden gloves on his Christmas list. Maybe once the hustle and bustle of Christmas is over, he starts planning his garden. Maybe he has dahlia tubers growing in his basement in February just like Mike does. You may think not, but can you prove me wrong?
Do you want to know what else is blooming in the December 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 December 13th, 2011
By Carol Cichorski, on December 8th, 2011  Do you want to know where Santa AND his reindeer will be on Saturday, December 10th? Right here at Berthold’s Floral Gift & Gardening Center in Elk Grove Village from 10:00 – 3:00. The friendly elves at Bertholds will be serving cookies and their famous homemade hot cider.
You can take pictures with Santa, and that can be your gift to a favorite gardener, or even a non-gardener for that matter. If you feel the need to still actually buy something for that special person, Bertholds will have their Christmas decor and giftware on sale for the event.
 Keep in mind that us gardeners might like some of the other items you’ll find at Bertholds. Like these cute watering cans, or a wreath for our door.
Can’t make it Saturday? Berthold’s is open Monday thru Friday from 8:30 – 6:00, and Saturdays from 9:00 – 5:00. On Sunday, they are at the North Pole helping Santa.
Bertholds is at 434 E. Devon Ave, Elk Grove Village, IL, 847-439-2650. The garden center website was under construction at the time of this posting, but it may be up by the time you try to go there.
If Bertholds is too far for your sleigh to travel, check out your local garden center for great gift ideas for the gardener in your life.
Want more ideas for Christmas gifts for gardeners? See:
Or come back next week and we’ll see if I can come up with an idea that hits home for you.
By Carol Cichorski, on December 4th, 2011 My garden isn’t just decorative. It is also a place that reminds me of others. I like going out in my garden and being surrounded by those memories. Bob and Joann gave us the heart shaped plant hanger, and the sign that reads ‘The best is yet to come’. Susan from Keno Kozie gave me the concrete birds. I left Keno 3 1/2 years ago and I still think of Susan when I see the birds.
 Same thing with these stepping stones that Mike’s cousin’s kids made for us. We think of Nick and Anna when we see the stepping stones. Note that Nick and Anna did not get all artsy tartsy, nor did they display Michealango-like talent. Yet the stones are still pretty, and the memories, well, memorable.
We bring the stepping stones in the for winter. I don’t know that we really need to, but we do.
 Here is your chance to make a memory like that. HGTV has instructions on how to make stepping stones. They are using common materials; for example a pizza box for a mold. And as you can see by Nick and Anna’s creations, decorations can be as simple as randomly placed glass stones from the craft store.
This project can be messy. If you are looking for other Christmas decorations, handmade gifts, cards and wraps — check out HGTV.
Want more ideas for Christmas gifts for gardeners? See:
Or come back later this week and we’ll see if I can come up with an idea that hits home for you.
By Carol Cichorski, on December 1st, 2011 The month of December, per Edith Holden’s “Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady”…
December was the last month of the old Roman year which was divided into ten months. The Saxons called it ‘winter-monat’ or winter month, and ‘heligh-monat,’ or holy month from the fact that Christmas fell with it. The 22nd of December is the date of the winter solstice, when the sun reaches the tropic of Capricorn
And a wishful thinking motto from Ms. Holden for December…
in December keep yourself warm and sleep
I think I’ll try this tonight by having Mike start the first fire of the season in our fireplace. I do love falling asleep to the sights and sounds of a crackling fire.
Whereforth cometh the inspiration to wax poetic? Garden Bloggers’ Muse Day, where Carolyn Choi of Sweet Home and Garden Chicago has invited bloggers to share our favorite poems, songs, verses and quotes about gardening on the first of the month. Carolyn has left Chicagoland and her blog to follow her heart to North Carolina. Thanks to Carolyn for her inspiration.
Were you looking for the next installment of Christmas Gifts For Gardeners? Soon, yes soon.
By Carol Cichorski, on November 29th, 2011 I like to give credit where credit is due. Today, credit is due to Susan Holland of Bismarck, North Dakota. Susan’s and my friendship is a testament to the new world we live in – one connected over many miles thanks to modern technology.
Susan took one more big technology step recently, as her credits now include an entry into the blogosphere. Her blog, cleverly named Digging Dakota, debuted in October.
Susan and I met at the Garden Writers Association symposium in Indianapolis this summer. How perfect. I got to talk to other Gardeners, who write, and associate with them. (Gosh – I wonder how they came up with the name for this group?) Susan and I were roomies, and with it being so easy to communicate electronically these days, we have kept in touch.
 This isn’t where Susan lives:
 This isn’t how Susan arrived in Bismarck after living in Tustin, California; Amity, Oregon; Fort Clark, North Dakota; St. Paul, Minnesota; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Williamsburg, Virginia; London, England; Watford, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Williston.
 This is not Susan penning her latest blog posting:
So why are these pictures all on her gardening blog? I suggest you check out Digging Dakota to see.
One thing that this is – my heartfelt congratulations to Susan for taking the leap. I’ve added Susan’s blog to my blogroll so you can stop in to visit her early and often, just like we vote here in Chicago.
I’m even sure she’ll add me to her blogroll now that I have blatantly publicized hers. No pressure here – ok maybe just a little pressure. Heck, what are friends for?
Way to go Susan!
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