By Mike Cichorski, on March 11th, 2011 Hello from a dahlia grower and propagator!
If you live in the Chicagoland area, it may be time to start growing the new lineup for your 2011 dahlia garden. This time of the year is reserved for those of us who propagate dahlias, sometimes turning 1 tuber into 10 or 15 plants. If you don’t propagate, wait, your turn is coming soon.
I stored my 90 tubers over the winter and now hope to create my yearly 300 cuttings. Darn, I only have room for about 100 plants myself. So some stay in my yard, while others go to plant sales.
 In mid to late February, I take the tubers out of their storage box and rinse off the powdered sulphur. The tuber is then planted in a 4-6 inch pot with about 25% of the tuber top sticking out of the soil. I like to leave the top exposed like this so that I have easy access to the little sprouts that will be coming from the tuber top. By the way, the soil is standard potting mix, not soil from the garden. I don’t want bugs or the extra weight.
My potted tubers are immediately watered from the top and simultaneously soaked from the bottom. I actually place the pot in about 3 inches of water and let it soak for about 10 minutes so that all of the soil is well saturated. It is then drained so that there is only wetted potting mix, but no standing water. This type of start will keep the tuber damp enough for at least a week in my dry basement. If the pots are smaller, watering may need to be done more frequently.
Now we sit and wait. I have seen sprouts came come as early as 7 days after potting. Remember, these potted tubers in waiting don’t have any light requirements. Light is not needed until it has sprouted.
See ya in 1 week
The Dahlia Lama
By Carol Cichorski, on March 10th, 2011 
The picture says it all. River birch bark looks great in winter. The good news is that winter is just about over, even the snow you see in this picture is gone. Woohoo!
This is an installment in the OhWhatAWednesday series, where I dare to take on the task of finding something in my garden that looks good even during a Chicago winter.
By Carol Cichorski, on March 8th, 2011 You are bound to come home with something from the Chicago Flower & Garden Show. Whether its a shamwow (we’ve all fallen for that one haven’t we?) or something garden appropriate like the vibrating pillow (ok so maybe that one isn’t garden appropriate either), you’ve just got to shop at the show.
 My very very very favorite was the Flair Tulip that was on display. I’m not yet sure how I’m going to get it, since Doornbosch Bros is officially a fundraising site. I’m also not sure it reliably has the red hearts that are so prominent in this picture. Mike promises to do some supplier research for me, as I’d rather buy it from Doornbosch since they put out the money to be at the show.
 Mom came home with a group of succulents from Ted’s Greenhouse. At 81, Ted is quite the character. I hope that I’m that spry at 81, and that I look forward to every day like Ted does.
Carol and Kerrie from SeedKeeperCompany.com weren’t officially selling at the show. They did provide some of the door prizes for the Garden Writers Association. I won a seed keeping kit. It includes a collection of 14 seed starting, sowing and saving tools & supplies.
Mike got dahlias from D. Landreth Seed Company, as we only have 47 varieties growing in the basement so far. Even worse, I encouraged him. As you can see by the picture, they make me smile.
Come to the Elk Grove Garden Club plant sale on the Saturday before Mother’s day if you want dahlias. We’ll be at the Farm from 10 – 3 on May 7th. Yes, I know he has to start posting about how to grow dahlias. Soon, I promise.
Smith & Hawkins. Long gone – NO. If you mourned when they closed their stores, rejoice as Target resurrects their product line. Some items in the store, some at Target on-line. So get on over to the Garden Show. Like the folks below, and like me, you can come home smiling too.
By Carol Cichorski, on March 7th, 2011 How is it that you see this at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show?
and this?
and this?
 All very explainable.
The dog is part of the CABRA cake decorating contest. Three preview cakes were on display, in anticipation of the Sunday March 13th competition. The finest cake decorators in the Chicagoland area will gather at the show to compete in the Chicago Areas Retail Bakers Association’s (CARBA) annual competition. Alliance, A Piece of Cake, Bleeding, Heart, Central Continental, Creative Cakes, Deerfield’s, Dinkel’s Fleckenstein’s, Kirsten’s, Danish, Piece-a-Cake, Roeser’s, and Swedish Bakeries will compete.
Real dogs were on-site as well. They were at display garden #29, ‘Time for Some…Dog Gone Fun , where trained agility dogs romped, were petted by the children, and were generally adorable.
The rooster is similar to the chickens from not one, but two, chicken coops at the show. One was at display garden #18, Conservation at Home: The Sustainable Yard. In this garden, presented by The Conservation Foundation, which protects land, habitat and water in Du Page County, you’ll see many ways to build conservation values into home life and the home garden, from native plants to wind turbines to recycled pavers, solar power and geothermal heating and cooling. Look for rain harvesting and composting, and making mead — the ancient, intoxicating brew that starts with honey. Speaking of animals, from time to time there will be demonstrations on worm composting and beekeeping, as well as raptors. Stop by and you may see the very impressive owls (raptors) that we saw.
You can save two dollars a ticket by purchasing on-line at JULIE. I purchased and printed ours just before we left home. Be sure to take the tickets with you. We had to come back for ours — they were not very useful when left on the printer. We got there early enough to park on-site, only $14 dollars with the $10 discount. The $14 discounted price was also available at the overflow garages located at 460 East Illinois and 403 East Grand, both 1 block from Navy Pier. Stop at the Garden Show ticket both to validate your parking ticket.
Oh, and about the tiger picture. This little stuffed toy was lost. Hopefully, it was also found by the child who lost it.
By Carol Cichorski, on March 2nd, 2011 Spring is coming! I can feel when I’m out walking with the dog. The birds are singing, the geese are flying, and my fingers are not frozen. It just feels different, doesn’t it? I better get moving with what looks good in my yard in winter before I run out of winter. So we’ll do a two-fer today. You know, two-fer the price of one – hardscaping and Rose of Sharon.
Lets get hardscaping out of the way. See that cast iron table and chairs under the pines? Lovely in the winter. And the pines have up-lights. Even lovelier. Moving on to the Rose of Sharon.
I didn’t really expect much from Rose of Sharon in the summer, let alone in the winter. Its one of those shrubs that everyone has. Average, typical, expected. It does not have to be so.
Usha gave us several that self-seeded in her yard, and they went into our so-called vegetable garden for a several years. I started cutting off the extra branches till I had just one stem. By the time I moved the Rose of Sharon to more decorative spots, these fast growers actually looked like trees.
In winter, anything that snow can rest on can look good. That’s a Rose of Sharon.
Anything that hangs onto things that used to be green is good. That’s a Rose of Sharon.
And a tree that blooms in mid-summer is good. That’s a Rose of Sharon.
As a reminder of what we are missing this time of year, here is the same area in the summer. I am so ready!
This is an installment in the OhWhatAWednesday series, where I dare to take on the task of finding something in my garden that looks good even during a Chicago winter.
By Carol Cichorski, on March 1st, 2011 The month of March, per Edith Holden’s “Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady” …
As in the Roman year, so in the English ecclesiastical calendar used in 1752, this was the first month, and the legal year commenced on the 25th of March. Scotland changed the first month to January in 1599. This month was called Martiua by the Romans, from the god Mars, and it received the name ‘Hlyd Monath;, ie. ‘loud’ or ‘stormy month’, from the Anglo-Saxons.
And from the collection of poetry Ms. Holden has been kind enough to share with us …
The stormy March is come at last,
With wind, and cloud, and changing skies,
I hear the rushing of the blast,
That through the snowy valley flies.
Ah, passing few are they who speak,
Wild stormy month! in praise of thee;
Yet, though thy winds are loud and bleak,
Thou art a welcome month to me.
For thou, to northern lands, again
The glad and glorious sun dost bring,
And thou hast joined the gentle train
And wear’st the gentle name of Spring.
And, in thy reign of blast and storm,
Smiles many a long, bright, sunny day,
When the changed winds are soft and warm,
And heaven puts on the blue of May.
Title: March
Author: William Cullen Bryant [More Titles by Bryant]
Whereforth cometh the inspiration to wax poetic? From Gardener’s Muse Day, where Carolyn Choi invites bloggers to share our favorite poems, songs, verses and quotes about gardening on the first of the month.
By Carol Cichorski, on February 24th, 2011 Oh dreary winter. Oh lack of green. Oh snowy driveway. Oh bundled up to the hilt. Oh wait … we were in Kauai. Oh sunny day. Oh lush greenery. Oh valet parking. Oh swimsuit and sandals. Oh yes!
And I get to write about it on in a winter gardening series because I used ‘Winter’ and ‘Garden’ in the title. No matter that the garden wasn’t officially my zone 5 back yard. It was a garden, I was in it, and I live in zone 5. So there. Let’s get on with sharing my wonderful memories of our trip last week.
 Here we are at the Marriot in Lihue. Not your basic hotel. Not even your basic Marriot. More your grand and grander Marriot. It was indelibely impressed upon us before we even got to the buildings. Our red convertible, with the top down, felt right at home as it traversed the lush greenery of the long and winding entryway. We later learned that the 800 acres of the property have had 50 years to mature. Well done. My garden should be planned with such forethought.
 We barely left the Marriot the next day. How could we when the pool looked like this? It’s one of the biggest in Hawaii, and it was magnificent. Notice me there in my swimsuit. NOT! And immediately across from the pool was Kalipaki Beach, which turned out to be one of my favorites. Not that we played volleyball there. We could have. We would have … 10 years ago. Now, we enjoyed the view created by the cove, and were happy to eat our breakfast there.
 Yes, we certainly had our share of fine island cuisene at only the best places. Here I am at Eggberts for breakfast, which actually was good, and not a budget breaker. Duke’s was another place we liked, with a real island atmosphere, and it was right on our beach. Keoki’s Paradise had enough atmosphere for us to go to twice in one week. If you go to Kauai, watch for farmer’s markets and sunshine markets. Get the papaya. And whatever the hairy red one is, get that. You don’t even need to know it’s name (I don’t). Just get it. Fruit and a sandwich from the Deli and Bread Company and you’ll be set. Helps make up for the cost of the sunset dinner cruise and luau.
We didn’t just eat though. After all, I had to look good in that swimsuit you didn’t see me in at the pool. We hiked the Na Pali Coast on the Kalalau Trail. Yep, an 11 mile hike. Slippery, wet, rocky, up a mountain. How about that picture? Worth the climb! Did I mention we only did the first half mile?
 The helicopter ride was amazing. We don’t spend that kind of money without thinking twice. Maybe three times. Many parts of Kauai can only be seen by boat or helicopter. Kauai has mountain ranges, a major canyon, and waterfalls. For example, the waterfall you saw in Jurassic Park, and the one from Fantasy Island. The terrain may be like none you’ve ever seen. To really get the feel of the island’s beauty, take a look at the Blue Hawaii Kauai video.
 If you are jealous at this point, don’t be. Instead, look forward to someday when you can go there too. Aloha, and mahalo Kauai.
This is an installment in the OhWhatAWednesday series, where I dare to take on the task of finding something in my garden that looks good during a Chicago winter. Even if that means I have to take my garden to Hawaii.
By Carol Cichorski, on February 16th, 2011  Looking for a lovely winter garden? Look no further. Here I am in mine. Well, mine sort of. Its mine till we get back on a plane from Kauai. Hawaii’s idea of winter is not exactly the same as Chicago’s idea of winter. Think sand, surf, sun, and snorkel. Snorkel was our ‘S’ word today. Note the absence of the ‘S’ word of snow. A significant absence I might add. We do not have an absence of the word sunburn. Mike has that one.
I’m going to take some liberty here as I file this article under Work Less. Hmmm … maybe not a liberty at all. I definitely qualify for the Work Less category right now, as I couldn’t work less right now no matter how hard I tried. If I did try to work less, then I’d be working harder, which would take it right out of the Work Less category. So I won’t.
I’ll just move onto the letter ‘L’, as in its late now and we have a Luau tomorrow.
Aloha!
This is an installment in the OhWhatAWednesday series, where I dare to take on the task of finding something in my garden that looks good even during a Chicago winter.
By Carol Cichorski, on February 15th, 2011 Here’s a new one for me – Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. A bunch of garden bloggers post on the 15th of each month, with the common topic of posting something that is blooming right then and there. If you’ve been following my zone 5 winter series OhWhatAWednesday, you already know I’ve been posting each week on something that looks good in my garden during the winter. Yes, I’m taking liberties with the word ‘blooming’, and interpretting it as ‘what looks good’. Winter aesthetics is about so much more than the bloom itself. Wanna see me really go out on a limb with interpretation this week? (The answer is yes.) Check out tomorrow’s OhWhatAWednesday.
I could have used Garden Bloggers Bloom Day a few years ago when my garden traditionally looked rather un-bloom-full during July, just when we’d be having our garden walk. I could have seen what looked good in other gardens in July, and then planned appropriately for the next garden walk. An opportunity to go shopping!
So where would I have looked for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day? And where can you look for it? At www.MayDreamsGardens.com.
By Carol Cichorski, on February 9th, 2011  20.2 inches of snow and I’m out there taking pictures of my garden. Interestingly enough, I’m not much of an indoor gardener. Yes, there are a few plants inside, which is not a good thing for them under my care. My eyes search outside, even this time of year. No, we can’t eat Saturday morning breakfast on the back porch. So this picture is a bit of a tease. The lovely scene, complete with dahlias, would be typical over the summer.
What we can do is eat inside, looking out at the winter wonderland. This great big birdhouse was a present from Mike this Christmas. We need something this big if you are going to see it from far away. Scale is important, and a big garden needs hardscape with big impact. A really big birdhouse has been on my list for years. Problem is, so many that we’ve seen aren’t meant to weather a Chicago winter. This one was made from barn wood. If it can survive years as a barn, I’m fully expecting it to survive as a bird barn too. I was anxious for Mike to put in a post out in the back 40. He is not quite so anxious. Perhaps, just perhaps, once the ground isn’t frozen?
This is an installment in the OhWhatAWednesday series, where I dare to take on the task of finding something in my garden that looks good even during a Chicago winter.
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In mid to late February, I take the tubers out of their storage box and rinse off the powdered sulphur. The tuber is then planted in a 4-6 inch pot with about 25% of the tuber top sticking out of the soil. I like to leave the top exposed like this so that I have easy access to the little sprouts that will be coming from the tuber top. By the way, the soil is standard potting mix, not soil from the garden. I don’t want bugs or the extra weight.
