Articles filed under Gardening

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To Carol with love: Notes on a special daphne May 19, 2013 12:00 AM
I fell in love with Carol Mackie almost from the day she arrived here. Carol — a kind of daphne — doesn't stop at just looking good. Every spring, each of her stems is capped by a tight cluster of small, white flowers.
With these temperature swings, only strong flowers survive May 14, 2013 12:00 AM
Shutting off the heat and switching on the air-conditioning? Plants at Morton Arboretum in Lisle tried to fight off a freeze early Monday morning but will bask in 80-degree temperatures today. "All those hanging baskets people get for Mother's Day, if they were under an eave, they are probably OK. But if they got frosted, you're going to see it," says Kris Bachtell of the Morton Arboretum.
West Chicago celebrates Blooming Fest on Saturday May 13, 2013 12:00 AM
West Chicago will celebrate every aspect of gardening during its annual Blooming Fest celebration from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 18, in the city's downtown. The 13-year old garden festival attracts those with green thumbs from throughout the region to the displays along Main Street to get their fill of local and homegrown perennials, annuals, herbs, vegetable plants, trees and shrubs.
How to get the most out of your herb garden May 10, 2013 12:00 AM
Beautiful, delicious, aromatic and self-sufficient, herbs represent a form of perfection in the garden. Culinary herbs are singularly suited to growing in pots and other containers — they love a dry, airy perch.
Choosing the right pot to grow herbs May 9, 2013 12:00 AM
A 14-inch-diameter pot is the optimal size for a collection of herbs — large enough to do the job without becoming a major production in weight, cost and soil volume.
Flower Power Planting Party – can you dig it?May 8, 2013 12:00 AM
A love of nature is love worth sharing, which the Fox Valley Park District will do again this season with its Flower Power Planting Parties. From 9 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, groups of volunteer planting teams — perhaps you included — will take to the gardens in front of the Eola Community Center and Vaughan Athletic Center to roll up their sleeves and celebrate planting season.
Roosevelt’s Schaumburg garden a model of innovation, sustainability May 7, 2013 12:00 AM
A community garden at Roosevelt University in Schaumburg is becoming a model and a city-suburban crossroad this growing season for regional environmental sustainability. "As an institution we're saying that it's not OK anymore to simply consume resources," said Paul Matthews, assistant vice president for campus planning and operations at Roosevelt, and the person in charge of green initiatives. "We've got to rebuild and reuse everything we can."
Garden walls can come alive with ‘living pictures’ May 4, 2013 12:00 AM
Looking for a fresh way to liven up your garden walls? Think plants, not paintings. Living pictures — cuttings of assorted succulents woven together in everything from picture frames to pallet boxes — have caught on among garden designers and landscapers this spring as an easy, modern way to add color and texture to an outdoor space.
Tips to keep your refrigerator sparkling Apr 28, 2013 12:00 AM
Think that cleaning your refrigerator (and keeping it clean) takes a lot of effort? Well, chill! Just follow these tips:
Designing a small garden to yield big results Apr 27, 2013 12:00 AM
With attention to appropriate plant and variety choices, just about anything that can be done to dress up a larger space can be done on a smaller scale with equal success. Even the smallest spaces can be made to appear larger with a few design tricks that fool the eye into thinking the space is bigger than it actually is.
Pizza ovens rise as backyard features Apr 27, 2013 12:00 AM
In 40 years of working at R.I. Lampus Co., Bob Welling has come up with some pretty good ideas for new cast-concrete products. In the time he has been trying out one of them, a wood-fired oven, he has gotten pretty good at making pizza, too.
Don’t toss it during spring cleaning, transform it Apr 27, 2013 12:00 AM
If you cup your hand to your ear, you can almost hear the hallelujah chorus being sung by the winter-weary who are glad spring is here. And with the arrival of spring, you know what that means: It's time for spring cleaning. But hold on a minute. Before you start pitching things in the trash, rethink how items can be used again and given new life by re-purposing.
Plastic by just about any name has shaped modern furniture Apr 21, 2013 12:00 AM
Transparency may be in short supply in Washington, D.C., but in the furniture and fashion worlds it has been a clear winner for more than 75 years. Plastics such as Plexiglas, resin, Lucite and acrylic have seen through decades of trends and look as new today as ever.
What you should know before buying antiques Apr 20, 2013 12:00 AM
When you shop for antiques, don't go in cold. You need to have some knowledge so you don't just end up with something old. "Just because something is old doesn't mean it's an antique," said Byron "Barney" Stickles, an antiques appraiser.
Art in the garden: Put trees first in design plans Apr 20, 2013 12:00 AM
Flowers are usually the first thing folks consider when planning a new landscape, but trees should be at the top of their lists. Trees have the greatest visual impact and should be the first plants placed in a new landscape. As trees grow, they give a garden structure.
Select plants best suited to your garden’s conditions Apr 19, 2013 12:00 AM
To ensure a successful garden, take the time to select plants that are suited to your garden’s growing conditions and fulfill your design criteria. Putting the right plant in the right location will result in a better looking garden that requires less maintenance.
Private school teaches well-off students to conserve Apr 14, 2013 12:00 AM
Students at Choate Rosemary Hall preparatory school consider the value of food scraps and the environmental impact of hair dryers. These are among the curricular wrinkles encountered by young scholars living and studying in a zero-energy building, the new Kohler Environmental Center.
Advice for Midwest gardeners available in new book Apr 7, 2013 12:00 AM
After nearly 40 years of dispensing advice, columnist Jan Riggenbach has delievered on a promise to readers with a new book, "Your Midwest Garden: An Owner's Manual." Riggenbach's 2,000th column is schedueld to run in late April.
Time to banish garden debris and uncover roses Apr 6, 2013 12:00 AM
Cold and snowy weather delayed work in the garden this year, but it is time to finish cutting back perennials and cleaning up garden debris. It is best to cut back perennials before they start growing to avoid damaging the new growth. It is especially important to cut back ornamental grasses early, because it can be hard to see their new growth in the dense clump of last year's stalks. If the weather warms up and the grasses are growing, cut the old stalks off at a few inches above the ground to avoid the new shoots.
‘Diamonds’ for small spaces in the garden Apr 2, 2013 12:00 AM
Diamonds hold their value, always look great and are as desirable today as they were centuries ago. If you're planning a small outdoor living space, think of each perennial you select as a diamond. They should be long-lived, look great always and be suited to your space now and forever.