AMY STEWART'S GOT CHICKENS, I"VE GOT JOJO

JOJO, a true miniature black & silver Schnauzer is " the dog with a human brain . " Here she is monitoring the many dogs and their humans that pass her front garden everyday.

Garden Quote : A morning glory at my window satisfies me more than the metaphysics of books. -Walt Whitman

Discovered Garden writer Amy Stewart's blog today at DIRT by AmyStewart. She is a real hoot! Talented and hilarious and what a gardener ! Check out her wonderful blog.

I gotta ask her though, keeping chickens as pets ? You must live in the country. I mean Elvis' mom did that when they moved to Memphis and the neighbors called the law on them. I love chickens ( sorry, Amy, usually Southern fried ) but I never got attached because I knew they were going to be my dinner.

Jojo is a wonderful dog with only one fault : she was born with a woofer in her mouth. I swear she started barking at strangers when she was 3 months old and people would point at her and laugh because she was so tiny.

I can't have people laughing at my dog. Next time I think I'll get the bigger variety.

GET THEE TO THE NEAREST GARDEN CENTER, DO NOT PASS GO

Autumn shot of my Asian pear tree which
prodAAuced a bumper crop of 17 pears in its second season.

Garden Quote : " Far beyond hope the Spring is kind again, Lovely beyond the longing of my eyes. "-Margaret Cropper


The garden center is a treasure trove of knowledge. I am lucky to be within walking distance of one of Chicago's largest and finest -Gethsemane Garden Center at 5739 N. Clark Street.

This is a new blog so you may not have guessed it yet, but yes, it is a kind of DIY or self-help site that intends to inspire and encourage novice gardeners . Besides, all you seasoned jaded gardeners, landscape artists , horticulturist , arborists, etc. already know everything anyhow.

For the novice gardener who doesn't want to pay the big bucks to garden designers like me, I offer these words of advice on how to accomplish a beautiful landscape at minimal cost by perusing the free services offered by Gethsemane garden center. First you must do your homework.

Homework : Begin with just one area of your property and concentrate on that. Make a sketch showing where your house is located, as well as any major trees, shrubs, hardscapes such as sidewalk or patio, fences, etc. Measure the length and width of the area and indicate the exposure ( north, south, etc.) . Observe how much sun/shade the area gets ( do this in early summer ) and how long it gets it . Make digital photos at various angles and print them out.

Now, get thee to Gethsemane and go directly to the Tree and Shrub division with drawing in hand and say, " Help me, please, somebody help me. " Caution : Do not do this on weekends from April to June because it is a madhouse and you'll not be able to get the attention you deserve from one of their designers. They open late in the evenings during the Spring and Summer so go when its not so hectic.

Not only will you be advised on what tree or shrub should go where, their accomodating staff will help you select , deliver and even plant it if you so wish. And, furthermore they will refer you to the pros in the other departments such as perennials ( plants that come back every year if you're lucky ! ) and annuals ( those you have to plant every year ) to fill out the color in your design.

As a Gethsemane " groupie " from the day they opened many moons ago I figure I've dropped a king's ransom there both in my personal garden and my client's. Like many of my fellow Chicagoans I just cannot pass that place without stopping in and picking up a " few things. "


When my husband sees me coming home with new plant purchases he declares that there is not any room to put them. He's always amazed that I find some.

YOU GOTTA START SOMEWHERE

Dismal February View From the Front Porch

Garden quote : " A garden is essential, everything else only desirable. "

I'm on a crusade to get Chicagoans to be a vital part of their " City in a Garden. " I want to see more front gardens that say " Hey, y'all , look at me, ! " One doesn't have to be a landscape designer to create a beautiful garden, all it takes is the desire, a little sweat equity , a modest budget, the ability to read and ask for help from professionals.

I'll never forget my first visit to the local garden center. My two neighbors and I purchased 3 Azaleas and went home to eagerly plant them, thinking we were done . Well, as it turned out the three Azaleas looked mightly big at the garden center but when planted in our big back yard they looked SO tiny. Back to the garden center for more stuff, and many trips later, through trial and error, the garden slowly began to take form and through the process I learned a lot.

I didn't like gardening growing up on the farm because it was my job to tend the vegetable garden, which those of you who do this know that it is very labor intensive. And, after the vegetables are harvested, guess what ? They have to be preserved for winter which means canning up to a hundred jars of each vegetable. Whew ! So after moving to Chicago , getting married, buying a house,having children and working a full time job left little time for gardening.

But, little by little , the old green thumb that I left back in 'bama came back . Hey what can I say , I'm an earth sign - Taurus , and we are born to garden.

We are fortunate to live on one of the loveliest streets in the city , in an historic district, and it is as friendly as any small town. Neighbors know and care for each other and contribute to the welfare of the neighborhood as well.

As my children grew and I had more time on my hands I began in earnest to create a front and back garden . This is in the reach of everyone who wants to do it. I will outline how for the novice gardeners who can follow down the garden path quite easily.

EVERYONE'S A CRITIC

Garden Quote : " this is the garden : colors come and go, frail azures fluttering from night's outer wing strong silent greens serenely lingering, absolute lights like baths of golden snow. "- e.e. cummings







Can April be far off ??


True story : A thief broke into the home of a famous artist in London and stole his VCR, TV, stereo, etc. , leaving millions of dollars of abstract paintings hanging on the wall. The title of the article summed it all up : " Everyone's a Critic. " My kids call me a " garden snob " because I frequently critique others gardens. Can't help it. I'm obsessed.

After visiting the beautiful gardens of England and Ireland I was more impressed with the unpretentious ones of the humble cottages than those of the grand mansions. Without exception, every cottage had a charming garden filled with roses, poppies, daisies and other colorful flowers.

Chicago's motto " Urbs in Horto " ( City in a Garden ) is more talk than substance as far as I'm concerned. As an avid gardener and a garden designer I've visited numerous neighborhoods without spotting so much as a flower . Many front yards contain overgrown evergreens on their last lap and deciduous shrubs that are probably older than Moses.

Then there are the newly built McMansions in the trendy neighborhoods with no front yard at all, a real pet peeve of mine. The public parkway, full of huge trees with extensive root systems, is their little planting area. And they want a lush landscaped parkway. It's like a story a beautician friend of mine told me about a little old lady with one hair on her head who came into her shop and said " make me gorgeous. " With what ?

After surveying one potential client's parkway I told her that I couldn't plant the huge shrubs she wanted under the Norway Maples due to their impossible root structure. I could see she wasn't about to take no for an answer. OOOKAY, take a deep breath and remember your genteel Southern upbringing. Don't lose it now. " " Tell you what, my dear, why don't you take this ax and shovel , dig a 2 x 3 foot hole and I'll be right behind you and drop the shrub in. "

Well butter my butt and call it a biscuit but I thought she'd eaten green persimmons her mouth was so puckered. I think my public parkway planting days are over. I just can't deal with them anymore. A person's gotta draw the line somewhere.

A few of my fellow designers and I decided to go to one of Chicago's oldest and best known garden walks a few summers ago. The neighborhood was filled with beautiful old homes and Million dollar plus McMansions. Out of the more than 30 gardens we visited, all of us agreed that only one or two could be even remotely considered well done. Impatients were the most popular flowers of choice and like the critics we are we renamed the event " The Impatient
Walk . " We also were of the opinion that we were ripped off because we got nothing for the money we paid to get in .