OUTSIDE IN

As if I needed it - just one more reason to love Limelight Hydrangea ! I took these clippings for a bit of indoor color.

I've been inspired by Carol at May Dreams Gardens to have flowers blooming year 'round so I'm making an indoor garden in the only sunny spot in my house- the dining room.


This is what it looks like now :

A lot of greenery right now and no flowers. I'm going to pot up my annual Coleus and bring indoors and my Christmas Poinsetta which spent the summer outside . I'll need a lot of advice from my daughter who's an indoor plant expert and has over 100 houseplants which she treats like her children.

Houses are so close together in the city that not much light comes in . My dining room is the only sunny window I have and it gets good Western light all afternoon. I've never tried African violets or Orchids before so they may be a good start. I definitely want to get some bulbs to force . It'll be fun to watch them go from sprout to blossom.

Now that I'm bringing the outside in I see what Carol means about having something bloom every month. It makes the thought of a dreary Chicago winter a lot less daunting.

ON A WING AND A PRAYER

2,000 Miles Away From Home

The rare green-breasted Mango Hummingbird whose habitat is Mango groves in Mexico made a very mysterious appearance in the countryside near Beloit, Wisconsin one recent October morning.

The homeowner posted its appearance on the internet and as the word spread, bird lovers descended on the town to witness this rare visitor busy at work doing what hummingbirds do best - sipping sweet nectar. In fact, more than 700 visitors, some from far away, came. The homeowners were gracious in allowing them to share the phenomenon and only asked that the visitors sign a guest book and comment on why they came. Oh yes, and not to trash her lawn and garden. Very important !

At this late stage I doubt that the hummingbird will be able to find its way back to Mexico and I fear that it will not survive the harsh Wisconsin winters. It makes me wonder if it might be a young one that didn't fly from Mexico but by some miracle or quirk of nature was from parents who did survive a Wisconsin winter. That may sound far fetched but in Chicago there are many South American parakeets that originally were thought not able to survive but did and have been found in large numbers.

I wish that the hummingbird would fly away to Florida like a lot of Chicagoans do when it gets cold.

BLOG ACTION DAY-OCTOBER 15

ACTIONS TAKEN TO IMPROVE THE ENVIRONMENT OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD


What once was a well kept landscape has been a constant eyesore littered with garbage and pigeons. for many years in this shopping mall that Walgreens, Staples, Blockbuster and U.S. Cellular share around the corner from my house. Letters to all the businesses concerned were ignored.

I made several phone calls to Walgreen's headquarters in the Northern Chicago suburbs and received promises to " look into it " but for a year and a half no action was taken.

I then sent an email to Walgreens headquarters back in July and to my amazement I received a reply ! My email was then sent to the local Walgreens and the manager there said he was looking into the matter. He must of course be a very busy man because I didn't hear back until a few weeks ago and then only after prodding him again.

Today I walked past the mall and to my surprise I saw a landscape crew busy at work. YES ! I feel like the main character in Rainmaker who singlehandedly took on a corporate giant ! A lonely voice calling out in the wilderness. This is how the public areas look now :






I see no signs of an irrigation or watering system and hope that the new landscaping doesn't fall into the same state of disrepair that the previous one did.

Is it just me that is bothered that corporate giants like Walgreens, Staples, Blockbuster and U.S. Cellular can set up shop in our neighborhood and not care about their front yards ? That is just arrogant to me.

I must write a letter of thanks to the caring person at Walgreen's and express my concern on the maintenance of the new landscape.

GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOMDAY-OCT. 15

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVORITE FALL THINGS STILL IN BLOOM :



Little Lemon Goldenrod

Rhumba Mum

Bolero Mum

Pink Coneflower

Chinese Lantern

Claire Curtis Mum

Autumn Joy Sedum

Ornamental Grass and Limelight Hydrangea

Sweet Autumn Clematis

Autumn Moon Maple

Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, the originator of GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY.