GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY-APRIL

When the April wind wakes the call of the soil,

I hold the plough as my only hold upon the earth,

And, as I follow through the fresh and fragrant furrow,

I am planted with every footstep ;

growing, budding, blooming,

into a spirit of Spring.

-Dallas Love Sharp

COMING TO A GARDEN CENTER NEAR YOU

Viburnum opulus 'aureum'

I'm getting ready for the new garden season and will work a few days a week at the Tree and Shrub department of Gethsemane Garden Center in early April. We are one of the largest in the city. My superior John has been busy all Fall and Winter selecting outstanding plants for our department and he sent me a copy of his prize picks.

I'm a big fan of viburnums ( pictured above ) and trees and shrubs that have chartruese or gold leaves, so I've picked them first to show you :

Tsuga canadensis 'golden Splendor '

Pinus thunbergii 'Ogon '

Acer shirasawanum 'Ogura yama '

Kolkwitzia ' Dream catcher '

Cercis canadensis ' Hearts of Gold '

Taxodium distichum 'Peve Yellow '

Stay tuned. More beauties to come.

MR. BROWN THUMB IS ALIVE AND WELL

Blue Horse
from my Cavescape series

While I was away down in Florida I neglected my regular visits to favorite blogs . When I returned after a month I discovered that my fellow Chicago blogger and virtual friend Mr. Brown Thumb had suddenly stopped blogging on January 13, which was very unusual for him, a frequent poster.

There were more than 48 messages left on his last post inquiring about his well-being and I know many people emailed him as well. He and I had exchanged a few emails and I recalled in one of them that he said he was a member of a certain garden forum so I went there in search of him.

After two days I received a message from him saying he way okay. He said he was touched that I was looking for him and asked " Has it been that long ? Two months and no posts? Yah, long in my book. You had a l of us thinking dire thoughts, Mr. Brown Thumb. Now we can all breathe a sigh of relief.

I know that all his fans and followers will be very happy to hear that is safe and well. The garden blog world wouldn't be the same without him.

BLOGGER OF NOTE RECOGNIZES ANOTHER GARDEN BLOGGER - MOI !

The Water Garden at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago

I was caught off guard this morning. I usually read " Blogs of Note " but was laid up with a nasty cold and skipped it . Good things always seem to happen when you least expect it .

Thanks to all my fellow garden bloggers for waking me up and letting me know that I was chosen as a " Blog of Note. "

I must say I'm thrilled to be in the company of Jodi at Bloomingwriter and My Chutney Garden as only the 3rd garden blogger, to the best of my knowledge, to be awarded this honor. Thank you Blogger !

I seldom post twice in a day but today is very special and I wanted to share it with all in the garden blogosphere.

THERE'S A WAR GOING ON

Here's the Target
How can anything so cute be so destructive ?

Carol at Maydreamsgardens and Mrmcgregorsdaughter along with countless others, I'm sure , are having rabbit problems and have declared war to rid themselves of this garden pest.

I've posted on this before but I think it bears repeating. I designed and planted a beautiful garden for a client ( their first ) and over the winter the rabbits ate it right down to the ground. Hundreds and thousands of dollars worth of plants decimated. So the homeowners and I have tried just about every rabbit repellent in sight until they get the one that works the best : a fence surrounding the entire property.

The two repellents that worked the best are Plantskydd ( blood meal in an oil binder base that adheres to the plants ) and Pro-tec garlic units. Both have websites ( www.plantskydd.com) and www.plantprotec.com ) .

The Plantskydd is very effective but smelly so the first day you spray it better keep your windows closed. The smell will go away in a day or so. The plant pro-tec garlic units are less messy and also effective because they have high concentrations of garlic which rabbit don't like.

The latest gadget in the war on rabbits is a motion detector frog. The frog senses the rabbits approach and starts croaking, presumably scaring off the intruder. It's worth a try at $22. Check it out at The Frogstore. I'm definitely going to recommend this to my client. Hey, in the war against rabbits, every tactic counts.

IF ONLY I COULD BOTTLE AND SELL IT

The Palm Garden, Florida
Botanical Garden,
Largo

I don't care how ugly you are, you just look better after a month in the Florida sunshine. There's a smile on your face, a new bounce to your walk, a new rosiness to your checks and color on your pale skin. I know its an old cliche but I wish I could" bottle and sell that sunshine. "Boy would I be rich . Then I could buy an estate down in Florida with huge gardens to keep me busy during what they call " winter. " Hah ! I know I'd have something blooming year round.

Right now in Chicago it's the 'tween season . On March 21, the calendar's first day of Spring we were graced with a foot of snow . Natives here will tell you that there's no Spring in Chicago until May , then suddenly it's Summer .

It looks like a lot of the locals have , as we say down South, " Fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. " Dark , dreary clothing and sullen faces . The 'tween season is not a pretty sight in Chicago.

I still feel the exuberance of a month of Florida sunshine and some folks have become suspicious, asking " What's wrong with you , did you win the lotto ?" Nope, just a month in Florida. Then comes the looks that could melt chocolate at twenty paces. " Well, no wonder then. "

MEMOIRS MEME IN SIX WORDS

Jojo's first visit to Alabama

I've been tagged by fellow Alabamian Debi at www.giraffeheadtree.blogspot.com to post my memoirs in six words.

Summing up memoirs in such a short sentence is not an easy thing for me because I have so many different interests and passions. I've come up with six sentences containing six words, but I need help in picking one .

First, I thought :

God was the first master gardener.

Then I came up with :

Old woman, but a young gardener.

Then I thought, nah, what about :

Gardeners have tough rows to hoe.

-or these -:

I dream of May in December.

Gardeners don't die, they spade away .

You should've been here last week.

So whadda ya' think.? All six could do but which one should I settle on? Help me out here people !

Renovating the Heart of the Home

Floor to ceiling Pantry

Garden Motif Kitchen Tiles

My Island dining table
( right :wall removed between kitchen and dining rooms )

Craftsman style Island light

My "wabi-sabi" copper sink with a big dent

Craftsman Style Cherry Cabinets

My kitchen island is two maple cabinets attached together
and topped with a slab of granite

I'm not showing the before photos of my kitchen because its not something I want to remember. Kitchens are the biggest drawback in old houses because they aren't usually up to date as was the case in mine. For many years I endured the cheap pine cabinets, vinyl tile floor, dropped ceiling, old appliances, no dishwasher, and little space for a table until the time was ripe for a complete overhaul.

We removed the wall between the kitchen and dining room, the dropped ceiling and tile from the floor. Underneath the tile we found the original strip maple floor in good condition and had it refinished. To gain more space we covered over a window that was never used and installed cabinets and countertops. A continuous line of cabinets and a floor-to-ceiling pantry was installed and every inch of wall space put to use.

The copper sink arrived with a big dent in it but I couldn't delay it's installation so I just accepted it , dings and all. This new philosophy, dubbed " wabi-sabi ", is the exact opposite of feng shui. It's the "if it ain't broke don't fix it " life isn't perfect kinda attitude that I like .

It took me 3 months to design my new kitchen. I think it fits in with the craftsman style of my old house and at the same time it has all the bells and whistles.

The only thing that's not new is the cream-color fridge that doesn't fit in to my color scheme but it was too new to discard. I don't like stainless steel and so I'm holding out for a copper one that's suppose to be on the market soon.

Renovating the Not So Big Bathroom

Behind door no.2 .....

The smallest pedestal sink available on the market

Notice the corners of the bath beneath the window
( that's the width ! )

The length of the bath and the tiled border make it appear roomier

My old house didn't have a first floor bath when it was built in 1904. As a matter of fact just having an indoor bath was a luxury in those days and it was usually located in the family quarters on the second floor.

A former owner closed off the maid's staircase to the second floor and carved out a space for the world's tinest bathroom. Very clever and a good use of wasted space ! It's only 3 feet wide and located right next to the door that goes to the lower level so I had to place signage on it because guests kept opening door number 1.

During our whole house remodelling, we discovered a fake wall and proceeded to remove it , not knowing what we might find. Much to our surprise we found a beautiful old original oak window which I painted to mimic stained glass. The two feet we gained gave us a storage area on the right and more floor space which makes the bath appear larger.

Getting a sink small enough was a challenge but I found what has got to be the smallest one on the market - a mere 14 inches in diameter. Adding a terra cotta tile with a border made the small bath appear even larger.

Restoration Continues at Sweet Home Chicago

I do windows !

Stained Glass Staircase Window

The little alcove in the photo above has a built-in oak bench where I'm told by old timers in the neighborhood young men had to cool their heels while waiting for their girlfriend to make an entrance from the staircase above . The windows above it are not stained glass but hand painted by me because I dislike drapes or shades.

The original stained glass window on the staircase ( 2nd photo ) was in poor condition with many of its pieces pulled away from the leading. I removed the window and took it to a local craftsman who soldered all the pieces together. This is the only full length stained glass window in the house and it is truly lovely, especially when the sun from the East shines through the glass and the jewel like glass sparkles.

In researching the history of our American Foursquare we learned that it was built by a banker in 1904 at the cost of $5,000. For that amount, which was a lot in those days, the finest materials were used - oak throughout and plaster walls and ceilings.

When we purchased the house the former owners had done a 1950' s "remuddling " on it -dropped ceilings, linoleum tile on top the oak floors, flocked wallpaper, and cheap dark wood panelling covering the original plaster walls. Little by little over the years we have worked to remove all the signs of past indignities to restore the grand old lady to its former glory.

Restoration at Sweet Home Chicago

Hand crafted Oak Staircase
( Click on to enlarge )

Original Stained Glass Window ( right )

This staircase is the crown jewel of my American Foursquare and so it was a labor of love that I undertook to clean a century of dirt and grime from it. I didn't count the spindles as I think it would be overwhelming if I knew how many I had before me.

The color of the staircase was a dull dark brown and I used an orange based paint remover that very gently lifted the grime and revealed the warm oak color.

The spindles were the most painstaking because of all the intricate details and I had to use a toothbrush to get in all the crevices. I did go back and count how many spindles after I finished. Sixty-three. Arg--g-g-g-! It took me a month to finish. I can imagine how Michaelangelo felt after painting the Sistene chapel on his backside.

The Master Craftsman who created this work of art built it to last. After a century only one spindle was slightly lose. No fault of his I'm sure. No doubt it was my children who used to grab on to it for support when they were young.

Besides enjoying the newly restored finish that took countless hours of my time I revel in the amount of money I saved by doing it myself.

THE FIRST GREEN OF SPRING

TRIFOLIUM REPENS
or White Clover



There's a dear little plant that grows in our isle,

'Twas Saint Patrick himself, sure, that set it;
And the sun of his labor with pleasure did smile,
And with dew from his eye often wet it.
It grows through the bog, through the brake, through the mireland
And they call it the dear little Shamrock of Ireland.

Legend has it that the Shamrock was used by St. Patrick in the fifth century to show the meaning of the Trinity. It is found on medieval tombs and old copper coins know as St. Patrick's money. It was also thought to have magical powers as the leaves stand upright to warn of an approaching storm.

While the Shamrock is not an official emblem of Ireland it is a popular national brand, the most prominent user being Aer Lingus whose tail is decorated with this heart-shaped trefoil.

For good luck the bouquet of an Irish bride and the boutonniere of the groom include the Shamrock. It is also the symbol of quality for Irish B & B's that have earned the coveted emblem.

And of course today, being St. Patrick's Day, a shamrock that is worn in the hat or lapel is removed and put into the last drink of the evening. After the toast the shamrock is thrown over the left shoulder. Slainte !

GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY-THE IDES OF MARCH

An Arrangement for Mia by Yours truly

Carol at Maydreamgardens the creator of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is pretty generous when it comes to what can be included so I'm sure that she won't mind if I post my painting of tulips until my real ones bloom.

Right now the only thing blooming in my indoor garden are the same plants I've already shown you back in December and January and I'm sure you don't want to see them again.

Maybe by the next GBBD we'll have real tulips ?!

60 in Chicago

Spring 2007

Being able to look at last year's Spring photos is one thing that's great about blogging. Yesterday was a balmy 60 degrees and of course I got the fever and spent the entire afternoon in my garden.

Not a lot is up yet and I don't want it to be because , lesson learned, freezes in April can quickly kill. I raked up excessive build-up of leaves, leaving a light layer to cover emerging bulbs.

I started formulating plans for the new season and found extra space in my small urban back 40 to add more containers for growing veggies and herbs. There's an unused space between me and the neighbors that I want to spruce up with colorful potted plants.

I can hardly wait until my garden looks like the photo above.

SIX WEEKS TO A GARDENING READY BOD

Attention all you winter-weary gardeners awaiting Spring and ready to jump out into the garden . HALT ! Listen up, couch potatoes or tied-to-the-computer internet surfers. You can't just go out and garden all day without being prepared or at the end of the day you'll be groaning and moaning about the aches and pains.

We all know that gardening is healthy and that just a half hour or more a day will improve fitness.

So here's the program all set up and ready for you , prepared by a certified personal trainer and broken down into six one-week sessions, with illustrations to show exactly how the routine is done.

No more excuses! Go to Gardenfitness.com where Kimberly Ridout , a gardener herself, has laid out the perfect garden body fitness plan designed especially for gardeners. A big thank-you to Kimberly !

BLOTANICAL IS WHERE GARDEN BLOGGERS BLOOM !

Just as America is the greatest country in the world, Blotanical is the world's greatest garden blog directory :). Geez what some people will say to get a star ! All kidding aside, since I've become a member last December I have watched Blotanical grow and my blog along with it.

Blotanical has opened up a whole new world filled with bloggers from all walks of life and interests, all unique in their perspectives . I have made a lot of " virtual " friends as the younger generation dubs them and even got to meet Joyce from Muum'smusings when she visited Chicago recently.

In all honesty the one thing I don't like about Blotanical is the most popular user feature. You may have noticed that I was at the top of the list for quite some time but dropped out. The reason why is that I was just mindlessly picking every single post and loggin in and out to rack up points. Stuart has written about this issue on the News feature of Blotanical and while his reasoning may be logical to his way of thinking, it isn't to mine. As for me , the old saw " It's not whether you win or lose it's how you play the game " will be my motto from now on.

Even picking favorite posts is difficult because we have such a selection of professional writers, celebrities, amateurs and just plain passionate gardeners that love to write . It's almost like being a judge at a beauty contest and having to select one of the beauties.

I do want to thank Stuart for all the tremendous work he's done in putting up Blotanical and I know that he has a lot more brilliant ideas in store for us as it grows.

So can I get my star now, Stuart ?

THE GARDENER OF THE WORLD

Gardener of the World by Moi

..." Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true
To please the child, to paint the rose
The Gardener of the World, he goes.

...excerpted from Summer Sun by Robert Louis Stevenson

Setting the clocks forward one hour always reminds me that Spring is just around the corner and how nice it is to have the sun rise earlier and set later.

I often marvel at the sun and the moon and their importance in my daily life. I feel cheerful when the sun rises to greet me and gloomy when it doesn't. Of course we all know the stories about how the full moon affects our moods.

The sun has been a source of reverence and worship in many ancient cultures -Greece, Persia, Egypt, India, Japan, North America and Mexico. Growing up on a farm I learned the ancient wisdom of our ancestors who observed the sun and moon phases for growing crops and gardens. Amazingly, research shows that this method of planting potatoes by the phases of the moon resulted in an increase of up to 45 per cent.

If you want to know the best times to plant vegetables and flowers visit the Old Farmer's Almanac and put in your zip code for a personalized chart.

I've done a series of paintings I call Sun and Moonscapes in which I've tried to capture the meaning and importance of these two orbs. Gardener of the World, above was done alla prima, the Italian expression translated as " all at once", which speak of the artist's emotions at that moment.

BLOGS OF NOTE HAS FINALLY FEATURED ANOTHER GARDEN BLOGGER !

The Gardener
by Moi

Hey Blots ( members of Blotanical ) and garden bloggers everywhere check out Blogger's Blogs of Note. They've finally featured the second gardening blog ( Jodi at Bloomingwriter was the first ). I don't know if I can take any credit or not but I've been writing to them to pay attention to the very active and large gardening blog world.

Check out Sharon's The Chutney Garden and send her a big congratulations on being featured.

GARDEN BLOGGERS DISCOVER SPRING IN CHICAGO

Garden Blogger Joyce (right) from Muum's Musings
and Moi

What do garden bloggers do when they visit another city ? Look for gardens and garden bloggers of course ! So when Joyce from Muum's Musings ( Utah ) arrived in Chicago she contacted me and asked if I'd like to meet up at Lincoln Park Conservatory. I'd never miss such an opportunity like this.

We found Spring in Chicago even though it was still a bit chilly outside. Here are some of the wonderful flowering plants we saw :

Yes----Wisteria !

Gorgeous Yellow Trumpets

Entrance to the Spring Show

Huge Koi happily splashing in the Palm Garden

We had a wonderful afternoon ooing and awing the beautiful azaleas, camellias, gardenias, and orchids in full bloom. The fragrance was wonderful.

The Conservatory is where winter-weary Chicagoans go to lift their spirits and to remember what Spring feels like.

SPRING WILL COME A MONTH EARLIER THIS YEAR

Sedum ( still green ) in Snow

Going from Zone 5 to 9 is so much easier than going from 9 to 5. Other than encountering some heavy rains in Tennessee the road trip back to Chicago was fairly smooth. Snow was piled high and still covered the ground when we arrived. We had the 5th snowiest winter on record, 21 inches more snow than last year. About the only positive thing I can say about that much snow is that it's good for the garden.

March 1 came in like a little lamb and the second was even better with a mild 50-degree Spring-like day. I had too much catching up to do to get outside and enjoy it.

My month in the Florida sunshine was the first time I've been away in the winter for that long and it was a wonderful break that help banish my really bad case of the epitoozies.

Winter's days are numbered and even though March is often cold and snowy Spring will be here one month earlier for me.

Spring in Sweet Garden Chicago
Oh, yes, I remember it well .