A Frontyard Ornamental Veggie Garden Plan for a Small Urban Plot

Sure to get your neighbor's attention.  " You're gonna what ?  Plant veggies in your frontyard?

                        

                                         Yes, a veggie garden in the frontyard, but one that looks good.  I'm not speaking of rows of corn . Saw that in a frontyard last year and it looked unkempt  .

This plan was designed for a dwelling that has a side entrance and fence around the entire front .  To grow veggies and the plant material in this plan you'll need from 4 - 6 hours of sun .For DIYers the main task here is to prepare the soil , adding amendments as needed. It is more economical to order large quantities of topsoil and garden mix by the load than the bag so check landscaping supply companies in your area.  Pay close attention to the soil in the veggie garden- it must be very fertile, with good compost and manure .  To reduce maintenance an above ground irrigation system, Mr. Landscaper, not only saves 70 percent water, but protects your investment because watering is one of the most important things you can do for a newly installed landscape.  This system is so easy to put together and with the addition of a timer, you can go on vacation and not worry about who's going to water.

Inexpensive trellis for the climbing veggies along the fence can be purchased from Home Depot. 

Once you have an abundance of tomatoes and zuchinni to share with the neighbors I think they'll come around to seeing how a vegetable garden can work in the frontyard. 

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

Small Urban Frontyards : A Zen Garden

I designed this Zen Garden for a very small front yard of a contemporary townhouse for clients who wanted a low-maintenance, no-mow landscape.  This garden looks good in every season due to its structure of evergreens, rocks, granite/gravel base and decidious ornamental tree.  Minimal maintenance involved is watering, planting annuals for seasonal color  ( optional ) and removing any leaves that may accumulate in the Fall, for which a leaf blower would be ideal.  To further reduce the maintenance of watering, a low-cost, drip irrigation system with a timer could be added.

For DIYers that would like to tackle this project, I would advise starting by adding amendments to your soil  ( compost and manure for sandy soil; cotton burr compost and black forest soil condition for heavy ) , and begin by selecting and planting the ornamental tree and shrubs.  For small yards, garden centers can tell you how many bagged goods are needed to cover your landscape to a 3-4 inch depth . If your yard is larger, ordering a load of garden mix soil would be more economical. Dig it in well with the native soil.   For the stones and gravel and garden mix topsoil , check out businesses in Chicago under " Landscaping Supplies " that carry these and pay them a visit with measurements of your plot in hand.  Apply the gravel over a layer of paver base to a depth of 2-3 inches after everything is planted, and tamp it down . 

Garden centers usually carry a good selection of water features, soil amendments    statuary and of course, the annuals and perennials as well.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

FOR ALL THE GARDENING WEEKEND WARRIORS: Here's a Plan for You .

Every Spring they come to the garden center bearing photos and drawings of their small urban yards.  Brave souls that have spent their last dime on the interior and now not much left for the exterior so they want to do it themselves.  Good old American gumption, which I like.

So I help them design their little Urban Eden.  One yard down and so many more to go in this city whose motto is : " City in a Garden " to which I roll my eyes.  How I wish.  I want to take a stroll and see a lovely landscape as I pass beautiful homes but unforunately I'd have to walk for miles and miles to find one.    It saddens me because it really doesn't take that much money or effort to create a pleasant garden.   Just like the clothes you wear say who you are so does your garden and its there in public for all to see.

So for those of you who want to do your own landscape, I say go for it.  I'm here to cheer you on.  This is the first of several plans for urban gardens that I'm featuring.  Don't hesitate to comment or ask questions about your own landscape plan or this one.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

Aiming and Fixing

Been aiming and fixing to :

Put this coldframe I purchased last year together.

 Paint this rusty chair I found in the alley.

Clean up the potager.

Put up this birdfeeder my neighbor gave me.

Put a border around my herb garden .  Don't throw away the red twig dogwood branches, they make a nice border.

 I do believe my aim is getting better -I managed to do  four out of five this time.  I'll save the coldframe and seeds for another day.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Spring came to Chicago last week and it put on quite a show.  The Chicago Flower and Garden Show, that is.   Gorgeous, bright flowers dazzled the eye and lifted the spirit.

Meanwhile in my indoor garden a lonely Christmas cactus has produced one bloom and the Pointsetta still thrives under the grow light.    Soon trays of sprouting seeds will take up most of the space.

I visit the blogs of my Southern friends to see what Spring, which has been in swing there for a month already, has brought them.   My daughter sends me pictures of the trees in bloom in North Carolina.  Later this week Spring weather will visit Chcago for a day or so with promises of temperatures in the 60's. 

For winter-weary Chicagoans Spring is as "slow as molasses in January " but for now we see hopeful signs.

Visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in America.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

OUTSTANDING IN THEIR FIELD

The list of new woody plant materials our Tree and Shrub buyer at Gethsemane scours the country for is long so I'll just pick out a few of some that I think are special.

Fall color of Betula nana 'glengarry' - a dwarf bog birch that grows to only 2 feet.

Photo by Carol-Annie, Flickr photostream

Chionanthus retusus 'tokyo tower ' - a pyrimidal form  of the Fringe Tree, sure to be a hit for the urban garden.

Wow!  Similar to the Coral Bark Maple - Acer cirinatum 'Pacific Fire ' is sure to be a best seller.  It slowly grows 10 ' in 10 years.

Weigela florida 'shining sensation' -I've always loved this shrub for its long bloom - 6 weeks and deep burgundy foliage but now this beauty is a reliable repeat bloomer!

Garden seasoning kicks off soon - our Tree and Shrub department opens early in April.  Those of you in the Chicago area stop by and see our sensational selections and I'll be glad to give you a tour of our fabulous garden center, voted the best by the Chicago Reader and other media.


Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

SPRING IS TIME TO THINK OF FALL

Don't wait until Fall to think about Mums that usually don't survive the Chicago winters.   I have a strong dislike for the annual Mums I see plopped in the garden each Fall-don't like their color, form, or how unnatural they appear.

Garden centers are sorely lacking in perennial mums - even the largest one in Chicago that I work for carries only the Korean Mum, a rather pastel color.   I ran across a great on-line Mum store in Minnesota ( Faribault Growers ) that carries cold hardy mums in the yellow and red I prefer.   They have a great selection of "novelties" and at a great prices -$2.50 each .

Above are two of my favorites.  Shipping for these mums are from Apri 10-June 15.  The time to plant Mums in Chicago is when all danger of frost is past, or around mid-to-late May.


Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

The Chicago Flower and Garden Show 2011: Sneak Preview

Chicago's Navy Pier, host of the 2011 Chicago Flower and Garden Show

This year's theme : The Sport of Gardening

How that theme came about I do not know but I can guess that a man had something to do with it.

My Favorite of all the gardens :   Silent Poetry : The Confluence of Stone and Plants

by Rich's Foxwillow Pines Nursery

Window Boxes

The Always Creative and Outstanding Tablescapes

Two very contemporary gardens

 There were even Chickens in a Coop, first time this year.

And of course, flowers of every color, everywhere, all in bloom.

These are but a few highlights of the many beautiful displays.  The grand opening is tomorrow and there are a lot of interesting seminars, garden chefs, cake decorating competitions, potting parties,kid's activity garden,workshops and photography exhibitions.

A welcome respite from winter that Chicagoans are sure to enjoy.

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

PLANS FOR THE POTAGER

                                                         Bibimbop


This popular Korean dish above is easy to make and one I whip up when family or friends visit.  Guests are given a bowl filled with either noodles or rice and after selecting the meat/veggies, it is drizzled with sesame oil and a dab of hot sauce.  Tasty and healthy at the same time.  If you'd like the recipe try Bobby Flay's vesion : http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/boy-meets-grill/bibimbap-recipe/index.html

I cook Asian dishes frequently and so this season I am dedicating one section of my potager to vegetables such as Bok Choy, which is a tasty spinach-like vegetable with crunchy, sweet stems, Spacemaster cucumber, a very compact, bushy plant for small gardens, Chinese broccoli, a.k.a. kale, a fast growing, small plant with incredible flavor and leaf lettuce.  I will add other staples such as green onions, chives and garlic as well.

Meanwhile I still have ample time to devise ways to keep those waskily wabbits out of my vegetable patch.


Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved

GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY

Dear March -- Come in --

How glad I am --

I hoped for you before --

Put down your Hat --

You must have walked --

How out of Breath you are --

Dear March, Come right up the stairs with me --

I have so much to tell --

I got your Letter, and the Birds --

The Maples never knew that you were coming -- till I called

I declare -- how Red their Faces grew --

But March, forgive me -- and

All those Hills you left for me to Hue --

There was no Purple suitable --

You took it all with you --

Who knocks? That April.

Lock the Door --

I will not be pursued --

He stayed away a Year to call

When I am occupied --

But trifles look so trivial

As soon as you have come

That Blame is just as dear as Praise

And Praise as mere as Blame --

-Emily Dickinson

Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All rights reserved