April Snow-ers Bring May Flowers

Wow!  What a difference a week makes, doesn't it?  Last weekend we had a drop of summer--sunshine, balmy southern breezes, temps in the 80's.  Back to winter this weekend--gray clouds whistling through bearing gifts of snow and wind.  Hmmpf!  What kind of a spring is that?  Just a typical spring in Chicago; I guess that's how we get our 50 degree average temperature around here....a few days in the twenties and a few days in the eighties and our average temperature is now fifty.

Which is why, my last week's post was cautioning not to buy or plant too early.  A reader did have a response to me....Yeah!  (I often wonder if I am writing for myself only).  So, thank you, thank you, thank you, to Heather for sending me a courteous and informative reply!  Heather wrote to me, as an employee of the Growing Place.  She agreed with me that many garden centers--very often the big box stores--put out inappropriate plants for our weather--like tomatoes.  And Heather you are so right!  We are a good two-three weeks out from safely planting those types of plants out...unless you do have a crystal ball and can foretell the future, knowing that we will not have another frost again for the rest of the spring.  Unfortunately, I don't.  So I will abide by the garden rule of May 15th being our average frost free date.  But, remember what I said about above about averages, and even our garden rule isn't a guarantee.

Heather also mentioned that at The Growing Place, (which is a wonderful garden store, by the way...and sidenote here,  often when I am out working in the Idea Garden, a guest may ask where she may locate a particular, maybe unusual, plant that we have in our designs.  While I don't think it appropriate as an employee of Cantigny, to tout a particular business, I will make a suggestion of several local businesses, and I can tell you, that The Growing Place is one that frequents my suggestions) they do their best to make sure that the plants they are selling you now are the ones that you can safely be planting now.  And, Heather, it has to be a difficult balancing act between demand and customer success, as you pointed out--and I applaud you folks for doing your best to educate our local gardeners!

If you want a shopping experience, seek out some of your neighborhood garden centers for knowledgeable suggestions and design tips. The big box stores serve their purpose as well--but please know the difference.  So, you, as a local gardener, have a balancing act of your own.  When to plant....when to be patient.  Where to shop to get a "bargain"-priced plant and where to shop to get some solid (and friendly) garden advice.  Happy (patient) Gardening!

Is it Spring or is it Summer?

It's April 10th and we're forecasted to have temperatures in the high 80's, possibly the 90's?  I'm gearing up to make a nice big pitcher of sun tea!  We dig out the short-sleeved tops and shorts and feel completely giddy...after such a winter, who wouldn't?  And after today, a lot of things that have been lying in wait just under the surface of the soil or unbudded on branches will burst forth showing off their "summer wear" as well. 

Garden centers have somehow created a specialized magnetic force that draws gardeners of all skill levels into the depths of their aisles showing off their finery of spring bloomers, herbs, vegetables and tropicals.  (Side note:  Yes, I was sucked into that magnetic field yesterday and purchased a Knock-out rose at Wal-mart for under $9.)  After a 5 month palette of white, gray, brown, tan (and mud) we physically need our fix!

But don't be fooled.  You do know that garden centers' main goal is to make a profit?  As much as we might like to think that if the plants are in the stores/nurseries--it must be time to plant...it really isn't so.  Sure, you can plant those that enjoy the bite (frost) of spring that is sure to make a return visit:  Bellis (English Daisy), Dusty Miller, Osteospermum (Cape May Daisy), Violas, etc.   As well as lettuce, cabbage, Brussels sprout, and parsley plants. Don't forget you can directly sow seed for carrots, lettuce, peas and radishes too. 

But please don't buy (and plant) those plants that really only thrive in true warm weather conditions:  basil, peppers, tomatoes, and any kind of tropical anything (Caladium, Canna, Colocasia, etc.).  You know how those tropical types are--they never pack anything for when a cold spell hits us...and then there they sit--shivering, slumped over, looking miserable like a young fashionista caught in a cold spring rain.

Do try to restrain yourselves a bit when purchasing plants on days with temperatures like today.  The cold temps will make a few more return visits yet and if you've purchased those sensitive characters you'll either end up hauling them in and out of your house or garage on cold nights/warm days or they will sit in your soil glaring back at you when you're tucked inside the house enjoying a hot cup of tea on a blustery spring day.  When the magnetic field draws you in, just think, "Iced tea today, but hot tea tomorrow".

A Gardener's Best Friend?

Knowledge is a great assest to gardening. Especially for beginning gardeners.

Reading is great way to get that knowledge.....but a friend can be even better.  So, a gardener's best friend can be a friend who's a gardener.

I've learned a lot over the years from fellow gardeners--people that I took gardening classes with, people I meet through participating in the Cooperative Extension Service's Master Gardener program; as well as as my co-workers and my volunteers.  The first gardening friends I made were in a gardening club in my community.  Over a period of years in getting to know everyone in the club I made many friends.  Friends who shared their seeds.  They shared plants and opinions.  They shared their gardens.  Gardeners are some of the most generous people I know. 

I'd encourage you to join a gardening club--one that suits your style (you might need to visit a few before you decide which one might be to your liking).  Generally speaking, gardeners are wise, they have a good sense of humor (they have to considering they've stuck it through droughts and downpours, voracious insects, steadfast weeds, etc.), and most of all--they are generous.  And who couldn't use a friend like that?

Rosemary Blooms

Just a guess:  If you grow rosemary you're probably growing it for culinary purposes.  While attractive enough of a plant, it probably isn't the first plant that comes to mind when you think of attractive foliage or blooms.  But when you talk about fragrance....Wow! 

I'm one of those people that isn't crazy-crazy for the taste of rosemary (I'm working on it) but I do love the fragrance.  My hand invariably brushes across the top of any rosemary plant outside or in the greenhouse and I do enjoy the scent that quickly envelopes the area.  (This actually can be overpowering when we are in the process of taking rosemary cuttings, but is well worth the net result).

We do grow a few different varieties of rosemary for display purposes in the gardens...

Rosmarinus officinalis 'Irene' is a great plant to use perhaps in a rocky area where a bit of a cascading effect would be very nice.

We also grow a 'Shish-ke-Bob' variety that has very sturdy, upright stems which, strangely enough, are great to use as a shish kebob skewer for veggies and various cuts of meat.

Rosemary standard

But I thought you might be most interested at this time of year to see a rosemary that we have trained into a standard form--and it happens to be blooming right now.  Which is something that you might not get to see if you've tried growing these as an "annual" in your own gardens outside.  Enjoy!

Rosemary flowers

New Sprouts in the Greenhouse!

After that last cruel dumping of snow on February 2, 2011--it's comforting to know that spring is on schedule.  At least in the greenhouse...

Our greenhouse growers (and volunteers) sow seeds into tiny compartments (a plug tray) with one type of seed in each tray.  Each plug tray has between 21 to 288 compartments to hold seeds, and then seedlings.  The growers will decide, based on how quickly a seedling grows/what type of root system the seedling has, what size plug tray is best suited to start off that seed.  The 288 plug tray was voted most popular by seedlings in our greenhouse.



Alyssum 'Snow Crystals'
Sown on January 3rd - for Baskets



California Poppies 'Twister'
Sown on December 6th, 2010 - for Baskets



Dianthus 'Ideal Violet'
Sown on December 6th, 2010 - for Baskets



Dusty Miller 'Silver Dust'
Sown on December 20, 2010 - for Bedding Plants
A great foil to just about any color under the sun!





Lobelia 'Riveria Blue'
Sown on December 6th, 2010 - for Baskets
The best blue blossom ever!



Stock 'Cheefrul Yellow'
Sown on January 31st - for cut flowers
Doesn't just the name of that Stock sound like Spring?



Violas
Sown on January 3rd - for Bedding Plants


A few stats:  approximately 10, 600 viola seedlings were sown (and 25,000 pansy seedlings) for spring bedding use.  Right now, between 90,000 and 100,000 seedlings for spring and summer crops are growing on in our greenhouse.  That's a lot of infants to take care of!

If you are a sower of spring plants, how are yours looking right about now?

Craving Spring Now?

We have had quite a few sunny days this winter--and that always makes me feel better.  But we do tend to be a bit gray this time of year.  We try to alleviate that, over here down by the Cantigny greenhouse, by bringing out a bit of spring in a pot:  forced bulbs.  Starting on Fridays in February, Cantigny will once again be opening its gates to the public during the weekends (Fridays through Sundays).  If you do stop by our Visitors Center and our Museums, you just might catch a glimpse (and maybe even a delicate fragant whiff) of a variety of forced blossoms.

Yes, if you do want to achieve this on your own you do need to plan a bit ahead (early fall is best).  It will certainly be welcomed come mid-winter.  It's not a difficult project, but you do need to have a spot of patience.  Many bulbs are potted up and then need to be chilled for up to 14 weeks before they can make a grand appearance.  When you "force" a bulb, you're trying to imitate what that plant would normally require if it was planted outdoors in your garden.  If you planted tulips for instance, this fall, they are quietly chilling outside in the soil.  So, when you wish to force a bulb to do this in a pot, you are simply trying to mimic nature.

Different bulbs have different requirements or preferences and if this topic intrigues you, I'd encourage you to sign up for a complimentary class that we will have later this year...Saturday, October 1st, at the greenhouse.  You'll learn all the basics and be able to fire off any questions you may have on the topic.  In the meantime, come on over any weekend in February and inhale deeply at the Visitors Center kiosk.  If you close your eyes, you just might think that spring is right around the corner.

What's on Your Gardening Chore List?

Happy New Year!

I hope your holidays were great, and all your decorations are neatly tucked away.  That process, for me, always instills a inner "need" to start organizing...something.  I guess that's why as I was scooping up marked down Christmas cards and wrappings, there was prominent space in the stores, given to organization "tools".

A tool that I use to help me remember things is calendars.  I usually spend a good chunk of one day organizing all my calendars:  home/work, traditional and computer-driven.  As I was jotting down all the upcoming birthdays, meetings and programs in my life, I thought it might be useful for you, my readers, to be able to jot a few notes on your own calendar--things you might want to be aware of for the upcoming month, garden-wise.

January is the perfect month for planning--and there is a lot to do!

1.  If your mail carrier isn't bowed over carrying all your gardening catalogs--now is the time to order them.  Or, to be an even greener gardener--check out their sites online.

2. Check your seed stash.  If you're unsure whether a seed you have is viable or not, here's a simple germination test:  Place 10 seeds from one packet of seed onto moistened paper towels.  Roll 'em up, place in a ziploc bag and keep warm for a few days.  If fewer than 7-8 seeds sprout, think about ordering replacements.  Note:  you can put multiple paper towel "rolls" into one ziploc bag, but, be sure to label each roll so you can remember which seed you're testing.

3.  Sketch out your vegetable garden plan....don't forget to rotate those crops!

4.  While you're designing your veggie plot, consider areas in your landscape that aren't really working for you and your family--tackle one this year and think about how you'd like to redesign it.

5. If your Christmas tree hasn't been picked up yet by your municipality, trim off all the evergreen boughs and place them on top of your perennials.  They make a nice insulator and prevent plants from heaving out of the soil during freeze and thaw cycles. 

6.  ...and one of my favorites...sit down with a good garden book (or a few garden magazines) and sharpen up your garden skills--we can always learn something new!

P.S.  Believe it or not, now is the time to cover your rose bushes....the Cantigny Horticulture crew spent a few days last week and this week covering many of them in our rose garden.  You don't want to cover them too early (before the ground thoroughly freezes) or you'll be making a mini compost pile around them which can heat up and cause disease and pest problems.  Our cover "mix" is a combination of composted garden plant material, coarse (construction-grade) sand, and leaves.  If you haven't covered your roses, you're not too late (Yeah!).  Give them their special little blanket and you'll have a much better chance of happy roses this spring!

Photo taken by Jim Frazier at Cantigny Gardens 2010