A Family Affair

I kind of went back in time, to my childhood and then to my young adulthood.  After attending my Garden Study Group luncheon we were transported over to the ultimate in the neighborhood flower shop, the Phillip Flower Shop Warehouse.

Cooling lockers for all of the arrangements that are ready to be delivered.

Buckets of fresh flowers just waiting for the designer.

Flowers come into the warehouse from all over the world.

When I was a little girl I used to watch the Lee Phillip show on Chicago television, but what I didn't know is that her family owned a flower shop.  She began this show because of flowers in 1952, won sixteen Emmy Awards and moved to California in the late 1980's and into a home that was once owned by Cary Grant.  She and her husband William Bell began writing Emmy Award winning soap operas like the Guiding Light, As The World Turns, Another World, The Young And The Restless and The Bold And The Beautiful.

Glitter and crystals are really in this year in the florist business!

This little arrangement is going to one of the retail stores, price $75.00.

Boxes of Christmas decor to add to arrangements.

Orchids are another popular plant for inclusion in arrangements

The little flower shop remained run by her brother and now run by her very extended family of children and grandchildren.  It is no longer the little shop around the corner but a huge  conglomerate of suburban shops and designer warehouses located in Chicago and the suburbs.

Weddings are a big part of the business with samples made for the wedding parties to preview before ordering.

I think it is wonderful that the bride and groom can actually see what the bouquets are going to look like.  I picked my flowers out of a book of photos!

Most of the wedding bouquets are held like posies but there are still some old-fashioned cascading bouquets.

The fun part of the day was getting to choose flowers and greenery to make our own arrangements.

We all got to make our own arrangements.

This is my arrangement, looking at all kinds of things I could have done differently, but it is lovely sitting on my coffee table!

Color In The Winter Garden

Color and interest in the winter garden is a challenge.  I have been working on this for the past few years and realize that it is still a work in progress.

The Rhododendrons are a wonderful reddish brown color with pinkish buds.  They like being protected during the winter and summer, mine are behind a stone wall up close to the foundation of my home.

Azalea Karen keeps its reddish leaves all winter.  It is hardier than the rhodies and can do very well in an exposed border.

Boxwood Chicagoland adds consistent green to the winter border.

Miscanthus Little Kitten

It is small enough that it doesn't fall over.  I will see if it can be left up until the spring as recommended.

Panicum Northwind makes a nice backdrop for the Boxwoods and the Miscanthus.

I am not sure why the Euphorbia Blackbird stayed around or if it would still be here if it was much colder with snow?

Myrtle Blue Dart

I am really appreciating the groundcovers this year because I can see them and they add so much to the color of a winter garden.

Even Viburnum Carlesi Compactum is interesting with its buds already formed.

Heuchera Plum Pudding has never been great in my garden, but I certainly do appreciate its winter color.

Even a few garden art items help keep the interest over those dreary winter months.

Limelight Hydrangea is not like many other hydrangeas.  It holds its dried flowers all through the winter.

The Molina grasses are delicate, but as they mature become very interesting in the winter garden.

Penstemon Hamlin

Monte Casino Aster

Eupatorium Chocolate

I have never left this for the winter but it definitely stays interesting with the dried flower heads.

It is nice to have the holiday arrangements that will last until spring, bows put away, previously sprayed with Wilt Pruf so it will be March before I take these out.

Green Sheen Pachysandra remains green all winter and when there is not any snow it is lovely!

The front border with Heuchera Southern Comfort and the myrtle groundcover.

In Search Of Spring

I have often wondered what it would be like to live in a more temperate climate where winter was fleeting and the lines were blurred between the seasons.  Well, this year in the Chicago area so far it is the winter that isn't, virtually no snow, above average temperatures and crunchy dirt but not a hard freeze.

My Pink Meidiland roses and the grass have stayed green.

Uncovered Italian Parsley

The Carex Ice Mountains is sprouting on the north side.

I am really getting excited that this might be spring coming early.  However, getting back to reality I know that winter has barely begun.  We were told early on that the worst winter, blizzards, etc., was expected.  It is January and we are in the fifties!!!

This hellebore doesn't know any better and it is slowly poking through the soil.

My Dinosaur Fern, also on the north side, had laid down for a rest but it is still green and has not disappeared as it usually does.

The Autumn Fern has been fooled into thinking it is still autumn.

Euphorbia Blackbeard

Becky Shasta Daisy

Geranium Karmina

I am really liking this green winter so much life visible even though I know the season has changed.  It wouldn't be hard for me to get used to this type of climate!  I recently read that our zones are changing with mine going from a solid zone five to a five/six zone for the Chicago area with the five designation for the northern areas.  This change has been tracked from 1990 up until 2010 and just think of all the additional plants I can grow in zone 6.

I know this is a warmer zone on the south side of my house, daffodils up with buds showing.

Muscari never did die back this year on the south side.

Snapdragons manytimes come back after a cold winter, but these have never left!

Usually my Miscanthus Udine is under the snow by now, glad I did not cut it down this year!

This could all be under the snow in the near future but it has been great to experience living in another zone even if just for a little while.

Making A List

The past two days have been very much like a real winter in the Chicago area, high winds and snow, not much, bringing along with it very low overnight temperatures.  We are expected to warm up into the forties again by late in the week.  This type of weather is not good for plants freezing and warming without the snow for protection.

It has been a good time to look at the catalogs I have received and dream of growing the perfect plants in 2012.  Isn't is great to be a gardener and be able to assist the life cycle each year hoping for the perfect outcome?  It doesn't always happen but it sure is an adventure!

My tomatoes have not always been a success, oh I do get a crop, but I also seem to get diseases along with them.  This year I am going to try a new introduction from the Burpee Catalog called Big Daddy.  It is bred from Big Boy and supposedly has a better taste and better disease resistance.

If you are really into tomatoes, Tomato Growers Supply Company has a great catalog with lots of varieties listed that you will never find at the local nursery, even tomatoes without names just letters and numbers!

Big Daddy Tomato

I have to grow a Yugoslavian Red Butterhead Lettuce (an heirloom variety) from The Cook's Garden catalog and Navara Red Oakleaf.  The colors of both of these lettuces stunning!

Yugoslavian Butterhead Lettuce

Navara Oakleaf Lettuce

My favorite pepper is also from Burpee, Mariachi Hybrid an All America Winner.  I have grown it the past two seasons and it is very prolific, medium hot.

Mariachi Pepper

Burpee has a new Echinacea called Warm Summer that blooms June through August, think I will try this one.  Pow Wow was an expensive potted Echinacea that I tried last summer without much success.  I was not impressed by it especially when it succumbed to the heat and humidity.

Warm Summer Echinacea

The Zahara Double Fire Zinnia was a winner last year along the south side and would look great with Burpee's new introduction zinnia called Pop Art Red and Yellow (says they love heat and strong sun).

Zinnia Zahara Double Fire

Zinnia Pop Art and Red

I am not quite sure yet what I am going to do about planting under my Ninebarks with Tidal Wave Silver Petunia.  It was quite a wonderful groundcover, sprawling and about two feet high.  The color was quite soft and I am wondering if I should go with something more striking like Shockwave Petunia Coral.  Park Seeds market the Tidal Wave and I have not yet received their catalog.

Tidal Wave Silver Petunia

Petunia Shockwave Coral Crush

Introduced by Ball Horticultural

I never thought I would be into seed starting again, but I am really enjoying the thought of doing it on a small scale with my four-tiered plant lights.  It is tucked into a corner in my basement utility room and am looking forward to filling it up this year!