Blog Feed: Sweet Home and Garden Chicago

SWEET HOME AND GARDEN CAROLINA IS NOW LIVE !

Published on 2012-03-09 18:50:00

Hey Y'all Come on Over and visit at my new blog, http://www.Sweethomeandgardencarolina.blogspot.comWritten by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden ChicagoAll rights reserved > read more

Farewell to Sweet Home and Garden Chicago

Published on 2011-07-18 07:39:00

I never thought that this day would arrive but now that it has I am torn between joy and sorrow ; joy for a new chapter in my life, and sorrow on leaving my home and garden of over 40 years. I've always said that it would take a lot to make me leave my home and garden but a 2 and 1/2 year old proved me wrong. It didn't take much for her to steal my heart with her winsome smile and " C'mon , gwanma, let's go ! " The reason I've got " Carolina on my Mind "Chicago winters also make me long for t [..] > read more

Garden Blogger Bloom Day

Published on 2011-07-15 07:24:00

July, the second month of summer in Chicago and it has been a very dry one. Despite it, the garden is flourishing. It's hard to believe but I still have pansies in bloom !Here's what going on in the garden this bloom day :Flowers too numerous to mention : Bellflower, Coreopsis, daylily, roses, annabelle hydrangea, blackeyed susan, marigold, and sedum.And the veggies in the potager are in flower and fruit.Tomatoes, tri-colored beans, cukes, salad greens, green onions, green peppers, basil, oreg [..] > read more

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day

Published on 2011-07-01 07:17:00

JulyI see you in the red roseand the stately oakI hear you in the song of the brookand the birds melody at dawnThe wind sends your fragrance on the summer breeze the sun warms my very soulJewel of summer welcome to the garden.-Carolyn&n > read more

The Potager in June

Published on 2011-06-29 06:47:00

Blueberries, kale, tomatoes,chard, beans and spinach, oh my.This is the first season for my potager, and while it requires more maintenance, I have been enjoying its harvest. I sowed the seeds in early April and watched as the spina > read more

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Published on 2011-06-15 07:24:00

The month is June, the subject is roses. I am going about the neighborhood to see how many roses I can capture.This creamy yellow beauty is in my neighbor's gardenThis rose greets me every morning.It seems I'm not the only one who lo > read more

Princess Di Graces the June Garden

Published on 2011-06-09 21:53:00

Princess Di, short for Dianthus, has returned in regal splendor to my garden this June. Self-seeding readily, this annual seems more like a perennial. Commonly called Sweet William, Pinks, or Carnation, her name translate > read more

GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY

Published on 2011-06-01 07:09:00

"Wisteria woke me this morning,And there was all June in the garden;I felt them, early, warningLest I miss any part of the day.Straight I walked to the trellis vine.Wisteria touched a lifted nostril:Feelings of beauty diffused, to entwineMy spirit wi > read more

Blooms on the Bee's

Published on 2011-05-26 07:21:00

My favorite clematis, 'Bees Jubilee ' not only blooms early, but often. It's lovely, large pink blossoms repeat bloom throughout the summer, making it a real show stopper i the garden.Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago All > read more

The 7 Year Wonder

Published on 2011-05-24 07:41:00

Seven years in the making , Wisteria chinensis has finally arrived in full glory. Time to break out the bubbly ! If you've had a wisteria for a long time and it hasn't bloomed you can try my method. First root prune it - > read more

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Published on 2011-05-15 06:28:00

" All things are possible in May. " May be, May be not. First we have near 90 and then 45, extreme temps that reap havoc on plants in the garden. One day the Magnolia is in bloom the next day ; gone. Tu > read more

Gotta Getcha' One

Published on 2011-05-11 08:50:00

Introducing ..... . Daphne burkwoodii 'Carol Mackie ' -queen of the Spring garden with gorgeous variegated leaves and fragrant blossoms. Named for the famed lover of Apollo you too will love Daphne , especially if you have a small ga > read more

Party Time!

Published on 2011-05-03 09:18:00

You are cordially invited to a party celebrating the forthcoming blooming of the Wisteria, a rare sight that has taken 7 years . Last year there was one lonely little bloom . The First Showing 2010Today while out in the garden I couldn't b > read more

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day

Published on 2011-05-01 07:13:00

May'Tis like the birthday of the world,When earth was born in bloom;The light is made of many dyes,The air is all perfume:There's crimson buds, and white and blue,The very rainbow showersHave turned to blossoms where they fell,And sown the earth with > read more

America's Favorite Berry

Published on 2011-04-26 09:13:00

Another rainy April day ( no surprise -we've had the rainest April in 126 years ) but rather on the warm side so I decided to plant Strawberry baskets. I planted 15 each of two varieties -Ozark Beauty and Quinalt, both superior > read more

Catch Wicked Bugs in Chicago this Weekend

Published on 2011-04-21 15:23:00

Catch garden writer and blogger Amy Stewart in Chicago this weekend to promote her latest book, Wicked Bugs. On Saturday, April 23 she'll be at the Chicago Botanic Garden at 7 p.m. and at Anderson's Bookshop in Naperville on Monday > read more

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Published on 2011-04-15 05:44:00

Just got back from a 5 day visit with my little Sweetpea down in North Carolina. Like a beautiful flower she has matured and runs to me with arms up in the air, shouting " Grandma ! "It's been warm in Carolina for at least a month and > read more

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day

Published on 2011-04-01 07:34:00

Poetry in the GardenIn Chinese and Korean gardens there are 5 important elements : Water , which equals life, plants and trees which are nature's clothing, rocks and stones, earth's strength , architecture, the foundation and poetry that reflec > read more

A Frontyard Ornamental Veggie Garden Plan for a Small Urban Plot

Published on 2011-03-31 07:03:00

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

Small Urban Frontyards : A Zen Garden

Published on 2011-03-28 13:25:00

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 > read more

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

Published on 2011-03-25 12:31:00

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. > read more

Aiming and Fixing

Published on 2011-03-19 17:02:00

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 > read more

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day

Published on 2011-03-15 07:21:00

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 pro > read more

OUTSTANDING IN THEIR FIELD

Published on 2011-03-10 08:44:00

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 fe > read more

SPRING IS TIME TO THINK OF FALL

Published on 2011-03-07 08:29:00

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 > read more

The Chicago Flower and Garden Show 2011: Sneak Preview

Published on 2011-03-04 18:39:00

Chicago's Navy Pier, host of the 2011 Chicago Flower and Garden ShowThis year's theme : The Sport of GardeningHow 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 : > read more

PLANS FOR THE POTAGER

Published on 2011-03-03 06:07:00

&nbs > read more

GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY

Published on 2011-03-01 07:01:00

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 Map > read more

Return of the Chicago Mob

Published on 2011-02-24 09:35:00

Crows Over a Wheat Field by Vincent Van Gogh Their hoa > read more

THE 'F' WORD AND I DON'T MEAN FLOWERS

Published on 2011-02-21 08:23:00

Funky, frivilous, forbidding, frigid, foul, fabulous, fickle....February. Just a few of the 'F' words used to describe February in Chicago. The fabulous part was our warm up last week which is to end today with more snow, possibly setting > read more

A Flower to Greet You

Published on 2011-02-15 07:55:00

A Flower is given the center of attention in the EntranceThis century-old solid oak glass panelled door is the entrance to Sweet Home Chicago. When I first moved in many moons ago the usual lace curtain hung over the glass and hid the true b > read more

Did I Shave My Legs for This ?

Published on 2011-02-13 14:27:00

SO tired of seeing this , but the temps hit 40 degrees today, a virtual heatwave, and yes I had to shave my legs and get out in the sunshine.Signs of green stuff under there.And red. Okay people, no more excuses ! Time to take > read more

A DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT-4th Blogiversary at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago

Published on 2011-02-02 10:51:00

With all the commotion going on about the blizzard that hit us full force yesterday I forgot that it was 4 years ago that I started this blog, so Happy Blogiversary to me :-)I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know so many other great garden b > read more

GARDEN BLOGGERS' MUSE DAY

Published on 2011-02-01 07:46:00

Indoor GardenerA February wind blows dismally,The sky is full of dark clouds hanging low, The garden lies in numbed frigidityAnd waits the falling of another snow. Today, I planted seeds despite the cold, For my tomato plants will mind it not­Their > read more

A Little Garden Humor

Published on 2011-01-30 17:25:00

Now where did I put that bone ?Garden writer David Hobson author of the blog Garden Humour has generously allowed me to reprint this funny article of things his readers have found buried in their garden.THINGS BURIED IN MY GARDENA > read more

Garden Designers Round Table : A Postcard from New England

Published on 2011-01-25 05:00:00

There's a saying that a designer's concept drawing ought to be a postcard good enough to send to their Grandmother.Dear Grandma , Here I am in the beautiful New England countryside where I've taken on the assignment to do a large scale > read more

Seedy Thoughts

Published on 2011-01-19 09:15:00

It's easy to have seedy thoughts in the deep of December and January in Chicago. Actually, I had them as early as November when I selected vegetable and flower seeds for my new Potager.Last year I grew Patty Pan squash from seed and > read more

GARDEN BLOGGERS' BLOOM DAY

Published on 2011-01-15 07:53:00

May Flowers by MoiHere we are in the first GBBD of the new year 2011. Naturally the only thing still in bloom at Sweet Garden Chicago is my Christmas poinsetta , some paper whites and the flowers I paint.But I hav > read more

I'M GUESSING Y'ALL DID'NT MISS ME?

Published on 2011-01-10 16:24:00

Been down with the epatoozies which is why I didn't blog this week. The epatoozies, in case you don't know, is what we Southerners call something that's ailing us but we don't know what it is. We also have a country song titled " Ho > read more

Regulating the Green in the Greenest City on Earth

Published on 2011-01-04 11:44:00

My little Chicago Urban FarmThis morning's Tribune had a story about zoning laws the city is considering to regulate urban farming which has made many in the industry nervous. I think we all need to acquaint ourselves with the zoning board and let t > read more

APRIL IN DECEMBER

Published on 2011-01-02 11:13:00

A loud thunderstorm woke me at 6:30 and the rain came down in buckets. The outdoor thermometer read 45 and the weatherman said it would be 55 before the day was through. I grabbed my trusty old sneakers and out the door I went to enjoy the Apri > read more

Garden Bloggers' Muse Day-Happy New Year !

Published on 2011-01-01 06:18:00

"Farewell, thy destiny is done,Thy ebbing sands we tell,Blended and set with centuries gone -Thou dying year, farewell.Gifts from thy hand - Spring's joyous leaves,And Summer's breathing flowers,Autumn's bright fruit and bursting sheaves -These bless > read more