More Organics

Happy Feb 29th and Spring has Sprung in Chicago.  My first little yellow crocus of the season.  It’s been a strange winter, and makes me think I should start my seeds this week.  Enjoy the growth below!

This past weekend, I enjoyed a quick trip to Michigan.  For some reason, even though I am in Chicago and we are on the very same lake, I never see it much.  Sometimes getting away from your routine can help us relax and enjoy the beauty we may be missing.  I traveled to Michigan to [...]

First off, why is this happening?   Thoughts on La Nina, active solar storm season, and global warming all come to one’s mind.  With solar storms come beautiful auroras, that were highly visible last Tues in some parts of the world (image above is Matthew Hodges‘). Now, what can one do for the garden?  Well, mostly [...]

With winter comes ice, a dangerous situation for pleasant pedestrians on your walkways.  All de-icers, even the “green ones,” have a salt in them.  The harm that de-icers and salts do you your vegetation and the little paws of pups may not be worth it:  burning your plants, building up in the soil, eventually making [...]

It’s warm today, a high of 52 degrees…and it’s January 6th.  My garden is confused.  I’ve got daffodils shooting up, English Primrose with flowers budding, and seeds sprouting.  It’ll be interesting to see how the actual Spring fairs with all this growth now, assuming it will be stopped by cold temperatures…maybe?

We just got snow last night and what perfect timing…all the seed catalogs seem to be coming my way with every winter day.  I thought I’d share R.H. Shumway. The old-timey-ness is just plain endearing with little caricatures and drawings throughout. Flipping through the pages, you get transported into a different time. Postcards of the [...]

Here in Chicago, we’ve had little to no snow.  None has stuck with temperatures ranging in the 30s and 40s so far this December.  Not bad for Chicago, but let’s take a look at the benefits and non-benefits of snow in relation to our gardens. Snow, Uh Oh Heavy snow can break branches on trees [...]

Christmas is just around the corner.   Besides your tree and wreaths, you can add a little nature in your holiday spirit with bark, pine cones, and ornaments made of natural fibers.

These are so beautiful, I had to share.  With instructions from Ordinary Life Magic, add these ice lanterns to your holiday decor!  Collect bits of nature, freeze them in a container, add a smaller container to make the candle’s spot, and keep in the the cold out of doors.  Would be a nice substitution for [...]

With the Holiday Season here….what in the world do you get a gardener? Magazine subscriptions are great.  I look forward to their wise words each month! Organic Gardening Mother Earth News Garden Design Tools Root Vegetable Storage Bin Rubber Work Boots or Shoes Seed Bon Bons infused with Herb Seeds, cute idea Houses Bird Beneficial [...]