March marks the official start of spring. Here in Chicago, we generally still get quite a mixture of weather conditions throughout the month, but there is no denying that spring is pushing through. Very early on we begin to see little purple and yellow flowers popping up. The Crocus flowers are always the first to appear in our yard every year and they don’t seem to have a problem taking on the harsh storms of March. [Read more…] about March’s Yard
sprouts
January’s Yard
In the midwest, January doesn’t always feel like a very lively month, at least not in the outdoor garden department. The fall leaves have dried out and plants from last season are sadly drooping under the cold and wet blanket of winter. We are in the thick of hibernation season, but that doesn’t mean that things have completely shut down in the plant world. In fact, this January has been unusually mild and rainy. When I stepped outside to capture these images, I was without a coat wearing sandals, comfortably enjoying the sun and observing the state of the yard. This is not the same January I have grown up to know in the midwest. It’s a little strange that we are seeing some very early signals from spring already, some colorful sites in a generally gray time of year. [Read more…] about January’s Yard
The Gift of Plants
For a person who loves growing plants, the gift of a new sprout is always such a lovely surprise. I’ve been lucky enough find this out first hand this past week and also times before. At the end of a particularly draining work week, my dear friend Shannon came over to hang out on the patio and she brought a wonderful surprise of a baby ‘Pilea peperomioides’ commonly known as a Chinese Money Plant. It’s got to be one of the cutest baby plants in town. [Read more…] about The Gift of Plants