My Garden Online Blog http://mygardenonline.com/blog Gardens ideas and inspiration Thu, 27 May 2010 01:48:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 en Plant sale at the Chicago Botanic garden http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/05/plant-sale-at-the-garden/ http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/05/plant-sale-at-the-garden/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 02:34:50 +0000 Mary Kuppe http://mygardenonline.com/blog/?p=105 Stop by the Chicago Botanic garden next weekend for the annual plant festival (May 14-16). There will be vendors; gardening tips and presentations; live music and of course, excellent plants for sale. Visit the garden website for a catalog: www.chicagobotanic.org for a plant list.

]]> http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/05/plant-sale-at-the-garden/feed/ Enjoy the outdoors! http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/05/springtime-at-the-garden/ http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/05/springtime-at-the-garden/#comments Thu, 06 May 2010 02:13:34 +0000 Mary Kuppe http://mygardenonline.com/blog/?p=87
The sign says it all: Welcome

The sign says it all: Welcome

Last weekend I had the greatest experience working at Justin Trails resort in Sparta, Wi.  I learned about creating Shitake mushroom spores; how to search for Morel mushrooms (under elm trees); that honeysuckles dry up the nutrients in the ground making it really tough to grow other plants.  If you live in the midwest and want to experience a wonderful outdoor weekend, I think Justin Trails is the place to go.  It’s pet friendly and I promise your dogs will love it! http://www.justintrails.com/

]]> http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/05/springtime-at-the-garden/feed/ Edens Florist and Garden Shop http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/edens-florist-and-garden-shop/ http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/edens-florist-and-garden-shop/#comments Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:15:01 +0000 Mary Kuppe http://mygardenonline.com/blog/?p=84 I contacted them today to order flowers for my daughter’s birthday.  It was so nice to speak to someone who was pleasant, helpful and knew florals!  If you are shopping for an arrangement, please contact Edens Florist (508-748-0225):

http://www.edensflorist.net/

]]> http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/edens-florist-and-garden-shop/feed/ Plant of the week: Delphinium http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/plant-of-the-week-delphinium/ http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/plant-of-the-week-delphinium/#comments Sun, 21 Feb 2010 15:43:23 +0000 Mary Kuppe http://mygardenonline.com/blog/?p=75 This perennial stands above the rest - no pun intended!  The long stems have large flowers that range in color from blue, purple, pink or white.  I bought mine from Northwind Farm in Wisconsin; they were so beautiful and stately.  Unfortunately, they didn’t come back.  Reading through some gardening tips, I was pleased to read that Delphinium’s aren’t easy.  You’ll need to prepare the soil before planting and cover them with 1-2 inches of organic matter in the spring.

Height = 4 to 6 feet; Blooms in early spring/summer

]]> http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/plant-of-the-week-delphinium/feed/ Plant of the week: Cleome http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/plant-of-the-week-cleome/ http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/plant-of-the-week-cleome/#comments Sat, 13 Feb 2010 22:57:11 +0000 Mary Kuppe http://mygardenonline.com/blog/?p=70 Spider Flower

Half hardy annual that grow tall and sturdy.  Planted in the back of a border, these will certainly catch your eye and attract the butterflies!  I saw a large grouping of them in front of a hotel in Wisconsin and was floored by their height and color.  The stem is topped by globe shaped flowers in colors of white; pink and rose.

Easy to start from seed in the spring.  Remove the plants after flowering but be careful of the thorny stems and the scent (wear gloves!)

Height = 2 to 3 feet; Blooms in summer

]]> http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/plant-of-the-week-cleome/feed/ House Plants filter indoor air? http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/house-plants-filter-indoor-air/ http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/house-plants-filter-indoor-air/#comments Sat, 06 Feb 2010 22:38:39 +0000 Mary Kuppe http://mygardenonline.com/blog/?p=66 Living in Chicago, we spent a lot of time indoors during the winter months.  This morning I picked up an old copy of Garden Design magazine (April 2009 - www.gardendesign.com), and read the article on Sansevierias.  The Sansevieria was named one of the best plants for cleaning indoor air toxins by NASA and it’s low maintenance!  Mid-February indoor air - could it use a boost?  I thought I’d give it a try.

So I went shopping this afternoon to my local nursery and they had quite a variety of Sansevieria’s including those with gold edging or speckled foliage.  I settled for the trifasciata which is the most common but I liked the height and price!  They are also incredibly easy to grow - indirect light and little water (good drainage is critical) will keep them happy for a long time.

]]> http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/02/house-plants-filter-indoor-air/feed/ Alberta Rider School in Oregon http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/alberta-rider-school-in-oregon/ http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/alberta-rider-school-in-oregon/#comments Fri, 15 Jan 2010 03:08:11 +0000 Mary Kuppe http://mygardenonline.com/blog/?p=61 I am thrilled that Woodward School and Alberta Rider have joined me on Twitter; I think their teaching method is so exciting and offers so much for the students in the area.  The Alberta Rider school will be restoring an acre of property to native plants and hopefully creating a wildlife habitat!  A website promoting an Oregon Better Living Expo provides details on both schools; please read up on these wonderful projects that can’t help but provide a healthy education for the kids!

http://www.betterlivingshow.org/Albertariderelementaryschool.htm

]]> http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/alberta-rider-school-in-oregon/feed/ Composting http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/composting/ http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/composting/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 03:29:36 +0000 Mary Kuppe http://mygardenonline.com/blog/?p=59 Since I live in Chicago, composting isn’t on the top of my “to-do” list but I found this interesting website dedicated to composting (http://www.compostguide.com/).  Question for those who know-what can you do with kitchen scraps during the winter months other than throw them away?

]]> http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/composting/feed/ Post Cards from Woodward Gardens http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/post-cards-from-woodward-gardens/ http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/post-cards-from-woodward-gardens/#comments Wed, 13 Jan 2010 02:47:34 +0000 Mary Kuppe http://mygardenonline.com/blog/?p=55 Woodward Gardens in Oregon is a student garden located at the Mary Woodward Elementary School.  The school has captured the beauty of the garden in a lovely collection of postcards shown on this site:

http://www.betterlivingshow.org/garden-themed-cards.htm

Please help support this wonderful project by ordering some cards ($1.00 each!!).

]]> http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/post-cards-from-woodward-gardens/feed/ Gardening and Poetry? http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/gardening-and-poetry/ http://mygardenonline.com/blog/2010/01/gardening-and-poetry/#comments Mon, 11 Jan 2010 04:08:03 +0000 Mary Kuppe http://mygardenonline.com/blog/?p=52 My mother tried to get me to read  Shakespeare as a young adult - she knew I needed all the guidance I could find!  Had she only pointed out that Shakepeare had made many references to plants, I may have tried plowing through one or two!  Luckily, Nancy Shumacker Pollan has done the work for us by publishing the beautifully illustrated book “Shakespeare’s Garden”.  My favorite page - Pansy (Hamlet IV,5); in my opinion, nothing beats a pansy.  Please visit Borders or Barnes and Nobles to pick up a copy of this lovely book.

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