OUT LIKE A LAMB -FAREWELL MARCH!

When Irish Eyes are Smiling Sure It's Like a Morn in Spring !

Today will be the first 70 degree day this year and my little Sweetpea and I will be out enjoying it both in the garden and exploring the neighborhood.  Yesterday we went for a long walk to the park and her Mother pointed to a building and said  "school " and  Lea repeated " school " !  Her first BIG word.   Does this mean she's going to be a scholar?    I'm hoping Horticulture.  Oh well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Sunshine  improves everyone's mood so get out and enjoy it and soak up some D.    Sweetpea is learning to count  ... " That's one, two , three Crocuses...4, 5, 6 tulips.....7,8,9, 10 daffodils.













Written by Carolyngail at Sweet Home and Garden Chicago
All rights reserved

7:20 AM by beemagnet · 0

NOW HEAR THIS !

Something strange is afoot at Sweet Garden Chicago

First it was the Clara Curtis mum that bloomed the earliest ever. Now comes another surprise : the Hibiscus syricus is one month early, another record.

To top it off, Magnolia Betty has decided it's time to bloom :



Good grief, I am seriously beginning to wonder what Fall will look like.

2:50 PM by beemagnet · 0

a shimmering spring

I used to think that shimmering styles were only appropriate over the holidays. But these neutral options prove that paillettes, sequins and crystal embellishments are more than appropriate for the spring season.

(celestina pina oakwood clutch, stella mccartney racer back tank, derercuny pocket dress, zac posen cardigan, pedro garcia sandals, 3.1 phillip lim shift dress, L.A.M.B pumps)

11:17 AM by beemagnet · 0

IN SEARCH OF SPRING

Spring bulbs such as scilla, tulips and daffodils are up
and blooming

Can it be Spring without Forsythia ?

Magnolias, honey! In every shape and form. That's my 'Betty' in the center.

Pam of Digging said she was blowing some sunshine up our way. Thanks, Pam it took awhile but your good wishes are finally paying off. Today is in the 70's and the next few the Texas 80's !I suppose the first crops are already in down in Texas :-)

On my Spring walkabout in my neighborhood I spied a lot of signs such as all kinds of magnolias -from saucers to stars. Forsythias abound as well as scilla, red tulips and yellow daffodils.

Can I safely stash away my winter clothes yet? Probably not. Besides it could jinx the nice weather.

I'm off to the garden center to seek more perennials for my new garden. Ah, Spring ! What a fine mood it puts me in.

7:08 AM by beemagnet · 0

spring fling

One of my best friends in college always had a "spring fling" day when the weather started to truly feel like spring. She would skip her classes and enjoy all that spring had to offer in our very small college town and the surrounding areas. It is safe to say that frozen yogurt and a perfect spring dress were part of the mix. Although it is not quite time for a spring fling day here in Jackson--a girl has to prepare and when it comes to the perfect outfit for such a day I think Thread Social is the perfect label for the job. Some of the possible (well, in my dreams) ensemble for a day of frolicking:



And then there are their spring accessories adorned with one of my favorite symbols of spring, the tulip:



Do you have any spring rituals?

12:01 AM by beemagnet · 0

happy first weekend of spring!

(via kate headley)
Oh, I am so happy at the moment-I only have a half day of work today (although it has been a very busy one) and there is not a cloud in the sky! I am very much looking forward to enjoying some much needed sun and fresh air therapy this afternoon. Perhaps, I will have to get my cruiser bike out of storage and take her for a spin to pick up some daffodils. I hope you all have fun weekend plans! I will be participating in the very non spring activity of skiing.

11:04 AM by beemagnet · 0

TULIPS AND DAFFODILS, OH MY !

Cast in Stone : The Resident Rabbit at Sweet Garden Chicago

and the only kind I like.

My pet goldfish have awakened from their long Winter's nap

My new chair cushions have arrived and are installed

Magnolia Betty is once again ready to put on a show

Spring has finally arrived in the form of tulips, daffodils and Scilla. But I'm cautiously optimistic because I've read the long range forecast for Chicago : Frost or freeze warnings early next week so I won't be planting annuals until after then.

7:34 AM by beemagnet · 0

DID I SHAVE MY LEGS FOR THIS ?

You bet'cha ! The first 70 degree day in Chicago in six months and I'm searching for my long-stored away shorts. My Florida February tan has almost faded in the two long wintry months since I've been back.

After I posted my Bloom Day for April the daffodils started to open their cheerful yellow faces to soak up the abundant sunshine. Murphy's law certainly applies here. I suppose my Forsythia and Crabapple will follow suit today.

Yesterday was nice and I was doing a Spring clean-up of an urban frontyard on a very busy street. It's amazing how many passersby will stop and chat when they see a gardener working in their yard. " About time ! , wonderful day to garden, are you planting the annuals yet?, do you think Spring is finally here ? " The one I liked was the guy who asked " Hey, lady you need any help.?" I just smiled and replied, " I am the help. "

I have a few gardens to visit today which is always a pleasure for me. I'm also taking my trusty camera to capture any Spring beauties I might meet along the way.

Welcome to Chicago ; Spring . So glad you decided to visit and hope you'll stay awhile.

3:15 PM by beemagnet · 0

WAITING FOR SUMMER

Winter weary Jojo

My rabbit-chasing mouser, Jojo, the Mini-Schnauzer is bored with staying indoors. While we were vacationing in Florida she went for long strolls and saw all sorts of interesting critters such as lizards, cranes, and bugs. Now she waits for Spring and Summer like I do and can't wait to be outdoors most of the day.

She is my shadow, following me from room to room. When I am painting in my studio she snuggles up underneath the easel ( above ) and watches me. If only she could paint !

Schnauzers are dubbed " the dog with the human brain. " Jojo does everything but talk. She knows where her treats are kept and does a little dance around the cabinet there, barking to get my attention to her request.

Strangers don't usually see small dogs as a treat and rush to pet them. BIG mistake with Jojo. She's almost snapped fingers off and people gasp in disbelief at her dislike of strangers. She will defend her castle with her last breath and with her keen ears no one can even get near without her hearing them. She certainly doesn't know her size. I'm sure she thinks she's "ten feet tall and bullet proof. " I mean she's scared off a huge Great Dane before a very comical sight .

April is the teaser month, some days cold and rainy, some warm and sunny. Yesterday was a wonderful sunny day and Jojo and I spent the afternoon soaking it up. Of course I couldn't resist putzying around the garden and doing a little Spring clean-up.

We both are winter weary and can't wait for Summer ( there's no Spring in Chicago).
We're supposed to get a taste of it this weekend.

6:34 AM by beemagnet · 0

IF ONLY I COULD BOTTLE AND SELL IT

The Palm Garden, Florida
Botanical Garden,
Largo

I don't care how ugly you are, you just look better after a month in the Florida sunshine. There's a smile on your face, a new bounce to your walk, a new rosiness to your checks and color on your pale skin. I know its an old cliche but I wish I could" bottle and sell that sunshine. "Boy would I be rich . Then I could buy an estate down in Florida with huge gardens to keep me busy during what they call " winter. " Hah ! I know I'd have something blooming year round.

Right now in Chicago it's the 'tween season . On March 21, the calendar's first day of Spring we were graced with a foot of snow . Natives here will tell you that there's no Spring in Chicago until May , then suddenly it's Summer .

It looks like a lot of the locals have , as we say down South, " Fallen out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down. " Dark , dreary clothing and sullen faces . The 'tween season is not a pretty sight in Chicago.

I still feel the exuberance of a month of Florida sunshine and some folks have become suspicious, asking " What's wrong with you , did you win the lotto ?" Nope, just a month in Florida. Then comes the looks that could melt chocolate at twenty paces. " Well, no wonder then. "

6:09 AM by beemagnet · 0

60 in Chicago

Spring 2007

Being able to look at last year's Spring photos is one thing that's great about blogging. Yesterday was a balmy 60 degrees and of course I got the fever and spent the entire afternoon in my garden.

Not a lot is up yet and I don't want it to be because , lesson learned, freezes in April can quickly kill. I raked up excessive build-up of leaves, leaving a light layer to cover emerging bulbs.

I started formulating plans for the new season and found extra space in my small urban back 40 to add more containers for growing veggies and herbs. There's an unused space between me and the neighbors that I want to spruce up with colorful potted plants.

I can hardly wait until my garden looks like the photo above.

4:51 AM by beemagnet · 0

THE GARDENER OF THE WORLD

Gardener of the World by Moi

..." Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true
To please the child, to paint the rose
The Gardener of the World, he goes.

...excerpted from Summer Sun by Robert Louis Stevenson

Setting the clocks forward one hour always reminds me that Spring is just around the corner and how nice it is to have the sun rise earlier and set later.

I often marvel at the sun and the moon and their importance in my daily life. I feel cheerful when the sun rises to greet me and gloomy when it doesn't. Of course we all know the stories about how the full moon affects our moods.

The sun has been a source of reverence and worship in many ancient cultures -Greece, Persia, Egypt, India, Japan, North America and Mexico. Growing up on a farm I learned the ancient wisdom of our ancestors who observed the sun and moon phases for growing crops and gardens. Amazingly, research shows that this method of planting potatoes by the phases of the moon resulted in an increase of up to 45 per cent.

If you want to know the best times to plant vegetables and flowers visit the Old Farmer's Almanac and put in your zip code for a personalized chart.

I've done a series of paintings I call Sun and Moonscapes in which I've tried to capture the meaning and importance of these two orbs. Gardener of the World, above was done alla prima, the Italian expression translated as " all at once", which speak of the artist's emotions at that moment.

10:04 PM by beemagnet · 0

GARDEN BLOGGERS DISCOVER SPRING IN CHICAGO

Garden Blogger Joyce (right) from Muum's Musings
and Moi

What do garden bloggers do when they visit another city ? Look for gardens and garden bloggers of course ! So when Joyce from Muum's Musings ( Utah ) arrived in Chicago she contacted me and asked if I'd like to meet up at Lincoln Park Conservatory. I'd never miss such an opportunity like this.

We found Spring in Chicago even though it was still a bit chilly outside. Here are some of the wonderful flowering plants we saw :

Yes----Wisteria !

Gorgeous Yellow Trumpets

Entrance to the Spring Show

Huge Koi happily splashing in the Palm Garden

We had a wonderful afternoon ooing and awing the beautiful azaleas, camellias, gardenias, and orchids in full bloom. The fragrance was wonderful.

The Conservatory is where winter-weary Chicagoans go to lift their spirits and to remember what Spring feels like.

2:02 PM by beemagnet · 0

SPRING WILL COME A MONTH EARLIER THIS YEAR

Sedum ( still green ) in Snow

Going from Zone 5 to 9 is so much easier than going from 9 to 5. Other than encountering some heavy rains in Tennessee the road trip back to Chicago was fairly smooth. Snow was piled high and still covered the ground when we arrived. We had the 5th snowiest winter on record, 21 inches more snow than last year. About the only positive thing I can say about that much snow is that it's good for the garden.

March 1 came in like a little lamb and the second was even better with a mild 50-degree Spring-like day. I had too much catching up to do to get outside and enjoy it.

My month in the Florida sunshine was the first time I've been away in the winter for that long and it was a wonderful break that help banish my really bad case of the epitoozies.

Winter's days are numbered and even though March is often cold and snowy Spring will be here one month earlier for me.

Spring in Sweet Garden Chicago
Oh, yes, I remember it well .

6:45 PM by beemagnet · 0

NOTE TO MYSELF FOR NEXT SPRING

An Arrangement for Ruby

My painting , above, is dedicated to an avid gardener, my dear Mother who died when I was four. It was purchased by a woman whose sister loved gardening and was dying of cancer. Flowers are much like humans. A seed is planted and it grows and flourishes. It brings joy and beauty and then one Spring it doesn't return.

Spring is a time of renewal and regrets for gardeners. The earth is still brown or white with snow and we begin to fret about what we didn't do last Fall.

I've written my list for next Spring :

Plant Forsythia along the fence in my front yard. I have one in back but it looks so nice to see that cheery warm yellow every Spring and walking up and down my street I see so many announcing Spring has arrived.

Plant more Spring bulbs. Species tulips , the small flowering ones for rock gardens and the lily-flowering May tulips with pointed petals are my favorites. Planting tulips is almost an annual thing in Chicago as so many seem to disappear or get eaten by rabbits. I havenoticed that the ones that make it year after year are the daffodils, Darwin hybrid and species tulips.

Plant more hellebores for the earliest Spring bloom. I want a "blue " grass lawn like the one I saw down the street - Scilla had colonized and it looked so soothing to see the clouds of blue. Seems if you like them they won't colonize and if you don't, they will. I love them and my neighbor considers them a nuisance.

Fight the war of the weeds : Dig out every Star of Bethlehem that keeps travelling to my garden from next door. For me, these are the biggest nuisance of all and if you ignore them they will take over your entire garden. My garden used to be plagued by Johnnie Jump-ups which I kept after until I finally conquered them. Oh, and don't forget the garlic chives that I foolishly planted and that are now travelling South.

So, just like the Chicago Cub fans , I say, " wait until next year ".

Meanwhile, Spring is due in Chicago this week. The long-range shows 60's and 70's. Yahoo !

5:45 PM by beemagnet · 0

SPRING RENEWAL

Every Spring is a renewal of life for me especially now that I'm in my sixth decade . Just as the earth renews itself with beautiful flowers and foilage, I, too, strive for a new beginning.

The Buddhist cycle of life is made up of 12 years, each represented by an animal . I was born in the year of the monkey. When you reach age 60, you are considered to have completed the zodiacal cycle. In Korea it is called hwan-gap and is an especially big celebration with huge banquets and many family and friends bearing gifts .

Hwan-gap is not very popular among my generation because they don't like attention drawn to their age, so the custom is not as popular as it once was. We gave my mother-in-law a huge 60th birthday party that went on for several days. She asked me to sing a Korean song to entertain her friends and she was smiling from ear-to-ear when I added a little dance to it. Next to the Irish, the Koreans love of singing, drinking and dancing is legendary. They've even been called " The Irish of the Orient ! " We Southerners aren't slackers in that category either.

When Korean women reach age 60 they are allowed certain freedoms they didn't have before. I was shocked to see my mother-in-law smoking a cigarette and drinking beer, something frowned on for younger ones. She was also pampered by her sons and liked to wear the new fur coat and diamond ring they gave her when she gathered with her friends.

I used to hate hearing about the "good old days " from my Dad but the older I get, the more I realize what he meant because I too grow nostalgic for that era when we had a kinder and gentler way of life. " What's your hurry, pull up a chair and stay awhile " was a constant refrain from a neighbor with a glass of cool iced tea on a hot day. And we did. Our neighbors were like our family. When one was sick we'd visit and bring them food. When one died we'd be with them for days, cooking meals and attending to their grief.

I am eager to throw off the weary bleak cloak of winter. Hurry Spring !

5:47 PM by beemagnet · 0

WELCOME APRIL !

April in the Sweet Home Chicago Garden

I'm always glad to see March leave and April arrive because it means we are getting closer to Summer and Sunny Days. I must say however that this March was one for the record books - the most 60 degree days since I was knee-high to a grasshopper .

April , according to T.S. Eliot, is " the cruel month " and I think perhaps , next to May, more poetry has been written about it.

Here's one of my favorites from the first woman to receive a Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, American Lyricist Edna St. Vincent Millay :

SPRING

To what purpose, April, do you return again ?
Beauty is not enough.
You can no longer quiet me with the redness
Of little leaves opening stickily.
I know what I know.
The sun is hot on my neck as I observe
The spikes of the crocus.
The smell of the earth is good.
It is apparent that there is no death.
But what does that signify?
Not only under ground are the brains of men
Eaten by maggots,
Life in itself
Is nothing.
An empty cup, a flight of uncarpeted stairs.
It is not enough that yearly, down this hill, April
Comes like an idiot, babbling and strewing flowers.

3:30 AM by beemagnet · 0

A RECORD SMASHING DAY IN CHICAGO

Sunday was a record smashing 79 degrees and we all went nuts ! It's hard to believe its still March . Just yesterday I was shivering in 40 degrees. Everyone, I mean EVERYONE was outside today and very early I must say. Soaking up the Vitamin D and just acting as if they were in a haze. Just to feel the warm sun on your face and back was heaven. To see the emergence of tiny green things, yellow and purple crocus, tulips and daffodils . Buds are starting to pop on the forsythia, magnolia and crabapple.

I walked up and down my street talking to neighbors who were out doing their Spring cleanup of uncovering bulbs and flowers and at the same time, enjoying the sunshine. Sunshine sure puts everyone in a good mood.

What's blooming now ? Not too much, but depending on how much sunshine you have - snowdrops and crocus is all I saw, and some Siberian squill. If we have a few more days of this we will see a lot more plants emerge and bloom.

We all realize that this day and everyday like it is a gift and that right up until the end of May we could be hit with freezing weather.

The weather forecast shows the warm temperatures will continue until Saturday and Sunday, the days when I am scheduled to work outside. Murphy's law rules.

5:55 AM by beemagnet · 0

REMINDER - SAVE THE DATE FOR SPRING OPEN HOUSE

Gethsemane is all decked out for the Spring
Open House

4:52 AM by beemagnet · 0

THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING !

Triptych : May Day I, II and III

I stopped my moaning about the lousy March weather when I heard that it was 53 degrees below zero, and has been for the past several weeks, in Barrows, Alaska. We thought we had it bad, but they don't thaw out until June.

The colors in my painting above always cheer me up and make me long for Spring. I can't believe it's finally here.

I've penned a poem in honor of one of my favorite seasons ( the other being Summer ) :

Spring

Winter's canvas bleak and barren
brown and gray on the land.

At last I feel a stirring
I lift my hand
dip my brush in color
dancing snowdrops appear
a daffodil nods her warm yellow head
tulips with red bonnets sway in the wind
a dab of golden sunshine,
a stroke of azure in the sky
There ! My masterpiece is done.

Earth is now a golden green canvas
painted by the artist Spring.

4:24 AM by beemagnet · 0