When sleet is still rattling against the glass of the greenhouse, it’s hard to get your head into spring. But if you think ahead in March, you can take advantage of a glasshouse to get a head start on the summer garden by potting up tender bulbs. These are plants such as agapanthus, with its […]
In February, a gardener’s fancy turns to starting seeds under lights: cabbages that can be transplanted into the garden in early spring; the earliest annuals, such as violas and snapdragons; and those that take a really long time, like petunias. Even if you have a greenhouse, you’ll need a light setup to give most plants […]
Now that all that holiday fuss is over, it’s time to get down to serious business: gardening. In the middle of winter? Well, sure, if you have a conservatory. You can be as busy as June, patrolling for insects and diseases, monitoring temperature, humidity and air circulation, and preening and primping your plants. But even […]
Most of the plants I’ve ever received as holiday gifts have been temporary pleasures, best enjoyed while they’re at their prettiest and then composted like cut flowers after they fade. The amount of fuss and bother required to get poinsettias to color up another year is hard to justify when you can buy them for […]
If you’re lucky enough to have a big conservatory—and it isn’t too crowded with plants—you have a lovely setting for a holiday party. If it’s warm enough to overwinter houseplants, the glasshouse will be comfortable for people. And wouldn’t it be lovely for your guests to watch snowflakes fall from inside the glass? You’re probably […]
Where would we be without water? I recently returned from California, where I got a sobering look at the possibilities. The drought there is a wakeup call for all of us—even in places like Chicago or the East Coast that aren’t suffering right now—to think hard about how we use this precious resource. There are […]
Days are still hot. Roses and tomatoes are still around. But I can’t avoid knowing that fall is on the way, because its lovely, wistful heralds are flowering—Japanese anemones and turtlehead, with toad lilies on the way. Gardeners tell time by what’s in bloom, and these plants remind me that it’s time to start thinking […]
August is back-to-school time. For an increasing number of children, school will involve gardening. But they need the help of experienced gardeners—especially those who know what to do with a cold frame. School gardens are one kind of volunteer project that Master Gardener volunteers like me often help with. Experience has shown that there’s a […]
I’m not much of a beach person. I enjoy splashing and diving in Lake Michigan, but the summer sun is too intense for me to lie around under it for long. Many of my plants feel the same way. Some of the houseplants I set out in the garden this May quickly developed scorch marks. […]
The other day I dropped by my brother’s new home and he proudly showed me the beds he had just planted with hypoestes (polka dot plant). “They’re great,” I said. “But you know they’re annuals. You’ll have to replace them next year.” His face fell. “But at the garden center they told me they were […]
One of my favorite places, the great Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago, is all shiny and sparkly. In a good way. I remember when it was shiny and sparkly in a bad way: the day in June 2011 after golf-ball-sized hailstones smashed 60 percent of the glass in the nearly 2 acres of display greenhouses […]
On April’s Fool’s Day, it was a balmy 65 in Chicago—with a forecast for 27 two nights later.That kind of grim joke is why it’s handy to have a greenhouse or a cold frame to even out the crazy temperature swings of springtime. One task that makes a greenhouse useful is starting bare-root plants. Perennials, […]
