Autumn flowers

The summer flowers are leaving now. Some I will pull seeds from, and some I will leave for winter food for the birds.

What is this plant?

Bean Tree

I visited a 19th century farm and they used old branches as plant supports. Luckilly, I had some lying about and it works well, and I like the naturalistic look of it.

My man's gone crazy

Yesterday my man went crazy and edged the sidewalk and pulled all the weeds in the front and mulched. I think it looks pretty nice, thanks dear husband.

Tomato

I love tomatoes. But only in the summer and only from the garden. My boy likes to pick them before they are ripe and I like to eat them for lunch. So good.

First Tomato!

And it was delicious! Looking forward to more.

Vignette

Right now, this is my favorite vignette in the garden. I like the bright green sedum mixed with the grass and the echinacea in the background. I've had that pot for years, I used to only grow Geraniums, it's all that ever worked for me. But now, they are the only plant I cannot grow, they keep dying on me! Anyway, I'm pretty happy with how everything looks here and it's what I see when sitting at the patio table. Delightful.

First Rose!

First rose in the only rose bush in the rose garden! Yay!

Area is still swimming in day lillies, which will someday be removed and replaced with all roses. I also put in some zinnia seeds in this area that are now about 6-7" tall. Doing well, little guys.

Pretty Flowers

Herbs

Seriously, the cilantro is out of control. Up to my hip (three feet maybe). Also, one of my basil plants is so stinky, I hate it! It's the purpley one, what is it? Makes me not want to eat it, the other basil smells so nice.

Tomatoes in the background, along with other herbs. Weeds in the front, but we'll ignore that for now.

Nasturtiums are starting to grow. After the false start I had of not nicking the seeds (I dug them up, nicked them and replanted) They're now coming up and are about 3-5" tall.

What is it?

What is this plant?

I cannot tell if it is a weed or a succulent. They're growing all over the place. In the vegetable garden, the rose garden and the perennial garden. This is the largest one of all, in the perennial garden. Do I pull it, or leave them be?

Echinacea

This is fast becoming my favorite flower.

Milkweed 2

The Milk Weed is now about 5 feet tall. It is thriving in our shade garden. Almost taller than me. I hope it is breeding some Monarchs. I pulled a leaf off and am pressing it to frame in the atrium of the house.

Milkweed

This mysterious plant is growing in the shady part of the back of our yard. My folks ID'd it as a milk weed. Cool. I'm going to leave them there and add other shade plants to form a nice respite from the sun in this shady part of our lot.

Vegetable Garden Path

Seems I've gone a little path crazy. I put these rocks around and through the vegetable garden this morning. I would eventually like to have paths through the garden, but for now, this will deter the boy from walking through, and give me a nice path to plant and to the compost. I also planted some tomato plants, herbs and marigolds today.

Front Walk

We worked on moving the rocks that were next to our driveway, we assume to park a car, and made them into a path for us and the mail carrier. I like how it turned out! Now what to do with the holes from where we got the rocks, underneath the sod and rocks is a sheet of plastic, hmmmm.

Foundation Planting start

I put those plants from the Farmer's market to start my foundation planting. I can't wait to see how they do. I still need to remove those boxwoods... but where to put them?

Farmers Market Score

This morning, walking to work through Federal Plaza, I was pleased to see the farmers markets have started in Chicago.

One of the stands had oodles of native perennials! I was so excited. I bought Joe Pye Weed (Eupatorium purpureum) and Nodding Wild Onion (Allium Cernuum). For a very decent price from a couple from Niles, Michigan. I also got some mint, cilantro and basil for my herb garden.

I may head back there on my lunch break for some more.

Note: I did head back there after lunch for some more Joe Pye Weed, Nodding Wild Onion and Bee Balm.

Lawnmower

Lawnmower
Originally uploaded by nicole radja

Last weekend we bought a lawnmower. Needless to say, our neighbors were excited that we finally cut our turf. We got a craftsman with the big wheels in back to handle our not so flat yard. It runs like a dream, happy with it so far!

Ro-to-tilla

Today my father brought over a rototiller to begin our gardens with. He graciously tilled the weed garden that will become our vegetable and herb garden as well as our berry patch and rose garden. My husband dug some holes where cemented posts once held a pool deck and my mother, son and I removed rocks, weeds and wasps in what will be our back flower garden.



My mother, a wonderful gardener, (dad is too), gave me lots of great plants from her garden. My sweet neighbor also gave me some plants. She also has a very ambitious vegetable garden that I can't wait to see in full bloom. Today I planted Rudbeckia, Hostas, Black Eyed Susans, Peonies, a grass and some others.

Thanks everyone for your help!

Things growing I did not plant

I was surprised to see all these flowers come up that I did not plant. Thank you previous homeowner for these. For the lumpy back yard and the dandelions and weeds, no thanks, but for these, thanks!

Anyone know what the plant is in the top left of the grid?

Plastic Lawn Removal

This weekend I enlisted the help of my mother and husband to remove the plastic netting that covers a good portion of the lawn. The previous owners had a swimming pool-apparently filled with sticks-that was removed and in its stead was placed grass seed, some green straw looking stuff and a plastic net. My mother and I pulled up the netting while my husband raked the remnants.

We have this stuff on the side of the garage, and all along the back. I think it was fine for winter, but I feel that the plastic had to go, and if it sits any longer, it will suffocate the grass. A couple more days of this, and we should have lawn.

Now to dispose of the stuff.

I used part of it to make a toddler wall on the side of the garage so my boy can't run down the driveway to the street. Eventually a fence will be put here, but for now, the toddler wall will be made of, well, whatever this stuff is.

Lillies?

lilliesnew
Originally uploaded by nicole radja

Some flowers have been popping up where the rose garden is to be, next to the garage. I hope they are the orange ones!

Compost

Just installed the new composter. Now kitchen scraps have a place to go. I read you can even put your hair in there.

Backyard is puddling

With Spring has come melting snow and we've already had a couple big rain storms. I have learned that my yard holds water in the back in 2 ponds. I have the feeling it's not just the runoff from my house and garage, but that I'm getting the neighbors' runoff as well. Yikes.

Some grading and a Rain Garden seems to be the answer here.

Sketches

Last week I began sketching what was in my head for the garden. My husband made a sketch of the plat to scale on some graph paper, we made copies, got out the colored pencils and started sketching.

I feel fairly confident in what I want in the front yard. I am going to start small. I would like to plant a tree in my parkway, I just have to check with my town if that is acceptable. I live on a T intersection, and have fears of someone driving into my house. Also, I would like to look out my front window and see a big pretty tree and some red autumn color to balance with the big yellow tree on the left side of the parkway.

Plants I think would be nice in the front foundation garden are Rattlesnake Master (awesome name), lots of purple cone flower, tall grasses on the left side, shorter grasses on the right, and tons of Prairie Smoke in the front. Maybe some Joe Pye weed, Black eyed Susans and the like. I love color and would like to have a serious color statement with the front yard.

I have also been considering a Japanese Maple. I love their size, autumn color and the weeping Japanese Maples are just so cool.

My husband wants his "prize winning rose bushes" next to the garage. I would also like a meditation garden. A place where I can practice martial arts and really relax and escape. Then we will have a big patch of turf in the back for rounds of badminton and for our toddler to play.

First Post

Exterior, originally uploaded by nicole radja.

Last autumn, I bought my first home. In the search for this home, it was essential that the home be placed on a nice yard that I could garden. The result was a sunny plot with a 3 bedroom post war box on top of it. The house looks like every other house in the neighborhood, quite literally. My garden will be a revolt against the topiary foundation plantings in front of every other box in the neighborhood.

Over the winter, in my mind, I planned this garden. It would be filled with native plants. Not as a result of being an environmentalist but simply as a display of where I live and in remembrance of what the world looked like before Europeans pillaged the land, boxed it off and sold it. My inspiration comes from a pbs series I saw called We Shall Remain and a book my brother loaned me Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. After reading this, crying, and digesting the genocide of Native people, I wanted to do my small part to bring back the land they adored. It's a measly attempt, I know.

This blog is my gardening diary. I have spent the winter watching 9pm gardening television shows on pbs (Garden Home, P Allen Smith, Victory Garden, Ask This Old House) and some advice was to keep a garden journal. I'm not much of a journal keeper, unless I can post photos to it, since I am a photographer, so this medium works well for me. If someone else can learn from my mistakes or triumphs, or other gardeners' comments will help me, even better!

Please enjoy, comment if you please, and thank you!