Jaime Zaplatosch works for the non-profit Openlands, designing and installing urban, public gardens and teaching urban gardening classes. Jaime is a sustainable gardening geek, growing annuals, food and native plants in and around her home.
It has been a week of rain and 50 degree weather in the Chicago area. We have had quite the extended growing season this year, despite several prolonged cool, wet periods almost every month. Last night we had our first...
Despite our erradic weather in the Chicago-area this summer (6 inches of rain in one day and golf-ball sized hail, anyone?), things like sunflowers have done really well. The ones growing in my parkway have received a lot...
Thursday night's storms in Chicago caused a lot of damage. The majority of the golf-ball hail was reported by the Chicago Tribune was centered on Little Village and East Garfield Park. I live in East Garfield...
My good gardening friend and I were talking about what we were growing in our own gardens this year. I have been starting my warm-season vegetables from seed for years now, and told Jeanne...
The weather may be taking a turn for the worse this weekend, cooling off with rain forecasted. Since you probably won't be able to get out to work in your garden, how about heading out to a place...
Aside from the never-ending April rain, all of us Chicago gardeners know that we're just a few weeks away from planting our warm season crops, if you haven't already started your cool season crops. That...
Gardeners have many different ways of tracking the progress, lessons learned and each season in their gardens. My vegetable garden journal includes plant layouts per season (never to scale!), pounds harvested per vegetable type, and what seeds I need to...
Day 1Once you've chosen a design from several options and are working within your material and budgetary means, it's Show time! Quite literally, it is almost Chicago Flower and Garden Show time. Openlands' wonderful collaborators...
Step two of creating and implementing a garden display at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show: determining a final design based on your budget and available materials.Isn't this always the case? Garden designs can be an incredible...
Ever wonder what it takes to put together a garden that will display at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show? If you'd like to keep the process a magical mystery, read no further. If you are interested in...