Food & Flowers

Late May, Shakespeare Garden at Northwestern University (top to...

Thu, 30 May 2013 20:22:00 -0500

Late May, Shakespeare Garden at Northwestern University (top to bottom):

1) Late tulips, hosta, rhododendrons, Allium.

2) Allium, Aquilegia (Columbines). Iris & roses, pre-bloom stage.

3) Late tulips and hosta, with ferns.

4) End-of-the-season bird’s-eye Narcissus.

5) Convallaria (Lily-of-the-Valley).

6) Catmint, buttercups, boxwood, and more Allium.

All manner of things: 1) Allium, Aquilegia, June-bearing...

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:58:00 -0500

All manner of things:

1) Allium, Aquilegia, June-bearing strawberries, French tarragon, spearmint, Sweet William (foreground, in bud).

2) ‘Champagne Elegance’ bearded iris, ‘Everest’ alliums, Shasta daisies

Allium, French tarragon, kale.

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:55:19 -0500

Allium, French tarragon, kale.

A close look at the Fargo/Hoyne bee & butterfly garden,...

Wed, 22 May 2013 19:53:00 -0500

A close look at the Fargo/Hoyne bee & butterfly garden, Chicago (1 of 3): ‘Biedermaier’ series Aquilegia, in three subtle pastel colors. No care required; short-lived, but they reseed promiscuously. (June-bearing strawberries to the left, in flower.)

May Update, Fargo/Hoyne Bee & Butterfly garden. First...

Tue, 07 May 2013 21:31:00 -0500

May Update, Fargo/Hoyne Bee & Butterfly garden. First butterfly sighting today, a modest white cabbage butterfly; also an early-season wasp. All pollinators are good pollinators:

1) End of the season Narcissus, 5/7/13. Love the unusual double-cup pure white variety.

2) Another 5/7 newcomer: Siberian iris. This overachiever is already in flower, despite just having been transplanted last fall.

3) 5/1/13: “Apricot Beauty” tulips, with multiple varieties of narcissus, including “Passionale,” in background.

4) Mid-season narcissus “Pink Paradise” and Passionale,” 5/1/13. Note ruffled kale in foreground, which inexplicably overwintered with minimal mulch, and is about to come into flower (!). Nature is very mysterious.

(all photos by Peg Wolfe)

Further progress at the Shakespeare Garden at Northwestern...

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 20:41:51 -0500

Further progress at the Shakespeare Garden at Northwestern University, 4-14-2013: Forsythia, first blooming daffodils of the season, scylla

Last Sunday (April 7, 2013) at the Shakespeare Garden at...

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 12:20:00 -0500

Last Sunday (April 7, 2013) at the Shakespeare Garden at Northwestern University. Rugged-but-delicate snowdrops, peony shoots, and about-to-burst daffodils; updates shortly, weather permitting.

Some James Thurber for a cold, gloomy day

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 14:54:09 -0600

Some James Thurber for a cold, gloomy day

Seed saving: it's all the rage!

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 12:57:00 -0600

Seed saving: it's all the rage! : Have you ever tried saving your own seeds after the harvest?...

Andre Jordan with a sweet doodle for a cold winter day. . .

Sat, 16 Feb 2013 12:55:00 -0600

From Margaret Roach’s wonderful blog, ‘A Way to Garden’:

Diary of an unhappy restaurateur

Sat, 02 Feb 2013 20:45:00 -0600

Diary of an unhappy restaurateur: Here’s a very interesting glimpse at what being a high-end...

From the Seattle Times: "New terrariums offer tiny visions of larger worlds"

Sat, 15 Dec 2012 20:58:49 -0600

From the Seattle Times: "New terrariums offer tiny visions of larger worlds": Need a winter...

Chicago Botanic Garden - Winter Farmers Market!

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 22:22:28 -0600

The weather’s turned cool but that doesn’t have to mean an end to farmers market...

Nap Time: putting your North Shore garden to bed for the winter

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 12:33:10 -0600

Nap Time: putting your North Shore garden to bed for the winter

Hurricane Sandy managed to stir up Lake Michigan quite nicely....

Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:13:00 -0500

Hurricane Sandy managed to stir up Lake Michigan quite nicely. These shots are from 10/30/12 at the Evanston beaches at South Boulevard, Lee Street, and South Boulevard, respectively. Run away!

The Best Time of Year: Fall Transitions in the North Shore Garden

Sun, 07 Oct 2012 13:37:15 -0500

The Best Time of Year: Fall Transitions in the North Shore Garden: My new piece on the change of...

What we may be doing tonight, unfortunately. Frost already??...

Sun, 23 Sep 2012 11:26:00 -0500

What we may be doing tonight, unfortunately. Frost already?? Margaret Roach can help, while Andre Jordan pokes fun, as always…

Fargo/Hoyne Bee & Butterfly Garden September Update -...

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 13:30:49 -0500

Fargo/Hoyne Bee & Butterfly Garden September Update - summer-sown basil, cosmos, and ‘Purple Majesty’ millet coming to maturity, and ‘Biedermaier’ Aquilegia getting established for next spring. See the garden’s Pinterest page for more - and enjoy your fall garden!

Susan Branch discovers William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Movement

Fri, 14 Sep 2012 23:52:07 -0500

Susan Branch discovers William Morris and the Arts & Crafts Movement: A very sweet recap of...

My newest board on Pinterest: the lovely Shakespeare Garden at...

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 12:57:36 -0500

My newest board on Pinterest: the lovely Shakespeare Garden at NU, located on Garrett Place, just east of Sheridan Road (behind the Ford Engineering Design building).

Truly a magical place to visit and linger.