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April 4, 2019

Gardening is ‘for the birds’

Throughout the winter and early spring, my husband and I have been spending a portion of our morning at the local gym. We drop off our son at school and then head into town to spend an hour doing something good for ourselves. There is a group of local residents that are all at the gym about the same time each day. Our conversations the past few months have revolved around the health of relatives, company visiting, the daily news cycle, and of course, the weather.

The scoop on landscaping

For this week’s article, we are talking with Marissa Stublerthe Membership and Marketing Manager for Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA). Marissa, thanks so much for being available to answer a few questions for our readers!

Saving some green on your landscape

Shopping, for me, is always done out of pure necessity. I don’t get any pleasure out of it and would rather be doing a whole litany of things outside the confines of a store, rather than being inside it. There is one thing I do enjoy about shopping though. It is that at Kohl’s at the end of the whole experience, I get to look up at the large screen that details the purchases and circled in red, is the amount of money that I saved. It is a good feeling knowing that I chose wisely and am saving some money.

Stepping it up in the garden this spring

I have a love/hate relationship with my Fitbit. As an activity tracker, it measures the number of steps I take, my heart rate and even my sleep habits. I love it because it was a Christmas gift from my children. The fact that they all pooled their well-earned money to choose a gift that I wanted means so much to me. It isn’t quite the gift that I had hoped it would be though.

Planting those projects in advance

The path that my son Christopher is traversing while determining which college to attend has been long and arduous. What started as fun Saturday afternoon strolls around picturesque campuses quickly became spending hours sitting in front of a computer writing essays, ordering test scores, and hitting the submit button while silently praying that he had done enough to receive the prized ‘You’ve been accepted’ email.

Homemade for the holidays

Each year in the fall I spend a day making homemade Christmas gifts. It is a day that I treasure and hopefully brings some joy to the recipients at the holidays. Throughout the years, the gifts and the recipients have varied. One year it was canned pears for all of the adults who were influential in my children’s lives.

The truth about tree trimming

Commonwealth Edison recently hired a contractor to prune several trees in front of the grandparent’s house. A representative from ComEd made a point to stop by and tell us that they would be doing the work the following Wednesday and the trees were clearly marked. One of the men who was supervising the tree trimming also took the time to explain what they were going to do and how they would go about it. These are trees that I drive past many times a day, and I knew that they were going to be pruned.

Fall into an adventure this season

On September 12, I received a text from my daughter Sarah. It read ‘A few of my friends and I are thinking about going to a concert this weekend.’ Without hesitation I responded ‘Great! Have fun!’ as soon as I hit the send button, I realized I should have answered a bit more cautiously. I quickly texted ‘Where is it?’

‘Colorado’ was the answer that followed.

Whatever the season – it’s okay

My son, Christopher, was hospitalized recently. While any hospitalization is concerning, when it is a child and involves a two-hour ambulance ride in the middle of the night, it can be particularly frightening. On the second day of the hospitalization, between sitting by his bedside, running to Starbucks for some caffeine, and texting worried family members, a message popped up on my phone: ‘Everything is OK.’

Dressing your landscaping for the seasons

Our family tends to use the same contractor for multiple generations. Although we do a lot ourselves (my husband stayed up until 12:30 installing a water softener last night), when we do ask someone to do something at our home, it tends to be a group mentality. The same person who washed the windows in my grandparent’s home washes windows for my mom and me. The same is true for the carpet cleaner.

Surveying garden design

For about 7 days this summer my daughter was consistently looking at her phone. While this isn’t out of the ordinary, what she was doing was mind-boggling to me. In preparation for moving into the Honors House at Kansas State University she had downloaded an app that allowed her to visualize what the interior of her dorm room might look like. She would longingly look at the 2” by 4” screen and picture herself there with her roommate succeeding in this wonderful environment that they created through a well-decorated room.

Landscape design 101 … and beyond

We all have those days we will never forget. It could be the milestones achieved such as weddings, birthdays or anniversaries. It could also be particular highs such as a birth of a grandchild or lows such as a death in the family. Sometimes the memories that stick with us the most are simply minutes spent with friends or hours spent alone.

Raining it in

It seems that most yards have an area that is wet. Those areas are often considered the problem area of the yard. They are the portion of the yard that most people wish wasn’t there or that it could somehow be improved. A rain garden may just be the answer for those low-lying areas. For this column, I asked Grace Koehler, the sales manager at Pizzo Native Plant Nursery, to help us understand what a rain garden is and how it can best be incorporated into a yard.

Vegetable garden memories

When writing columns, I usually have a purpose in mind. Being a former horticulture teacher, the purpose is usually educational in nature. Sometimes I try to be informative or inspirational, and occasionally I go out on a limb and try to be funny. Today, the column is purely a series of reflections.

Garden walk sneak peek

Welcome! ¡Bienvenidos! Willkommen.

No matter how you say it, the idea conveyed is the same: ‘Come in and enjoy your time with us.’ What a wonderful thought and feeling.

Letting your garden work for you

As I woke up yesterday, my muscles ached, my brain was foggy and I desperately wanted to reverse the process and crawl back into bed. As I began to focus my mind on the day’s events, I stopped and smiled.

Everything is rosy

Roses and hydrangeas are the two plant types for which I consistently asked questions. I don’t think it is an exaggeration to say that every day during the spring and summer someone asks me a question about either Endless Summer Hydrangeas or Knockout Roses.

Annuals – always a welcome sight

In less than 7 days I will hug my daughter, Mary, for the first time in 4 months. She has spent the last semester studying abroad in London. Over the course of those four long months, she has stood in awe among the rocks at Stonehenge, explored the Catacombs in Paris, eaten octopus from the city market in Barcelona, and walked along the shores of Sardinia, Italy.

The complete 2018 landscaping list

When my children were young, I spent a lot of time in our guest bathroom. Whether it was potty training, helping to wash hands, or helping to make sure everything was tucked in and buttoned up, I spent an inordinate amount of time in that little room. In an effort to maintain my sanity while caring for not only my own children, but also nieces, nephews and neighbor’s kids, I promised myself that when the days of caring for little ones had passed, I was going to scrub grout between the bright pink tiles that covered the floor.

Mulch ado about gardening

Mulch is an integral part of our landscaping. It enhances the appearance of our home, adds nutrients to our soil, suppresses weed growth and helps the soil retain moisture. It also seems though, that mulch is often misunderstood. For this column, I have asked Kevin Donnelly, a horticultural soil scientist to answer a few questions about mulch. Kevin is a key member of the Quality Control Team at Midwest Trading.

Tag – you’re it: plant edition

Sarah, my daughter, is considering attending University of Wisconsin-Madison this fall. She is spending 5 hours in a classroom on campus today taking placement tests. As I dropped her off, she asked what I was planning on doing during those 5 hours.

Spring into a challenge this season

Flowers, gardening, and just being outside makes us happy. It has been scientifically proven that gardening reduces stress, boosts brain function, improves heart health, and increases self esteem. Both our mental and physical health can be dramatically increased by participating in gardening activities.

Let it snow outside and let it grow indoors

Life can be stressful. We all experience the stress of family, money, and health. My current angst is that of being a mom of 3 teenagers. While I used to be their most loved and admired person, as they naturally grow up and away, I am now that out of touch person whose IQ level keeps decreasing as their age increases. My beloved husband has realized that a walk around the block with me will cure any amount of stress that I experience with our children.

To everything there is a season (and an appropriate choice of foliage)

“Tag, you’re it. A wonderful young man disguised as a grumpy teenager it headed your way,” was the text I sent my daughter as my son’s plane took off. Christopher was headed to Kansas State University to spend the weekend with Mary.

Waterlogged: keeping track of plant hydration

Our actions are often meant to achieve a specific goal. Being a former teacher, my underlying goal for each of these columns is to educate. Over time I have used humor, personal stories, and observations as a conduit for information. I have tried not to lecture or use this forum as a virtual soapbox to tell you what to do. Frankly, there are many readers of my column that have much more gardening experience than I do. Who am I to tell them what to do?

Lighting the way to creative lanscaping

The leaves are turning color, the morning temperatures are cooler, and the sun is setting earlier. Fall will soon be upon us. With fall and inevitably winter, our sunlight will diminish and we will begin to rely more and more lights to help us see.

Late bloomers for your autumn aesthetic

I didn’t realize how many pictures need to be hung on walls to make a house feel like a home, until I had 3 hours to fully transform 5 rooms. During the 72 hours that my husband and I spent helping our daughter move into her first college apartment, we cleaned, cried, and laughed. Then we shopped.

Summer is also for growing memories

Twenty-five, a quarter of a century, 3 weeks and 4 days. No matter how you spell, say it or think it, 25 is not a very large number. When it is referring to the number of days that you get to spend with your oldest daughter in one summer, it seems even smaller. Pathetically small. Those 25 days have to hold a lifetime of summer of 2017 memories.

From the topsoil to the table

My grandfather and grandmother both grew up very poor. When they were young, and into the early years of their marriage, planting a garden was done out of necessity. Raising that garden though literally grew into something that they both enjoyed.

Pick flowers, not favorites

Flowers often evoke a wide variety of emotions and memories. The smell of a lilac can bring back memories of Grandma’s garden. The yellow petals of black-eyed Susans may cause us to reflect on summers past. The sound of leaves blowing in the fall, may remind of us the hours we spent raking them.