Spring!

So this week the temperature has dropped to a more normal level, which is good in a way. I was starting to feel anxious that I was late starting my seeds, but I think they will be right on time. I'm going to do a "back up planting" this year just in case too. Last year my tomatoes flowered during a 90+ heat snap and ALL their flowers fell off and I ended up getting NO tomatoes at all. It was pretty disappointing. So this year I am starting a second batch of tomatoes about 2 weeks from now, so that if we have weird weather some should still survive. 

My Seeds!

Current Weather

In other news, I have been snapping pictures all over the neighborhood of beautiful spring scenes... Enjoy :)

 Check out this ferns! Don't they look weird when they first come up?

 

I loved this red flower by the white tree, with the little purple flowers all around...

 Don't know what sort of bush this is, but I thought it was really pretty.

These reminded me of Easter Eggs :)

 

 

There are a bunch of these blooming at my school. Aren't they nice? Wish I knew what they were!!

 So dreamy...

 

I love this yard, so quintessentially "Spring"

  

I always think the lime green new growth on bushes is interesting and beautiful. Bushes don't get many kudos for being "beautiful", but in spring they are if you look closely!

 

 Who doesn't love lilacs??

And of course, it just wouldn't be spring in Chicago if they didn't dye the river green on St. Patty's!!

Summer Plans 2012

It is so warm and beautiful out that I am going to get my seeds started next week! Can't believe it, last year it was snowy and cold until early May. I probably could have started seeds 1-2 weeks ago honestly, but it just seemed too good to be true. I got my NYPG (No yard/Porch Garden) cleaned up yesterday, which was exciting. I noticed while I was out there that my clematis has buds all over it, and judging by where they are growing I am pretty sure that I pruned it wrong last year. The tag said that it should be pruned back to about 12" from the dirt in early spring, but that didn't seem to benefit the plant. It was small and only had like 3 flowers on it all summer. Part of that is probably because it's not getting enough sunlight, but the pruning didn't help I don't think. So anyhow, I am not going to prune it at all right now, and hopefully it will grow better. It will be an experiment if nothing else. But anyways, without further ado here are my goals for this summer

1. Create seed bombs aka green grenades. I am going to ever-so-sneakily deposit these around my neighborhood and see if they grow. I am launching some along the rocky edge of the train track and in this one planter that was lonely and empty all summer last year.
2. Start my seeds in 2 weeks when I get back from Austin.
3. Get some patio furniture that matches... hopefully.
4. Reassess how my window boxes are mounted to the rail. Maybe I will buy some rail rockits... I am hoping to make better use of my little space and somehow fit more plants in while making the boxes less obtrusive. This might include moving my boxes to the top of the rail somehow...
5. Redesign the far corner of my NYPG with my beautiful blue planter that was previously going to be made into a fountain.
6. Grow as many veggies as I can fit in my courtyard garden. I was thinking I would maybe line the edge in marigolds this year, or somehow sneak some flowers in there...
7. Get my worm box back together... maybe. This is going to take more thought before I decide. I'm torn because I was the box, but don't have room for it in my kitchen, but last year they all died because it got too hot outside... ohhh the choices!

Here's too the warm weather & early spring!! Woo hoo!