CAN IT BE??? SPRING?????

Hey everybody--Bobbi just sent me this pic of SNOWDROPS. YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anybody else that has spring babies, run out and have them smile pretty for the camera and send 'em along. We can all use the happy!

Hail to the (still frozen but getting better) dirt!

Time for Trees

Hey folks--we had a great time at the Soil and Water Conservation program last night--thanks again to Bobbi for spotting this opportunity. The speaker was from Hensler's Nursery--and he clearly had a deep love for and immense knowledge of trees. He covered everything from selecting appropriate species for the yard to planting tips and disease management. Some of the tidbits I came away with were the fact that municipalities have "tree boards" that you can consult with to help you choose recommended species for your area, root systems can extend out as much as three times the size of the canopy, most tree roots are within 18 inches of the surface, there is a bagworm that appears on arborvitae, and other trees that are recent migrants to our areas. The caterpillars hatch in June and as they go through their life cycles they can do a fair amount of damage. Air temps below minus 18 will kill them off. There are pesticides that will control them, or the bags can be picked off and drowned in soapy water. This works best if its done before June.
There were a lot of interesting questions from the audience as well, and he answered everyone in great detail. He emphasized the importance of uncircling roots in potted plants, careful attention to drainage patterns--especially clay soils, and proper fertilizing and watering of newly planted trees.
We were also provided with a lot of helpful handouts that covered a wide array of subjects.
And they had cookies--what could be better than trees and cookies. Oh--I know--trees and PIE. Or maybe trees and cookies and PIE.
Everything is better with PIE.
Shirley handed out a sheet with info about the upcoming excursion to the Chicago Flower Show. She is sending emails out about it as well. This is basically something Shirley and her family do each year, and she has been nice enough to invite us all to glom on to it. Personally I want to see Buscia's girls dance at the blues bar:-)
It was great to see everyone--as this old fashioned winter maintains its grip on us, it really helps to get a reminder that garden season IS coming and WILL get here.
We will see you all in March--until then stay warm.
And get some PIE.