Videnovich Horticulture Consulting

Do you have a Chicago garden that you're proud of? Enter it in the Chicago Excellence in Gardening Awards!

Want To Show Off Your Sustainable Garden? Enter Chicago's Excellence in Gardening Awards The contest is free to enter. Even if you don't win, you'll get a visit from an expert horticulturist and advice on how to improve your garden.

you must fail at gardening to master it ... indeed

What better day to start practicing your green thumb than ? March is a great time to repot indoor plants as many respond to longer days and warmer temperatures and jump start their growth cycles. Find more tips in our March Garden Checklist: https://chgobg.org/3TbFKeW

Videnovich Horticulture Consulting updated their information in their About section.

Forest bathing provides an opportunity to slow down our mind and body while recapturing some of the peace and playfulness of time in nature. Learn more about various mindful activities designed to deepen your connection with the healing forest: https://chgobg.org/3xe2j9i

Red hot poker plants [Kniphofia] growing at the front of the Frick Center. These South African natives are drought- and heat-resistant and are thriving where most other flowers fail. This pollinator plant is attractive to birds, bees, and butterflies.

Hostas, many colors of coleus, and elephant ears in our painted tire raised beds. This shaded area faces the street and greet everyone walking or driving by.

Our sunflowers are starting to open. Many pollinators are feeding off the blooms and birds are snacking on the seeds as they form.

Milkweed volunteer plants in our raised beds. They grow easily and return every year no matter how cold our winters get. Milkweed I named for the milky substance in their leaves. These are host plants, and the only source of food, for the caterpillars of the monarch butterfly.

Some gardening tips from Gethsemane Garden Center - weather forecasts predict a hotter and dryer summer than usual. Your garden plants will need a little extra attention.

This May has been the second driest May on record. With high temperatures and low moisture on the forecast, let's take a refresher on hot weather and watering tips.

New plants need to be watered 3-4 times a week in weather above 75 degrees. Established plants need less water, but still 1-2 times per week. Test the soil to see if it's dry a few inches down to avoid overwatering.

Watering in the morning is best, in the evening second best. Avoid midday watering so you don't shock your plants. Water deeply two times, once to wet the soil and again to water the roots. Water at the base of your plant instead of over the leaves for a more effective, rot-free watering.

Plants in containers will have shallower root systems and dry out much more quickly. Test the soil for dryness and water deeply. If the container or pot feels hot to the touch, hose it down so it doesn't cook your plants. Coco liners & hay baskets need extra watering as they can dry out in a flash.

For trees, shrubs, roses, perennials, and other in ground plants: Check the soil for dryness and temperature. If the soil is hot 1" below the surface, give them a looong drink.

Tomatoes: with heavy rains and heavy summer watering, it's easy for calcium to leach out of the soil. This leads to blossom end rot, which leaves otherwise lovely tomatoes with large brown lesions. To combat this, use a fertilizer made for tomatoes, such as Tomato-Tone or Bone Meal, which returns calcium to the soil.

The Chicago Botanic Garden's Buehler Enabling Garden is a great place to visit to get ideas for your home garden.

Note: currently visitors must pre-register to enter the Chicago Botanic Garden and also must reserve a parking space to ensure there is the ability to safely socially distance. Here's the link: https://www.chicagobotanic.org/visit

Colorful, scented, and whimsical flowers are starting to unfurl in the Buehler Enabling Garden. This spring, it’s all about happiness. Alicia Green, who maintains the horticulture therapy garden, shares her spring design touches to look for in the Enabling Garden: https://chgobg.org/3aQIJ7R

These chives were started by seed several years ago and come back every year in this raised container garden bed. They produce a lovely, edible, flower. * Van J. Voorhees Memorial Garden at the Frick Center.

The Frick Center landscaping includes bedding perennials like lavender, hardy geranium, giant allium, red hot poker plants, hosta, lillies, and more that come back year after year. Our spring flower containers include annuals such as pansies and viola.

We've got snow in Tuesday's forecast.

We got some slushy snow yesterday.

https://ko-fi.com/theresistancegarden

March 7, 2020. Snow still covers our garden but we have plans!

These crocus flowers come up on their own every year to herald the start of spring.

Did you know that when sweet potatoes start to grow in your pantry you can encourage them and plant them outdoors when the weather warms? They do well in large pots and can also be ornamental while you're waiting for them to grow new tubers for your favorite recipes.

Here's a link to instructions:
https://www.thespruce.com/growing-sweet-potato-plants-in-pots-847888

Growing Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Potato Vines in Pots

Beat the winter blues back with these summer 2019 garden photos featuring flowers growing in the Van J. Voorhees Memorial Garden at the Frick Center. All of these were started by seed or bulbs planted by members of our day program.

A mid-winter mood booster: a sample of the flower arrangements created from ornamental plants grown in 2019 at the Van J. Voorhees Memorial Garden at the Envision Unlimited Frick Center.

Enjoy a delicious dinner prepared by our members using the harvest from the Van Voorhees garden! RSVP at http://ow.ly/ZRoL50vq9wp

July in the Van J. Voorhees memorial garden * Envision Unlimited Frick Center * Envision Unlimited

Dahlia flowers showing off in our gardens * Envision Unlimited * Envision Unlimited Frick Center

Chocolate Mint - smells like a favorite candy! The leaves can be used fresh or dried in drinks, desserts, or as a garnish * Van J. Voorhees Memorial Garden * Envision Unlimited Frick Center * Envision Unlimited

Egyptian Walking Onions * this onion variety grows little bulbils at the top that as the plant matures will pull/ ["walk"] the plant to the ground the bulbils will take root in the soil and become a new plant. These onions can be used in the scallion stage, mature bulb, and even the bulbils can be used as you would shallots * Van J. Voorhees Memorial Garden * Envision Unlimited Frick Center * Envision Unlimited

"Volunteer" dill plants: when dill goes to seed and scatters on the ground those seeds later sprout on their own. Frick Center members will collect many of the garden seeds to use the following year or to create seeds packets they distribute to the community. * Fresh or dried dill leaves, flowers, and seeds can all be used for cooking * Van J. Voorhees Memorial Garden * Envision Unlimited * Envision Unlimited Frick Center

Calendula flowers provide nectar and pollen to attracts bees and butterflies to the Van J. Voorhees Memorial Garden vegetables * Envision Unlimited * Envision Unlimited Frick Center

Do you know what's growing while we wait for the overnight temperatures to warm up and our raised bed repairs? Weeds!

Weather reports ahead for Thursday through Sunday show thunderstorms, but more worrisome are those overnight temperatures below 50 degrees. If you haven't put out tomatoes, peppers, or eggplant, basil or rosemary hold off. Cold season collards, kale, parsley, leeks, cabbage and broccoli are ok.