The Anti-Christmas Cactus

Ever get a pretty little Christmas Cactus as a gift, and wonder why it didn’t bloom the following Christmas?  It’s not being anti-holiday, it’s just tired. The most likely problem is that your cactus is suffering from a type of insomnia.  Days in sunlight and long evenings in artificial light have robbed it of the …

The Great Pumpkin Patch

One year, I decided to dedicate my vegetable garden to nothing but pumpkin plants.  Since my husband has a bit of a thing about pumpkins (Hubby’s Pumpkin Obsession), I had it in mind to save ourselves some serious money by growing our own. The pumpkin patch was on a side lot to our house.  We’ve …

The Pink Bluebell – A Garden Fable

  Fancy noticed them whispering, and tried to ignore it.  Still, she couldn’t help but overhear some of the comments. “It just scorches me how she’s bringing down our property values,” said the bluebell behind the windmill. “She’s the wrong color to be living here.  She must know she doesn’t belong,” said a gangly bluebell …

Great Balls Of…. Green?

Marimo balls are the “pocket pets” of the plant world. Also known as Moss Balls or Lake Balls, these cute, fuzzy little green balls could fall in the category of novelty plants. They are perfect for low-light rooms, an office desktop, or for decorating a table.  Plus, they are great attention getters from co-workers, friends, …

Orchids – Sexy flowers with surprising tricks.

  Hubby and I went to the orchid show at the Chicago Botanic Garden.  More than 10,000 orchids filled the exhibition hall and three huge greenhouses, the first ever orchid exhibition that CBG has done. I have to say, I never used to like orchids.  In fact, I had a distinct dislike for them.  I …

An Early Sharing O’ The Green

               Not long ago, my neighbor told me that the ground in our area is frozen solid 20 inches below the surface.  This seems difficult for me to fathom, so I set out to check the facts for myself.  I have no idea where she got that information (I …