When I visited Chicago for the first time, I noticed that many Chicago homes had small yards enclosed with wrought iron fences. Those fences provided security for the homeowners and added a design element to the yard. Also I remember thinking at the time that since most of the yards were so small, the same […]
Garden Notes
Desert Garden Awakening
In early March this year, we vacationed in the southwestern United States, mainly to see sunshine and leave all the snow behind. It had been a long, gray and cold winter and we were more than ready for a change. One of the states we spent time in this year was Arizona. When we travel, […]
Snowdrops, Harbinger of Spring
This has been a particularly long, cold winter in Milwaukee. It is nearly the end of March and the temperature is barely above freezing. We still have a lot of snow and spring seems a long way off. However amid all the wintry weather, my snowdrops (Galanthus) are blooming without a care in the world. […]
World’s Largest Rose Tree
While visiting Tombstone, Arizona we toured the Rose Tree Museum said to contain the largest rose tree in the world as confirmed by the Guiness Book of World Records. History of the Rose Tree This rose came originally from China to Scotland and then was brought to Tombstone by Mary Gee, a Scottish girl who […]
The Boerner Bloom Team
I recently finished my classes to become a Master Gardener and passed the final exam. My next step is to complete the volunteer portion of our training. Each student must volunteer at least 24 hours in the Master Gardener organization to become certified. There are many choices; hands-on gardening, helping with the spring plant sale, […]
The Kitty Garden
Springtime on a farm is a time of renewal. It is a time of new calves, baby chickens, and new little kittens. Each spring our female cat had at least 5 or six new kittens, usually enough for each child to have one of their very own. The mother cat carefully hid her babies until […]