Native Plant Gardening Presentation at the Forest Park Public Library, Thursday, July 24, 6:30 pm

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I'll be giving this talk: Letting nature in: gardening with native plants  Thursday, July 24 at 6:30 pm, Forest Park Public Library, 7555 Jackson Blvd., Forest Park, IL    Learn how and why native plants offer benefits to nearly every garden, and the many ways you can use them, whether starting from scratch, or adding to your mature landscape. Topics will include right-sizing your pollinator garden, planting in shade, and enhancing your garden right now.  You’ll hear practical tips and tricks for good management and all about "cues to care."    Native plants will be on sale from Empowering Gardens.    Open to the public, admission is free, registration is encouraged. Register here.   This presentation is in conjunction with the West Cook Wild Ones Native Plant Garden Tour on Saturday, July 26, 1-5 pm. Featuring Gardens in Forest Park and River Forest. For more info, please visit West Cook Wild Ones.org.  
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Spring Firsts

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I love the first occurrences that welcome in a new season. Here are some for this spring:
Saturday I saw my first bumblebee emerge from under some fallen leaves, totter about, and then fly off at speed. Bumblebee (Bombus ssp.) queens over winter in underground burrows and emerge at this time to search for a good place to lay eggs and rear young. Maybe it was a spring first for her too.

Yesterday, I planted some leaf lettuce in a big pot and then put wire mesh weighed down with half a brick on top to keep the hungry birdies out. It was one of those days on which you could look at a tree in the morning and when you looked again an hour later the leaves were visibly larger. In the afternoon several family members and I sat out on the front porch for the first time and watched the first real thunderstorm of the season blow in from the south. Good cracking thunder and netted lightning, and later on, steady rain, to which comfortable drumming I fell asleep.

Related Posts:
Sandhill Cranes and Spring Resolutions
Happy Spring!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Dear Adrian, I feel quite inspired with the idea of growing lettuce in a container and intend to discuss the matter with J, my gardener/handyman, at the first possible opportunity. A brilliant idea, and a space saving one too.

I love the sound of heavy rain falling, always believing that it is doing good.
April 6, 2010 at 12:10 AM
Adrian Ayres Fisher said…
Hi Edith, I find that the bunnies then don't eat my lettuce--and it looks pretty, too. (After it germinates I take the wire mesh off.)
April 6, 2010 at 1:22 PM
RURAL said…
Adrian, I must remember to get out there and plant my lettuce. I plant in containers also, and they definitely save space.

It's a magical day when the bumble bees first come out, and the leaves almost visibly change in front of us. Those are some of the great reasons we garden.

Jen
April 7, 2010 at 10:03 AM
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