Why I Oughta...

Just about a month after planting three Blossom Peacock Amaryllis bulbs in a container, we have a number of blooms that have arrived and opened up.  With my middle child, we put this together for my Mom and brought it over to her house.   Here's the post from mid-November showing the three (then dormant) bulbs with moss covering the soil.  And then two weeks ago, I posted a photo showing how they had progressed with some flower stalks shooting upwards with bulging buds , but no flowers.  Once the foliage and flower buds emerged from the bulb, my Mom moved the container closer to the window to give it some bright light.   After the stalks shot up, she moved it back away from the window and has watched the flowers open up.  Below is a photo showing the current state of these three bulbs - one of which appears further ahead than the others (but you can see some soon-to-open buds in the photo): Blossom Peacock Amaryllis in Bloom Back in my original ...

A little bit over three weeks ago, we planted three Blossom Peacock Amaryllis bulbs in a single container proceeded to tuck them in with a little bit of moss to cover the soil.  These were slightly smaller bulbs than the ones we get at the local garden center and they weren't showing any signs of life, so I wasn't sure what we'd get from them.   After arranging them, we brought them over to my Mom's house where she proceeded to tend to them and put them in a bright spot.   Fast forward three weeks, and these have taken off: All three bulbs have straps of foliage that have arrived and two of the bulbs have a bud that is gaining height.   When they're this tall is when I typically shift to the 'poison phase' of watering.  Instead of pure tap water, these will now get about 10% alcohol mixed with the water.  To (hopefully) stunt the height a little bit (without burning the roots).  Here's a post about how I did this Paperwhite bulbs ....

Here are a couple of dahlia-bloom-heavy arrangements that I brought over to Oakbrook Terrace this past weekend.  Both are filled with various dahlia types including pompon, ball and decorative.  Ivanetti and Mystery Fox are looking pretty good with their ombre looks.  And, the pinks of Wizard of Oz highlight the bright tones of Melina Fleur decorative dahlias.  There was one more that I cut and put-together at the same time, but I didn't get photos of it before it went off to its final home.  Both of these are in re-used jars.  A small yogurt jar on the left and a mason jar on the right.   These are different than the one I posted yesterday (two photos) and it is clear that dahlia bloom season is upon us.  

The three Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grasses that are in the island bed in between our driveway and our front stairs have been stars since we planted the landscape.  They were part of the original planting and have done well in this spot.  I've divided these a few times over the years. The first time was the one closest to the house in Fall of 2021 .  Did more in May 2022 .   This Fall, I've opted to dig up and divide the front two.  The first one...in the front I totally removed.  I took it over to my Mom's house and divided it into three.  Below is a photo showing that Karl Foerster Feather Reed Grass totally removed.   I then dug up and divided the 'middle' one and split it in two.  Put half back in the middle hole.  Half in the front hole.  See below for the three back in place: This gave me a +1 plants (or grass) ON MY PROPERTY via division.  And +3 more at my Mom's.    #11 on my 2024 to-do was to 'focu...

That's a photo of Dorianell's Cake Shop - once located at 1114 W 51st Street, Chicago, IL 60609.  It was in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, just a few blocks west and one block north of Sherman Park on Racine and Garfield. My sister Vic sent that photo to me.  And it is the first time that I'ver ever seen it.   That's where my Mom grew up.  Upstairs.  And that's her dad's bakery on the first floor.  I've heard a lot about "the bakery", but I never knew it had a name.  Nor what it looked like. Turns out, it isn't *just* a bakery; it is a "cake shop". I can't totally explain it, but this photo makes me really happy.  It also gives me so many ideas and thoughts.    I've talked about what the sign and exterior would look like if I ever did a spot of my own.  I guess I've found the name for my pizza place .  (I'm not doing a pizza place.) The name of the place?  Dorianell's?  That's a combination of my Mom a...