A free Garden Walk

Take a walk through this garden.



Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Beverly Hills/Morgan Park Garden Walk is another big success

This year's Garden Walk, held on Sunday, June 22nd, was another aesthetic and financial success. This year's walk featured ten beautiful gardens spread throughout this great community. These gardeners opened their gardens in such a warm and gracious manner.

We’d like to thank Beverly Bank and Trust, County Fair Foods, Friends of Kevin Joyce, Munro Landscaping, Founders Bank, Alderman Ginger Rugai, Reading on Walden Bookstore, World Music Company, PRS Realty, The Plaza, Professor Becker and His Guitar: Storyteller, and Cliffco Concrete Construction for their continuing support of this great event. We strongly encourage you to support each and every one of these community-oriented businesses.

The Garden Walk benefits community gardens and helps to support free community events. We are always looking for volunteers to join the Garden Walk Committee. Please call me, John Presta, at 773-233-7633 or at readingonwalden@att.net. Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Thistle Weeds Anyone

This from my sister-in-law, Christine

Would you see if anyone on your blog knows how to get rid of those weeds that are like thistle weeds - they has like needles all over them and you have to have gloves to pull them. Also, is there a way to kill them without killing the flower that are growing by them?

thanks Love always, Chris

Herbs are in and they are good for you too

We just purchased some herbs from Munro Landscaping and planted them in containers. I never thought I'd say this, but we are excited about our herbs. But we want to learn more. Check out this article on herbs in the Las Vegas Review recently.

Most herbs grow best in full sun, with relief from the afternoon shade. They need good drainage. That means herbs are suited to the same conditions you grow flowers or vegetables.

Add them with your scrambled eggs or create a gourmet meal with these herbs. If you are following a favorite recipe, spice it up or add fragrance to the dish. And herbs can generate creative gifts for your family and friends.

Just what are herbs? Botanically, they are seed-producing annuals, biennials and perennials that do not develop persistent woody tissue and may die at the end of the season. If you are still not sure, it is a plant valued for qualities such as medicinal properties, flavor, scent or the like.

Tell us about your experience with herbs. Or check out this video about herbs.

Here is a list of the more popular herbs. Basil, sweet basil, bay laurel, chives, coriander, Chinese parsley, mints, oregano, parsley, rosemary, sage, thyme and fennel. Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Britain's Chelsea Flower Show: A huge event in England

This is big in England: Britain's Chelsea Flower Show.

By Paul Majendie

LONDON (Reuters Life!) - A topless model poses in the foliage, environmentalists plead for the water vole, yoga enthusiasts balance on tip-toe amid the plants.

Media day at Britain's Chelsea Flower Show can be a truly surreal experience when former Beatle Ringo Starr rubs shoulders with Britain's national sailing team and "Weakest Link" TV presenter Anne Robinson launches a garden for Alzheimer sufferers.

The world's most famous flower show is bedecked for the day in some very unlikely finery -- TV soap stars, interior designers and even donkeys, chickens and a Shetland pony are on display. No gimmick is too outrageous.

Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Save the date for the Morgan Park/Beverly Hills Garden Walk on Sunday June 22nd commencing at Beverly Bank

Save the date, June 22nd for the Morgan Park/Beverly Hills Garden Walk, Chicago Premier Garden Walk.

Chicago, Illinois – The East Beverly Association announces the 21st Annual Beverly Hills-Morgan Park Garden Walk, to be held on Sunday, June 22, 2008 from Noon to 5 p.m. This year’s walk will begin at Beverly Bank, 1908 W. 103rd Street. Live music will be featured at the departure site.

Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Tour of the Rick Bayless Organic Garden

This from our friend at Ridge 99.

If you're a fan of Rick Bayless, who is the chef/owner of Frontera Grill and Topolobampo, you might find this of interest: a 1-hour tour of his organic, edible Chicago garden, given by garden manager Bill Shores. Join them for an informational and inspirational tour of the Bayless' garden. Experience Rick’s extensive outdoor kitchen, a multitude of stunning container plantings, a commercial organic vegetable garden, worm composting systems and more.

For more information, visit here.

The cost: $20. The open dates are 7/16, 7/23, 8/13, 8/20, and 9/10 at 6:30 p.m.

Container Gardening Video: Here are some great tips

Check Rita out on her website, at AboutEating.com.

Container gardening is a great way to grow plants, vegetables and herbs without needing a lot of space. Herbs do especially well and can be grown right outside your kitchen door. In this video, you'll learn how to use an old farmer's market basket to make a great container garden. Fill it with your favorite herbs and your cooking will be full of flavor all summer long.

If you have an interest in writing or "blogging" about gardening, please tell me why by emailing me at readingonwalden@att.net or calling me at 773-233-7633. Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Spring Gardening Checklist

Check out these 12 items for your spring gardening check list by home and gardening expert Danny Lipford. We'll give you the first three here. Click here to get the other 9 checklist items.

Spring is on the way, and warm weather is beginning to peek around the corner, inviting us outdoors and begging gardeners to get their hands dirty. But unless you live in a tropical climate, there is still plenty of freezing weather to come, so don't get ahead of yourself! Resist the urge to set out new plants, and use this promising season to pay a visit to your garden and tend to what's already there.

1. Give your shrubs a makeover. This is a good time to prune shrubs, except for those that bloom in the spring. Remove any deadwood and encourage the shrub's natural shape.

2. Complete that “Honey-Do” list. Finish building that trellis, raised bed, or stepping-stone path you started last fall. Inspect your garden for any needed structural repairs.

3. Clear out the rubbish! Remove debris from drainage ditches, gutters, and planting beds. Clear unwanted brush and undergrowth. Cut back dead foliage on last year's perennials and ornamental grasses before new growth starts.

If you have an interest in writing or "blogging" about gardening, please tell me why by emailing me at readingonwalden@att.net or calling me at 773-233-7633. Reading on Walden Bookstore.

21st Annual Garden Walk on June 22, 2008

Chicago, Illinois – The East Beverly Association announces the 21st Annual Beverly Hills-Morgan Park Garden Walk, to be held on Sunday, June 22, 2008 from Noon to 5 p.m. This year’s walk will begin at Beverly Bank, 1908 W. 103rd Street. Live music will be featured at the departure site.

Ten brand new and spectacular gardens will be highlighted in this historic community. Gardens of various types will again be featured, all in a city setting. Gardens with creative plans developed by our community gardeners is an added attraction. The Beverly Hills-Morgan Park Garden Walk has been named one of the top ten Garden Walks by Chicago Magazine.

The Beverly Hills/Morgan Park community is known for their outstanding historical architecture, local entrepreneurship, community activism and racial diversity. And of course, outstanding landscape architecture. Additionally, Central and East Beverly, with their extraordinarily large lot sizes, have historically been part of the garden district of Chicago.

Tickets will be on sale beginning June 1st at World Folk Music located at 1808 W. 103rd Street. Ticket prices are $10.00, $8.00 for seniors. Guided trolley tours of all the gardens depart from Beverly Bank at 12:20 and 12:45 p.m. on a first-come, first-come basis. All proceeds on the walk benefit community gardens and help support free community events.

Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Gardening and healthy eating go hand-in-hand

The elementary school students in Evanston are learning to garden. And how to eat healthy. These two things are in fact the same.

Some elementary school teachers in Evanston say they have found a solution to the age-old problem of getting children to eat their vegetables: Help them grow their own.

Elementary students in several Evanston schools are rolling up their sleeves and planting gardens as part of a wellness program to persuade students to try new foods and eat healthier.

"Our kids are very interested in gardening and even do it during recess," said Karen Bradley, principal at Dawes Elementary School. "They're getting more connected to where food comes from and are willing to try different things."

Community gardens at schools are a fabulous learning tool and we hope more schools will get involved in these projects. We applaud Dawes Elementary School.

If you have an interest in writing or "blogging" about gardening, please tell me why by emailing me at readingonwalden@att.net or calling me at 773-233-7633. Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Lawn Care: Maggie Wolf gives advice about it and debunks some myths

Maggie Wolf gives advice about myths of lawn care like "early spring applications of a complete fertilizer is critical for a vigorous lawn." And "All lawns need pre-emergent herbicide treatments." And many other myths about lawn care.

Americans seem lawn-obsessed. According to a National Gardening Association survey, homeowners spent $44.7 billion on professional lawn and landscape services in 2006. In 2007, consumers spent $35 billion on lawn and garden products.

Lawns add value to our homes, providing an important part of landscape design, safe play surfaces for sports or children's games and natural cooling of the immediate area. But many homeowners could save hundreds of dollars, put fewer pesticides into our environment and wash less pollution downstream if they would satisfy only the true needs of their lawns, rather than marketing myths. Here are a few common lawn myths debunked:

Read about the myths of lawn care in Maggie's column in today's Salt Lake Tribune.

MAGGIE WOLF is a horticulture agent for Utah State University Extension in Salt Lake County. You can e-mail questions to her at maggie.wolf@usu.edu.

Learn more about caring for lawns in the Utah State University Extension publication "Basic Turfgrass Care," available at your county USU Extension office and online at http://extension.usu.edu/files/gardpubs/hg517.pdf

Reading on Walden Bookstore.

Today is Mother's Day, May 11, 2008 and it is also the birth of Gemma's Garden

Today is the birth of my second venture into the "blogosphere," I call it Gemma's Garden, named after my mother. The word "blogosphere," is one of those "births" that happens to describe something that previously did not exist. I did not exist until my mother brought me into this world. She didn't have any idea, in retrospect, about this "blogosphere." But I assure you she knew plenty about gardens.

Her name was Gemma and she born on April 18, 1925 in an area of Italy called Calabria. Her birthplace was known as "Marano Principato, province of Cosenza, Calabria, Italy." And she was a gardener. And a serious gardener at that. In America they would call them farmers. She was a farmer.

I was born on March 3, 1953 in an Italian-American area of Chicago called "Taylor Street," that is today one of Chicago's trendy communities. My mother was close enough to the hospital to walk there from her home near Taylor and Racine. My father was at work on West Harrison Street and was a short bus ride away. They didn't own a car at the time. Our address was 912 Garibaldi. The street was named after an Italian military and political leader named Giuseppe Garibaldi.

I could go on and on about this, but the point is I want to dedicate this "gardening blog" to my mother, Gemma, who loved to tend to the garden and in Italy, loved to tend to the farm. I will continue this story tomorrow, but today I will be celebrating Mother's Day with "Ma," Michelle's mother. She is a wonderful mother with six children and lots of grandchildren and they are the center of her life.

I knew my mother as "Mama." Her grandchildren called her "Nonna." I will tell you more about my mother, Gemma, who I named this blog after because of her love of gardening. The reason for this blog is to promote gardening. I will promote the 21st Annual Morgan Park/Beverly Hills Garden Walk, give gardening tips, suggest gardening books, discuss the beauty of gardening and plants.

But for now take this opportunity to tell us about your mother or perhaps your love of gardening. And come join me in this venture.

If you have an interest in writing or "blogging" about gardening, please tell me why by emailing me at readingonwalden@att.net or calling me at 773-233-7633. Reading on Walden Bookstore.