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| August 2012 Eastern Bluebird at Wildwood, our garden. Photo courtesy of Ellen Hodges. |
Welcome to thisgardencooks.com, a site
for new and experienced gardeners, those who enjoy fresh vegetables, herbs and fruits, and those who simply like
to observe and reflect on nature!
Brought to you by Nina Koziol, long-time garden writer for the Chicago Tribune, Chicagoland Gardening and other magazines, adjunct faculty at the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Morton Arboretum, and a frequent speaker for other organizations and garden clubs in the Midwest. The flower and
shrub borders, containers and edible gardens on these pages take inspiration from her grandparents' garden in Essex, England
that was a combination of flowers, herbs, vegetables, rock garden, pond, potting shed, greenhouse and blue hydrangeas the
size of basketballs. The ultimate Victory Garden. Check out my blog.
| Now available online! |
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Images
from Wildwood, our garden.
| Harvest of Carnival Squash |
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| Herbs in the fall potager. (c) Ellen Hodges. |
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| Harvest Time. |
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| Swallowtail (c) Ellen Hodges |
| Sleeping fox on our back patio. |
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| Mr. Big Begonias in the north-facing window box. |
| Hummingbird border--salvia, vinca, sweet alyssum |
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| This bed of annuals was planted in 2012 after the Norway Spruce blew down in a storm. |
| Future diner in our garden |
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| A newborn fawn outside our window |
| Mini Potager Garden with Espaliered Apple Trees |
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| Autumn planting of bok choy. |
| Organic. Dandelions! |
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| Fawn at Wildwood Garden (c) Ellen Hodges |
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| Swallowtail caterpillar at Wildwood (c) Ellen Hodges. |
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| Wildwood at high summer. (c) Ellen Hodges |
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| The mini-potager with espaliered apples, herbs, and greens. |
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| Fritillary. Lays its eggs on the violets in the surrounding woodland. |
| The Mixed Border. |
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| Rudbeckia, Hydrangeas, Perennials and More! |
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NEW! 2013 Classes! Coming Tuesday, May 21; 6:30-8:30--Grow a Pizza Garden
at The Morton Arboretum. Learn how to make your own delicious homemade pizzas with fresh vegetables and herbs from your
garden. Just in time to get your tomatoes in the ground, this class will cover how to grow tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, onions,
oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley and other veggies and herbs along with recipes for a variety of pizzas that can be cooked
in the oven or on the grill. Call 630-719-2468 to register. ($22 for Arboretum members; $30 for non-members)  Read the latest on what's happening at Wildwood Garden.
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| Recycled wheelbarrow filled with herbs. |
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| Hummingbird in our garden by Ellen Hodges. |
Below
is our 80' x 15' butterfly border this June. We've replaced the arbor and now we're adding more annuals to keep the
color going through frost. We've got bronze fennel for the tiger swallowtails and pipevine growing on the arbor for the pipevine
swallowtails. On June 19, the last day of spring, we found eggs and caterpillars on both plants. Nectar plants are numerous--coneflowers,
calamintha 'Montrose White,' cosmos, zinnias, Rudbeckia 'Herbstonne' and many more.
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| Learn more about garden design, plants and placement. See "Classes." |
 In this issue,
a Q&A about Tomato Woes. Here's an excerpt: The Problem: Leaves
are Yellow, Plant is Wilting. Countless fungi inhabit the soil and two of them in particular--Fusarium and Verticillium—cause
many plants to wilt (and sometimes die). The fungus enters through the roots and clogs water-conducting tissues. Cut a stem
and you may find brownish stains in the center. Unable to get water and nutrients because of plugged stems, the leaves turn
yellow and begin shriveling from the ground up and the plant eventually dies. The Fix:
There is no treatment but you can help prevent it. Avoid planting tomatoes, potatoes and peppers in the same location
for 3 to 4 years. Remove and destroy all diseased plants—don’t compost them. And look for varieties with
the initials VFN on the seed packets. The letters indicate that the plants have resistance to the two fungal diseases
and to nematodes--soil-dwelling pests that cause root damage. Many new hybrid varieties are “VFN” types.
| Fun with Paint! |
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| An inexpensive obelisk now matches the front door |
From Plot to Pot! Have you grown or purchased Swiss chard? See "What's
Cookin" for
an easy way to prepare it.
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| A snippet of our hummingbird/butterfly border. |
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| Lip-smackin' good. Hungry Hummer (c) Ellen Hodges. |
Check
out the Nov/Dec issue of Chicagoland
Gardening, which
includes my article on growing microgreens. Don't have a subscription? You can order online.
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| The eggplant-colored arbor flanked by Cotinus (smokebush) in its glory. |
This Garden
Cooks.com offers
planting and harvesting tips, recipes, essays, class schedules, resources and more. Explore, enjoy and do visit again!
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| Ready, set, bake. |
More observing. Less sitting at the computer!
Questions,
comments? Looking for a speaker?
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