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| Wildwood Garden. The greenhouse in the quiet season. |
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.
Images
from Wildwood, our garden.
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| A gaggle of green tomatoes and baseball-bat-size squash in autumn. |
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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 |
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| Mr. Big Begonias in the north-facing window box. |
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| Dragonwing begonias. The deer have been known to step on the front stoop to sample them. |
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| Leaf lettuce galore. |
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| More observing. Less sitting at the computer. |
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| Recycled wheelbarrow filled with herbs. |
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| Autumn planting of bok choy. |
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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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| Frittilary. Lays its eggs on the violets in the surrounding woodland. |
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NEW! 2012 Classes! AMERICAN HOME GARDEN DESIGN 1830 to the Present (at The
Morton Arboretum
in Lisle, IL) 2 Wednesdays, March 21 – 28; 6:30 – 9:30 pm. Draw
inspiration for your own garden from the history of home garden design! In this indoor program, we’ll look at how Midwestern
home garden design has changed since Illinois was first settled. We’ll take the best of these design ideas and examine
how they can be used in your own garden. Certificate Information: May be used as a Home Landscape Gardening Certificate Elective
(6 hours). H901. Thornhill Education Center. $59 members/$69 non-members. Limit 24. Paint Your Garden with Plants The Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe, Saturday, April 14. Take one or both classes (and get a discount). Designing the Sunny Border 10 am - Noon
The well-designed border wears a combination
of perennials, annuals, and shrubs that provide three seasons of color and winter interest. This class will discuss how to
artfully combine plants with an emphasis on the use of color, texture, and form. Whether you are a new gardener or you have
an established border that could use updating, this class is for you.
Designing
the Shade Garden 1-3 pm
A garden shaded by trees or buildings is often a challenge for the gardener
who is faced with low-light levels, tree roots, and soil that is often dry. This class provides solutions and ideas for artful
plantings that can help you create effective combinations that consider color, texture, and form. Ideal for those who want
to enhance an existing shade garden or plan a new one.
Single
Class: $29 members/$37 non-members or $52/$65 for both sessions (10% discount)
Exuberant
gardens overflowing with old-fashioned flowers--that is the vision that comes to mind when we think of cottage gardens. Shrub
roses, foxgloves, poppies, forget-me-nots, hollyhocks, vegetables and herbs all have a place in this one-of-a-kind garden.
Discover bed and border designs and plant combinations that can help you get the look of an English cottage garden. $29 members/$37
non-members.
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| Learn more about garden design, plants and placement. See "Classes." |
 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.
| Toscano Kale |
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| Check out www.johnnyseeds.com |
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 the 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. |
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