By Carol Cichorski, on January 20th, 2012 My hibiscus waited for a snowy day to warm us up with this lovely bloom!
We were anxiously expecting this bloom on the 14th. And the 15th. By the 18th, I resigned myself to waiting. The wait is over. Hy, my hibiscus is no longer in the world of ‘I Think I Can’. Hy’s new motto is ‘I Knew I Could’.
 So what was the delay?
I think Hy wanted to be appreciated for all that he does in the bloom category. He is certainly climate challenged here in Chicago, yet he comes through.
The eight hibiscus species that are considered to be the ancestors of the modern exotic hibiscus were originally native to Mauritius, Madagascar, Fiji, Hawaii, and either China or India.
Note the absence of Chicago in that list. Hy is not used to the snowy scene he sees out my window. I know Hy was not outside today when this snow fell, but I think he made us wait because he was feeling that we take him for granted.
It’s kind of like bananas. Yes, bananas. Bananas are also taken for granted. According to A Brief History of Fruit,
Bananas are native to Southeast Asia. However by 500 BC they were being grown in India. Alexander the Great ate them and his men took them back to the Western World. By 200 AD bananas were grown in China. Bananas were probably taken to Madagascar by the Arabs and spread from there to mainland Africa. In the 16th century the Portuguese took bananas to the New World. The first recorded sale of bananas in England was in 1633 however they were expensive until the end of the 19th century.
We’ve got it good these days, even on a cold snowy day. I had to walk no further than my kitchen to find a blowl of fresh fruit, as well as my blooming hibiscus. Thanks Hy, for reminding me to be thankful.
By Carol Cichorski, on January 18th, 2012 I’ve decided to give Hy as much time as he needs to create a hibiscabloom. Hy is my hibiscus, and I tried to talk him into blooming for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom day on the 15th. You may have read about it. Hy tried, and tried, and tried, but Garden Bloggers’ Bloom day came and went. Hy is still trying. He firmly believes that he can. History is a pretty good predictor of the future. Hy has been successful in the past, so my bet is that he will bloom soon.
 Hy can have as long as he needs. After all, no matter how much time you gave me, I couldn’t do it. What Hy is doing is miraculous. Give me all the biological and botanical explanation you want, its still miraculous.
Man thinks he has this whole create thing down. After all, if God told man to create a new flower, man could. But as soon as He tells us to make our own raw materials, the party is over.
Accordingly, I will continue in my anticipation phase while Hy is doing his magic. And I’ll be thankful to God that Hy can do his thing, and I can do mine. My two miracles took a little longer, 9 months each to be exact. And one of them is now a professional photographer who took this lovely picture for me.
Come back in a few days. I’ll let you know how Hy is doing.
By Carol Cichorski, on January 15th, 2012 Anticipation is what I like best about vacations. I’m not a ‘Wow that’s a great surprise – I’ll pack a bag now’ kinda gal. You’ve taken away half of the fun if I can’t think about a vacation before we go. Nonetheless, if any of you are thinking of sending me a surprise all expense paid vacation, I will gladly accept it. I’m perfectly willing to try again and report the results back to you.
This week, I had another opportunity for anticipation. You may have read yesterday’s In The Category Of I Think I Can. If not, I’ll wait while you go check it out. You’ll see that anticipation in regards to my hibiscus blooming has been going on for several days. I’m getting everything I can out of the anticipation phase on this one.
With that said, I am happy to report… Continue reading Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – ‘Hy’ and ‘Dry’
By Carol Cichorski, on January 14th, 2012 I had a nice talk with one of my hibiscus plants today. Accordingly, Hy is determined to be the star of tomorrow’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day. I’m not a stage Mom, so there is no pressure. Ok, well maybe a little pressure.
I can just see Hy chugging along the last few days, inherently aware of the impending deadline. After all, once the 15th is here and Carol from May Dreams Gardens posts her Bloom Day blog, it is Showtime.
I will already give Hy credit for trying. Here is where we were Thursday, with my dear little hibiscus taking inspiration from The Little Engine That Could.
 Hibiscus - Bloom day minus 3 - I hope Chicagoland is just a wee bit short on blooms this time of year, so it would be the perfect time for this plant to step to the plate and show us what he’s got. We both know there are bigger more appropriate gardens out there for looking best this time of year. There could be stiff competition from Billy Goodnick’s Santa Barbara area. Like the larger engines in The Little Engine That Could, those gardens may refuse to perform. I cited the value of optimism and hard work, and making the most of what you’ve got.
My hibiscus is cheerfully huffing and puffing along. Today, Hy is working diligently on delivering a Hibiscabloom.
 Hibiscus - Bloom day minus 1 - I hope I can hear him saying “I–think–I–can, I–think–I–can.” Momma’s pulling for you baby!
By Carol Cichorski, on January 9th, 2012 Mike and I are both speaking at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show. I don’t know how exciting that is for you, but it is certainly exciting for us. The show is at Navy Pier, running from March 10th through 18th.
My dear hubby is vice president of the Central States Dahlia Society. He grows 400 plants in our basement each spring, and keeps 100 for our garden. So, of course, he’ll be talking about dahlias.
I’ll be talking about low-maintenance gardening. I wasn’t willing to give up my huge garden just because I have a full-time job. Mission accomplished.
This is going to be so much fun!!!
 Saturday, March 17, 12:15
“Dahlias – Living Fireworks”
Come see how brilliantly colored dinner-plate sized dahlias can extend the growing season in a sensational way. If you can grow tomatoes, you can grow dahlias.
 Saturday, March 17, 2:45
“Low Maintenance Gardening”
See how our half-acre garden is moving from summer WOW to four-season WOW WITH LESS WORK. I’ll share my tips, and the tips of others who’ve been kind enough to collaborate with me.
By Carol Cichorski, on January 5th, 2012 You may have noticed that I don’t publish many recipes. This should be no surprise for a gardening blog. Yet Kraft has done it again – created a Santa Fe Cooking Creme recipe so good I just have to share. I did add one ingredient to their recipe for Creamy Shrimp Tacos – Spring Greens. DELICIOUS!!
2 t oil
1 c thinly sliced onion
1 lb uncooked deveined peeled small shrimp
1 tub (10 oz.) Philadelphia Santa Fe Style Blend Cooking Crème
8 corn tortillas
1 c Kraft Mexican Style Finely Shredded Four Cheese
½ c shredded purple cabbage
½ c shredded radishes
2 T chopped fresh cilantro (I used more)
1 lime, quartered
Spring greens
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add onions; cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp; cook ONLY 3-4 minutes, or until shrimp turn pink, stirring frequently.
Add cooking creme; cook and stir 2 minutes
Spoon onto tortillas; top with shredded cheese, cabbage, spring greens, radishes and cilantro. Squeeze lime wedges over tacos.
Looking for another great Santa Fe Cooking Recipe that caught my attention? That would be Southwest Pasta Skillet.
Looking for lots more Kraft recipes? Check out the Kraft recipe page.
By Carol Cichorski, on January 1st, 2012 The month of January, per Edith Holden’s “Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady”…
Named from the Roman god Janus, who is represented with two faces looking in opposite directions, – as retrospective to the past, and prospective to, the coming year.
And an interesting motto that Ms. Holden has been kind enough to share with us…
Janiveer freeze the pot upon the fire.
I know the book cover says Edith Holden lived in England. The January motto makes me wonder though, did Edith really live in England, or was it Chicago she is describing? We are certainly due for some of that freezing weather with this being such a mild winter.
Whereforth cometh the inspiration to wax poetic? Garden Bloggers’ Muse Day, where Carolyn Choi of Sweet Home and Garden Chicago has invited bloggers to share our favorite poems, songs, verses and quotes about gardening on the first of the month. Carolyn has left Chicagoland and her blog to follow her heart to North Carolina. Thanks to Carolyn for her inspiration.
By Carol Cichorski, on December 27th, 2011 What did I get for Christmas?? Let’s start with what I didn’t get…
- I did not get a new grandchild. The doctor says tomorrow. Really.
- I did not get Christmas dinner at my brother Bob’s house. We got to make dinner at our house with 3 hour notice and only the Japanese grocery store open. California Spring Rolls and fish were perhaps a bit non-traditional.
- I did not get to play the guitar at my brother Joe’s house. This is a good thing. Pretty much everyone else did play the guitar while we all sang Christmas Carols. What a wonderful time!
- I did not get to stop laughing for a long time during Holiday Charades.
I did get a few garden related gifts.
We watched my new ‘First Flight’ video last night. Quite the short story. If I was lucky enough to have a mother hummingbird nest at my house, we’d relish watching her and her babies, but I certainly would not have the gear to get the amazing videos that Noriko and Don Carroll took. Nor would I have the patience to do so over the several years it took to complete the story. Put this lovely video on your own shopping list if you have to, but get it!
First Flight – A Mother Hummingbird’s Story – Trailer
 Then there were the plant tags from Mike. His persistence in finding the perfect plant tag for me is amazing. I think he did it! They won’t get lost, the writing won’t wear off, they won’t break, and the price was right. Wow. He used a nail to easily scribble ‘Merry Christmas’ on one. The tags will be placed on the Christmas light holders you see here. Now that’s thinking outside of the box.
I have been blessed this Christmas with the gift of baby Jesus. Soon I’ll have the gift of baby Cameron as my new grandchild. My family is growing, and that is a wonderful gift from God, for Christmas, and for the rest of the year.
What other gift ideas did Carol have for gardeners? See:
By Carol Cichorski, on December 20th, 2011 Here is an opportunity to please your gardening friend, as well as his or her feathered friends. When it comes to Christmas gifts, Wild Birds Unlimited has a great variety of bird feeders and supplies.
Saturday morning at our house is for the birds. Well, not literally, but they can reliably be seen right outside of our bedroom window. We’ve got a shepherd’s hook with two feeders, and I can watch them while we’re all snuggled up in bed. This red-breasted grosbeak stopped by last spring. They must have been just passing through as we only saw them for a few weeks. The feeder on the right has been around for a long time, because that’s what happens when you buy a quality item from Wild Birds Unlimited.
 Saturday morning is also big breakfast morning, during which, we watch the birds again. No, we aren’t official bird watchers who go out looking for them, more the kind who want the birdies to come to us. So we’ve got this suet feeder from Wild Birds Unlimited right outside the kitchen window in the winter. The birds like the high fat content of this high energy food. It can be hard for them to find food this time of year, and those extra calories help keep them warm. Of course, WBU has suet in a variety of flavors to please even the most discriminating guest. In the summer, the suet feeder is replaced by a hummingbird feeder.
The WBU squirrel-proof feeder is just a bit further away, still within site of the breakfast table. It’s perfectly placed right by the little pond that provides water, and the contorted filbert that provides a safe perch.
You can find a Wild Birds Unlimited location near you. We’ve got a Wild Birds Unlimited nearby in Arlington Heights at 321 East Rand Road.
Want more ideas for Christmas gifts for gardeners? See:
By Carol Cichorski, on December 18th, 2011 I have received so many amazing gifts. For example, my family, which includes my son Kevin, who took these pictures.
The pictures are of other gifts I have received as a gardener, like this rose of sharon that God gave me.
And this crab apple tree that God gave me.
And this millions bells that God gave me.
He even gave to my yard the butterfly and bee that Kevin caught on camera. They pollinate the flowers and continue the cycle of life according to His plan. As a gardener, I see the beauty, the intricacy, the interdependency, and I have to believe there is a God.
This week, gardeners and non-gardeners alike can celebrate the gift that God gave us in Jesus Christ. He is what the Christmas season is all about. And I am so thankful.
Celebrate at your local church. Or celebrate at mine, Willow Creek. We’ll welcome you, and so will He.
Sunday, December 18 at 5 & 7 p.m.
Monday, December 19 at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, December 20 at 7 p.m. (conducted entirely in Spanish)
Wednesday, December 21 at 7 p.m.
Thursday, December 22 at 7 p.m.
Friday, December 23 at 5 & 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, December 24 at 12:30, 3, 5:30, & 8 p.m.
Willow is at 67 E. Algonquin Road, South Barrington, IL 60010. Call (847) 765-5000 or check out the Willow Creek website to learn more about Willow, and about their other locations in Chicago, Crystal Lake, DuPage County, Huntley, and Northfield.
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