Chicago Flower and Garden Show 2010 Build Out Day 2

Day 2 of Build Out of the Chicago Flower and Garden Show 2010 is going steadily.  We have made great progress in our garden.  Other garden builders are also progressing in their masterpieces.

Our Garden is still "Large and In Charge"

Other Gardens

Come back soon to see the miracles unfold!

Garden Collaborators

West End Florist and Garden Center

J and E Nursery

Aquascapes

Collegiate Landscaping

The DeckYard

DGS Consulting (lighting)

and don't forget

Special Events Management and Their Team!

Chicago Flower and Garden Show 2010 Build Out Day 1

Day 1 Build Out

These are the days that we become miracle workers.  We render a very large vacant, sterile area into lush gardens that gardeners dream about in their own backyards.  Yes, we are talking about the Chicago Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier, March 6th- 14th 2010.  Where dreams bloom and creative juices overflow in the green industry.   It is a testament to all who partake of their skill and passion for gardening. 

This segment is going to be a journal of our journey from vast space and concrete to thriving facades of green and imagination.  I have always found inspiration in what a few people can do in a short amount of time. Thank you for joining me on the journey and we hope you will join us at the Pier this March.

Looking East at Navy Pier

Looking West in Festival Hall A

Pile O Sand

Big Machines for the Big Pile O Sand

The Pond Guys

The Plastic Visqueen flooring is the footprint of our Garden.  It is the largest Garden at the Show this year.

The various types of hardscaping that is going into garden.

The decking being installed by the DeckYard.

Aquablocks are very versatile.  They are great for pondless water features and handling of excess rain water.

These granite stones were custom cut for Aquascapes for building Ponds.  They are beautiful and really show off the quartz that lie in the material.

The Tools of the Trade

Wow!  This is a Big Garden.

It is still a big garden.

You can't have wonderful waterfalls without big boulders.

You can really see the vastness and emptiness of the hall.


                                       Catch our blog tomorrow for another pictorial update of the

2010 Flower and Garden show Buildout at the Pier.

Hydrangea 101: Part III

Part III


These last three types of Hydrangeas are special not just because most bloom off of old wood but because you can manipulate the color by changing the PH in the soil. In Chicago these hydrangeas will be very happy being some shade of pink. To make them more intense pink you can add lime (raise the PH over 7) and that would make varieties like ‘Lady in Red’, ‘Glowing Embers’ and ‘Homigo’ really pop with bright pink or red color. Lower the PH (under 5) and your ‘Nikko’, ‘Endless Summers’, ‘Blue Billows’ remind you of summers in Martha’s Vineyard. In Chicago it is a battle to keep your hydrangea more towards the blue side. So I do encourage people to know that pink works well here. You can change your PH with sulfur, coffee grounds or my favorite is aluminum sulfate (because the plant takes it up faster and you get better results). However, I personally like the purple flowers, those are the plants that I see that have set flower bud and are about ready to open, so I quick put aluminum sulfate by the roots.

Mophead Hydrangea, Big Leaf Hydrangea, Mac Hydrangea, Hortensia Hydrangea, Florist Hydrangea are all Hydrangea macrophylla. These are what people traditionally envision with the large blue spheres of color gracefully adorning the front of Colonial East coast homes or the masses of pink puffs in front of Midwest Victorian mansions. These are the flowers that many brides adore but cause so much heartache to even the seasoned gardener in the Chicago area. Deep within the industry some of these varieties have nicknames that I will not divulge, because “if you can’t say something nice then don’t say anything at all”. The core of the heartache is caused by the lack of reliable blooms. Most of these varieties bloom off of old wood only. And old wood often dies here during the winter. It is a must for gardeners to provide winter protection such as leaves or straw over the entire plant to maintain the growth from the previous summer to the next spring. However, there are some notable ones that say they bloom off of old and new wood such as the ‘Endless Summer’ ‘Let’s Dance’ and the ‘Forever and Ever’ Series. We tell our clients that you should still give protection and that these varieties have a tendency to bloom off of the new wood very late in the season. If you are willing to take the necessary precautions you do open up the door to more interesting varieties. ‘Glowing Embers’ will strive to be a vivid pink even in a low PH setting. The ‘City line’ series from Proven Winners are smaller more manageable plants. ‘Homigo’ noted for its constantly changing colors, no two blooms will be alike on this plant, a truly unique gift from Mother Nature. ‘Nikko’ is my favorite and long time running variety that when given the proper PH conditions it has brilliant blue color.

Hydrangea macrophylla normalis are an off shoot of the mophead varieties but have some infertile flowers that do not open creating a laceier look, hence why they are called Lace Caps. ‘Twist and Shout’ is part of the ‘Endless Summer’ Series and well received for it blooms off of old and new wood. ‘Lady in Red’ was created by Michael Dirr and has great fall foliage and striking red stems, but she really needs winter protection in Northern Illinois because she is a Southern Bell.

Mountain Hydrangea (Hydrangea serrata) like my ‘Blue Billows’ which I am always praying for a miracle that they will bloom even though they see no winter protection and every spring I am disappointed. If given all the right conditions I would have large Lacey round blues spheres of color that would looks so magnificent in front of our red brick Colonial. I should really call my maintenance crew to pour some leaves on them.

Now that you have been bombarded with all this information, (I thought this would be an easy blog to write, my staff laughed at my naivety) I will work on a chart for more clarity. Remember “Hydra(te)” is part of Hydrangea so they like to be given consistent moisture but hate to sit in standing water. Please contact me or comment on my blog if you have questions, I would love to help.

Hydrangea 101: Part II

Part II

     The long awaited part two of our hydrangea series is here.  Just in time to kick off the holiday season.

     Oakleaf Hydrangea, (Hydrangea quercifolia) a native plant to the United States include varieties such as; ‘Alice’, ‘Snow Queen’, ‘Pee Wee’ and ‘Sikes Dwarf’. The flowers on this plant are spectacular white changing to pink but the foliage also turns a rusty red in the fall. This plant has wonderful exfoliating bark in the winter. However, it is subject to winter die back in the Chicagoland and may have large sections of the plant that may die completely therefore affecting its blooming ability. Because of this minor detail we do recommend that you cover your Oakleaf Hydrangeas. You can do this by building a cage with chicken wire or burlap and filling the structure with either dry leaves or straw this will prevent the freeze and thaw and protect the plant from wind damage. This plant blooms off of the old wood or second year growth which is why only maintenance pruning is suggested. ‘Alice’ and ‘Snow Queen’ are very large majestic specimens growing to 6’-10’. If you need a smaller variety ‘Pee Wee’ or ‘Sikes Dwarf’ gives you the three seasons of interest but in a smaller package.
     Climbing Hydrangea (Hydrangea anomala petiolaris) are a must for that shady vertical gardening fix. Not known to be speedy growers but patience will be rewarded when these beauties start to flower white lacey flowers everywhere. They can reach up to 50 feet. They like to reside on the North or East sides of structures with moist ground. They can be pruned easily because they bloom off of new wood similar to the ‘Annabelle’ hydrangea, however they grow slow.

Hydrangea 101

Hydrangea 101

     Everyone loves hydrangeas but there are so many varieties and so much to know about them. When they bloom, how they bloom, old wood new wood, to cover not to cover, to cut back or stake, sun requirements, water requirements, zone requirements. All sorts of questions go along with these majestic bloomers, its hard to keep it straight. All the ones I will discuss work well for our zone 5 (Chicago Area), however there are a few that might need additional care to make them happy in Chicago, don’t worry I will give you tips for those. This will be a three part series.

Part I

     ‘Annabelle’ Hydrangea (Hydrangea arborescens) are big white round flowers (up to 10” across) that bloom profusely in the Chicago area. These bloom off of new wood so they can be cut back. However, their seed heads do add winter interest to the landscape so pruning can also be done in early spring. These hydrangeas prefer morning sun or filtered sun all day. They like adequate moisture, they want to be moist but not wet, and they fail in drought conditions. Other arborescen varieties include ‘Invincibelle Spirit’, ‘Incrediball’ and ‘White Dome’. ‘Invincibelle Spirit’ is the first pink blooming hydrangea aborescens which purchase also benefits breast cancer research. ‘Incrediball’ Hydrangea blooms a flower which is over 12” wide and on sturdier, stouter stems so it’s less floppy than ‘Annabelle.’ Unlike Mophead, flower color is not determined by the acidity or PH of the soil.
     PeeGee Hydrangea (hydrangea paniculata 'Grandiflora’) have large white flowers when they first bloom and fade to pink. These too have awesome fall and winter interest. They are extremely long blooming and have nice conical shapes. Their flowers are great dried both in the house and for fall and winter outdoor containers. Use them alone or add them to arrangements to create elegance. Just like ‘Annabelles’, their color does not change due to acidity levels of the soil. PeeGees flower off of new wood but are extremely hardy up to zone 3 and will keep their old wood. So, regular pruning will help maintain their shape. These large magnificent plants are great focal points in the garden and prefer to be in a part sun area, however they can tolerate full sun but always require consistent moisture. Varieties include the tried and true ‘Tardiva’ and ‘Unique’. Gaining popularity is ‘Limelight’ because of its erect shape and flowers going from white to chartreuse to pink. A smaller version of ‘Limelight’ is ‘Little Lamb’. Varieties that turn pink quicker include ‘Quick Fire’ and ‘Pinky Winky’. And for a more bold pink color ‘Pink Diamond’ is the plant for you. Don’t forget these varieties can be easily trained into a standard or tree like shape to add an interesting element to the garden.