Astounding Asters I have way too many asters—Smooth Blue, New England, Aromatic, and Heath in my prairie gardens and Short’s and Side-flowering in my savanna gardens—that is, until September. Now I’m emerged in joyful aster exuberance, exultation, abundance, generosity, verdancy, lushness, luxuriating in asters, intoxicated with asters…well. look for yourselves: I’ve been so busy [...]
Tag Archives: Arch
Garden Walk Report
GARDEN WALK REPORT He who plants a garden, plants happiness. Chinese Proverb The day was perfect–part sun, not too hot. The Butterfly Weed was still in bloom, joined by Prairie Coreopsis and Wild Quinine, mentioned last week. The Purple Prairie Clover, also mentioned last week, was a big hit. Visitors were fascinated [...]
Fiery Fall Foliage
“I planted white acorns… The white oak is the noblest tree in Illinois. It will live to be a thousand years old on soil best fitted for it.” Jens Jensen Kames and Kettles Fiery Fall Foliage First Week in November The Chicago area landscape was formed by ice. As the Wisconsin glacier receded about 13,000 [...]
Two Splendid Summer Shrubs
Several years ago, in July, 1999, I saw two extraordinarily beautiful native shrubs in bloom at the Chicago Botanic Garden that I had never seen before. They are in bloom now–what would you guess? Maybe you have never heard of them before either. The first is Prairie or Illinois Rose (Rosa setigera) . [...]
Geneva River Park Redux
Geneva River Park Redux I last wrote about the Geneva River Park in February and several of you asked about its history. Its story appears below and I hope you will take the time to visit it. River Park of Geneva River Park of Geneva grew out of Mary Zaander’s letter to a local newspaper [...]
Grass, Stone, and Snow
Snow, Stone, and Grass My posts this winter have been mostly about trees and shrubs in snow, but today I am featuring herbaceous plants, mostly grasses. I visited the Geneva Riverwalk again Sunday, an ordinary winter day, cloudy and a with a light snow cover. More than anything, I want to show you how gorgeous [...]
Christmas Card
And Winter slumbering in the open air, Wears on his smiling face a dream of Spring. Samuel Taylor Coleridge LOVE, JOY AND PEACE MERRY CHRISTMAS PAT HILL
Pat’s News
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Wild Ones: Northern Kane County Chapter
SNOWFALL
February 12, 2013 • Categories: Celebrate Winter, Pat's Comments • by PatHill
The Snow-Storm Announced by all the trumpets of the sky, Arrives the snow, and, driving o’er the fields, Seems nowhere to alight: the whited air Hides hills and woods, the river, and the heaven, And veils the farm-house at the garden’s end. The sled and traveller stopped, the courier’s feet Delayed, all friends shut out, [...]
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