Spring's just around the corner

So we've had a crazy winter this year in Chicagoland - barely any snow and hitting as high as 71 yesterday! Actually, all week long it's going to be in the 50's-70's! As you can expect, the spring bulbs are really starting to bust out of the ground. The daffodils, muscari and even tulips have emerged and the hydrangeas have budded out pretty nicely.

This year's major garden project it to get the backyard grass back under control. We had a nasty grub problem 2 years ago and last year we treated the entire yard with milky spore. We are hoping that helps get things under control this year.

Unfortunatly, over the past 2 years the plethora of squirrels on our block decided to use our yard as their nut-burial ground so about 1/4 of our backyard lawn is bare from where they dug and re-dug. I'm sure the raccoons are guilty too of some of the damage....but I blame the squirrels the most!

A few hilights from last year:

11 months later...

Horrible, I know. I have dropped off the face of the blogosphere for 11 months! Facebook sucked me in...all my gardening adventures and photos have been posted there for the past year!

I will try to be more diligent about posting here this year. Finally, after attending the Chicago Flower and Garden Show last weekend, I have been inspired to start thinking about the 2010 garden again.

I set up a new seed starting station in my mudroom this year. Last year I had it set up in the unfinished basement. This year I went to Costco and bought some commercial metal shelving to use for the seed starting area.

I'm boycotting Jiffy pots this year - I just don't like how they never seem to break apart by the end of the growing season. Ever fall (and even following spring) I find the netting from the Jiffy pots still fully intact when I till the ground.

I have potted up flowering kale, Bells of Ireland, Jaguar marigolds, regular marigolds, 3 varieties of zinnia (that I harvested seeds from last fall) and stock which I collected seeds from my garden last year. I also have potted up Genovese, globe and purple ruffles basil, broccoli, eggplant and hot peppers. My montebresia and canna are potted up and sprouting too.

Third straight day of cold rainy weather

So, since the ground is saturated with rain I took the opportunity to quickly plant up some new shrubs & perennials. I planted up Pieris japonica "Purity", Erica darleyenis "Mediterranean Pink" and Rododendron "Aglo" along with Lithodora "Grace Ward".

Lithodora "Grace Ward" - perennial, 6 or more hours of sun, hardiness -10, 6-12" tall x 12" wide, mounded

Erica x darleyensis "Mediterranean Pink" - blooms Dec-May, Bushy, 12-18" tall, 12-30" wide, sun to part shade, likes acidic soil, zone 4, -30 to -20

Pieris japonica "Purity" - part sun, 4' high by 4 ' wide, -30 to -20, blooms white in spring

Rhododendron "Aglo" - part shade, 5' by 5', -20 to -10, blooms pink in spring, likes acidic soil

I also moved a bunch of the seedlings from the house out into the cold frame. I have a nasty infestation of fungus gnats, so last night I watered them with a watering can of mosquito dunk infused water to help kill the larva. We'll see if that works. I did a bunch of research on the internet and other than practically starving the plants to death by letting the soil get super dry the mosquito dunk tip seems to be the most agreed upon. Such annoying little things!