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A Short Week (Not Quite)
Today had a cool start and it was pleasant and ultimately only in the upper 70 degrees F range. While we missed the weekend rain, the brief "cool down" is welcome. The rest of the week looks warmer...
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Another Beautiful Day
Above is a nice framed shot through the Parker Pen World Headquarters archway (on permanent loan from the Rock County Historical Society) down in to the colorful sunken garden. Today also had a cool...
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Autumn's In The Air
Above is the first tinge of color on our Tiger Eyes sumac (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger') which sure reminds me of Autumn! This shrub will be a brilliant orange/red by October and is one of my favorite...
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Mum Is The Word
The mums have started arriving for the Fall Plant Sale (see our website) as seen above. These are between "basketball" and "beach ball" size and are $8 each! Of course the sale will also feature...
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Bus Tour Fun
On Saturday, forty six of us went on the RBG sponsored bus tour to The Morton Arboretum (Lisle, IL) and the Lincoln Park Conservatory & Zoo (Chicago, IL). We experienced some light drizzle during...
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A Day Of Deliveries
It was a crazy day of deliveries for the Fall Plant Sale (see our website for more event details) and the weather turned hot and sticky quickly! I hope we get that rain tomorrow but as always, we wont...
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Fall Plant Sale Prep
I'm embarassed to say that I didn't even make it in to the gardens today! I spent the day in the plant sale with Janice and various other staff and volunteers getting ready for the Fall Plant Sale...
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Productive Day With Wimpy Drizzle
We didn't get much for rain today with only two brief spurts. I had hoped to see wet ground when I woke up this morning but no such luck. Madison had rain this morning...Rockford around the lunch...
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Poised & Ready
Today was another crazy day that combined plant sale preparations and garden activity. My blog is being posted a bit later than usual as we had our very late bulb delivery (for the sale) finally show...
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Pre-Sale Excitement Prevails
We had a successful Members Only Pre-Sale for the Fall Plant Sale today and saw steady traffic throughout the day (9 am - 4 pm). We had quite a crunch in the morning with a strong focus on mums....
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A Crazy Morning!
The sale today was very well attended with visitors like the young lady above holding one of our $5 asters! Now that is a future gardener! It was crazy this morning (see directly below) with mums...
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Multi-Tasking On A Rainy Day
It was a rainy day today (1" soaking rain) with overcast skies, intermittent drizzle and occasionally some heavier stuff. The gardens and all of our landscapes desperately needed the rain but it sure...
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Sunny Day For The Sale (& Gardening!)
Today is one of the first in many weeks that doesn't include running irrigation zones and setting up sprinklers in multiple locations! That rain yesterday was great and while we'll water as needed...
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A Return To The Garden
I took the photo above around 6:30 am this morning on my way in to work. The rising sun just hit the big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) in our prairie perfectly and the start of the pinkish/red fall...
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More Rain Sandwiching Some Sunshine
We had some more nice rain overnight (4/10") which made our day a lot easier. As I type this blog in the afternoon, it looks like we'll get more rain later today and have intermittent chances of...
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Tri-State Tour
I was at work briefly this morning but had travelling on my mind. I arrived at the Horticulture Center in a downpour and we had some decent rain over the prior morning hours. I was technically off...
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Green, Gold, Blue and Orange
I spent a delightful day participating in the University of Illinois Extension - Statewide Master Gardener Conference in Moline, IL. Held at the iWireless Center, this event had over 300 participants...
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Brisk Mornings
It was a cool morning around 42 degrees F which certainly feels like fall (which started yesterday anyway!). The day warmed up to 70 degrees F with blue skies and sunshine. While some of the garden...
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Today was another beautiful day with a cool start and a nice warm up (75 degrees F) with plenty of sunshine. This is my favorite time of year with early May being my second favorite. There are no...
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The Perfect Week?
This week has been perfect weather for the start to Autumn 2013. The cool mornings warm up gradually with sunshine and blue skies predominating. While we are doing more watering and irrigation to...
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