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Frosty Start To Friday
It was a frosty morning which is no surprise for this time of year. The day did warm up nicely although next week looks to be quite a bit colder. Above is the cranberry cotoneaster (Cotoneaster...
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A Temporary Winter Wonderland
The warmest part of today was this morning with quickly cooling temperatures in the mid-morning coupled with drizzle becoming some light snow. I'm glad we had so much of the Holiday Lights Show (HLS)...
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Chilly But Beautiful Day
It was quite frigid this morning with a light breeze and temperatures around 20 degrees F. We all knew what was coming and were bundled in many layers. Overall, it was a lot more pleasant that I...
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Still On Track
Above are Big John and Cindy with their matching hats. Note the clock behind them at 7:20 am as they should be outside already and not modeling. We all had hats on this morning with the cold...
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A Very "Bear-able" Day
The weather today was actually quite nice although a bit breezy. At around 45 degrees F, it was a huge improvement from earlier in the week and it looks like a warm weekend before returning back to a...
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The Last Best Day Of The Year?
Yes, there are still some blooms out in the gardens! Above is the witchhazel (Hamamelis virginiana) which is quite striking with thousands of these "confetti-like" yellow blossoms. Of course, our...
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Calm After The Storm
While the weekend was quite nice in terms of temperature, it was a windy, rainy mess which created more severe problems further south in Illinois and throughout the Midwest. I think there were 70...
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HLS Testing Success
Our first official "test night" for the Holiday Lights Show (HLS) went very well last night with few problems. We marked some of the problems with lights and displays (for correction today) and also...
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Best HLS Ever!
We had our second test night last night for the Holiday Lights Show (HLS) and it went very well. Based on some needed corrections and additions that we identified during the Monday test night, it was...
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Gardens of American History
Rotary Botanical Gardens is proud to participate in the Gardens of American History trip next August 15-24, 2014. This trip, facilitated by Travel Scope Travel Agency and Colette Vacations, will...
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A Friday With Finality (For 2013!)
Today provides some closure to the Holiday Lights Show (HLS) set-up in that it is as ready as it will ever be for this year! We're done with lights, cords, tweaking, etc. and are prepared for the...
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TOC Was A-OK
The Taste of Chocolate (TOC) event on Saturday night went every well and had a full crowd (sold out) around 250 attendees. I turned on the lights later in the evening and those that braved the cold...
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Staunch RBG Supporter Passes On
RBG staff and volunteers were saddened to hear the news of John Anderson passing away this past Saturday (seen above at the Holiday Lights Show last December with his wife Joanne). John and Joanne...
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Not To Early To Think About 2014 Veggies
Today was quite chilly outside with a windchill of about 5 degrees F this morning. We shifted our Grumpy day from tomorrow (Thanksgiving) to today but understandably didn't see many of the guys. I...
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Winter Form
The image above (and many below) were not taken today! It was actually quite mild with a high temperature close to 40 degrees F. There isn't much snow left on the ground. However, snow can come any...
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Enjoy Berries (And Birds!)
With today being so dreary and dismal with mist and rain all day, I thought we should have some color in today's blog. All of the woody plants featured here have not only ornamental fruits (among...
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Savor Spheres In The Garden
Spherical flowers, fruiting structures, plant forms and garden objects can all contribute to both the formal and informal garden. The images in this blog are just a few that I put together to show the...
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Fabulous Foamy Bells
I'm only in for a half day today so thought I'd put some "foliage eye candy" on the blog today. One of my favorite perennials for part shade are the wide range of foamy bells (xHeucherella) which...
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Flower Spires Accentuate "The Vertical"!
Today was a cold one with a wind chill this morning of -1 degree F. I think it warmed up to about 10 degrees F. It was a cozy day to be inside to be sure. I did have two slightly imbalanced...
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A Note From Shelley
GREETINGS FROM SHELLEY RYAN I wanted to take this season (and a slower time of year for most gardeners) to express my thanks to Master Gardener Volunteers, Extension Horticulture folks and...
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