Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: flowers, garden

Colorful lilies in the garden to brighten your day.

Categories: flowers, garden

A true sign of Summer… and the newest bloom in my front garden!

Categories: flowers, garden

Surviving the heat… enjoying a little flicker of sun.
This is a new clematis in my garden… “new” as in the second year,
but the first year with flowers!!! So pretty…

Categories: flowers, garden

This morning’s arrival… a new iris has bloomed in my garden… with more flower buds coming up soon!!! Loving the dramatic contrast of colors … as well as solids vs. stripes!

Categories: flowers, garden

Spent the morning working in my front yard garden… tending to the weeds, taking out more of last year’s leaves, planting, transplanting & trying my best to make it beautiful. Also enjoying the white crabapple tree blooming at the condo just to the east of me. Simply beautiful… I might need to add one to my yard next year???

Categories: flowers, garden

Some fun new color to add to my garden… a new Bergenia plant from my Cousin Kim. I’ve never tried one of these before… but I’m in!!! I mean… I’m riding high after my success with my hellebores. How much harder can these be?!!! HA!!!

Categories: flowers, garden

I’m SO excited that these hellebores have started blooming in my garden! They are first ones to ever survive a Chicago winter in my garden. Sure, it could also be the lack of care, or dogs & kids walking on them?… yes, I get a LOT of that! And not to gloat… or jinx myself… but they are looking very happy & healthy right now!!!

Categories: flowers, garden

After my trip to Hausermann Orchids a couple weeks ago, I came home with this little beauty too! I’ve never tried growing a Lady Slipper Orchid before… which just opened & is STUNNING!!! The sales guy said it’s not any harder than caring for phaelaneopsis orchids… which I’m okay with… so, fingers crossed!!!

Categories: garden

Uncovered something green in my garden this morning! After removing a layer of “dead leaf mulch”… it was great to find this surprise going on underneath! I think it might be my first hellebore plant that survived the winter! I think?… nothing is labeled, so I’m kinda guessing here. But at this point… green is GREEN!!!

Categories: flowers, garden

While the palm trees, the Fern Room, the glass Chihuly installation & the Spring flower show are all very eye-catching… I’m always drawn to the Cactus Room full of crazy-cool textures, colors & patterns. Amazed by how the tough terrain & arid conditions can have all of these amazing plants, flowers & new Spring growth all under one glass roof at the Garfield Park Conservatory.