On another damp & dreary Saturday, I thought a little splash of color might perk up your day! Like all of these beautiful coleus plants that my friends Rosene & Gerry have been growing all Winter in their basement… she started with over 600 cuttings!!! And now we’re just two weeks away from our little PLANTS & POTTERY POP-UP down by Peoria.

Friday, May 13th & Saturday, May 14th

I will be bringing a lot of pottery to go with a wide assortment of homegrown plants for your garden & home! Mark your calendar… more details to come!!!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!!!
Perfect day to go plant some plants!!!

So I received this amazing “care package” in the mail the other day from one of my Facebook Fans. It was filled with a bunch of tiny white packages… filled with so many tiny succulents… all perfectly labeled!

I’ve re-planted them all in simple plastic cups just to get them re-adjusted… but you know I’ll be making a new batch of mini flower pots for these sweet things!

Thanks for the succulents Camille… I’ll try my best to give them a healthy home!!!… and I hope YOUR succulents are growing well at home in my flower pots!

HAPPY EASTER… and enjoying this hidden bunny amongst the coleus garden! Just a reminder that I will be doing a PLANTS & POTTERY POP-UP SALE in the Peoria area on Friday, May 13th & Saturday, May 14th. Plenty of homegrown coleus, hostas, annuals & houseplants… along with lots of pottery!!! More details to come!

Totally enamored by these bright-colored leaves as the sun was shining in through my dining room window the other day! Not sure what kind of plant his is… but I’m diggin’ it!

Such cool leaves with great cuts, lobes & holes through the leaves…
and they’re HUGE! These leaves are almost three feet long!!!

Enjoying some more of nature’s beauty, colors & textures inside the Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier again today. Such a nice escape during these freezing cold winter days!

Might have been cold & blustery outside today… but warm & tropical inside. Just enjoying a little more time inside The Crystal Gardens at Chicago’s landmark Navy Pier.

Very excited to see the basement “greenhouse” in full swing last week when I visited my friends in Bartonville. Last year, their “pandemic project” was to grow colorful coleus plants in the basement and then sell them in the Spring. We had a great “Plants & Pottery Pop-Up” last May on their driveway. So much fun. So pretty. So colorful!!!

Well, since Covid is still going, Rosene has hunkered down for another Winter with her coleus garden in the basement… and we’re already planning another “Plants & Pottery Sale” for this Spring. She already has HUNDREDS of coleus plants… can’t imagine how many she’ll have come May for the pop-up sale!

So I’ve been trying to grow some of my own bittersweet over the past few years. First on a trellis in my back yard…. err, cement courtyard in a large pot. A few years later I moved it to my front yard garden to grow up a street lamp. I’ve always gotten pretty good leaves… but this year was the first time I’ve ever found the flowers & berries on my plant! Very exciting… as it’s completely growing up & taking over the lamp post!!!

Morning sunrise through the palm trees of Crystal Gardens at Navy Pier. Not quite a tropical getaway… but if you imagine really hard…