Pumpkins, Straw, Cabbage and Mums=FALL ! 

360 view

 

And so it begins!

Centennial Pool renovation

The last day of Summer like weather. I was strolling around the nature center, it was completely empty of people, and that was odd to me. As I walked the shore line, "inspecting" the grounds, bullfrogs were jumping under water for cover, turtles were floating by and I surprised about a dozen ducks sunbathing on the fishing rocks, they too were enjoying the pre-fall weather and didn't even budge. 

Go out and enjoy the day! 

Duck Dynasty!

    My family and I have fallen in love, as most of America has, with this wonderful band of Rednecks! Duck Dynasty makes this Chicago girl want to be a redneck, up to the point of eating squirrels. I think the reason why we are so into this fun family is that we can relate! Phil, the matriarch wants his family and especially his grandchildren to remember their roots. Uncle Si is well, crazy. Who of us hasn't said something so off that everyone says "Hugh?" then there is Willie, he is the most sensible, trying to get the job done in order to support his family. Finally, our favorite, Jas! He is a redneck Peter Pan. He has NEVER grown up. His only mission in life is to enjoy it and does so without exception. My favorite part is that they are all Christians and that the episode always closes at the family dinner table with a simple, humble prayer to our Lord! Heaven is gonna be so much fun with these guys there too :)

The Bag!

Using this green "gator" bag is great for newly planted trees. However, you need to fill them daily with water! I would guess that 70% of the bags I see do NOT have water in them, 20% don't even need to still be on the trees. 

It takes everything in me not to pull over and "un-zip" the bags and let the tree breath. 

If you happen to be one of those faithful fillers of water, remember to stop filling when the tree goes completely dormant and do the tree a favor and remove the bag for the winter. The bag makes a great hiding spot for mice who will enjoy a winter of soft tree bark to dine on. This in turn, will only create more problems for your tree in future years. I personally don't use the bag. I simply water my trees. 

Starved Rock State Park

August 2013

My week long vacation was coming to a close and my sons 6 week school break was too. His only desire this entire summer was to camp. I set out to fulfill his wish and was blown away by the beauty which existed only an hour and a half away from my home! Camping at Starved Rock and Hiking the amazing trails of the; Illinois Canyon, LaSalle Canyon,and Starved Rockhttp://www.starvedrockstatepark.org/activity/shopping/ we also went to Matthiessen State Park http://www.stateparks.com/matthiessen.html which is "kiddie-corner" from Starved Rock. 
We soaked in, breath taking landscapes while hiking along the Illinois river. We ascended into the forest where, we were captivated by the lush beauty and the refreshing waterfalls! 
We camped at the Starved Rock site which was clean and  more than accommodating! It was fabulous! They have electric at every site, a stove/bbq and a fire pit. We could have pitched 2 other tents and fit another vehicle with no problem! Our site was located in the timber area and we were more than satisfied in our 25$ home site or our $1.04 an hour :)
We will definitely be going back again! 

Feel free to comment or email me if you have any questions! 

Illinois River at LaSalle canyon trail 

Dragon flies sunning themselves

Illinois River

Illinois Canyon

Crossing the creek at the Illinois Canyon

He's ready to explore!

Adding color to everyday items for yard art

choose complimentary colors of lilac and yellow
Nature will help you decide

my once brown dull broken chair
now with a new look
excited to see this when my Baptisia is established!

the view from my window "love it!"

My son found the bench in the trash, he said it was worth 200$ so I kept it.
We spray painted it Yellow and now I find it priceless!

pretty and functional, it helps hide the electric pipe on the wall

Not sure yet what I am going to do with this, but it's a keeper!

I just can't believe this is my yard!
Thanks God for the Blessings!

This is a tree spade! It is the best way to relocate trees without disturbing the root system. Recently, we had a company move 11 trees from a piece of property which was going under construction. Once the property is ready, we will place the trees back into a new landscape design. Totally Awesome!

Winning the Battle with Bishops Weed!

Getting Rid of the dreaded Bishops Weed/Gout Weed/Snow on the Mountain!

Bishops weed took over everything! that's it in the upper corner, along the garage and down the fence.
What you can't see is there is a pond that once was majestic in my little Chicago dwelling, the bishops weed appeared to be winning, but the battle had just begun!

Bishops weed was also along the side fence and into my neighbors yard. I would try to grow vegetables in that spot but usually without any success because of the choking of the bishops weed. So I began to gather my rocks and boulders and stored them in my garage.



My once organic yard was introduced to Roundup and 2,4 D. Sadly, I had to...for a few months my husband and I would spot treat any returning bishops weed/gout weed/snow on the mountain. 

When I was certain the dreaded weed was gone, 

My new design began, we installed a new sidewalk and created a new path to the garage. 

Since our yard was sloped towards the house, I raked and raked and raked and changed the grade

We hired two brothers from church to help fund their missions trip. Together we tilled, raked, laid out fabric, set out the boulder edge and filled in with small gravel and mulch.

The fun was now beginning! found some "yard art" at the local flea market and spray painted it with a rust resistant spray!

Planted my flowers by separating the mulch and cutting holes in the fabric. 

( be sure to keep your plants original pot nearby to place excess soil from the hole in)

The sod was being delivered in the early afternoon, so I decided to tackle the largest section of my yard. Mostly because, I didn't want to wait for the sod to secure to go ahead and plant. 

I laid out the fabric, secured it with brick, and planted my plants, (I intend on putting mulch down once I can walk on the sod, the bricks help the fabric to stay in place)

My wonderful Husband placed in the aluminum edging just in time before the sod delivery!

               

He hauled, I unrolled, then He rolled!

I placed in the remaining pieces of "yard art" and covered the heaviest bishops weed area with 18" patio bricks 4-high and placed my rain barrel on top of it, I don't intend on planting much there so as to not disturb the soil for a few years.   

Viola!

                          After many decades of doing this for other people, I finally created a landscape for myself and decided to start my consulting business, "Urban Girl Landscapes!" 

visit my webpage at: www.urbangirllandscapes.com