Chicago is experiencing a very strange weather pattern. The Forsythia bush bloomed around 3/16. Last year it didn’t bloom until around 4/28. Management for the Bucktown Garden (i.e. me) has been unprepared for this development. The last bunch of years the weather has been so bad that fixing garden stuff like replacing rotted planters couldn’t even begin until May.
The flowers are more plentiful this year than compared to last year.
A squirrel basks in afternoon light while begging for a handout on 2/2/2012.
Brandon has a hole to peep at passersby from above. Not much going on with the plants in the middle of winter. It’s about time to start the habenero seeds however.
Veranda on 1/13/2012 after what might be the only halfway decent snow storm this season.
Why some chillies are hotter than others – Australian Geographic.
A new study has shown that non-pungent (mild) chillies have a different advantage: they can thrive when water is scarce.
Chillies evolved their spiciness to deter a fungus that feasts on chilli flesh and seeds. But it turns out that investing heavily in defence is not always the best option. In dry environments, where plants have to be water efficient, it’s the chillies without heat that flourish.
Veranda level on an early cloudy morning in December.
Cleome blooms in debris clump mid October. Photo taken on 10/21/2011.
The yellow habeneros actually produced red fruit. I’m wondering if all habeneros sold in this city are the same despite what their tag says. Photo taken on 10/21/2011.
With fall upon us and the Bucktown garden over, Zoe and Brandon snuggle inside on the veranda.