Midwest Gardening 2026: Early Summer Projects and Flowers

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Midwest Gardening 2026: Projects and Flowers! 

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Hubby finished the Gaze-Bo, remember that silly movie with Glenn Ford

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Anyway our family still plays outdoor games, and this seated Gazebo with a table is our way to participate and also take it easy. Our old knees aren't really great for active games, but toss games are...so we get to take turns relaxing here in Hubby's design and construction. It's all cedar except for a few boards and vinyl lattice. We will give it a spray of clear stain when it is dry. 

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This morning was glorious sunshine, so I walked around the property and took fresh photos of the blooming flowers...the HollyHocks were screaming..."Photo ME!" 

I imagine them all as Great Dames with spectacles, lace and pearls...they are super glorious this year with the moderate temps and rains the last week.

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Lace Collars...

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"I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille!"

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Crimson frocks!

I sprinkle the seedpods late in summer to start new plants. Holly Hocks are bi-ennials, meaning they last two years, but only bloom the second year. So you have to reseed every year to have continuous bloom.

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I do sprinkle all the seed pods here and there in the garden too. This is why they have poked up all along the fence.

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The color and sunshine make a glorious display.

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In Denmark every house had Holly Hocks...so pretty against the white or mustard gold homes.

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Sprinkled here and there in my flower beds are Del Oro Lilies, which are compact continuous flowers and they don't spread. Just keep the wasted buds off them and they will flower all summer long.

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Getting ready to bloom are the monster Orange Ditch Lilies...I keep digging them out... Hubby promised to get in there and really get them under control for me.

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Russian Sage, and some invasive viney thing from my neighbors.

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We have a few (7) Tomatoes in buckets along the East side of the house. Just keeping them watered is a chore.  Petunias and bi-colored Marigolds grown from seed.

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The Sweet Peas are not taking a back seat, they are also very lush this year.

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They are 'invasive' but keep blooming for most of summer. I love to add them to bouquets.

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They are sweet, and have multiple blossoms this year.

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The lattice behind here died, they are wrapped around an old wreath and an iron bed, I guess, I will have to find some sort of lattice for them.

The backyard has flowers here and there, though many aren't blooming yet. Starting flowers from seed does take time, and my saved seeds from last year's blossoms are really just getting started.

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At this point ,I will never buy another native plant like this. It's some sort of Goldenrod by the birdbath. I keep a bit here and there but pull out 90% every year. The bees and butterflies love it, but it is most INVASIVE! Native or not!

 The bucket has Geranium, Coleus and also Peppermint to keep the bees away from the work station.

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My first Dahlia of the year. This is the third year on saving these Corms, I lost all of the Caladiums, and some of the smaller Dahlia corms which spoiled in our low heat garage. I stored them in Perlite, and I think I will use half sand/perlite next year which will be a denser mixture. 

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The Dahlia plants are huge again because of the rain and temps.

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The Clematis went Ta-Da and then dropped with the storms,  but I love these little seed centers....which I leave until they dry and then throw on the ground. I don't know if they really, grow, but I hope so.

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The Roses on the trellis, we lost about half, but this half has been going strong. They  need dead-heading...NOW! 

We also lost the roof to the Bird Condo...some wicked winds occurred with the storms.

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The first seed Zinnia...and multicolored seed marigolds, too! 

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We are almost ready for company, we did lose a huge patch of grass. Last Fall we had a surprise snow early, then the leaves fell and were frozen to the ground, so a big bare patch where the leaves were. The paver base needs a new coat of white and rocks. But easier than trying to grow grass in total shade.

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No Flowers on the table (I'm allergic to bees), so we have citronella for mosquitos and Peppermint to repel the bees from eating areas.

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Flowers in the garden though, we want bees there!

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The stairs are planted for future color with Dahlias, Coleus and Impatiens.

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We ran out of paint last year, still need to do the railings.

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Wave Petunias were very reasonable this year, so I have quite a few.

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The pond area is so over grown, I did half of it a week ago and you can hardly tell. This side needs some serious culling. The pots are fun, though and citronella for mosquitos.

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Yep...I have to get in there, The kids' fishing poles flew away again, some wicked winds carried them away?

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Pump needs to be dismantled and cleaned again...never ending jobs for gardeners.

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This creeping Sedum is crazy this year, it choked out the other varieties.

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Another Del Oro Gold  lily. 

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Using Citronella and Peppermint as natural repellants is a GREEN thing to do. 

We try very hard to Green Garden.

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My Oldest Hydrangea 10+ years is finally happy in its new home and giving up some great blooms.  Can't wait for the next POOR MAN's Bouquet!

How are your Flowers Blossoming?

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Midwest Gardening2025: The GREENHOUSE before Planting May 10.

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Wow, Spring planting is finally going on at our Greenhouse and Garden this week. Here in NW Chicagoland we are Zone 5B...but east winds off Lake Michigan have kept us very chilly.

But, I did take photos last week on the first sunny day we had in awhile. May has been cold and blustery...temps were all over the place with some cold nights. Trying to harden off the greenhouse is easy during the day...open the windows. Without them open the temps can quickly reach 100 even on a cool day.

Biennial Holly Hocks, almost ready to go in the ground if temps moderate. These will have blooms next year.

Then-closing up the greenhouse at night and having to run the heater. Hardening off plants is probably the IFFIEST choice a gardener has to make. Some plants thrive on the process, others not.

I was too chicken and only moved the railing planters outdoors last week filled with lettuce, radishes, spinach and onions. 

The greenhouse was so crowded, watering and taking photos was difficult. I moved these two giant Pea Pots out before I took the greenhouse photos.

They're two different Snowpea varieties. I will have to check my notes.

OH>..another reason for not planting. We are putting another layer of tiny mesh on the walls of the garden. Low and behold in Late April we found a bunny nest in the middle of the fenced in garden...and had to leave it until the little buggers left.

Bunny location was dead center of the below photo---see that pile of rubbish that was the nest.

And Yesterday, May12, I'm watering by the birdbath inside the garden and 6 baby bunnies started running around. We collected them with gloved hands and moved them outside of the garden, they couldn't get out---and I have no idea how Mama gets in? We still have like 10 feet more of mesh to add to our already existing fencing before serious planting.

Back to the greenhous, Squash plants, Zucchini plants...almost ready for the garden.

Pickle plants, Purple Alyssum and Zucchini

Wide assortment of Zinnias and some Coreopsis

Our Tomato plants (6 varieties) are in need of some fertilizer next watering.

Flowers and herbs, transplanted into larger pots. Another problem with cold temps, they get stringy and stunted in small containers.

I purchased some bagged roots of Phlox to get started.  and they are doing well.

I was late in starting COLEUS...and this is as far as they are, I will transplant later and then they will take off. It's too cold to plant Impatiens or Coleus right now. We had frost over the weekend.

A selection of purchased Herbs and two hot peppers---a sale at Home Depot 5/$10.00. 

I did start Dill but my seeded Basil is very week. 

Some grasses on the lower shelf, I bought two and split them into 6 pots. These are short perennial grasses I will put in the redone 'pump' plot.

Upper shelf---success---DAHLIAS, last years as well as two new bags of corms. Saving the root corms over the winter and they are getting huge. I planted some in the pots by the garage yesterday---I hope frost is over.

They will be easily bagged at night if needed and they are sheltered by the garage from the East wind.

Long shot of the top shelf....Tomatoes and all the Dahlias.

Unsuccessful...Broccoli...so lame, and they were planted first way back in late February.

Assorted Nasturtiums, SunFlowers and Zinnias

Hoping these Sunflowers will tolerate having their stems buried...Last year every Sunflower seed I planted directly in the garden was eaten. Hopefully these will be too big and not tasty. 

Marigolds transplanted to larger pots. Always easy to seed and grow.

Mint plant in foreground I bought 5 at the Home Depot sale of $10.00

 Last year they were $5 a piece. MINT is a pest and Bee deterrent. I use these in our eating area, by the grill and by the doors of the house to keep bees away. I am deathly allergic to bee stings and carry an Epi-pen and phone with me when gardening.

Bachaelor buttons, Coreopsis, Pickler  cucumbers. Temp early in the morning with sunlight 70.1F.

Failure....I have to look up what these were?  To the right---more Asparagus starts. It takes at least 3 years before you get any asparagus, I added to our patch. We did have a half dozen nice spears this year. They bolt quickly so you have to watch them.

Pots on floor...left one was a Canna, but no show yet, right one is Zinnia and Nasturtiums...waiting to be rid of Bunnies?

Another long planter with Nasturtiums, this one will go by the pond when I add something else to it.

That's it for now...I really better get planting!!!

HOW ARE YOUR STARTS DOING IN 

YOUR NECK OF THE WOODS!?

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