Time to shop for spring bulbs
Bulbs for spring blooms are appearing at garden centers, in catalogs and at local sales. A big one: the Bulb Bazaar at the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Rd., Glencoe, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 29 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 30. More than 200 varieties will be available, including many suitable for indoor forcing. Volunteers and experts will offer advice. See the catalog online at www.chicagobotanic.org/bulb or call 847-835-5440 for more information.
Also check out the Hyde Park Garden Fair Committee’s Fall Mum and Bulb Sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 15 at the Hyde Park Shopping Center, 55th Street and Lake Park Avenue; 773-241-6943; www.hydepark.org .
Thanks, mushrooms
If August rains left you with lots of mushrooms in your lawn, be grateful. They indicate that the soil is rich and fertile. Mushrooms are the reproductive organs of soil-dwelling fungi, which are beneficial because they help break down plant material and release its nutrients to feed the roots of living plants. Lots of fungi generally mean lots of nutrients.
Often you will see a ring or line of mushrooms. That likely marks the place where an old tree trunk or big root underground is slowly being consumed by fungi, which send up mushrooms when the soil gets moist.
You can rake them out and they will quickly break down. But don’t attack them with chemicals. You want to keep those fungi; they’re doing good work.
Help to keep trees happy
Trees need help to get by in cities and suburbs, and not just when big storms blow through. The Openlands Project in Chicago has volunteers called Treekeepers who care for trees in public spaces. Their 7-week training course is invaluable for anyone who cares about trees, and all it will cost you is your time, $80 and 24 hours of volunteer work with other tree lovers.
Classes start Sept. 8 at John Hancock High School, 4034 W. 56th St. For more information, see www.openlands.org (click on Register Now at the bottom of the page to get to the brochure) or call Treekeeper Jim DeHorn at 312-427-4256.
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