It's Almost Summer at Rancho Verde

As summer closes in, it's easy to see the benefit of the rainy spring we had- lush greenery everywhere. Even our green roof looks more like a worn country path than a few inches of soil and sedum on top of a building.

O'Hare Airport in Spring

We snapped some photos of the annual beds at O'Hare airport and wanted to share them with all of you. Known as 40MPH beds, the plantings are unique in that no one ever admires them up close, but instead from their car or taxi while driving throughout the airport. The bulbs don't need to be planted as tightly as they do for residential or public beds like at, say, Millennium Park. The layout helps save some money, but it makes for a slightly difficult photo shoot - a shot far away is boring without the movement's blur of color, and a close-up reveals the large spacing between bulbs. In most cases, the best solution was to position the camera to sweep across the top of the beds, keeping the base of the plants (dirt) out of the picture.

Washington, DC

I finally downloaded some pictures off of my camera from our family visit to Washington, DC for the White House's Easter Egg Roll. I made sure to wear my blackhawks gear while at the white house:)

Blue Island Pop Up garden center

We're proud to announce the grand opening of our new Blue Island pop up garden center. Serving the general public in the Blue Island area, the shop is perfect for those who want to pick up fresh, quality plants, flowers and material without trekking into a big box or a far off garden center. The right stuff, right here, right now. Sprucing up your yard or patio couldn't be easier.

OK OK, on a less sales-pitchy note, a lot of people worked hard to get this done and I can't be more thankful. It's taken a while, but it's great to see the Blue Island location standing on it's own two feet, so to speak. Stop by and check it out!!

Gateway Green Tree-K Run/Walk

Despite the Seattle like weather over the past few weeks, the rain held out just long enough for a few of our Christy Webber staff to participate in the Gateway Green Tree-K Run/Walk.

Those tree costumes crack me up. No leaves??:)

Pictures from the Bricks & Ivy Ball

Don't let the pictures fool you - there's no cubbie blue running through my veins. South Side for life!! Haah. I am, however, lucky enough to be good friends with one the Cub's owners, Laura Ricketts. I knew she'd love to see me attend, but when I heard that the money made from the tickets and auction items benefited kids and I knew I had to attend. The event was a blast and helped raise a ton of money. Plus, in all fairness, the Cubs staff was incredibly nice. I don't think Kerry Wood got a bite in during dinner, all with a genuine smile.

Whether they're your team or not, the organization is something we as a city can be proud of.

That said... GO SOX!!

IL Governor's Mansion Veggie Garden

Last year we helped supply the mansion's vegetable garden with some much needed material. With almost a full year under it's belt, the governor's office has highlighted CWL for its help in a web page they created to show off the 'greening' of the mansion. Have a look here.