Right smack dab in the middle of town, I’ve found a Paradise…Up on the Roof!”  – Signed, A. Bird (apologies to Carole King)

Want to create a paradise for your feathered friends? The IMA Greenhouse has an exciting new product for you…a Green Roof Birdhouse. You can actually plant a living garden in the rooftop tray of this cedar home for birds.

In order to create this home for your feathered friends, simply follow these step-by-step instructions:

First soak the wood with water, as well as the potting soil you’re going to use.

Add soil to the roof tray until it comes to within ½” of the top.

Take cuttings from a plant, hydrate the roots, and “stick” the cutting in the soil.

Add cuttings as desired.

Choose a contrasting plant, prepare a hole for the roots and plant. Continue adding plant material that pleases you. Remember to choose plants that have similar cultural requirements.

And know when to stop!

Spritz well with water to clean the soil from the leaves and water the plant roots thoroughly.

When your masterpiece is finished spritz well daily, or when the soil is dry to the touch, gently soak the plants. When planted, a Green Roof Birdhouse is so beautiful, you may want to display it indoors as a living object d’art! But if your birdhouse is really “for the birds,” it comes with two heavy-duty brass screws for fastening to a wall, fence or tree trunk. There is a side panel that swings open for easy cleaning.

When Rachel Carson wrote her iconic book Silent Spring (1962) some say she launched the entire American environmental movement. Others say it began with Henry David Thoreau’s Maine Woods published in the late 1800’s. But whenever the movement started, we can all agree…GREEN is here to stay!

Filed under: Art and Nature Park, Greenhouse, IMA Staff

Super busy week ending with preparation for out big event – Perennial Premiere!  The result? Not much blog time. So instead of shooting a bunch of verbiage at you, I’m dropping some photos of what will be available starting tomorrow. Remember, members get exclusive access to the plants for two HOURS before the general public ( 9 – 11 am Saturday morning).  The plants look absolutely super this year. In addition to the usual helpful Greenhouse staff, all the Horticulturists will be on hand to help you with your selections this weekend. After you are done shopping, take a stroll to enjoy the season’s flowering trees – magnolia, amelanchier, and redbud.

Yellow and blue always look good together in the garden. Here we have Iris pallida with a beautiful columbine.

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Filed under: Greenhouse, Horticulture

Well, I’d planned to go out and take some new pictures for the blog but the snow just would not stop Thursday and today it is plain too damn cold. I love you all but I ain’t going out in sub-zero windchill for you. It’s called tough love. I know you can handle it. I mean, look, there’s even frost on the window.

So what to do instead? I was looking at the plants in my window and thinking that would be a good start. I brought several things in from home so I would be sure to take good care of them. It’s hard to ignore an Abutilon gasping for water when you can see it for eight-plus hours a day. And it is really paying off. The windows face…. What direction do they face? Just a second I’ll ask Chad. South. They face south. I actually figured that out before I asked him. But I did ask just to be sure. No wonder the plants are happy. That’s the Number One direction for a winter plant window in the Midwest. Hmmm, I’ll be damned. Isn’t that fortunate? Beats the hell out of a cubicle. Not that there’s anything wrong with a cubicle. But let’s go on.

Number one on my list of window plants that are making me super happy despite the crappy weather is Euphorbia fulgens.

Scarlet Plume appears to be the common name. I guess it does have a scarlet flower but it’s not a plume. Or not my idea of a plume. Anyway, it has beautiful burgundy leaves all year so it makes a great plant for containers in summer. I love the color and texture.

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Filed under: Horticulture

Check out our latest Flickr set from this year’s Perennial Premiere:

Filed under: Horticulture, Local

Back in February we launched a new version of the IMA website.  But by now, I’m sure you are already aware of this.  And because a programmer’s work is never done, after the launch it was on to phase 2. That included improving our online store and integrate it into the rest of the site.

With that, we are pleased to announce the new and improved online Shop Section:

With the launch of the online shop, users (that’s you) will now be able to purchase tickets and memberships right along side any books, cards, or jewelry you may decide to buy.  Whether you’re shopping the IMA Store, the Design Center, or the Greenhouse Shop, you’ll immediately receive a 10% membership discount on items when you are purchasing a membership.  If you already have a membership, you will just need to login to take advantage of the discount.

The shop also received a dramatic visual overhaul, bringing featured products and categories to the front.  And all based on the 960 grid system as previously discussed by Matt. Happy shopping!

Filed under: Technology