Green Garden Mama

Green Garden Mama We offer organic seedlings and perennials grown in house, cut flowers, and garden coaching services

I know it doesn't look like much, but this is the LAST of 1500 tubers to divide. Cross one huge last job off my 2024 lis...
01/10/2025

I know it doesn't look like much, but this is the LAST of 1500 tubers to divide.

Cross one huge last job off my 2024 list, and now I can officially move onto the 2025 list.

What a unique coloration this Senior's Hope dahlia has! Petals have a creamy base with smokey raspberry striations that ...
01/07/2025

What a unique coloration this Senior's Hope dahlia has! Petals have a creamy base with smokey raspberry striations that deepen to burgundy at the center, offset by burgundy on the back as well.

A shorter plant, this can be used as a border dahlia as well as for cutting.

Tubers are on the website now for presale and will ship out in April.


Kelgai Ann is such a delicate looking dahlia - as it opens it looks a lot like a peony, but in the middle of summer and ...
01/07/2025

Kelgai Ann is such a delicate looking dahlia - as it opens it looks a lot like a peony, but in the middle of summer and all through fall! Lovely blush blooms sometimes are streaked with deeper pink, sometimes almost white. So sweet

I've got these and many more available on my website for you to grow at home.

The sun is out, and I found a little patch to sit in so I can soak it up. May the sun shine on you today, as well! After...
01/02/2025

The sun is out, and I found a little patch to sit in so I can soak it up.

May the sun shine on you today, as well!

After many long weeks of digging and dividing, and an even longer few days of transferring my website to a new provider, the tubers are officially online for presale, with shipping in April.

Next up is to start my first round of seeds for spring!

#

About 3000 tulips and a handful of muscari have been tucked into their crates for the winter, with the first blooms expe...
12/27/2024

About 3000 tulips and a handful of muscari have been tucked into their crates for the winter, with the first blooms expected by the end of January.

They will live their lives 100% indoors - cooling and rooting in my garage before being moved into my basement grow space under lights.

Are you ready for flowers yet, because I am!

I'm seeing dahlia tubers in my dreams! After digging up and washing up roughly 1500 dahlia clumps, I first trim off the ...
12/23/2024

I'm seeing dahlia tubers in my dreams!

After digging up and washing up roughly 1500 dahlia clumps, I first trim off the long spindly roots that will shrivel during storage (photo 3).

Then I remove any tubers with broken or clearly damaged necks, since those won't grow next year (photo 2).

I divide those cleaned clumps down into individual tubers when possible, looking for eyes, which are the point from which a new stem will grow next season. The small purple swollen spot in photo 1 is an eye, but some varieties have less conspicuous eyes, making dividing a lot trickier. Sometimes I leave them in bigger chunks until spring, when the eyes break dormancy and begin to grow, rather than guess incorrectly.

One single tuber will grow into a full sized plant next season, bringing so many flowers!

Happy winter solstice! It's officially the shortest day of the year, which means it can only get brighter from here. May...
12/21/2024

Happy winter solstice! It's officially the shortest day of the year, which means it can only get brighter from here.

May your days be as bright as this little dahlia, "Nettie".



#

I added these two Rust beauties to my field this season, and they were everything I hoped they would be! They were good ...
12/20/2024

I added these two Rust beauties to my field this season, and they were everything I hoped they would be! They were good tuber producers too, so in addition to expanding my own patch, I'll be able to offer a limited quantity in my tuber sale coming up soon.

Copper Boy is a ball form, and Bloomquist York is a decorative with 6" blooms and was TALL at about 6 feet tall in my field!

On these short, gloomy winter days I find myself scrolling through my old photos, searching for a little sunshine to get...
12/19/2024

On these short, gloomy winter days I find myself scrolling through my old photos, searching for a little sunshine to get me through my day.

Wishing you some sunshine today!

In this photo: Wine Eyed Jill, Camano Zoe, Hy Suntan, Isabel, and Caitlin's Joy.

I acquired this dahlia called "Isabel" by accident, it was an incorrectly marked tuber years ago. I don't even remember ...
12/17/2024

I acquired this dahlia called "Isabel" by accident, it was an incorrectly marked tuber years ago. I don't even remember what I *should* have received in that original order, but finding her in my field sure was a happy surprise!

Isabel and many other varieties will be available in my tuber sale in just a few short weeks.

Holiday greens arrangements now available! These are made with *mostly* locally harvested greens and dried accents, but ...
12/15/2024

Holiday greens arrangements now available! These are made with *mostly* locally harvested greens and dried accents, but do have portion of imported blooms.

Vases are all sourced second hand, so will vary from arrangement to arrangement.

Available through December 23rd, starting at $30 each, pickup in north Lombard. Pm me to reserve one for your holiday table.

Camano Zoe is the absolute perfect shade of blush. It's got a soft warm undertone that makes it work in so many color pa...
12/01/2024

Camano Zoe is the absolute perfect shade of blush. It's got a soft warm undertone that makes it work in so many color palettes, and is the cutest little ball dahlia.

Nice strong stems, and a decent tuber producer, too.

There will be lots in my upcoming tuber sale, launching in mid December.

It's tulip planting day! Field tulips are getting tucked in today, roughly 3000 bulbs. I'll also be forcing roughly 3000...
11/26/2024

It's tulip planting day!

Field tulips are getting tucked in today, roughly 3000 bulbs.

I'll also be forcing roughly 3000 bulbs indoors this winter, but those won't be planted until after Thanksgiving, mostly because the crates I need are still full of dahlias waiting to be divided and stored.

2025 CSA options are now live on my website, so if you are looking for holiday gift ideas this week, keep a flower subscription in mind!

These tulips will be in both the Winter Tulip and

I finally finished digging dahlia tubers yesterday before today's wintery weather hit - which means I'm out in the snow ...
11/21/2024

I finally finished digging dahlia tubers yesterday before today's wintery weather hit - which means I'm out in the snow harvesting for tonight's wreath making workshop at .

Next week additional wreaths will be available for purchase, as well as holiday greens arrangements.

We had a beautiful weekend and I was able to dig up 4 more beds of dahlias to divide and save. Found this little cutie w...
11/18/2024

We had a beautiful weekend and I was able to dig up 4 more beds of dahlias to divide and save. Found this little cutie while I was at it! I obviously disturbed his wintertime resting spot, but I hope he still has time to get cozy again before the cold weather *finally* hits later this week.

I've been digging and dividing dahlias for the last few weeks, and I'm almost halfway done (thanks to some reinforcement...
11/16/2024

I've been digging and dividing dahlias for the last few weeks, and I'm almost halfway done (thanks to some reinforcement from my mom!). I can't believe the weather has cooperated, but so very glad has.

Pictured is dahlia Valley Rust Bucket - which was gorgeous this summer!

I'm offering a wreath making workshop for the first time this year! Join me Thursday, November 21st at in north Elmhurs...
11/08/2024

I'm offering a wreath making workshop for the first time this year! Join me Thursday, November 21st at in north Elmhurst to make your own wreath to bring home and enjoy for the holidays! I'll have fresh greens as well as dried flowers to choose from, so you'll be able to customize your wreath just for you. Outdoors you can expect your wreath to last through the entire holiday season and we'll into the new year - indoors a dried flower wreath can last indefinitely if properly cared for.

Seats are limited, so reserve yours today here: https://www.greengardenmama.com/product-page/wreath-making-workshop-nov-21-7pm

Hope to see you there!

Prepping one last week of bouquets before the farm likely closes for the season. Still some lovely dahlias, mums, celosi...
10/25/2024

Prepping one last week of bouquets before the farm likely closes for the season. Still some lovely dahlias, mums, celosia, and greens left, and I'm trying to soak it in to prepare for the long dark winter.

If you need one too, pm me to set up a pickup!

Address

Lombard, IL

Website

http://www.greengardenmama.com/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Green Garden Mama posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Videos

I've spent the last few weeks remaking my website on a new platform, in the hopes that it would make it easier to shop from. I'm not 100% finished, but close enough that the dahlia tubers are now officially available for 2025! Tubers will ship in April, and if you are local, be sure to select "store pickup" at checkout. May 2025 bring you all the good things! #chicagolocalflowers #localflowers #tubersale #dahliatubers #lombardillinois #localflowerschicago

Plant sale today! 100 block of east Goebel in Lombard - tons of veggies, herbs, perennials, and more, stop by TODAY, Saturday, May 11 until 2pm. Cash, zelle, and credit card accepted. Plus a table of annual flowers from the Westlake PTSA - all proceeds from those flowers go directly to the PTSA.

Ranunculus are usually grown from corms, and look like a tiny little octopus. They need to be soaked in water for a few hours before planting in order to rehydrate, then I "pre-sprout" them in trays before planting outside. Ranunculus love a long, cool growing season to bloom really well, and can tolerate some fairly cold temperatures but can't handle being left in the ground unprotected in our midwest winters. So I try to get mine in the ground in March, depending on the weather. I have low tunnels to use for protection, but these babies can handle temps down into the 20s without much damage, as long as the roots don't freeze. This year I'm planting over 2500 corms... I can't wait for these beauties to bloom! #chicagoflowerfarm #chicagolocalflowers #localflowerschicago #lombardillinois #elmhurstillinois #grownnotflown #flowerfarm #ranunculus

Winter tulips harvest - no mud, no coat, no rain... easy peasy! #lombardillinois #elmhurstillinois #localflowerschicago #grownnotflown #microfarm

Thousands of baby seedlings are outside hardening off for YOU! Sale this Saturday, May 13 from 10am-2pm in north Lombard on the 100 block of East Goebel. Look for the yard signs, I'll be in the driveway!

Tulips in January in the midwest! Just what I need on a cold, snowy day. Do you need them too? DM me to reserve your own locally grown tulips, from my home to yours.

I'm so insanely excited to be trying something new this winter... I'm forcing tulips for wintertime blooms! Planted in crates, temperature controlled, and allowed to bloom at just the right time, I should have tulips in time for Valentine's Day, and all the way until the ground planted ones start outside. Follow along for my progress (and be sure to snag a bouquet when they start blooming!)

I thought I was done planting tulips, but I was wrong! I jumped on a last minute bulb deal and got another 1000 tulip bulbs planted yesterday. I am a big fan of the no-dig method, which not only means less soil disturbance, but also has an added benefit - instead of digging out a 3x12 bed, planting my tulips, and then refilling it, I just lay my tulips on the ground and cover them with 8 inches of compost. This is especially key because if they are used for cut flowers, tulips have to be pulled bulb and all in spring, and the light, fluffy compost makes harvesting much easier!

The tulips are all snug in their beds, getting ready to come your way this spring! Spring subscriptions will go live on Friday, stay tuned for more details!

Shortcuts

Share