Of Tickseeds and HLS Takedown

The Holiday Lights Show (HLS) was a monumental success with record crowds and lots of positive comments. The photo above was taken by my friend Steve. He shot this photo through the glasses we were selling which made the lights look pretty cool. We'll be reviewing this event and all the challenges that come along with large crowds as well as facilitating such a popular event. Last week some of our Grumpies started bringing in lights and cords from the HLS and today, despite the subzero wind chill, the guys headed back out. Terry, Larry H., Gene P. (new Grumpy) and Larry all worked on bringing in lights and cords while Dr. Gredler was inside processing cords that have warmed up. Maury and Bob K. had an electrical project at the main building while the carpenters (Vern, Dave, Ron Y. and Jim) had a wide range of projects. Bill O. stopped in to help and we also saw Rollie, Gary and many others today. I'm working on seed ordering and presentation preparations for 2015 and will have no shortage of work!

The photos below are some of many tickseed (Coreopsis sp.) selections that look exciting. I took many of these photos at the Ball Customer Day (West Chicago, IL) this past July and enjoyed their trial gardens. Many of the tickseeds are not winter hardy for us but will be strong bloomers for a season and can easily be used as annuals as well. The vast majority of these are listed as zone 5 hardy and should thrive in sunny, well-drained areas. I've not seen our coreopsis specimens perennialize well in certain areas but they are such strong growers even over a season of growth. The variety name is listed under each photo and those that are hardy include a Z5 designation. Listings as non-hardy refer to our climate here.