Chicago Botanic Garden

Your Garden — Plant Information Service

Plant Information Services at the Garden

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Master Gardeners and Horticulture Specialists provide the following services to Garden visitors, Internet clients, and callers on the Plant Information Hotline at (847) 835-0972:

  • Recommendations on care of trees, shrubs, annuals, perennials, vegetables, fruits, and houseplants
  • Diagnosis and treatment options for control of insects, diseases, and cultural disorders
  • General gardening information on soils, composting, pruning, mulching, and more
  • Plant and insect identification
  • Recommendations on plant selections for northern Illinois
  • Assistance with locating purchasing sources for particular plants

Contact us online with your:

General Questions

Plant/Pest Diagnosis Request

Plant Identification
Request

Please be sure to read our guidelines for specimen collection and submission if you will be bringing in a sample for diagnosis. If you will be sending images through the online forms above, please send files in one of the requested formats.

Remember! Our diagnosis is only as good as your sample. Please follow our guidelines for collecting and submitting samples in order for us to provide you with accurate answers to your questions.

Question of the Month

Q. Garlic Mustard
garlic mustard
A. Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) is a non-native, invasive member of the mustard family, brought to the United States by European immigrants. The plants readily spread by seed and crowd out native woodland flowers, altering local ecosystems. 

Garlic mustard can be identified by its strong garlic odor of garlic during most of the growing season but lessens in intensity by fall. Garlic mustard is a biennial; it has a two year life cycle.  During its first year, garlic mustard stays low and grows in a basal rosette pattern. During its second year, it can grow from 2 – 4 feet, produces white flowers, sets seed, and dies at the end of the growing season. One plant is capable of producing several hundred to several thousand seeds in one season. Most seeds fall and germinate close to the parent plant; however, because garlic mustard seeds prolifically, it is found in garden beds, lawns, along roadsides, parks, woodlands, and in both disturbed and undisturbed soils. 

Seeds germinate in early spring but young rosette leaves cmay remain green all winter. Garlic mustard is easiest to remove when basal rosettes are small and before they flower in mid to late spring. Flowering plants can be cut at ground level because they usually will not re-sprout.  Chemical herbicides can also be used. Please contact Plant Information for current chemical recommendations.

 

 

Please contact Plant Information Service at (847) 835-0972 for information about plants.