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

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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: Do you have any suggestions for spring container plants? I usually plant my containers with pansies but would like to try something different.

A:  There are a number of lovely plants that work well in spring containers, including plants with interesting foliage. These can be potted up in combinations or massed in containers.  Consider fragrant flowers such as stock (Matthiola), sweet alyssum (Lobularia), and viola (Viola) in containers along walkways and entrances. (Pansies are all violas; however, smaller faced varieties are commonly called violas.) Viola ‘Penny Lane’, ‘Sorbet’ series, and Angel™ ‘Tiger Eye’ are especially fragrant. Add Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris) for a pop of color and parsley for a textural interest. Ornamental cabbage and kale (Brassica oleracea) provide both color and texture.  Persian buttercup (Ranunculus asiaticus) can also be included for added height.  Pots of forced bulbs can be planted directly into containers for seasonal interest and replaced when the flowers fade. Ivy (Hedera) can be combined with flowering plants and left for three season interest.  Remove faded annuals and replace with summering flowering plants.

Other spring blooming annuals include Iceland poppy (Papaver nudicaule), toadflax (Linaria), Nemesia, pot marigold (Calendula), primrose (Primula), and English daisy (Bellis).  Lobelia and twinspur (Diascia) produce many clusters of pretty, small flowers and can be used to spill over the sides of containers and window boxes. Lobelia may not survive summer temperatures, but Diascia can be cut back throughout the summer to promote re-bloom. Remove spent blooms to keep containers looking fresh.

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