Visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden
Hours today
Today, May 21, 2013
8 a.m. – sunset (8:13 p.m.)
 | One of the most stunning flowering trees of spring, Appalachian Red redbud (Cercis canadensis 'Appalachian Red') was discovered growing beside a road in Maryland. The brilliant pink flowers are much brighter than the typical redbud, making it a highly desirable landscape plant. Redbuds are a small-scale tree with big impact. A midwestern native plant growing 15 to 25 feet tall, eastern redbuds often have short trunks that begin branching close to the ground. Purple-pink flowers in March or April bloom directly on branches and mature trunks. After their early springtime show, glossy, heart-shaped leaves up to 5 inches give redbud its summertime appeal. In native habitats, redbud grows as an understory tree in partial shade and soil that is naturally rich with organic matter. In cultivated gardens, redbud feels at home in dappled shade, but it performs well in full sun as long as soil is consistently moist. |
 | Fothergilla gardenii 'Klehm's Strain' is a very compact and uniform form of dwarf fothergilla selected by Klehm Nursery, not far from Chicago. Fragrant white bottlebrushes cover this 3-foot-by-3-foot deciduous shrub in May. Autumn features a montage of orange, gold, and red leaves just before they fall. This highly desireable ornamental shrub does best if provided with consistently moist soils that are slightly on the acidic side of the pH range, and it is tolerant of full sun to a half day of shade. This dwarf fothergilla is slow-growing but well worth the wait. |
 | This species of bladdernut from the eastern Caucasus region is grown for its very fragrant white flowers that produce ornamental "bladdernuts" that persist well into winter. Fall color is a golden yellow on this suckering shrub that matures to 10 feet in height and will eventually form a clump about 6 feet wide. It is very attractive to honey bees. Archeological records indicate this species was grown in containers so it could be brought indoors and forced into flower early for its very fragrant, honey-scented flowers in the ancient kingdom of Cholchis (the same kingdom visited by Jason and the Argonauts in their quest for a golden fleece). Pickled new shoots of this species are a delicacy of Georgian cuisine. |
 | One of the most popular sites at the Chicago Botanic Garden is the English Oak Meadow when the Iceland poppies come into flower. This year, Champagne Bubbles Mix (Papaver nudicaule ‘Champagne Bubbles Mix’) is responsible for producing the spectacular display of brightly colored poppies waving in the breeze. Red, bronze, yellow, apricot, pink, and white are the predominant colors of this cultivar. Plant breeders have improved this strain, eliminating some of the viruses that built up in the original stock and producing plants with stouter stems to hold up to breezes. This species is native to subartic regions in the Northern Hemisphere (including the tops of mountain ranges). It blooms and reproduces itself from self-sown seedlings in climates with a cool growing season. Flower production and length of bloom will be shortened in climates with warmer springs and summers.Sow seeds in very early spring in finely raked soil or purchase seedlings in pots from the local garden center. Plant in full sun with good exposure to breezes for the best crop. |
 | Landmark rhododendron (Rhododendron ‘Landmark’) produces large trusses of dark pink flowers that appear to be dark red from a distance. Another selection from the Mezitt family of Weston Nursery, this small-leaved, large shrub (to 10 feet eventually) retains most of its leaves in winter, and they color up burgundy. All rhododendrons require acidic soils, and because their roots are very fine and located near the surface of the soil, they are particularly susceptible to droughts or floods. With few exceptions (like sandy soils near Lake Michigan), gardeners should amend their soils with peat moss, apply granulated sulfur once a year, fertilize with azalea and camellia plant food, and maintain a mulch over the roots to keep temperatures cool during the summer and conserve moisture. |
 | Camassia leichtlinii goes by the common name of leichtlin camass or great camass. Two subspecies of Camassia are found in North America: subspecies leichtlinii is pale yellow and has the most restricted range, while subspecies suksdorfii is known for its blue to violet flowers and can be found from British Columbia on south to California. Camass was a favorite of Native Americans, who roasted it in pits to create a dish that looked and tasted very similar to sweet potatoes, but which contained a granular inulin component. Before traveling out West to harvest some bulbs for roasting, please ensure you can tell the difference between Camassia and the very similar-appearing bulbs of the aptly named "death camass" (Veratrum species). |
 | Flashback tulip (Tulipa 'Flashback') is a yellow-flowered cultivar with long, elegantly pointed tepals (petals) flowering at 16 to 18 inches in height. Tulips with these types of flowers are classified in the lily-flowered group of cultivars. European diplomats who first observed tulips in the court of the sultan of the Ottoman Empire were captivated by the flower; their records indicate lily-flowered tulips were all the rage. Turkey, like the Netherlands, suffered from speculation and collapse in the tulip trade during its long love affair with these showy bulbs. |
 | Marsh spurge (Euphorbia palustris) produces masses of chartreuse-yellow bracts (the actual flowers are not showy) on top of a perennial plant growing to 3 feet in height by 4 feet in width. Green willowlike leaves that spiral out from the stems turn bright orange and yellow in fall. This species tolerates moist soil, and dry soil later in the growing season. Deer find the milky sap objectionable; the sap also irritates the skin and eyes of gardeners. |
 | In 1937, Dutch bulb grower C. Keur and Sons noticed a distinctive sport in their crop of the purple-with-black-flames late season Tulipa 'Phillipe de Comines' (developed by Kerlage and Sons in 1891). This sport featured flowers with lacinate curled and twisted tepals (botanically, what appear to be petals are actually tepals). They named this sport 'Black Parrot', and it went on to achieve an Award of Merit from the Royal Dutch Bulb Growers (KAVB) in 1941 and an Award of Garden Merit from the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in 1995. Like all tulips, 'Black Parrot' is at best a short-lived perennial in the flower garden. Its lifespan can be extended if it is planted among herbaceous perennials and shrubs whose water uptake from the soils in summer helps prevent the bulbs from rotting. |
 | Redbud crabapple Malus x zumi 'Calocarpa' is a semi-dwarf (20- by 20-foot) tree that blooms profusely in May with fragrant white flowers. These produce red fruit that matures in fall and can persist into December. The flowers and fruits are attractive to butterflies and birds. It has good resistance to common crabapple diseases. Like all crabapples, Redbud prefers full sun and loamy, slightly acidic, fertile soil. |