… Bright purplish-pink flowers cover this low (to 1-foot tall), mounding, hardy perennial from late summer through fall. Hot Stuff showy sedum ( Hylotelephium spectabile 'Hot Stuff') grows best in full sun and moderate soil fertility. Songbirds are attracted to the ripe seeds in late fall through winter. Its flowering clumps don't split apart like some …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… brown center. Plant 'Yellow Polka Dot Bikini' in average soils, and water just enough to establish the root system and thereafter only during periods of drought. It flowers best in full sun; the flowers attract butterflies and other pollinating insects to the garden. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Gitty Up Dahlia, introduced in 2012, is a novelty or anemone-type dahlia. The pincushion-like flowers have numerous crimson petals … and can be planted when all danger of frost has passed. They can be started indoors in pots to achieve earlier blooming. They require at least eight hours of sun to be at their best. Dahlias are ot hardy in the Chicago area, and tubers must be dug, cleaned, and stored for …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Connecting Your Garden to Your Teaspoon Bees are part of every garden. Because bee populations continue to decline, and because September is National Honey Month…we dedicate this Smart Gardener to the story of how bees actually produce … that you use on your yard and garden—such as herbicides and pesticides—can easily make their way into the nectar and pollen that the bees eat, and that ultimately reach your teaspoon. The …
Type: Plant Info
… garden. Aloysia virgata Sweet almond verbena, incense bush Sweet Almond ( Aloysia virgata ) is a bloom-covered, upright shrub which can be trained as a tree warmer climates, reaching 15 … native prefers full sun, and while a fast grower, can be pruned and maintained at a size of 2 to 3 feet with care. It can cause allergic dermatitis in sensitive individuals. Jatropha … lantana features two-tone flowers beginning mid-summer and extending up to frost. It flowers best when grown in full sun and dryish soils with low fertilization. The flowers are beloved by …
Type: Page
… Nippon eulalia grass is a dwarf form hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 9. Rose to violet-red flowers emerge in late June and … species has done so well that some cultivars are invasive, particularly Purpurascens. It's best to look for late-flowering clones that will not have time to set seed. It is resistant to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… and reptiles combined! Can you guess how many more eyes they have than humans? In addition to the two most prominent, there are three eyes on top of their heads just for tracking light and … are many fascinating facts we have learned about bees, but the most critically important one is their role in pollination. Busy Pollinators Smart gardeners know that it's the presence of … must use them, choose pesticides that are certified organic. Beekeeping is not only a popular way to harvest honey, it's a good way to keep bees in check, healthy, and fed. Many other native …
Type: Plant Info
… developed for people’s gardens. My favorite, sweet black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa) , is a native species of moist to wet prairies and woodland edges. Although the flowers are very similar, the familiar common … Also, sweet black-eyed Susan begins blooming when common black-eyed Susan is finishing. By the way, the typical description of a black-eyed Susan’s flower as having yellow petals with a dark …
Type: Plant Info
… a small, upright spreading tree with a dense, rounded crown or a large multi-stemmed shrub. It is easy to grow in moist, rich, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade and performs well in areas … green leaves that turn brilliant scarlet in the fall. Tough and drought-tolerant, it grows best in full to partial sun. It can be grown either as a small tree or a privacy hedge. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Maidenhair fern is one of the most easily recognized ferns in moist woods in eastern and central North America. Each dark purple rachis (central leaf stem) grows to about a foot or more tall and then branches out into several fronds that curl into … by rhizomes and once planted, do not like to be dug up and disturbed. These graceful ferns are best in a shady wooded area. Varieties of maidenhair fern, sometimes given species status, can be …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
