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  • … oval tree that can reach a height of 120 feet with a spread of 80 feet. The sugar maple is an excellent shade tree for lawns and parks. Tiny yellowish-green flowers appear in spring … samaras, matures in the fall. Autumn color is highly variable, ranging from yellow or orange to red, but it is always outstanding. One of the best known trees of eastern North America, sugar maple is as prized for its ornamental value as …
    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
  • … mountain ash ( Sorbus alnifolia ) has a broad, rounded shape, and can attain heights of 35 to 50 feet. This tree is a great specimen plant for the home landscape. A member of the rose family, this small, … handsome red fruit and great color in fall, and nice gray bark for winter interest. It's the best mountain ash for Illinois. …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … which emerges light green in spring. The palm-shaped leaves turn yellow in fall, and the fruit is not ornamentally significant. The rough brown bark is not particularly outstanding. Ft. McNair red horsechestnut is a dense, deciduous tree with a … other landscape plants with finer foliage. This is a relatively low maintenance tree and is best pruned in late winter, once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It has no significant …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … Orange flowers appear in late summer into early fall much to the delight of hummingbirds and gardeners. This un-described species hails from Brazil where it grows in full sun on grassy hillsides. Unlike other species, the older leaves begin to curl up with age creating a very unique form. Full sun and dryish conditions appear to be the best approach for containers. …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … native range, landscape uses, and other noteworthy facts. Participants will learn how to best incorporate native trees and their cultivars into landscape designs and the ecological services provided by these important species. The class is divided into approximately half lecture and half field work touring through the Garden’s …
    Type: Item Detail
  • … This snakeroot has 3- to 5-inch-long leaves that are sharply toothed on the margins. Best of all, they are a subtle … shade, making it indispensable in the woodland garden with its bright white flowers. It is also attractive as a focal point in the perennial border. A uniquely colored plant for shade …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … produces long-stemmed dark purple flowers from midsummer through the first hard frost. Unique to this cultivar are the slightly pointed tips of the flower petals. Introduced in 2010 by Swan Island Dahlias, it flowers best in full sun and well-drained, moisture-retentive soil. This dahlia is insect and disease free. Plant tubers or potted plants outdoors after the danger of late …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … lily’s botanical name comes from the Greek words eremos—solitary and oura—tail, a reference to the plant’s spectacular flower spike which towers above its long, narrow foliage.   The roots … dormant by midsummer.   Grow foxtail lily in full sun and protect it from strong winds.   It is very cold hardy and flowers best when grown in cold climates. …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … 'Alba Suavelens' is an antique climbing rose that was already well established in European gardens by 1750. Its … have the fragrance old-fashioned roses are prized for. There's no repeat bloom, so no need to deadhead, with the result you'll get you'll get bright red rose hips come fall. It's self-supporting, disease-resistant, and best of all, tolerates some shade. In other words, this rose doesn't demand much of the gardener. …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant