… Twist™ weeping redbud. This beautiful bloomer offers a lesson in how plants are bred for consumers. This particular cultivar was found as a chance seedling in 1960 along a road in upstate New York by a gentleman who transplanted it to the home of his sister, Connie Covey. Many years later, Covey's neighbor decided not to remove … local nurseryman contacted an Ohio nursery known for its skill in propagating woody plants to get one plant as a gift. The Ohio nurseryman became entranced with the plant and purchased it …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… shrub with a more compact habit than other butterfly bushes. (Its top is frequently killed to the ground in Chicago-area gardens.) This selection came from the J.C. Raulston Arboretum in … are all attracted to the honey-scented flowers. Deer and rabbits, however, don't care for the taste of the leaves or stems. Plant in full sun and water it well the first year to get the root system established. Thereafter, it rarely needs supplemental watering. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… is hardy it can be grown outside or in pots, in colder climates, containers that can be moved to a greenhouse in winter would work best. Low temperatures and dry conditions increase the range and intensity of colors in the … leaf margins have sharp red brown teeth. It will grow well in full sun in well drained soils. For the best colors keep it dry. Mature size is a messy shrubby mound about 3 feet tall and 4 …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… When my mother first moved from England to Chicago in the late 1950s, she’d never heard of a prairie. In England, a grassland is called a … pioneer cemeteries, in random spots along railroad tracks, and in botanical gardens. You can get a little taste of tallgrass wildness at the Garden’s Dixon Prairie —a 15-acre re-creation of … the Garden’s prairie and river senior ecologist. It’s challenging for her to suggest the “best” time to visit the prairie because it’s constantly changing—every week, every month, there’s …
Type: Blog
… This tree matures to a height of 8 feet with a similar spread. Its lacy foliage emerges bright cherry red in spring on purple leaf stalks, changing to burgundy red in summer. It finally changes to bright crimson red in fall. It gets its cultivar name from its lacy leaves which are said to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This is a small (28 feet high and 15 feet wide) tree that is native to southeast Asia. It has green-white flowers that give way to winged samaras that ripen to a bright red in the fall. Foliage starts green and turns to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… The post oak gets its common name because its wood was often used for fence posts. It is a drought resistant member of the white oak group and produces acorns … The genus Quercus includes more than 600 species of the oak tree, of which 90 are native to North America; the Chicago Botanic Garden's collection contains more than 60 varieties and over 1,000 individual trees. Twenty oak species are native to Illinois. Oaks are slow growing, long lived, hard wood trees that produce fruit we all know as …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 'Rotlaub' means red leaf in German. Now the podophylla group of Rodgersias is noted for its colorful emerging foliage, but even in that group 'Rotlaub' stands out. New leaves hold … straight well into October. In the shade garden, Rodgersias give you a bold counterpoint to the delicate airy foliage common to so many shade plants in our area. The leaves of certain … and not reliably, at least in our climate. The drama's in the foliage. Give them time to get established, dappled sun, and consistent moisture, and they'll thrive. Slugs, rabbits and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… continuously throughout the summer on this hardy hydrangea. Plant this hydrangea in full sun to light shade in neutral pH, moisture-retentive soil and water during periods of summer drought for best results. One of the first pink-colored forms of the native hydrangeas. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… in nutrients like vitamin C than fuzzy kiwis. 'Weiki' is a German cultivar that's hardy down to -35, and very vigorous. You can get both male and female vines of this cultivar. The male will give you flowers but no fruit, but … pruning and strong support...left unchecked, the vines can reach 40 feet. A note of warning to cat owners: kiwi vine smells like catnip to cats, and they may harm foliage or dig at the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
