… Rhynchostylis gigantea , or foxtail orchid, is a beautiful member of the Orchidaceae family — the largest plant family in the world. Native to the warm, moist tropics of southeast Asia, it is monopodial (rarely producing more than one stem), with up to 50 flowers per inflorescence. … foxtail orchid features dark maroon-purple flowers, densely packed on the flowering stem. This is an orchid that really requires a greenhouse for proper growth in the Chicago area, and it is …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Lilium lancifolium ‘Splendens‘ is one of several species with the common name of tiger lily. The flowers are orange-red with … as bulbils, in the leaf axles along the stem. A bulbil will produce flowers 2 years after it is collected from the stem. The bulbs of Lilium lancifolium from which Splendens is derived are edible, and these plants have been cultivated in Asia as a food crop. The bulbs …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… The European beech is a stately addition to any large landscape and in time becomes an imposing shade tree. The simple foliage is dark green and somewhat shiny. The beech nuts it produces in the fall are attractive to wildlife. Autumn foliage is golden bronze; in winter the handsome gray bark is prominent. A wide range of cultivars of the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Ulmus americana ‘Valley Forge’ is a medium to large, vase-shaped, deciduous tree, typically growing to 60-80 feet (less frequently to 130 feet) tall with a broad-rounded crown. It is native to eastern and central North America. Although once widely planted in the United States … Ulmus americana ‘Valley Forge’ reportedly has excellent resistance to Dutch elm disease and is currently being planted. It typically grows to 60-70 feet tall. Non-showy, small green flowers …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… of the American beech once covered a large part of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Kentucky. It is a large and imposing tree at maturity with low, wide-spreading branches. Its fruit, a beechnut, is edible in fall. Autumn brings golden-brown leaf color; winter exposes the handsome thin gray bark, which is a key identifying feature. There is no lovelier sight than the American beech, with its …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… ‘Feuerland’ is a cherry red cultivar with yellow centers. It opens bright red and slowly ages to burnt orange and yellow. It is derived from the popular Achillea millefolium with a long blooming season from May through August. It is a staple of the sunny perennial garden, usually planted in beds and borders where its cheerful …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 'GOLDEN COLONNADE®' is a large tree selected for its strong central leader and narrow oval habit. It was introduced by J. Frank Schmidt & Son Co. of Oregon. It is a male clone, which will not produce the distinctive smelly fruit, and will develop into … a specimen or shade tree, and its narrow shape makes it work well as a street tree. The Ginkgo is an ancient deciduous conifer and evidence has been found which shows this tree coexisted with …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… of swamp white oak( bicolor ) refers to the two-tone appearance of the leaves - the upper side is dark green and glossy while the underside is whitish and fuzzy. Acorns ripen annually in the fall. Leaves usually turn yellow in the fall, but there is a fair amount of variability. Swamp white oak is native to Illinois and in the wild is found …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Northern or Prairie Dropseed is widely regarded as the most attractive of the American prairie grasses. It is a clumping warm season grass with bright green leaves and delicate flower spikes that appear … brown in late fall. In massed plantings the flowers provide an attractive pinkish haze which is enhanced by back-lighting in early morning or late afternoon. This grass is a wonderful all …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… ecosystems throughout the eastern and southern parts of the US. Dewey Blue bitter switch grass is an upright grass of about four feet in height and about three feet in width. The foliage is a characteristic grayish-blue which persists throughout the winter months if the plant is not cut back. Like most switch grasses, Dewey Blue is extremely versatile and can cope with a …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
