… shelter for a range of insects, small mammals and birds, even bison. Cape Breeze switch grass is a compact upright grass of about three feet in height and about two feet in width. Spring foliage is a bluish-green and in late summer the yellowish seed heads are held gracefully. Like most switch grasses, Cape Breeze is extremely versatile and can cope with a range of soil types from sandy to clay and shade …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Narcissus ‘Ice Follies’ is in Division 2. It blooms in early to mid season with 3 ¾ inch flowers that open yellow and become white with age. The corona is very broad and shallow with a frilled mouth. The petals may be slightly reflexed. This early hybrid (pre-1953) is rare in having a double set of chromosomes; most cultivars are genetically unique, with only …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Grape hyacinth ( Muscari armeniacum ) is a tried-and-true mainstay of the early spring garden, producing spikes of deep-blue flowers … accented with white markings around the petticoat or base of the individual flowers. This is the plant the Dutch use in their gardens to create rivers of blue in their landscape designs. Despite the tendency for the foliage to come into growth in fall, this plant is reliably hardy in the Chicago region. The bulbs slowly create clumps by producing "daughter" …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Hydrangea macrophylla is a deciduous shrub that grows 3-6’ tall and wide. It features dark green leaves and large clusters of flowers which are either lace cap or mophead in structure. Let’s Dance Easy is a mophead hydrangea which will bloom on both old and new wood from early to late summer. The … the flowers age. Although the plant is hardy to Chicago’s Zone 5, it benefits from a sheltered site, winter mulch and burlap wrap to protect the buds and stems from dying to the ground during …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Hydrangea macrophylla is a deciduous shrub that grows 3-6’ tall and wide. It features dark green leaves and large clusters of flowers which are either lace cap or mophead in structure. Let’s Dance Easy is a mophead hydrangea which will bloom on both old and new wood from early to late summer. The … the flowers age. Although the plant is hardy to Chicago’s Zone 5, it benefits from a sheltered site, winter mulch and burlap wrap to protect the buds and stems from dying to the ground during …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… ‘The Swan’ is a semi dwarf shrub typically 6 ft. tall with a spread of 6 ft. The conical flowerheads are 6 … to the fact that the emerging flowers are like an ugly duckling. The color of the flowers is not affected by the pH of the soil. The ’Swan’ does well in full sun to light shade and is moderately drought- tolerant.It blooms on new wood so the flowers are not susceptible to late …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This white form of Lebanon striped squill is classed as a minor bulb because of its size, but it is a major asset to a well-rounded bulb garden. Tucked between tulips and narcissus, it covers … squills in the genus Scilla. Each stiffly upright spike can have up to about 20 flowers. It is very long-lived and not bothered much by squirrels or chipmunks. The only problem with this …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Description: If this state-endangered owl is seen at the Garden, it is either flying over, or roosting on the ground, in the Dixon Prairie. …
Type: Birding
… Green Roof Garden atop the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center is open to the public — it's one of just a few rooftop gardens you can actually walk through, so … and evaluation sites. In fact, one of the important roles of the Green Roof Garden is to expand knowledge about the types of plants well suited for midwestern rooftop gardens. Because expertise is still evolving, only a limited palette of plants is now used by most gardeners. On both sides, …
Type: Plant Info
… The autumn garden is full of late-season color: bold dahlias and asters, pastel Japanese anemones, dusky chrysanthemums, and sunny goldenrods. But there is another group of plants flowering at this time, although the "blossoms" are not quite what you … ) The arching green foliage forms large mounds and sends up pink bottlebrush flower heads. It is not hardy but is a good choice for containers or massed in annual beds. 'Rubrum' is an …
Type: Plant Info
