… Early autumn ushers in a welcome peacefulness to a rich and still-blooming landscape. Trees and shrubs are at their peak of growth for the … has succumbed to storm damage, disease, or insect attack needs to be replaced? What are the best choices for gardeners today who are planting for tomorrow’s generation? The Chicagoland … and gold fall color lights up the landscape. Marmo maple, Acer x freemanii 'Marmo', is a cultivated variety from the hybrid cross of red maple, Acer rubrum , with silver maple, …
Type: Plant Info
… a partnership between Northwestern University and the Garden. “That tells us they don’t need to be dismissed entirely when a gardener’s primary goal is simply to bring pollinators into a garden.” Longhorn bee (Melissodes druriellus) on new … do not necessarily have to be at odds,” Dorian said. “While native plants were always the best performers, some cultivars may still play a meaningful role, at least in attracting …
Type: Blog
… disease- or pest-resistant. As ground covers, some can be used in place of turf grass, which is difficult to grow in shade. Others, like ferns, complement nonnative perennials in shady beds, borders, and … shade tolerant and provides much-needed late-summer blooms that last into fall. It grows best when planted in rich, organic soil. Although it will grow in full sun, turtlehead does well …
Type: Plant Info
… Watch orchid buds do a 360 Angraecum eburneum , photos courtesy of Johanna Hutchins Want to see a blooming orchid bud do a 360-degree twist? We did. So we put a time-lapse camera on the … orchid looks like in the Tropical Greenhouse at the Chicago Botanic Garden —but the rotation is so slow that you won’t be able to see the buds move in real time. We’ll have two comet orchids … “lip” of the orchid is the dark purple-ish part. One good turn deserves another Orchids are best known for this feat, though a few other species also rotate, including tropical pitcher …
Type: Blog
… are tiny, mouselike rodents with stocky bodies and short legs and tails. They weigh only 1 to 2 ounces. Voles eat mainly the leaves and stems of grassy plants although they will eat other … a tree or shrub. Treatment & Solutions Removing the habitat voles seek for nesting and feeding is the best control. Weeds, dense ground cover, brush, low spreading evergreens or even thick mulch can …
Type: Plant Info
… ( M. acuminata ), lily magnolia ( M. liliiflora ) Description & Symptoms Magnolia scale is one of the largest of the soft-scale insects that attacks trees by sucking plant fluids and … It is most noticeable in late spring and summer when it appears as large, whitish lumps, up to ½ inch long, attached to the branches of magnolia trees. In severe infestations, entire … immobile adult scales. Applying horticultural oil in the early spring and late summer is the best treatment. Horticultural oil will smother active and recently settled crawlers. When applied …
Type: Plant Info
… Advice from our horticulturist as the Rose Garden "Be brave." Tom Soulsby says it's the best advice he has for rose gardeners. As the senior horticulturist at the Rose Garden, Tom knows how to deal with roses at every stage of their lives: young and old, tended and in need of pruning, … want to be open at ground level—the better to get a good dose of sunshine. An overgrown rose is thick and congested at ground level, which results in lots of fuzzy tip growth instead of …
Type: Plant Info
… A tall-grass prairie native that adds beauty to gardens and nurtures wildlife, switchgrass is now being considered as a potential new fuel source. Divided into two types, upland and … considered an important strategy for reducing atmospheric CO2, and switchgrass is one of the best crops for achieving this "carbon sequestration." When above-ground switchgrass is harvested …
Type: Plant Info
… Topiaries, whether formal or whimsical, large-scaled or edible, can be a fascinating addition to most garden spaces. A plant familiar to many gardeners because they have either grown it, eaten it, or admired it as a tiny topiary is the versatile herb, rosemary. Rosmarinus officinalis is an evergreen shrub hardy to zone 6. … a wide range of pH and moisture conditions, but it must have excellent drainage. This can be best accomplished when the plant is grown in a clay pot year-round. Clay permits faster …
Type: Plant Info
… 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 …
Type: Plant Info
