Q. How and when do I winterize my roses? A. Planning for winter actually starts in early fall. Stop fertilizing your roses in early August and stop deadheading by Labor Day to allow the plant to shut down and set hips (seeds) for winter interest. Remove fallen leaves from the garden. It's best not to cut or prune your roses at this time of year as the cuts will not have sufficient time to callus …
Type: Plant Info
Q. We’ve noticed several wide, very green circles in the grass in our front lawn. Mushrooms are growing out of part of the circles. What are the rings and how do we get rid of the mushrooms? A. The lawn grass circles you see are referred to as “fairy rings.” They are diseased areas characterized by lush, fast-growing grass growing in circles or arcs with mushrooms growing around the outside of …
Type: Plant Info
Q: When and how should I deadhead and prune my roses? A: Deadheading—the removal of spent flowers—is a form of pruning. Before making pruning decisions about your roses, it is best to determine the type of rose, and how and when it blooms. Roses are divided into different types based on common characteristics. Pruning cuts should be made on a 45-degree angle, ¼ inch above an outward-facing bud or …
Type: Plant Info
Early November is a good time to plant spring-flowering bulbs in containers to be "forced" into early indoor bloom. Daffodils, tulips, hyacinths, and dwarf iris are among the easiest types of bulbs to force. If you don't have fresh, unplanted bulbs on hand, specialty catalogs and retailers often recommend and stock the best varieties for forcing. To start an indoor bulb garden, use shallow pots 4 …
Type: Plant Info
This orchid has small clusters of white flowers. More than half of each petal tipped in pink are borne at the nodes of 1-year-old upright pseudobulbs. They grow and flower best if exposed to full sun to bright light, allowed to experience a slight drying in summer, and grown in well-drained media. Bring the plant indoors before the first hard frost and place it under grow lights. Use mist to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Deep pinkish red (with purple undertone) flowers are produced in sprays originating near the tip of the long cane like pseudobulb during the winter months in the Chicago area. The flowers are a unique cross between two of the many sections of Dendrobium orchids (second largest genus in the family) resulting in broad petals that are slightly twisted leading to the common name of semi-antelope …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Chinese ground orchid is a terrestrial orchid that grows from flat pseudobulbs that resemble corms. Each pseudobulb produces 3 to 5 linear, sword-shaped, pale green leaves. Small, pinkish-purple flowers develop in racemes from March through June on long thin stalks growing 12 to 18 inches tall. Although it is advertised to be hardy to USDA Zone 5, it is best to mulch the plant to protect it and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
The dark pink buds of Rhododendron yakushimanum ‘Mist Maiden’ open to apple blossom pink and gracefully age to white on an evergreen shrub that rarely grows more than 5 feet by 5 feet in size. The large, dark green evergreen leaves feature a tawny indumentum (feels like hairs) on their undersides that provides interest throughout the year. New growth is covered with silvery hairs that form a …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
The dark pink buds of Rhododendron yakusimanum ‘Mist Maiden’ open to apple blossom pink and gracefully age to white on an evergreen shrub that rarely grows over 5’ x 5’ in size. The large dark green evergreen leaves feature a tawny indumentum (felt like hairs) on their undersides that provides interest throughout the year. New growth is covered with silvery hairs that form a striking contrast to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
“There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) A dozen years ago, the three-acre Krasberg Rose Garden would start shutting down soon after Labor Day. That’s changed. “Back then, we were getting ready to pack it in,” says Tom Soulsby, senior horticulturist for the Rose Garden, Heritage Garden, and the Linden Allée. Tom is …
Type: Plant Info
