… Bulletproof hosta is notable for its very thick blue green leaves. It is a sport of H . 'Halcyon.' Hostas are shade tolerant, … flowers held high above the foliage on long stalks called scapes, they are grown primarily for their foliage and neat habit. Hostas are actively hybridized for leaf color, size, shape, and texture; natural mutations or “sports” are also common; new …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Jim Dandy is a slow grower to about 6 feet high and 8 feet wide. It is the male cultivar for the female Berry Heavy and Berry Nice cultivars and must be planted within 50 feet of those plants for effective pollination. Prune in spring for shape. While best suited to moist sites with morning sun and afternoon shade, it grows well …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… most popular varieties of sour cherry, producing abundant crops of red juicy cherries favored for pies. It is self-fertile, so it doesn't require other trees for pollinating. This tree grows to a height of about 20 feet with full sun to partial shade and … by edible red fruit in late June to early July. Although it is an attractive tree just for its flowers, be prepared to harvest all the fruit. These cherries are too sour to eat fresh. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… rounded shape, and can attain heights of 35 to 50 feet. This tree is a great specimen plant for the home landscape. A member of the rose family, this small, flowering tree displays clusters … ash has interest in all four seasons: attractive flowers in spring, good clean green foliage for summer, handsome red fruit and great color in fall, and nice gray bark for winter interest. It's the best mountain ash for Illinois. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… in the season. Between 'Olympiade's' height (up to 8 feet) and <em>Weigela's</em> tolerance for heaving pruning, it's particularly well-suited for use as a hedge. </p> <p>Bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds love <em>Weigelas.</em>, and so do gardeners. For a plant that gives you so much to look at, they're very easy to care for. No particular …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… We get a lot of questions about one particular plant in the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden: … striking presence. First, the naranjillas in this small garden bed, number 10, were put there for a reason. All but one of the plants in this bed are in the nightshade family, Solanaceae. … spherical like little oranges. Unfortunately, our growing season in Chicago is not long enough for naranjilla plants to produce the sweet fruits, which are juiced for beverages in Ecuador. …
Type: Blog
… It’s that time of year when the sun finally comes out and temperatures go up, allowing you to get some outdoor planting done. But beware the fickle Chicago spring. Perfect gardening days are … want to do to protect plants. Move containers inside. If you’ve started to create containers for your back porch or balcony that contain summer crops, bring them inside. Even an uninsulated … fiberglass and plastic will degrade over time if they’re in direct sunlight, so check these for damage and move inside if you’re unsure of their durability. Your reused containers will last …
Type: Blog
… This swallow is most often seen flying over the lakes, close to the bridges, looking for insects. Look for their bottle-shaped mud nests near the bridges. …
Type: Birding
… testing lists the results of general soil fertility. Test results include essential nutrients for plants, pH, as well as suggestions for fertilization applications. Some soil testing labs also test for the presence of heavy metals. An up-to-date list of soil testing labs is provided by the …
Type: Plant Info
… a popular school garden theme that promotes conservation and provides multiple opportunities for NGSS connections. Plant a pollinator container garden and receive additional native plants and seeds for your school garden. Meet a horticulturist and a scientist to learn about native plant care, companion planting, and the ecology of native pollinators. Gain ideas for using phenomena found in a pollinator garden in your science curriculum. CPDUs: 6; Gateways: …
Type: Item Detail
