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  • … Q. When is the best time to prune a cherry tree? A. The best time to prune a cherry tree or to remove dead wood is in the summer. Pruning in summer reduces the risk of introducing disease through a fresh cut. It is important to keep wounds small and to keep pruning to a minimum. It is best to shape a tree …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … Q. How much sunlight is considered full sun? Part sun? Shade? A. Generally, six hours or more of direct sunlight per day is considered full sun. Partial sun is defined as three to six hours of direct sunlight. Dappled … exclusively on nursery tags for light requirements. Plant tags are frequently manufactured off-site by companies other than the grower and may not be entirely accurate. A little research can …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … an upright oval tree that can reach a height of 60 feet with a 45 foot spread. The sugar maple is an excellent shade tree for lawns and parks. Tiny yellowish-green flowers appear in spring … the leaves emerge. The tree's winged fruit, or samaras, matures in the fall. Autumn color is highly variable, ranging from orange to scarlet, but it is always outstanding. One of the best known trees of eastern North America, sugar maple is as …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … The Marmo maple is one of the first hybrid crosses made between the silver maple and red maple. This … leaves are intermediate in shape between the two species. It has a nice upright oval shape and is seedless. This tree is a Chicagoland Grows® selection. Chicagoland Grows is a plant introduction partnership of the …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … flowerheads 2 to 4 inches across. It blooms in early summer and continues into the fall. This is a compact plant 18 to 24 inches high with gray-green, fernlike foliage. It is a member of the SEDUCTION™ Series from the Netherlands. It is attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds and resistant to deer, rabbits, and drought. This …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … Ozawa onion is a surprising little ornamental onion because it blooms in September and October after all the … The bulbs should be planted where they will not be shaded out by earlier-blooming plants. It is one of the last outdoor flowers to bloom at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The related A. chinense may be a cultigen of thunbergii. It is widespread in cultivation and has escaped into the wild in China, Japan, and other Asian …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … Although prairie milkweed looks similar to common milkweed, it is less common, preferring undisturbed prairies. It is not as drought tolerant as common milkweed. The leaves are smooth rather than pubescent, with a bright pink central vein. The tiny pink flowers are in looser clusters. Their structure is complex, with 5 reflexed pink sepals and five forward-pointing petals. Each petal has a hood …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … up from the soil. Jersey Knight asparagus grows to about 4 feet high and 2 feet wide and is usually planted as a root in the early spring. After two or three years, thick edible spears up to 3/8 inch wide appear. Jersey Knight is a male cultivar which is considered more desirable by growers as plant yields are higher as no energy is spent on …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … green lacy foliage. The soft fluffy spikes are comprised of tiny, densely packed flowers. This is a dwarf astilbe, only 12” in height.  As the name implies Finale is one of the last astilbes to bloom in late summer to fall. It does well in shade to partial shade and will add a welcome touch of color to a shady garden. It is generally pest free and tough. Finale is resistant to rabbits and deer, while attractive to …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … that bloom in late spring to early summer. The stems stand 14 to 16 inches tall. 'Visions' is somewhat drought tolerant, but prefers wet or consistently moist soils. It does well in shade to partial shade and will add a welcome touch of color to a shady garden. It is generally pest-free and tough, and is resistant to rabbits and deer while it is attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. After …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant