While it isn't difficult to grow herbs inside your home, it can be tricky when it comes to two important plant needs Sunlight When you consider that many herbs are Mediterranean plants, you understand why they need a lot of sunlight. To grow herbs in winter, choose a truly sunny window (southern exposure) that gets at least six hours of sun per day. Because that can be a hard requirement to …
Type: Plant Info
A biting February morning in Chicago can be a challenging experience for anyone, but for a lover of trees, it can also turn into an exhilarating moment of truth. With the air crystalline cold and the winter sun rocketing off the white of the snow, all plants are revealed in their naked glory. This is a moment when you really love your birch. But even if the following day is shrouded in gray and …
Type: Plant Info
Although originally native to southern France and the Canary Islands, lavender proved quite hardy and happy growing in England, and in the sixteenth century it was dubbed the "queen" of the scented herb garden. A member of the mint family (Lamiaceae), with its silvery foliage and tall lavender flowers, this herb is an attractive addition to any perennial bed. Add lavender's characteristic scent …
Type: Plant Info
Dutch elm disease is a fatal fungal disorder spread by the elm bark beetle. The fungus can be carried from a diseased tree to a healthy one by the beetle, by the roots of an infected tree grafting together underground with the roots of a healthy tree, or by contaminated pruning tools. There is no cure for the disease once a tree is infected. Susceptible Plants American elms ( Ulmus americana ) …
Type: Plant Info
What is a daisy? The word daisy often brings to mind an image of a flower composed of flat, white petals surrounding a yellow button center, growing on knee-high stalks in a summer meadow, rural roadside, or cottage perennial border. Some may remember with affection the flower they picked in younger years to make romantic predictions, chanting the traditional litany of "He loves me...he loves me …
Type: Plant Info
College student Jessica Tillery came to the Chicago Botanic Garden for the summer to work in a plant science lab, hoping to jump start her career in habitat restoration—which she did. And she got the chance to develop something she wasn’t necessarily expecting: a community of scientists, from high schoolers to Ph.D.s, who taught her, supported her, and became her friends. And those relationships, …
Type: Blog
Enrich existing trees and shrubs this fall or add new plantings with tips from Garden experts. Take steps now to ensure the health and beauty of your garden come spring. Planning and Prevention “This summer has put our trees and shrubs under a lot of stress,” according to Tom Tiddens, the Garden’s plant health care supervisor and certified arborist. Despite early and late season rains, he says …
Type: Plant Info
True gourmets know that salsa is much more than a medium for chip dipping; it adds flavor and color to a host of not-only-Mexican dishes, including roasts, stews, sidedishes and even desserts. Vegetable or fruit-based, hot or cold, there are as many kinds of salsas as there are appetites...and you can grow the ingredients needed to create your own! Family Fun Salsas can be spontaneous, combining …
Type: Plant Info
Find a host of garlic cultivars for your garden online. Garlic is a member of the genus Allium , which includes chives, onions, shallots, and leeks. It’s an underground bulb (also called a head) made up of 8 or 20 cloves depending on the variety. There are many different garlic cultivars, but the soil, water, location, climate, and other factors can influence their flavor and the color of their …
Type: Plant Info
Most houseplants require less water and much less, if any, fertilizer, because they slow their growth during this semidormant winter period. Succulent plants, such as cacti and jade plants, are in a winter dormancy and require bright light but very cool conditions with no water for up to two months. Overwatering will create soft brown patches on stems and foliage. Monitor houseplants for insect …
Type: Plant Info
