… Shining sumac has an exotic compound leaf that is quite shiny and is distinguished by a leafy ridge running along the midrib. Growing to 12' tall or more with a spread equal to its height, shining sumac forms dense thickets. It is a large spreading shrub for mass planting in open space. Give this plant lots of space as it …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Mexican sunflower is a large annual in the aster family that produces daisy-like flowers from summer until a hard frost. 'Goldfinger' has yellow-orange flowers and is shorter and more compact than the species, at about 3 feet tall. Each flower is about 3 inches across, with a ring of petals surrounding an orange disk. The plants have …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… fading to a lighter yellow on Prairie Harvest Buck shrub rose ( Rosa 'Prairie Harvest'). This is another of the Buck shrub roses bred in Iowa specifically to survive the harsh winter climate of the Midwest. Its disease-resistant foliage is glossy and deep green in color. Root hardy to USDA Zone 4, it is a reliable selection for the Chicago area. 'Prairie Harvest' is not a grafted rose but is …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… With a fine rounded habit, it can grow to 35' or 45' in height. The foliage is a nice clean green. Small white, five-petaled flowers produced on last year's growth cover the … and not particularly showy, start out red and mature to black in the fall. Autumn color is yellow. The bark is quite handsome -- it is a glossy burnt sienna with a hint of olive on some branches, and it …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 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
… rivularis var. myriantha has very large white to near white plumes in mid to late summer. It is also known as Waterside Astilbe. This is a very tall variety, with stems reaching a height of more than 6 feet. The feathery panicles … well in shade to partial shade where it adds 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 …
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