… Prunus avium is the scientific name for the sweet cherry, with delicious varieties including 'Bing' and 'Rainier'. One of spring's beauties, this cultivar, however, is grown for the abundance drooping clusters of frilly double white flowers, bearing up to 30 … bark and 4-inch-long ovate toothed leaves that emerge bronze in the spring. Fall color is a mix of yellow and reddish-orange. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This plant is a veronica. Veronica is named for St Veronica who comforted Jesus on his path to Calvary. Spike veronica has … moist soils during the growing period but cannot tolerate wet soils during dormancy. It is unattractive to both deer and rabbits. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… about how many talented people collaborate to make Lightscape such a magical event. Lightscape is produced in partnership with Sony Music and creatively produced by Culture Creative. Planning … specialists, and programming and data managers all help bring the installations to life. This is the second year Chicago-based lighting designers Fiskness and Shupe have worked on Lightscape. … practical and artistic aspect to the art form. Q: What do you like best about it? A: Lighting is interesting to me because in many ways it’s supportive. It’s needed literally just to reveal …
Type: Blog
… are safe to walk and drive on, so life doesn't become more challenging than it already is. While personal safety is the primary concern, many homeowners are adopting snow-management practices that also protect … turn can cause salt-sensitive plants to decline or die. Salt levels build when salt-laden snow is shoveled or blown onto plants, and when poor drainage or runoff causes soil concentrations to …
Type: Plant Info
… At the top of the list of why we garden is for the joy it brings. Yes, there is the effort of physical labor, and true, some plants succumb and we don't know why. But most … spot might accommodate rhododendrons, azaleas, or other marginal plants requiring a special site. Examine your soil carefully. This is especially true for new homes, where much of the good …
Type: Plant Info
… spot its vibrant fall beauty on a Chicago Botanic Garden trail, don’t be fooled. Poison ivy is toxic all year round, and you could still get a rash from exposure to it. Like thorns on roses, poison ivy is communicating with us, said Matt Evans, managing ecologist, woodlands. “Poison ivy thrives … best when fewer animals eat and trample it, and it has figured out how to make sure there is less disturbance to it by teaching people, microbes, fungi, and most animals—although deer eat …
Type: Blog
… (sometimes) with friends. But most of all, they love to discover new ones. Gaura lindheimeri is a relative newcomer to Chicago-area perennial borders. Native to Texas and Louisiana and … plant forms a strong taproot that allows it to withstand heat and drought once established. It is also tolerant of humidity and has no known insect or disease problems. Perhaps best of all, it blooms for a long time, from early summer to autumn, especially if the entire flower stem is removed as blossoms fade. There have been some improvements on the original plant as breeders …
Type: Plant Info
… conditions. It has lavender and purple blooms in May and June. It belongs in a border, is resistant to deer, and is attractive to birds. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… produce bicolored flowers featuring orange buds that open to creamy yellow flowers. This is a clumping variety of aloe that does not get very tall and is ideal for use in containers in cold climate zones. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… soil conditions. It has lavender blooms that attract butterflies from May through August. It is a ground cover and is resistant to deer. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
