… reach a height of 50 feet with a spread of 35 feet. The sugar maple is an excellent shade tree for lawns and parks. Tiny yellowish-green flowers appear in spring before the leaves emerge. The … samaras, matures in the fall. Autumn color is highly variable, ranging from yellow or orange to red, but it is always outstanding. One of the best known trees of eastern North America, sugar maple is as prized for its ornamental value as …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Strict adherence to the cultural needs of this plant is essential. In residential areas, this plant is best grown in the consistently moist soils of a bog garden. The bog garden should be prepared in … mulch. If a bog garden is not available, then growing plants in containers may be the next best option. Plants require full sun. In part shade, leaf coloring does not develop as it should …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… of blooms in plant evaluation garden The Chicago Botanic Garden dedicates an entire garden to plant evaluation. But have you ever wondered how it works? As we move into early fall, the … plants that hit me like a ton of bricks when I saw them. Entranced and obsessed is the only way I can think to describe how I feel about them. When I talk about them I get gushy. They. Are. … more a window into my aesthetic sensibilities than it is a definitive ranking of the absolute best of our trials this year. In my first blog entry, I address this gut reaction as one of the …
Type: Blog
… 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 … angle and intensity of sunlight differ in early spring and midsummer, as well as from morning to afternoon. Is it possible to remove the lower branches of existing trees to bring in more … break down quickly. Consult the Garden's Plant Information Service at (847) 835-0972 for the latest treatments. Spot-treat an area rather than the entire garden. If Japanese beetles are …
Type: Plant Info
… snap beans, broccoli, cabbages, cauliflower, carrots, mustard greens, spinach, and radishes for fall harvesting. Cool-season lettuces, mesclun mixes, and unusual greens that were planted in … again this month. If weather is unusually hot, plant these greens in partial shade. The best quality and best tasting salad greens come from plants that were watered frequently and lightly rather than infrequently but deeply. This advice is the exact opposite to what is recommended for watering trees, shrubs, perennials, grass, and other plants. When …
Type: Plant Info
… and is only about two inches in diameter, but they're borne in huge domed clusters, similar to hydrengeas. In full bloom, you can hardly see the leaves for the flowers. And once she starts blooming, she doesn't stop until frost. She's often used in … grown as a climber reaching up to about 10 feet. She'll grow and bloom in light shade, but for best performance give her full sun. Keep soil moist (not wet); follow a regular program against …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Phalaenopsis A Phalaenopsis , or moth orchid, is called the “gateway orchid” for beginning collectors: it requires very little care, and yields great rewards with blooms that last up to three months! Early success with a moth orchid leads growers to try other species and, … is another popular orchid with collectors: it prefers high humidity and indirect light, faring best in eastern early morning light. But how do you ensure early success? After your initial …
Type: Plant Info
… Nippon eulalia grass is a dwarf form hardy in USDA Zones 5 to 9. Rose to violet-red flowers emerge in late June and mature to silver plumes. Its mature size … growth appears to avoid damaging the new leaves in the spring. This ornamental grass is good for smaller gardens. Native to east Asia, this species has done so well that some cultivars are invasive, particularly Purpurascens. It's best to look for late-flowering clones that will not have time to set seed. It is resistant to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Q: Ants are all over my trumpet vine and garden in general. Is there an environmentally safe way to remove them? A: Wet weather is likely the cause of an unusual pattern of behavior in the ants … home. Frequently saturated soil drives ants up and out of their colonies. They are attracted to the trumpet vine because it produces abundant nectar. The ants will cause no harm to your …
Type: Plant Info
… The Crimean linden is a hybrid whose parentage is thought to be the littleleaf linden ( T. cordata ) and the bigleaf linden ( T. dasystyla ). It is a … fragrant pale yellowish-white flowers that appear in drooping clusters that are attractive to bees. These give way to conspicuous, but sterile, nutlets that ripen in late summer. It prefers moist, fertile, …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
