… mammals and birds, even bison. Warrior switch grass is an upright grass of about six feet in height and about three feet in width. Spring foliage is a bluish-green which has reddish hues during the summer, becoming yellow with red hues in fall, and remaining honey colored throughout winter. Like most switch grasses, Warrior is …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… is native to the south-eastern parts of North America, where it is found along streams and in dry areas such as woodlands and rocky areas. Ninebark is named for its peeling bark on mature branches which reveal lighter bark underneath, although this is only noticeable in winter when the leaves have fallen. In late spring Center Glow bears clusters of small pink or white flowers which develop into red …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… colored flowers on tall stems near the end of tulip season (historically near the end of May in the Chicago area). Tulips, for annual displays, can be planted just about anywhere; however, for naturalizing, a position in full sun with well-drained soils that tend to the dry side after mid-June is best. The Dutch, … imperial fritillaries. Tulip species are almost all native to the higher elevation mountains in Central Asia, with a few outliers as far east as the mountains of North Africa. The generic …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… History The emerald ash borer (EAB) was first discovered in the United States near Detroit, Michigan, in summer 2002. Horticulturalists were puzzled by the sudden decline and loss of hundreds of ash … beetle, Agrilus planipennis , commonly called the emerald ash borer. The EAB originated in Asia, and most likely entered the United States in packing materials such as wooden crates …
Type: Plant Info
… panicle hydrangeas ( H. paniculata ) do. A hydrangea with a great backstory (more about that in a minute), 'Annabelle' has become a synonym for the genus itself, the iconic hydrangea, the shrub you can find in every neighborhood and that people still ask for by name—even decades after it first became popular. In this month’s Smart Gardener , we look at the recent explosion of new hydrangea cultivars, and …
Type: Plant Info
… uniform stalks. Asparagus is a hardy perennial with thick, succulent shoots that are harvested in April to early May, leaving younger shoots for future growth. Asparagus is high in vitamin K and many minerals. It needs to be planted in well-drained soil, with careful selection of the site, considering that it will continue to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… red powderpuff ( Calliandra haematocephala ) is an evergreen shrub or small tree included in the legume or pea family, Fabaceae, and the mimosa subfamily (Mimosoideae). It typically grows 10 to 15 feet tall in its native habitat and is a very popular flowering shrub in central and southern Florida, where it will survive year around in the ground. Bipinnately …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… primarily grown as a Christmas tree by the nursery trade but may be used as a specimen conifer in the garden. This fir is differentiated from the species by the conspicuous papery bracts protruding from the cones. It is only found in a few spots in the Appalachian Mountains from Virginia to New Hampshire, and in Quebec. A …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… branching; it has deeply furrowed, corky bark. Though miyabie maple is listed as endangered in its native habitat in Japan, several cultivars are considered hardy, adaptable urban street trees. The dark green leaves turn golden in fall. This tree is a Chicagoland Grows® selection. Chicagoland Grows® is a plant introduction …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Sweet flag is a wetland species in the arum family resembling cattails or sweet flag iris, with narrow, rigid leaves up to three … “spadix”). It shoots out at an angle from a stem that looks the same as the leaves. It appears in early summer and may not even be noticeable among the leaves. The rhizomes have a sweet fragrance when crushed and have been used in folk medicine. Muskrats are fond of eating the rhizomes. While the species is found in …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
