… “There is symbolic as well as actual beauty in the migration of the birds, the ebb and flow of the … Rachel Carson, “The Sense of Wonder” Across the country millions of birds are winging their way north, searching for nesting grounds and food along the way. It’s the Great Spring Migration. Whether in your garden, in a park or while on a walk, you’re likely to spot some of the colorful migrants on the ground, in the bushes, and in the tree tops as they …
Type: Plant Info
… One of the most nutritious, ornamental and anticipated early spring vegetables is asparagus ( Asparagus officinalis ). This Mediterranean native has just 20 calories a serving, … has changed over the years from skinny, tall, narrow stems (much like the wild type) to the fatter, thicker stems that were popular in the eighteenth century. Close up of asparagus … or border of a vegetable garden. Plants can be male or female, with male plants bearing the best and most flavorful crops. New gardeners might want to choose crowns (or plants) of one of …
Type: Plant Info
… Natal lily ( Clivia miniata ) is a member of the Amaryllidaceae family native to damp woodlands in southern Africa, where they … to no water during the winter. Although it is one of those rare plants that actually blooms best if slightly potbound, its roots are perennial, and the plant resents root disturbance (which …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… creating a new hedge. Attractive native shrubs are often overlooked—and occasionally hard to come by in local nurseries and garden centers—but they are well worth the effort to find. … at the bit to plant this native shrub. It’s unfortunate, because the chokeberry is one of the best shrubs you can grow in Illinois. Iroquois Beauty™ chokeberry ( Aronia melanocarpa … but the fruit that comes afterward offers a food source for yellow-rumped warblers on their way south. New Jersey Tea ( Ceanothus americanus ) New Jersey tea ( Ceanothus americanus ) …
Type: Blog
… Cardinal's guard ( Pachystachys spicata ) a member of the Acanthaceae family, is native to South America and the greater Caribbean. This ornamental tropical plant bears large … have prominent veins and grow to 12 inches. The shrub will reach 6 feet in height and grows best in a sunny location in fertile, sandy, loamy, well-drained, moderately moist soil, where …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Q. Is there anything that I should be doing in March to my houseplants? A. March is the time when … ( Araucaria heterophylla ). When repotting a plant that has outgrown its container, it is best to select a pot one size larger than the original. Be sure the new pot has adequate drainage …
Type: Plant Info
… structure in winter. Common names for amelanchier include juneberry and serviceberry and refer to the blueberry-like fruit edible by humans and much beloved by birds. The species range from small trees to large shrubs, usually multi-stemmed. Found at woodland's edge in the their native habitats, amelanchiers are best used in a naturalistic setting in the home landscape. Amelanchiers are native to temperate …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… How best to highlight the color of 10,000 blooming orchids? For Brilliance: The Orchid Show , which runs … attraction You’ll also get to see the rare ghost orchid, Dendrophylax lindenii , one of the best known orchids in the world. Our collection of young orchids will be displayed in a case, as conditions allow. The Garden is one of the few institutions in the world to have ghost orchids. Fast facts quiz Click on each …
Type: Blog
… temps, you might wonder how any plants can survive a Chicago winter—and even hold on to a welcome splash of color. As curator of plant collections at the Chicago Botanic Garden , … diseases or be browsed by critters. But the main reason that a perennial has evergreen leaves is to provide a place to store energy and nutrients while dormant. The leaves are tricky … perennials and help provide additional winter interest. While both spring and fall are the best times to plant perennials, it is easiest to find what you want in the spring, when nurseries …
Type: Blog
… Something amazing is about to happen in the Bernice E. Lavin Plant Evaluation Garden: dozens and dozens of witch … the witch hazel trial. Their question: which of the myriad witch hazel cultivars perform best in Chicago's less-than-perfect soils? The Witch Hazel Trial The trial features 22 …
Type: Plant Info
