… Q: I'd like to give plants as gifts for the holidays. Many gift plants are treated as short-lived houseplants because they are difficult to get to rebloom or keep alive and are discarded. Can you recommend plants that are easy to grow …
Type: Plant Info
… August’s warm weather provides an opportune time for Chicago-area gardeners to enjoy their efforts, whether it’s admiring the flowers lavishly … harvesting. Maintenance tasks continue. With autumn on the horizon, August also is the month to begin planting cool-season vegetables. Garden To-Do List Water judiciously In August, …
Type: Plant Info
… fall container gardening. This month, we met up with Jess Goehler, curator, Plant Collections, to create a wickedly beautiful piece of goth plant art. We hope her creation inspires you to add a goth gardening container of your own this Halloween. Goth gardening (drawn from Victorian or Gothic gardening) is having more than a moment; it’s been all the rage for years. In 2024, it was dubbed one of gardening’s trendiest topics as gardeners, new and …
Type: Blog
… A Cherished Tradition My first introduction to a saree was when my grandmother gifted me a children's version when I was a little girl. I … delicate red, gold, and green threads. I remember gliding my hand across the shimmering fabric to feel the contours of the design. As I got older, I gradually learned more about this lustrous … (age 3) Love Joy Growth Sarees are a distinctive attire that Hindu women have been wearing for centuries. Some of my family's favorite designs are celestial orbs or metallic butta, bold …
Type: Blog
… Q. I am growing acorn and butternut squash for the first time this year. When do I harvest them, and how do I store them after harvest? A. All winter squashes (acorn, hubbard, butternut and spaghetti) should be allowed to ripen on the vine. Harvest them before a hard frost, but be sure the skin is hard and not able to be pierced with your fingernail. You can store them for five or six months in a dry …
Type: Plant Info
… the Morton Arboretum and the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois formed to promote plant cultivars that perform well in northern Illinois. This variety was developed at the Chicago Botanic Garden; it has proven to be a super-charged moss phlox in terms of flower power, vigor, and durability. The 1-inch-wide, light to medium-violet flowers—large for a moss phlox—are produced for four to six weeks. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… in pots with adequate drainage, but many of my pots don’t have holes. Every time I try to drill into the bottom of the pot, it cracks. How do I drill a drainage hole into a ceramic … it? A: The following process can be successful, but it is not guaranteed, and it is intended for adults with cordless drill competence. Materials/Tools: Ceramic plant pot Diamond-coated hole … directions. Turn the pot upside down outside or in a utility sink with a towel underneath to prevent chipping the container. Mark the hole location(s) on the bottom of the pot. Use clean …
Type: Plant Info
… Q. I want to recycle my fallen leaves into a compost heap. Please give me some advice on starting one this autumn. A. Nine cubic feet, in a neat pile or container, is a good, manageable size for a backyard compost heap. Begin the layering process with a few inches of twigs, which allows for air circulation under the pile. Then add 5 to 10 inches of leaves, grass and shredded garden debris; 1 to 2 inches of manure or synthetic …
Type: Plant Info
… sporting a broad magenta halo on a rosy pink background. The fairly tall stout stems were bred to supply the cut flower industry as well as gardeners looking for an annual to fill middle to back of the flower bed open spots in the garden. Frost tolerant, they will need …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This break-through variety of novelty poinsettia was the first to feature rich red bracts speckled with pink and creamy white. Poinsettias have flower bracts that are often mistaken for flower petals because of their groupings and colors but are actually modified leaves. The … meaning that they require darkness (12 hours at a time for at least five days in a row) to change color. At the same time, they require abundant light during the day for the brightest …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
