… poison ivy and you will hear a few choice words. But come fall, poison ivy practically begs us to love it. Its leaves are some of the first to turn colors, from green to brilliant shades of … 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 … 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 …
Type: Blog
… Early November is a good time to plant spring-flowering bulbs in containers to be "forced" into early indoor … fresh, unplanted bulbs on hand, specialty catalogs and retailers often recommend and stock the best varieties for forcing. To start an indoor bulb garden, use shallow pots 4 to 12 inches wide …
Type: Plant Info
… and they generously share their stock (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 … 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 …
Type: Plant Info
… a live, not cut, holiday tree this year. What do you recommend? A. It’s not too early to think about the holidays if you are considering a living balled- and-burlapped or container … transition of the tree from indoors to the home landscape requires advance preparation. It’s best to dig the tree’s planting hole in November, before the ground freezes. Choose a … eventual home. Keep the tree’s mature size in mind when determining placement. Once the hole is dug, if freezing temperatures are predicted, move the soil into a garage or other warm …
Type: Plant Info
… ( M. acuminata ), lily magnolia ( M. liliiflora ) Description & Symptoms Magnolia scale is one of the largest of the soft-scale insects that attacks trees by sucking plant fluids and … It is most noticeable in late spring and summer when it appears as large, whitish lumps, up to ½ inch long, attached to the branches of magnolia trees. In severe infestations, entire … immobile adult scales. Applying horticultural oil in the early spring and late summer is the best treatment. Horticultural oil will smother active and recently settled crawlers. When applied …
Type: Plant Info
… Summer is a social time, filled with friends, family, and sunshine—but what if you want to slip away on … shows that solo trips outside, away from your everyday life, can calm the mind and allow you to de-stress. We’ve got tips on how to find moments of peace and self-reflection at the Chicago …
Type: Blog
… in early fall. Stop fertilizing your roses in early August and stop deadheading by Labor Day to allow the plant to shut down and set hips (seeds) for winter interest. Remove fallen leaves from the garden. It's best not to cut or prune your roses at this time of year as the cuts will not have sufficient time to callus over before winter. Roses should be dormant before winter protection is applied. After several days of below freezing temperatures, create a mound of soil, compost, …
Type: Plant Info
… When farmers’ markets wind down, many of us want to preserve the bounty of this year for the next. Why not save save seeds from your last tomatoes … reproduce the “parent plant.” 2) Choose a ripe, disease-free tomato; one past being edible is best. 3) Cut the tomato ‘around the equator’ and squeeze out the seeds and ‘goo’ in to a …
Type: Blog
… Repurpose, recycle, reuse. We’ve all heard those terms. Giving new life to old things, whether donating clothing or recycling plastic, prevents them from piling into a … transformed into compost—a rich organic substance—used to improve your soil . Homemade compost is practically free, costing only your time. What is Compost? Compost is simply a pile or … soil that is dark and crumbly, which is why compost is often called black gold. DIY You can buy bagged compost, but making your own is easy and saves money. Composting can be as simple as …
Type: Plant Info
… orange, gold, and vermillion leaves. But winter offers its own spectacular scenes, according to Robin Carlson, the Garden’s photographer. “The display gardens here are irresistible in the … shadows of branches cast on fresh snow. “One of the things I like about the Garden in winter is the branch patterns and the silhouettes of trees," she said. "The best part of photographing the Garden this time of year is that there’s always something to see, …
Type: Plant Info
