… small foliage and flowering plants together in a decorative container—like a basket or saucer—for a versatile display you can enjoy throughout the year. Dish gardens are easy to grow, very adaptable to most environments, and can be placed anywhere in the home. Even if you … Be sure to remove excess water and avoid over-watering. Drainage holes on the bottom are best, but not mandatory. If drainage holes are not present, use a plastic liner or saucer in the …
Type: Blog
… ( Tulipa ), and many perennials, annuals, and vegetables. Timing & Life Cycle Deer browse for food year-round. They more feed heavily in the fall as they prepare for winter and as females … soft and growing. Bucks shed their antlers every winter. Damage can occur from ground level up to 6 feet. Treatment & Solutions Choose plants that deer do not prefer. Generally, deer avoid … protection but need to be reapplied after a substantial amount of rain or watering. It is best to rotate different repellents so that deer do not become accustomed to any one product. For …
Type: Plant Info
… When ice and snow season arrives, it's important that roads, driveways, and sidewalks are safe to walk and drive on, so life doesn't become more challenging than it already is. While personal … Read the Label All deicing products have advantages and disadvantages. No matter which product best meets your needs, carefully follow label instructions to make sure it is used effectively at … lowest rate possible. Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) is generally considered the best deicer for plants and from an environmental standpoint. But since high concentrations can reduce oxygen …
Type: Plant Info
… While few of us who garden in the Midwest look forward to cold weather, we do welcome the autumn palette, especially when it announces itself gradually, … prom dresses in the garden, there are some fall-blooming plants we will always find room for, even though they sport colors more akin to April than October. Their springlike colors … and dark autumn. A thorough reading of the Plant Evaluation Notes will help you select the best plant for your needs — and isn’t that what we gardeners all want? Greek anemone ‘Blue …
Type: Plant Info
… A biting February morning in Chicago can be a challenging experience for anyone, but for a lover of trees, it can also turn into an exhilarating moment of truth. With … the chalky white or cinnamon bark, often peeling, or "shingling," and calls attention to the dangling male flowers known as catkins. Spring is signaled by the limey-green new foliage, … for all seasons. Betula nigra is the most southerly of all birches but still is one of the best choices as a landscape tree for our area. Able to withstand variations in soil moisture and …
Type: Plant Info
… like the Bloom Cart features little teasers of the beauty that lies ahead, with a map of where to find the five featured bouquets. But there’s more to it than that. The Bloom Cart is meant to … volunteer leader Marian Hofherr or other volunteers begin to walk the display gardens, looking for the perfect mix of plants to fill the Cart. “They put their hearts and souls into selecting the right gardens to feature with the best selection of colors and textures available,” said Tankersley, who has a photo archive of all …
Type: Blog
… There’s no question that native plants are popular. They provide food and shelter for native bees and many other important pollinators. Many native plants are drought-tolerant, … pest-resistant. As ground covers, some can be used in place of turf grass, which is difficult to grow in shade. Others, like ferns, complement nonnative perennials in shady beds, borders, and … shade tolerant and provides much-needed late-summer blooms that last into fall. It grows best when planted in rich, organic soil. Although it will grow in full sun, turtlehead does well …
Type: Plant Info
… Description: Look in open areas like the Dixon Prairie, or elsewhere around the Garden, for this warbler that is common at the Garden during its long migration stopover. One of the most … migration is an active, thin-billed bird called the yellow-rumped warbler. It's one of up to 36 warbler species seen in the area during the spring and fall migrations. This warbler … however, there are many more, and they'll be wearing their finest attire. Though humans do best to stay away from poison ivy lest they have an allergic reaction, the yellow-rumped warbler …
Type: Birding
… For Chicago-area gardeners, May is typically “go time!” for planting annuals, vegetables, and herbs to fill out the garden. The lawn is actively growing, too. However, this month is a study in … plantings and bring unplanted containers indoors if cold temperatures are predicted. It may be best to plant warm-season plants such as tomatoes, peppers, basil, cucumbers, beans, corn, …
Type: Plant Info
… Nancy Clifton, made several of the wreaths in Krehbiel Gallery and offers up three basic ideas for a single-subject wreath. Forage collection Forage in your yard and neighborhood … When working with a single material, look for uniformity of size and color. The idea is to show a subject off to its best advantage en masse. Direction Attach materials to a grapevine or wooden wreath …
Type: Plant Info