… Dark purple leaves with scalloped edges make a dramatic statement in the annual border and containers from summer up to the first killing frost of winter. Plant 'Dark Star' in a location that receives full sun for most of the day to get the darkest color on the foliage. Keep this plant in well-drained soil, and water it whenever the leaves start to wilt. Plants may be cut back hard …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… and conservation biologist who aims to understand how animals and plants make a living in the context of rapid Anthropogenic change. Nick’s research has three broad themes: population-level processes underpinning ecological patterns, animal movement in heterogeneous landscapes, and the role of urban gardens in biodiversity conservation. Nick mainly studies wild bees—a group of ecologically and …
Type: Staff bio
… varieties. 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
… is one of the most popular ornamental grasses because of its versatility and attractiveness in all seasons. The clumps grow to about 4 feet high and 3 feet wide, but the vertical flower spikes can grow to 6 feet high. The reddish-brown flowers appear in early summer and provide visual interest year round. Although it prefers moderate soils and full sun, it will tolerate light shade and even damp clay soils, but it struggles in hot humid summer climates. The flower spikes are usually retained for winter interest, and the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… produces abundant white berries. Our specimens came to us from the J. C. Raulston Arboretum in North Carolina. The flowers appear from July to September. They are inconspicuous and pale pink. This root-hardy shrub can be planted in partially shaded to full-sun locations that provide constant moisture throughout the growing season. During most winters in the Chicago area, the stems will sustain freeze damage. If they do not leaf out well, they may …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… In late summer, this hardy perennial has long racemes of pendulous, fragrant, white flowers that … hybrid of the Asian species Actaea simplex and the American Actaea racemosa from a cross made in the Netherlands by Piet Oudolf. It can reach a height of 5 feet with a 2-foot spread when established (second year) and prefers moist, humus-rich soils in partial shade. If it is planted in full sun, it will need constant moisture. There are over 25 …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… slender stems and a fine-textured arching habit. The clusters of small flowers that appear in spring or early summer are white on most species, but may be pinkish in a few species and cultivars. Deutzias are best used grouped in informal settings as a hedge or background to a border. These shrubs may benefit from …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Ruby redosier dogwood is a cultivar introduced in 1988. It was selected for its layering habit, bright red stems and uniform rounded form. Like the species, it bears small white flowers in spring, white fruit in summer beloved by wildlife, red foliage in fall and red stems in winter. Members of the genus …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… trademarked name Lavender Twist™ weeping redbud. This beautiful bloomer offers a lesson in how plants are bred for consumers. This particular cultivar was found as a chance seedling in 1960 along a road in upstate New York by a gentleman who transplanted it to the home of his sister, Connie Covey. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Beautifully shaped, golden-yellow spider mums are produced at the ends of tall stems early in the spider mum season (September to October in Chicago gardens). Tall growing, it will need to be planted near the back of the flower bed and … of flowers. Plant this mum when temperatures are still cool but hard frosts have passed in moderate soils, and stake the rooted cutting early so that it can be trained up the stake …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
