… the common lilac was introduced in France in 1916 and is still a popular choice in the trade for its double white fragrant blooms. Like other lilacs, its blossoms attract bees, butterflies … tubular in form and are borne in large panicles. While the common name of the plant has come to define a shade of pale purple, some species and hybrids have pink or white blossoms. Lilacs begin to set buds for the following year shortly after they finish blooming; if pruning is desired, it …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… modestly blend in with the crowd. But as nights turn cool, they drop the bashful act and step to center stage. —Fall color is not something trees put on, says Andrew Bell, curator of woody plants. It's something they reveal. The pigments — anthocyanin for reds, carotenoid for yellow — are always there, masked during the growing season by green … colors are unveiled. When an autumn offers clear, sunny days and cool nights, tree color tends to be more vivid, because chlorophyll retreats sooner and more thoroughly. Of course, it's not …
Type: Plant Info
… Summer is a social time, filled with friends, family, and sunshine—but what if you want to slip away on your own? A growing body of research 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 … love seat—one of eight at the Garden as part of our summer celebration Love in Bloom ; look for nature-based poetry on each tête-à-tête bench. As you settle in at The Rookery, treat …
Type: Blog
… rise above freezing, select branches that have numerous, healthy buds, taking care not to disfigure your tree or shrub. Using a sharp blade, cut a few more branches than you need just … Once inside, re-cut the branches 1 inch from the base, and then carefully split the cut end 1 to 4 inches up the stem. Place the stems in water immediately. Entire stems can also be totally submerged in water for several hours to replace moisture lost during winter. During the forcing period, place the …
Type: Plant Info
… As spring wakes up our prairies, tiny regal fritillary caterpillars begin an urgent search for young violet leaves—the only food they eat. Regal fritillary butterflies once lived in a … of prairie surrounded by pavement and farmland. Their future largely depends on our ability to restore the prairies they evolved with—but in countless prairie restorations, the violets are … with fewer species and fewer relationships. “A diverse prairie restoration is more resilient to challenges like climate change,” said Andrea Kramer, Ph.D., senior director of restoration …
Type: Blog
… I study how plant traits vary by populations and factor up to interactions that may influence whether species can coexist together in the long term. This is critical for understanding how the plants and their traits that we choose for restoration may hinder or … largely use restoration-targeted species in empirical research and use a broad set of species to draw inference on synthetic questions related to community ecology and rapid evolution. I also …
Type: Staff bio
… a vigorous, deciduous, woody vine. Pruning should be done in the late winter or early spring. For mature plants, trumpet creeper tolerates heavy pruning to control its spread and maintain a desired size. Prune annually, spur-pruning lateral shoots back to within two or three buds of the main stems. Remove weak and diseased growth. Renovate by …
Type: Plant Info
… large, pendulous bell-like flowers top out the gray-green foliage on this hardy bulb native to the higher elevations in the Middle East. It was discovered in 1585 and has been featured in landscape gardens ever since. Bulbs purchased for annual display use will flower well in a sunny position in average soils. However, if naturalization is desired, greater attention to the soil and growing conditions are required. Very well-drained yet moisture-retentive soils …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… The emerging red foliage of Liset crabapple changes to bronze-green as the season progresses. Bright crimson red buds open to rose red flowers; the fruit is burgundy colored. Crabapples are small flowering trees that provide a showy display in the spring landscape for 1 to 2 weeks. In addition to the eye-catching buds and flowers, their foliage, habit, and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Louisa crabapple is a weeping form that is well suited to treatment as a single specimen. Rose buds open to pink flowers that are followed by yellow fruit that persist into winter. Crabapples are small flowering trees that provide a showy display in the spring landscape for 1 to 2 weeks. In addition to the eye-catching buds and flowers, their foliage, habit, and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
