… May on record at Chicago O’Hare (9.51 inches) and Midway (7.65 inches) airport stations. For three consecutive years now, the O’Hare station has broken total precipitation records for … somewhere. Impermeable surfaces such as roofs, sheds, patios, sidewalks, and streets shed rain to surrounding earth and sewers. Although a lawn would seem like a good permeable surface to … reduces surface runoff (and pollutants) that would otherwise end up in streams and rivers. One way to capture excess water on your property is to plant a rain garden. Rain gardens are …
Type: Plant Info
… in bright light, high humidity, warm temperatures and exceptionally well drained potting media for best results. In summer fertilize with a dilute foliar feed solution weekly. The orchid family … and contrasting colors and in a variety of shapes and sizes. Although some orchids are native to temperate zones, most orchids tend to prefer a semi-tropical or tropical environment (USDA …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… a member of the buttercup family, comes into flower as soon as nighttime temperatures begin to consistently register above freezing. The flowering shoots bolt upright, featuring large, … glossy foliage is palmately divided and persists late into winter. Hellebores perform best in moist soils and microclimates that protect them from the harshest of winter weather in …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… gold, and red leaves just before they fall. This highly desirable ornamental shrub does best if provided with consistently moist soils that are slightly on the acidic side of the pH range. It is tolerant of full sun to a half day of shade. This dwarf fothergilla is slow-growing but well worth the wait. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… of this plant are its leaves, and they are completely pendulous. While this plant performs best in bright shade, the leaves become redder with more sunlight. The greenish-white flowers … white fruits. In northern climates this plant can be grown in baskets with careful attention to growing medium and light needs. It must be overwintered indoors. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… big, hairy atlas moth cocoons, and I was a little concerned about whether they would have time to emerge before we have to shut our doors for the season. When I came into the pupae chamber a … my finger. I reached far up into a serviceberry tree and placed the moth where visitors could get an ideal view. Just a few minutes later, a handful of photographers stopped by, and they … happily snapped away. Volunteer Robyn Lynblad came up with the idea of naming each moth the way meteorologists name tropical storms, so we named this one “Aaliyah.” To make that week even …
Type: Blog
… What does it mean for plants? The temperatures have been slowly dropping and sporadic frost has put the brakes on annuals, blackening their leaves or simply causing entire plants to wilt. Not to worry—there are things we can do to protect trees and shrubs and extend the last … 12 to 16 inches of hardware cloth in the soil about 3 inches away from the trunk. If deer visit your garden, deter them from eating twigs or rubbing antlers by placing snow fencing or …
Type: Plant Info
… fir is a western North American native with flat, up-curved silver-blue needles that can grow to 75 feet with a 25-foot spread. It should be allowed to grow in an open, full-sun location so the branches can spread to their maximum width. The … murky gray-blue. White firs are more tolerant of heat and drought than most firs, and are the best species to grow in the Chicago area. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Clematis 'Huldine' is a vigorous deciduous climber that grows 10 to 15 feet and produces many small, white, 3- to 4-inch flowers with white filaments and bright yellow anthers in mid to late summer. It grows best in full sun or partial shade and is a member of clematis pruning group 3, which includes …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… exposing only the flattened tops of their leaves and displaying an extraordinary ability to camouflage themselves as stones. Native to South Africa, Lithops pseudotruncatella was one of the first Lithops discovered. It is a … narrow-rayed flowers resembling umbrellas appear from July through October. This plant grows best in dry soil and bright conditions where it is hardy to zones 10-12. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
