… This is an easy-to-grow houseplant that tolerates a wide range of cultural and environmental conditions. It prefers warm, sunny locations, but tolerates some shade. Protect from hot afternoon sun. Best grown in a soil based potting mix. Water regularly during the growing season, with significantly reduced watering from fall to late winter. Do not pour water on the center of the rosette. Wider than normal clay pots are …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Native to the eastern United States and Eurasia, where it is found in sunny wetland areas, marsh fern is … light-green leaves. It spreads by rhizomes in the soil, producing dense colonies of leaves up to 2 ½ feet tall as it develops. Unlike most ferns, it prefers full sun to light shade and grows best in wet to moist surroundings and sandy acid soil. The caterpillars of the marsh fern moth …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Q. What lawn chores are best done in the fall? A. Fall is the preferred season to tackle turf tasks. Grass will begin to grow quickly again in response to cooler nights, … and give grass a jumpstart to turn green early next spring. September weather is suitable for overseeding an existing lawn, renovating bare spots or laying down sod. Be sure to remove all …
Type: Plant Info
… The Peking cotoneaster is a rounded shrub that grows up to 10 feet high and wide. Its foliage is a dull green. In May and June it produces white flowers with a pink tinge that attract butterflies. These give way to black fruits in the fall and winter that appeal to birds. Fall foliage is red-orange. This …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… In other seasons, people tend to breeze right by conifers in favor of, say, roses that scent summer evenings or crabapple trees … shift your energy and attention outward instead of inward for emotional well-being. One easy way to do that at the Chicago Botanic Garden or anywhere you walk is to seek out the company of … and brighten the landscape. The charm of conifers is subtle; you just have to slow down and get up close. Here are a few suggestions on what to look for: Oriental arborvitae ( Platycladus …
Type: Blog
… can go unnoticed, but they are very fragrant. Because of their shallow root systems, they do best with a thin (1- to 2-inch) layer of mulch. This cultivar is one of the most cold hardy. It also retains its dark green color better during the winter. This round evergreen shrub grows to about 4 feet in height with full sun to partial shade and moderate moisture conditions. The …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… be burned but will flush new growth in the spring. English ivy can become invasive if allowed to climb up trees or walls. At a certain height the growth changes from juvenile to mature and the plants begin to flower. The rounded balls of fetid flowers attract flies from miles around and the resulting seedlings have been found in natural areas. Best used as a low groundcover or in hanging baskets and containers. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Continue to care for indoor flowering gift plants. Azaleas require even moisture and bright light. Deadhead to keep plants blooming for four to six weeks. Azaleas can go outside to a partly shaded location … bulbs after they have flowered but there is no guarantee they will flower the following year. Get a head start on summer-blooming bulbs and tubers by starting them indoors in moist, soilless …
Type: Plant Info
… From ancient China to Greece, Europe, and finally the New World, the tradition of sending messages as a gift of … flower chosen had its own well-known meaning concealed in its size, shape, color, and even the way it was presented — by hand, singularly, or in a group. Even the number of blooms was … you a happy Valentine’s Day with a virtual bouquet, and hope that if you were lucky enough to get some flowers of your own, you enjoy them at least until the snowdrops pop up to welcome us to …
Type: Blog
… only visitors at the 385-acre Chicago Botanic Garden —watched the bats hunt on Evening Island for night-flying insects and a little honeysuckle nectar to wash them down. Another side of the Garden emerges after the front gates close for the … less colorful but more dramatic. In the dark, your senses sharpen. You look at blooms in a new way when they are lit by lightning bugs instead of the sun. Photo courtesy of Cathi Fremer You …
Type: Blog
