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  • … Q. How do I get rid of violets growing in my lawn? A. Violets growing in the lawn are difficult perennial weeds to eradicate.  At the present time, there is no effective chemical treatment that can be applied by homeowners. Only professional licensed … turf specialists are able to purchase broad-leaved herbicides to control violets. Hand pulling is a tedious but effective option, providing that the entire root system is removed. …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … The silver maple is native to eastern North America. It can reach a height of 80 feet with a spread of 50 feet. This tree requires full sun, but is tolerant of a wide range of soil types and conditions. It gets its name from the silvery undersides of its five lobed leaves. Fall color is not uniform with this species; it may be a very ordinary yellow or a very bright orange …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … experiments, and investigations, learn to use school grounds to teach a variety of topics and get students excited about science. Note: This workshop can also focus on connecting your school … up to 30 teachers $300/hour for 30 to 60 teachers (dependent on instructor availability) There is a two-hour minimum. Workshop fees include staff time, workshop supplies, curriculum resource … experiments, and investigations, learn to use school grounds to teach a variety of topics and get students excited about science. Note: This workshop can also focus on connecting your school …
    Type: Page
  • … Talk A Full Season of Tomato-Growing Information Early Season Problems The top questions we get on tomatoes point to two main topics: "my tomatoes are funny-looking" and "why don't I have … of plant parts. What are the strange seams on my tomatoes? The malformation in these tomatoes is called catfacing. It occurs on the blossom end of the fruit. Conditions during bloom—such as … Talk A Full Season of Tomato-Growing Information Early Season Problems The top questions we get on tomatoes point to two main topics: "my tomatoes are funny-looking" and "why don't I have …
    Type: Page
  • … height of 30' to 50' with a broad, flat-topped habit at maturity. Dark bluish-green foliage is rather attractive against the gray bark. This pine is unique in retaining four to five years' foliage rather than only three, as its relatives do. …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … Talk A Full Season of Tomato-Growing Information Harvesting Tips Make sure your tomatoes get good air circulation, and don't keep them in the fridge—it destroys their flavor and texture. … up the ripening process considerably. Don't ruin a crop unintentionally. The refrigerator is too cold for tomatoes: Temperatures below 55 degrees Fahrenheit will ruin the flavor and … requires additional unattended time for flavors to blend. Yellow Tomato Salsa with Lemon Grass 1/2 cup vegetable oil 8 stalks of lemon grass (available at Asian markets and some specialty …
    Type: Page
  • Upright golden branches gracefully swirl as if pulled by a vortex on this small statured hardy evergreen. Filtered light will keep the golden foliage from getting sunburned. Well drained but consistently moist soils are …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … Hay-scented fern is a non-flowering fern perennial. It gets its common name from its leaves, which smell like new … forming large colonies. In the fall it turns a delicate yellow. A native to the Midwest, it is best used as a ground cover or an understory. …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … that dries out periodically, and avoid excess fertilization that would encourage the stems to get too tall and flop over. Tolerant of droughts once the root system is well-established, this fall bloomer is insect-, disease-, rabbit-, and deer-resistant. …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … coveted late summer bouquet, but the cut flowers never last long—we set out to discover how to get enduring blooms. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Marketing Team ran an experiment to test an … we tested, from left to right: smashed stem, Quick Dip, plant food only, alum powder. Specimen 1   Dipped the stem in alum (a food additive used for pickling or canning) Specimen 2   Added … asked the Garden’s horticulturists for advice before our experiment. “The smashing of the end is an old-fashioned means to open capillaries to get more water uptake,” said exhibits …
    Type: Blog