… upright spreading tree with a dense, rounded crown or a large multi-stemmed shrub. It is easy to grow in moist, rich, well-drained soils in full sun to part shade and performs well in areas with cool summer climates. Amur maple makes an unusual … green leaves that turn brilliant scarlet in the fall. Tough and drought-tolerant, it grows best in full to partial sun. It can be grown either as a small tree or a privacy hedge. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… woods in eastern and central North America. Each dark purple rachis (central leaf stem) grows to about a foot or more tall and then branches out into several fronds that curl into … the spores beneath. They spread into clumps by rhizomes and once planted, do not like to be dug up and disturbed. These graceful ferns are best in a shady wooded area. Varieties of maidenhair fern, sometimes given species status, can be …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… in mid-August and by the taller spikes with distinct finger-like projections. It thrives best in light shade. In bright sun, it will require more moisture in the soil to prevent leaf scorch. When well-sited in the garden, it will grow to 5 feet tall and up to 2 feet wide. Some authorities have suggested this variety should be …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Pineapple lilies are bulbs native to South Africa with large tufted flower heads that resemble pineapples. The broad, glossy, … a tuft of red-purple bracts. The six-petaled flowers match the scape color as buds. They open to a rosy pink, and become creamy white when fully open. Pineapple lilies are best grown in summer containers in this area. They require full sun and need to be kept …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Delphiniums are perennials in the buttercup family that can best be described as "stately" or "majestic," producing large spikes of showy flowers from June to September. Modern cultivars, often called candle delphiniums or larkspurs, are derived mostly … in height, prefers full sun or light shade, and needs well-drained soil that is not allowed to dry out. Cultivated delphiniums require regular fertilizing and dead-heading, and even with …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Winter solstice is just around the corner—December 21 to be exact. On that day, we in the Midwest will have about nine hours of daylight. Compare that … , the stark white trunks of native sweet birch (Betula lenta) stand out on overcast days. Look for paperbark maples (Acer griseum) and Peking lilacs (Syringa pekinensis) and discover the … be cut back in early spring. So grab your coat, hat, gloves, and scarf and come out for a visit. There’s much to see. Written by Nina Koziol, garden writer and horticulturist who lives …
Type: Plant Info
… in fall than in spring, when they compete with grass seedlings. Fall is also a good time to assess your lawn. Before you do anything, ask why your lawn is not doing well. Do you have … by the roots, destroying much of the lawn in the process. Core aeration is a much better way to deal with excessive thatch. Lawns should be aerated once a year except during hot, dry … This makes them vulnerable to herbicides. As with most chemical controls, herbicides are best used selectively, by spot spraying individual weeds, rather than treating an entire lawn. …
Type: Plant Info
… carpenter bees have a shiny, hairless abdomen.) It is a deciduous shrub that can grow to a height of 6 feet with arching branches. The plants have narrowly ovate leaves, often with a … In the South, this native of China and Japan is a woody shrub; however, in Illinois, it is best to treat it as a perennial as it may die back during winter. It blooms from July through …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… the new petals unfold. The flowers are large and used in exhibitions. This cultivar was named "Best New Introduction" in the 65th Annual National Chrysanthemum Society show. To make flowers larger, growers will remove the smaller buds so all the plant's energy goes into the remaining buds. The result is a plant with only three to five stems, each topped with a very large flower. This type of chrysanthemum is not reliably …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Red Charm peony ( Paeonia ‘Red Charm’) grows up to 2.5 feet high and is covered with deep-red, ruffled, double flowers from the end of May … hybridized this cultivar near the end of World War II (1944), and the peony went on to win an award from the American Peony Society in 1956. 'Red Charm' is still described as one of the best of the deep-red flowered peonies. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
