… Liz is an interdisciplinary researcher who does both ecological research and the work of sharing that … can easily understand and implement. Given the challenge in lawn enhancement and replacement is that so many disparate homeowners are decision-makers, reaching these audiences with how-tos that feel doable is a vital part of making this research work. Liz splits her time between the practicalities of …
Type: Staff bio
… The Fraser fir is native to the Appalachian Mountains. It is a relatively small tree compared to other firs with a mature height between 30 and 50 feet. … the tree whole, but slowly disintegrate as the seeds are dispersed. Their most common habitat is mountainous regions, where they enjoy cool summers and good, rich soil. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… tubular flowers have a dusky plum-purple upper lip and a white lower lip. Beneath each flower is a spiny bract that is white with green veins. This perennial is marginally hardy in the Chicago area and may not flower after an extremely cold winter. It …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… an upright oval tree that can reach a height of 70 feet with a 35 fot spread. The sugar maple is an excellent shade tree for lawns and parks. Tiny yellowish-green flowers appear in spring … color are shades of red. One of the best known trees of eastern North America, sugar maple is as prized for its ornamental value as for the syrup produced from its sap. It is a favorite maple for fall color. Sugar maples should be planted in well-drained soils. They …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Achillea 'Moonshine' is a clump-forming perennial with small yellow flowers tightly clustered together in large, … Horticultural Society. It likes full sun and dry conditions and tolerates drought well. It is attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds while resistant to deer and rabbits. The genus name Achillea is in reference to Achilles, hero of the Trojan Wars in Greek mythology, who used the plant …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 'Balvinolet' is a member of the New Vintage™ series. It has small rosy violet flowers with creamy centers … to 14 inches high with feathery, fernlike foliage. It blooms from early summer until fall. It is attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds while resistant to deer, rabbits and drought. The genus name Achillea is in reference to Achilles, hero of the Trojan Wars in Greek mythology, who used the plant …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… The stems are very thin, wiry and dark purple. Each individual leaflet, called a “pinnule” is shaped like a miniature fan, resembling ginkgo leaves. This fern is fond of moist woodland conditions and limestone cliffs. It grows in the southern half of the … be an elegantly textured addition to the shade garden in the South. In the Chicago area it is best grown in a greenhouse. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… so it would be safe to plant in around children's play areas. CRUSADER™ cockspur hawthorn is derived from the hawthorns native to north-eastern America. It bears attractive white flowers in the spring and edible red fruits in the fall and is a large broad tree with horizontal branches growing to 35 feet wide and high. Like most hawthorns it is susceptible to a range of diseases especially rust and fireblight although with careful …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Often seen in floral arrangements and bouquets, ‘Lucifer’ is an eye-catching cultivar with brilliant red, tubular flowers that appear in mid-summer on … pleated and swordlike and emerge from a corm. Crocosmias like it warm, and although ‘Lucifer’ is considered the hardiest for the Chicago area, it is best planted in full sun in a south-facing location close to a wall; plant the corms 3 inches …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… rainforests of eastern Brazil where they grow on the forest floor. Absolute Zero earth star is a favored plant for terraria for its dramatic foliage. The plant is rosette-shaped with dark brown leathery leaves with silvery bands radiating from the center of the plant. This plant is grown for its dramatic foliage as the white flowers are relatively inconspicuous. Earth Stars …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
