Search

  • … the underleaf. The white flowers ion spring are typical of this family. It's relatively small for a stromanthe at just 18 inches by 12 inches, and it takes three years to reach that size. As a native of the Brazilian rain forest, it needs heat and humidity, and it thrives in shade or part shade. All this has combined to make it popular as a houseplant and in containers, since it's not likely to survive in the …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … Pole as far away from the sun as it will be all year, and we experience our shortest day. For the natural world, the Winter Solstice represents a moment of quiet and dormancy. After the first day of winter, the days begin to lengthen again, and with the returning sun comes the promise of new life. The solstice … winters impacted daily life, represent a new beginning. Winter Solstice celebrations continue to be a reminder of how nature’s rhythms replenish and sustain us. Below, read descriptions of …
    Type: Blog
  • … Native to the southeastern United States, blue star ( Amsonia tabernaemontana ) is a herbaceous … the height of the last Ice Age. With Chicago covered in ice, the temperate-zone plants native to North America were restricted to a small band just north of the Gulf of Mexico. Extending from … not able to migrate north as quickly as the ice melted because many of the animals responsible for pollinating and transporting seeds or plant parts had become extinct. Members of the genus …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … A senior horticulturist shares his colorful secrets Smart gardeners are always on the lookout for great container plans. Senior horticulturist Tom Soulsby put together a sunny, happy mix that … within a container’s constraints. Tip 1: Work with the proportions of the space. In the low-to-the-ground containers, no plant is taller than 12 inches, and most are in the 3- to 6-inch range. Keep heights low, but allow for a range—from creeping near the ground to a foot …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … Crab grass control can be spread on lawns in early to mid-April before weeds germinate. For severe problems, a second application might be necessary in early June. …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … Q.  Do you have any gardening gift ideas for Father’s Day?  A.    Unusual gift ideas are sometimes especially hard for the men in our lives. How about celebrating Father’s Day with a rare opportunity to canoe on the lakes of the Chicago Botanic Garden? How about offering to mow the lawn while Dad reads the morning paper or watches his favorite sports team? Birding …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … fluffy clumps of flowers virtually cover the top of white snakeroot (was: Eupatorium rugosum ) for much of the fall. The plant grows up to 5 feet tall and 3 feet wide. Chicago-area gardeners should take care to deadhead this plant before the seeds are dispersed (toward the end of October) to prevent …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … features star-shaped purple-violet flowers with a metallic sheen on loose umbels from 4 to 8 inches across on 1' to 2' plants. Found in nature from Iran and Turkey through Central Asia, and commonly called Star … related. The edible onions sold in the supermarket are all a year old; if held in the garden for a second year, they produce large white flowers, but this comes at the expense of the bulb. …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … in Oregon, and is heat and humidity tolerant. The pale colored leaves make it a target for leaf scorch in hot afternoon sun, so Red Lightning Alumroot would prefer partial to full shade for the best leaf color. It will mature to a leafy mound 11 inches high and 16 inches wide, the scapes of foamy white flowers will appear …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … sedum is a cultivar of the large-flowered, herbaceous, perennial sedums that comes closest to a true red flower color. Growing 18 by 18 inches, this fall-blooming perennial thrives in average soils with average water. The blooms are a butterfly magnet. Hylotelephium used to be called sedum until the DNA was analyzed. Both genera remain members of the Crassulaceae, … of plants discovered with the Crassulean Acid Metabolism (CAM) approach to photosynthesis. For those not familiar with the process, water (H2O) plus carbon dioxide (CO2) in the presence of …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant