… of an Illinois autumn. Asters are easy to grow, if you plant them in full sun, in soil that is well-drained but not too rich, and you don't overdo water or fertilizer. But which asters? … Hawke, manager of plant evaluation at the Garden, has already evaluated goldenrods . Now he is finishing up a massive trial of asters (or plants known as asters) – beginning with 180 different plants. He was happy to share the scoop before he finishes the official report on their garden-worthiness, which will appear soon among the Garden's other …
Type: Plant Info
… Cardinal white willow is known for the deep red color of its new growth stems. For that reason, its is most often coppiced (cut to the ground) in late winter to promote new growth. This variety is a female clone. Members of the genus Salix are commonly known as willows. These woody plants …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Sydney golden wattle ( Acacia longifolia ) is native to southeastern Australia, where it grows very quickly, reaching up to 30 feet in five to six years. In its native habitat, it is a shrub or small tree with dark gray, finely fissured bark and green foliage. The common name … and wood. The tree's bark has limited use in tanning, primarily for sheepskin. The plant is also useful for the prevention of soil erosion, securing uninhabited sand in coastal areas, …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Heliconia psittacorum 'Lady Di', commonly called the parakeet flower, is an ever-blooming tropical plant that produces an abundance of bright flowers borne above … red showy bracts (modified petal-like leaves) hold small, tubular flowers. Each true flower is white and has a dark spot at the end, which makes it look like a parrot's tongue. Native to … cold-sensitive species will quickly die if subjected to frost. In USDA Zones 9a and colder, it is used as a container plant and provides extensive color for a long period of time, as do the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… U.S. Navy veteran Anna Andersen is quick to tell you how the Chicago Botanic Garden’s impact on her life goes beyond the beauty … to get done, yet she still gave me opportunities to do it how I wanted to get it done. Which is different than the military. They just told you what to do and didn’t give you a reason for …
Type: Blog
Kohleria are herbacious perennial plants in the gesneriad family native to tropical America. Kohleria ‘Designer Evening Gown’, bred in Taiwan, has nodding flowers with bright pink tubes. The throats are white, heavily spotted with dark purple. The leaves are dark green with purple undersides. Kohlerias are characterized by soft, ovate scalloped leaves and tubular flowers that are covered with …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Kohleria are herbacious perennial plants in the gesneriad family native to tropical America. Kohleria ‘Mother’s Lipstick’ has tubular red flowers densely covered with golden fuzz. The calyx lobes have irregular magenta spots over a white and pale yellow background. It has deep green leaves suffused with reddish-brown. Kohlerias are characterized by soft, ovate scalloped leaves and tubular flowers …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Wetlands Invader Ever wonder what that tall plant with a feathery-tufted top is that you see growing along our roadside ditches? It’s called common reed ( Phragmites … can be very densely populated, and has a tenacious rhizome (underground stem) network, it is a threat to native wetland vegetation and ecosystem function because it physically excludes … Looks can be deceiving—the common reed appears innocuous enough; in fact, to the naked eye, it is almost identical to native Phragmites that have been part of the North American landscape for …
Type: Plant Info
… Daphne willow is an upright shrub that grows to a maximum height of 24 feet. It requires full sun and moist …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… conditions to reach a height of 18 inches. In late spring it produces small white blooms. It is a ground cover. Members of the genus Salix are commonly known as willows. These woody plants …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
