… heart-shaped which turn yellow in the fall. In early spring before the leaves appear, the tree is covered with masses of violet-pink flowers that spring straight from the bare trunks and which … early season sustenance to hummingbirds and a range of other pollinators. Ace of Hearts is a dwarf redbud, designed for smaller gardens, reaching heights of only 9 to 12 feet and widths of 10-15 feet with a graceful spreading growth habit. It is a suitable understory planting if able to get a few hours of direct light during the day. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… nonhardy, evergreen shrub from Central America. Winter hardy in USDA zones 7 and warmer, it is used as an annual in Chicago-area gardens. Full sun in the hottest microclimates available in your garden and average soils are keys to success in the Upper Midwest. Once the plant is rooted in, you will need water only during extended droughts. It's insect and disease resistant, and is difficult to overwinter indoors because of the full sun and warm temperature requirements. …
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
… early. The plant grows 15 to 25 feet in height with a spread exceeding its height, and it is highly admired for its wonderful horizontal branches. Use the Japanese maple as a specimen … flowers. The samaras, or winged fruits, mature in fall and turn a rich red. Fall color is outstanding, ranging from yellow to red to purple. This lovely small tree, native to the Far East, can be grown only in very protected areas if you live in USDA Zone 5. It is an exceptional small ornamental maple. Archived Copy: This content was captured before …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… early. The plant grows 15 to 25 feet in height with a spread exceeding its height, and it is highly admired for its wonderful horizontal branches. Use the Japanese maple as a specimen … flowers. The samaras, or winged fruits, mature in fall and turn a rich red. Fall color is outstanding, ranging from yellow to red to purple. This lovely small tree, native to the Far East, can be grown only in very protected areas if you live in Zone 5. It is an exceptional small ornamental maple. Archived Copy: This content was captured before …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Sweet flag is a wetland species in the arum family resembling cattails or sweet flag iris, with narrow, rigid leaves up to three feet tall. This is a shorter variety, topping out at about two feet. The leaves have ridges and the bases have a red tinge. The flower is a curious little yellow-green spike (called a “spadix”). It shoots out at an angle from a stem …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Walmsley's Blue Aloe is a nice soft green and blue succulent. Lacking the ferocious toothed aspect of some aloe … green. I reproduces by off-sets quickly and will provide a full green cluster quickly. This is a indoor succulent, the flowers are orange and appear in winter and spring. In full sun the … tips and edges. The foliage will look lovely in containers and on flowerbed edges, but it is not hardy in Chicago and would need to come indoors for the frosty months. Archived Copy: This …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… of green leaves. The flowers are orange with faint purple streaks. The straight species is native to high mountain ranges from Turkey to northwest India, where it is subject to drought most of the year, but subject moist soil in late winter to early spring when the snow melts. Plant this cultivar in full sun, in very well-drained soil. This is a great selection if deer and rabbits are a problem because the bulbs produce a skunk-like …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This plant is an echinacea which is native to eastern north America. It gets its name from the center of the flowers that look … stems with dark green leaves. It prefers full sun to part shade and well-drained soils but is adaptable to clay and rocky soils. During the summer the plant will attract butterflies and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Dicentra cucullaria is a native American wildflower found in middle and eastern North America. It is also known as Dutchman’s Breeches. It grows 6 – 12 inches high and blooms in early spring. The … the elaiosome and discard the seeds, effectively planting more Dicentra. Dicentra cucullaria is resistant to deer and rabbits and hardy in zones 3 to 7. Archived Copy: This content was …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
