… to talk orchids, yet they're at the top of our minds at the Garden this month, as we prepare for the Orchid Show. This got us thinking: how does a smart gardener care for orchids in the depths of winter? With just a few adjustments to the basics. Today's … is an upside to the short days and lower light of winter: it triggers the flowering process for many orchids. (A caretaking note: stay ahead of long flower stalks by staking them as soon as …
Type: Plant Info
… October’s falling leaves signal a major transition for Chicago-area gardeners. Although daytime temperatures may be pleasant and even balmy this … of next year’s growing season. Garden To-Do List Plant spring bulbs Fall is prime time for planting spring-blooming bulbs. Consider adding new varieties to the yard and bulbs that are … the coming winter weather. Excess fallen leaves can be shredded and kept aside to use as mulch for perennial and garden beds in November, after the ground has frozen hard. Mulch helps regulate …
Type: Plant Info
… scutellarioides brings tropical colors and waves of texture to garden beds and baskets. Grown for its vibrant flashes of foliage, which span the color spectrum from yellow and chartreuse to … is enjoying a revival from its earlier years as a popular Victorian houseplant. The reasons for the current rage center on the plant's adaptability and growers' creativity. Once confined to … soil, these plants survived southern summers with no major problems. This is good news for Chicago-area gardeners who lack shaded yards. Growers have been busily hybridizing …
Type: Plant Info
… lay their eggs in other species' nests. They can be found everywhere at the Garden looking for nests in which to lay their eggs. One female can lay 70 eggs in one season. …
Type: Birding
… Description: This medium-sized, fish-eating bird is often seen perched while searching for small fish, or heard giving a rattling call as it flies from on perch to another. It nests in …
Type: Birding
… Ikebana is one of the traditional arts of Japan, and has been practiced for more than six hundred years. Don't miss this exhibition presented the Sogetsu School of …
Type: Event for Calendar
… in spring. This species prefers consistently moist soils and a slightly shaded environment for best flower production. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 'Twilight Zone', an improved version of native Little Bluestem is the first to color up for fall, adding iridescent silver-mauve tones all over the plant as early as midsummer! Then …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… cover this mounded beauty when grown in full sun and well-drained soils. In fact, it is ideal for rock or crevice gardens and dry walls. Free of most insect and diseases. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… arching cymes gracefully top the dark green, heart-shaped leaves. A wonderful selection for the early spring garden in full sun or under the canopy of deciduous trees. Tolerates the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
