… keep them over the winter? A. Your waterlilies' ability to survive the winter outdoors depends on whether the plants are hardy or tropical. Hardy waterlilies rated cold-hardy for Zone 5 will survive winter temperatures in the Chicago area for years, providing the rhizomes do not freeze during the winter. Tropical waterlilies are …
Type: Plant Info
… Bright yellow flowers on this dancing lady orchid can last for a month or more each; dozens of flowers per stem. Grow indoors in bright light, high … Move outdoors in summer and fertilize weekly with a dilute foliar feed to build up energy for the flowering cycle in winter. The orchid family consists of a large number of genera, each …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… at ground level under brush or other protective covering. They usually leave their nests only for short times, following well-defined routes as they forage for food. Voles do not hibernate and are active all winter, often tunneling through snow to reach … other devices to scare voles away have not proven to be effective. For additional information on voles, please contact Plant Information Services at (847) 835-0972 or email . …
Type: Plant Info
… limbs of 30 whitespire birch trees to reveal their brilliant stems. While it's not necessary for the health of the trees, the task does make the trees more beautiful — and luckily, it is … spell in early November, so the task was a pleasant one. Be gentle. Don't use rough scrubbers on tree limbs as you may damage the bark and invite pests or diseases to infect the tree. Soft … sponges, loofahs, and old T-shirts work well. Try not to remove any lichens that are growing on the trees as these are beneficial plants in the community. Moisten, scrub, and rinse. …
Type: Plant Info
… Q. What is the difference between a systemic insecticide and one you spray directly on the plant? A. Although both systemic and contact spray insecticides can be applied directly to … and circulated so that the entire plant contains the insecticide. When an insect then feeds on any part of the plant, it ingests some of the insecticide. Systemic solutions are more … circulated through the plant's vascular system. Contact sprays are intended to kill insects on contact and are effective only when the insects are present on the plant. Most offer little …
Type: Plant Info
… Q. Please give me some information on the flowering witch hazel that blooms in March. A. Vernal witch hazel, or Hamamelis vernalis , … orange and red. Witch hazel not only tolerates partial shade and wet, clay soils but also puts on a brilliant autumn foliar display when its large, mittenlike leaves turn golden or bronze. Many cultivars of Hamamelis are on display throughout the Garden …
Type: Plant Info
… downy clematis is an especially hardy plant. It will tolerate cold and wind and can be sited on north or northeast facing walls. It grows 6 to 10 feet and blooms in the spring, producing … appearance of a double flower. This clematis makes an ideal container plant but can also grow on a pergola. It is a member of clematis pruning group 1. Plants flower early on old wood and usually do not require major pruning. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Exotic chocolate-red flowers with yellow throats hang on long stems below the dark green foliage on this large growing tropical vine from southern India. In conservatories and warm climates it … flower year-round. Sun rich locations with moist, well drained soils and a stout arbor to grow on are key to success with this species. Described by a Royal Horticulture Society plant …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… there advantages to routinely spraying my trees with oils? A. Routine spraying of any product on healthy trees really doesn’t make much sense. If the tree has been under attack in the past … hickory, redbud, blue spruce, black walnut, beech, Douglas fir and several other evergreens. For these trees, a lighterweight version, sometimes called horticultural or summer oil, is …
Type: Plant Info
… The unusually tall, narrow shape of the "hood" on each flower earned this monkshood a place in Finnish mythology as the source of the … monks. They attract a variety of butterflies and moths, and are the primary food source for Old World bees. Another common name, wolfbane, refers to the poison made from this plant's …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
