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  • … produce purple, pink, salmon or yellow flowers. Lewisias come from high mountain areas known for exceptionally well drained soils. Plant high in very well drained soils and try to keep water …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … restaurants and into your kitchen in these scrumptious recipes that will have you clamoring for more.  Meg Dhamer, private chef and owner, The Secret Supper Club ITW Kitchen 3, Learning …
    Type: Item Detail
  • … chemicals that can leach onto nearby pavers and sidewalks. Rubber “mulch” might be good for playgrounds under swings and slides, but it’s not helpful for perennials, trees, or shrubs. Unlike organic mulches that break down and provide nutrients, rubber won’t do that. Neither will rocks or stones that are sometimes sold for mulch purposes. You can use your own compost, shredded leaves, untreated grass clippings, or …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … when used in perennial borders, city gardens, and containers. Since most varieties thrive for only a few years, gardeners should treat tulips as short-lived perennials. However, there are … perform exceptionally well year after year. Gardeners use tulips to provide spectacular color for the entire spring season by selecting varieties for early, mid-, and late spring. Typical flowering times for the Chicago area: Early Flowering …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … Live balled and burlapped trees or those planted in containers can remain in the house for no more than one week before they break their dormancy. Trees must be acclimated gradually to indoor conditions before they are brought inside for one week and then acclimated gradually to outdoor conditions before they are planted in the … the pot away from direct sun, drafts, and heating vents. As the stalk grows, rotate the pot for even growth. Most amaryllis send up the stalk and flowers first. After flowering, allow the …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … flowers in mid-June. It can be trained to grow both laterally or vertically and is not a vine for small spaces. Dropmore Scarlet honeysuckle ( Lonicera x brownii ‘Dropmore Scarlet’ ) The hardiest of the honeysuckle vines for Northern gardens and the one with the longest bloom period, Dropmore Scarlet is also a non-invasive honeysuckle. Full sun is best for the showiest flowers, although the vine will tolerate partial shade. The red flowers persist …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … on what it means to grow, remember, and reclaim When Angela Taylor, wellness director for the Garfield Park Community Council, thinks about growing food, she thinks about freedom. She … than convenience.  “Independence,” Taylor says. “That’s truly what it means to me.”   Join us for the panel on Wednesday, July 8, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the Garfield Park Conservatory to … Side, brings food access, neighborhood wellness, and community care into one growing space.   For generations of Black Americans, the relationship between land, food, and freedom has been …
    Type: Blog
  • … Those of us who live in northerly climes refer to our family and friends who head south for the winter as snowbirds. A different kind of snowbird comes to northern Illinois for the winter. It's the dark-eyed junco, a chatty, active bird that brightens the woods, shrubby … in conifer trees at night. At the Garden just before dusk, these birds fly into evergreens for their evening sleep. The Dwarf Conifer Garden offers some respite for these hardy winter …
    Type: Birding
  • … (petals) that can withstand spring winds and rain, down to charming 4-inch miniatures perfect for rock gardens or containers. Colors extend well beyond yellow and white to shades approaching … to three to four times the height of the bulb, measuring from the bottom of the planting hole. For backyard gardens, create clusters of five to seven or nine bulbs per group, leaving 3 inches … produce vigorous growth the following spring. Narcissus are insect-and disease-resistant and, for those who garden with wildlife watching, they are of no interest to deer, rabbits, and other …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … Ananas comosus . Native to South America The pineapple plant was cultivated by local people for hundreds of years before colonialism and the age of exploration transported it to China, the … Hawaii, where it became synonymous with the islands' image. The Victorians, in their zeal for collecting exotic plants, grew pineapple "under glass," furthering its reputation as a … help of steam boilers, which raised the temperature and humidity to the high levels necessary for good growth. Ananas A member of the bromeliad family, Ananas is a diverse group of more than …
    Type: Plant Info