… horsechestnut features bold spikes of pink flowers with yellow eyes rising above the foliage in mid-spring. It has dark green foliage, which emerges light green in spring. The palm-shaped leaves turn yellow in fall, and the fruit is not ornamentally significant. The rough brown bark is not particularly …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Aloe ferox is called bitter aloe in its native South Africa. A large plant with broad, bold foliage, bitter aloe has … sap is used internally as a laxative and externally as a treatment for skin ailments, similar in use to Aloe vera . All members of this genus are protected by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This international agreement regulates the international trade in …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… from drying or damaging winds and harsh afternoon sunlight. These conditions can be achieved in a pot placed in a sheltered location, or as part of a moist understory planting or shady border. It will grow to about five feet tall and wide. It is not hardy in Chicago and must either be brought indoors, or the bulb can be lifted and stored in a cool, …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… raised ridges of pink and pink toothed edges. The all over aspect is of a green aloe washed in pink with darker color toward the leaf tips and older leaves. The flowers are orange and appear in winter into spring. This aloe is not hardy in the Chicago area. It makes a lovely summer accent in garden containers, but should be brought …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… “Ananas” is the name used for pineapple in most languages. It may look like a giant pine cone to English-speakers, but the fruit of this bromeliad is a syncarp to botanists. In Spanish it is ananá or piña. The species name comosus means “tufted” or “crowned”, in this case with a cluster of leaves that can be propagated into another pineapple. Pineapples …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Butterfly milkweed grows to about 2 feet in height with an upright habit. It is smaller in stature than common milkweed, with small narrow leaves that lack milky sap. It works well in a formal garden or a more naturalized setting. 'Hello Yellow' has flowers in round clusters …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… tree that produces a canary-yellow terminal at the tip of the branch and axillary (formed in the leaf axils) corymbose inflorescence (flat-topped clusters of flowers) in winter in the Chicago area. With a native range from Mexico south to Colombia and Venezuela, the flowers …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… is a form of the katsura tree of China and Japan where it is grown for its seasonal beauty. In the spring the delicate heart-shaped leaves emerge and later in the fall they are scented of burnt sugar. later in the fall the leaves change color from yellow, gold pink and red. The Heronswood Globe Katsura …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This round evergreen shrub grows to about 4 feet in height with full sun to partial shade and moderate moisture conditions. In late spring it produces insignificant yellowish-green blooms. It is commonly used in a hedge or a border. This boxwood is more tolerant of sunlight and alkaline soils than the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… buttercups, to which they are related. The flowers have showy clusters of up to 40 stamens in the center. The leaves are round, with long petioles. This species differs from our local species, Caltha palustris , in its larger size. Some authorities believe they are variants of the same species. The native habitat is marshes or ephemeral wet spots in woods. This perennial prefers moist soil and will grow in sun or shade. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
