… along the mid-veins and a dark yellow nectar guide. Complex hybrids sometimes are challenging for home gardeners to grow—proof that not all hybrids are vigorous. Bright light, moderate to cool temperatures, high humidity, and exceptionally well-drained soils that never completely …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… common garden hop ( Humulus lupulus ) were the main calming agents in 'sleepy pillows', used to treat insomnia and headaches until the late 19th century. And mixing hops with boiling water was considered to make a good sedative. Today, these dried female flowers are a main ingredient in beer … Native to Europe and western Asia, Humulus lupulus is an attractive perennial vine suitable for Chicago-area gardens. During July, soft green conelike flowers known as strobiles emerge. …
Type: Plant Info
… Umbrellas forms a very large (3 feet tall by 4 feet wide) mound of dark green leaves that tend to cup downward. This hosta tends to lose its initial bluish color earlier than other blue-leaved hosta. It blooms in June with … flowers held high above the foliage on long stalks called scapes, they are grown primarily for their foliage and neat habit. Hostas are actively hybridized for leaf color, size, shape, and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… flower scapes are almost 3 feet in length and bear lavender flowers which can be attractive to hummingbirds in mid to late summer. Hostas are shade tolerant, easy to grow, and long lived. Although they produce … flowers held high above the foliage on long stalks called scapes, they are grown primarily for their foliage and neat habit. Hostas are actively hybridized for leaf color, size, shape, and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… The brilliant blossoms are those of butterfly milkweed or butterfly weed—curious common names for Asclepias tuberosa , which isn’t a weed at all. A more suitable name might be “butterfly … that butterfly weed was named the 2017 Perennial Plant of the Year. It’s a welcome addition to the home garden. It requires little maintenance, tolerates drought, resists disease, and … which contains latex and complex chemicals (cardenolides) that make the plants unappealing to most animals, including deer and rabbits. Unlike most other milkweeds, butterfly weed does not …
Type: Plant Info
… Q. How do I mulch in preparation for the winter? A. There are some things to remember when preparing to mulch for the upcoming winter months. If you mulched in the spring, check to see how much …
Type: Plant Info
… The pin oak is a native oak widely used for landscaping due to its pleasing habit, relatively fast growth rate and ease of transplanting; … for the oak genus. However, the pin oak prefers acidic soil and is intolerant of alkaline soil to the point of potentially severe chlorosis. In the generally alkaline soils of northeastern …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… controlled environment of the production greenhouse. In the wild, its relatives are clinging to life on remote sandstone gorges in the Blue Mountains of Australia. “It is probably the most … and if available, pollen from a tree at another botanic garden. They will also reserve pollen for a potential future exchange. Find Wollemia nobilis in the Heritage Garden in the summer … a live plant with such historic roots to compare against the fossil record. “In a scientific way, we’ve been looking at the earth in a relatively short period of time,” added Tankersley. …
Type: Blog
… Norway spruce is a tall evergreen tree native to the cool forests of Europe where it can grow to over 200 feet in height. In the US it tends to grow to only about 60 feet tall and about 30 … very large pyramidal tree with stiff, dark needles and graceful pendulous branches is good for large yards and open spaces. A classic evergreen tree for large spaces as either a specimen …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… scene with intricately-shaped lavender flowers above bronze-tinted new foliage. Selected for cultivation by noted German plantsman, Ernst Pagels, this low-growing, hardy ground cover is perfect for shady locations. Once established (after 2 to 3 years), Epimedium grandiflorum 'Lilafee' can tolerate some dryish soils in summer. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
