… of migrating birds as they search for seeds on coneflowers and coreopsis. The Dixon Prairie is a wonderful 15-acre re-creation of six distinct prairie ecosystems that once spanned thousands … other midwestern states. If you haven’t strolled through this part of the Garden, late summer is a good time to do so. There are more than 250 species of native plants on this open, rolling … in the home garden. Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) By late July, swamp milkweed is in its glory and the cinnamon-scented pink flowers last a month or more. The flowers attract …
Type: Plant Info
… plants that are pollinator friendly and play well with the rest of your blooms. Terracotta is a fantastic companion, so basic pottery can look luxurious next to Peach Fuzz. If you’re a … combining multiple kinds of plants per pot, thoughtfully playing with color and texture. Gray is stylish with Peach Fuzz, so silver-leaved plants make wonderful companions, maybe with white … ‘Firefly Peach Sky’ Yarrow With flat flower heads, yarrow is the perfect perennial for spiky or globe-shaped companions. It’s a taller perennial, 32 to 36 …
Type: Blog
… are equally good for you. They have astringent and decongestant qualities, and their tea is recommended for colds, flu, tonsillitis and fevers. Add 1 to 1½ ounces of raspberry leaves to … several minutes and…voila! Ginger ( Zingiber officinalis ) This has many uses, one of which is a digestive aid. Ginger ale is often used to settle stomachs. The plant's rhizome, or its underground stem, is its useful …
Type: Plant Info
… are the features most gardeners request. And yet the gradual, long-lasting autumn leaf change is one of the most beautiful displays in the plant world. It lasts longer than any spring flower show; it’s different each year; and it occurs in fall, a quiet time when riotous color is least expected. While most of us are familiar with showy sugar maples and majestic red oaks, … in more intimate garden settings. Part of the pleasure in leaf peeping at this time of year is seeing how plants play off each other; how color combinations shift from year to year; how …
Type: Plant Info
… essence," and "the poet's flower." These descriptions alone explain why this flowering vine is cultivated as an indoor plant. Most species of jasmine grown today were originally native to … Jasminum polyanthum The winter-blooming jasmine (sometimes called Chinese jasmine) is one of the easiest to cultivate and is a favorite among growers. A vigorous climber, it usually blooms around Valentine's Day with …
Type: Plant Info
… use as a landscape garden plant. However, the black chokeberry, Aronia melanocarpa , which is more user-friendly, certainly deserves its rising popularity — and serious consideration for … pleasing form than its red-fruiting relative, the aesthetically pleasing Aronia melanocarpa is being heralded throughout the Midwest for its year-round interest. An extremely hardy … of the United States Department of Agriculture, collected plants in Russia to test at an Iowa site. The plants there suckered freely — a trait that may be desirable, depending on the …
Type: Plant Info
… time indoors with some of the most exotic-looking flowers in the plant kingdom. This cactus is a very popular plant, but most people are not aware of its special needs. Not all cacti are … conditions, and homes are often dry. One way to raise the humidity — just for your cactus — is to place the pot with its drip pan on top of a small container filled with pebbles. Pour water … day length provide crucial bloom triggers for the Christmas cactus. The term for this response is "thermo-photoperiodic." Flower buds will form if one of the following conditions is met: a …
Type: Plant Info
… This cultivar is resistant to unsightly leaf spot. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… We’re big on love stories. In the long, glowy days of summer, love is everywhere at the Chicago Botanic Garden —walkers with friends, just-engaged couples , … Questions on love for us. Now we have a crush on all of them. In love with summer roses Summer is the time when everything is coming up roses. We asked senior horticulturist Tom Soulsby to recommend just a few roses he …
Type: Blog
… corsage orchid or “the queen of flowers,” Jenman’s Cattleya orchid ( Cattleya jenmanii ) is a dwarf-pseudobulb member of the large-flowered group of Cattleyas . Its compact habit, along … on tree branches and as a lithophyte on rock outcroppings. In nature, Cattleya jenmanii is reported to flower twice a year; in cultivation, however, it is normally only an autumn bloomer. It requires the normal temperature range of 60 degrees …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
