… This Asian native is an evergreen shrub that grows to 4’. It blooms in late May with clusters of white flowers. Like all rhododendrons, it prefers well-drained, fertile, acidic soil in partial shade. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… full sun to partial shade and moderate moisture conditions. It has yellow and white blooms in May and June and belongs in a hedge or a ground cover. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… July ushers in peak summer weather for our USDA cold hardiness zones, with average daily temperature hovers in the mid-70s, making it the warmest month of the year. Furthermore, government models anticipate hotter, drier summers in the future. For gardeners, it’s important to monitor moisture levels, especially for new …
Type: Plant Info
… open faces and Orientals (if they are fortunate enough to survive the rabbits) coming later in summer, broadcasting fragrance and elegance in spite of their splotches and speckles. In between all this action are the alliums, bridging spring and summer with a surprising array of …
Type: Plant Info
… Description: This heron can be seen wading in water, spearing fish with its long beak, or flying over with neck and legs tucked. One of the most peaceful summer scenes at the Garden is observing a great blue heron standing in one of the lakes. The great blue stands 4 to 4 1/2 feet tall and has a blue-gray back; long, … heron takes off, revealing its 6-foot wingspan and looking like a prehistoric flying dinosaur. In flight, the great blue can be confused with the similarly sized sandhill crane. But the heron …
Type: Birding
… The most common year-round woodpecker at the Garden is frequently spotted-especially in the McDonald Woods and Barbara Brown Nature Reserve. Even on the coldest day in winter, you might see or hear a Downy Woodpecker give its whinnylike call in the woods at the Garden. This hardy, adaptable bird is built to get food left by other birds …
Type: Birding
… the versatile herb, rosemary. Rosmarinus officinalis is an evergreen shrub hardy to zone 6. In its native Mediterranean environment, it can reach 6 feet, but in Chicago, gardeners are more accustomed to its dainty growth patterns. The pale blue flowers … will help gardeners maintain healthy rosemary all year. Rosemary is happiest when grown in a soilless mix, which is a composition of vermiculite, perlite, and coarse peat. In the wild, …
Type: Plant Info
… lines is the most easily identifiable symptom. White or yellow spots appear on leaf surfaces in response to scale feeding. Timing & Life Cycle Euonymus scale spends the winter as a mated adult female that then lays eggs in the spring. These eggs hatch into tiny immature scales called crawlers that, for a brief … or white spots appear on upper and lower leaf surfaces. The entire leaf may turn yellow. In severe cases, leaves drop and the plant dies. Treatment & Solutions If possible, site plants …
Type: Plant Info
… for many years? A. Most of the large hybrid tulips planted today are not true perennials in the Chicago area. Tulips require moisture in spring, when they are actively growing, followed by a dry, dormant period during summer. After tulips fade, most gardeners plant annuals in their place—plants that require constant watering throughout the summer. This excess moisture …
Type: Plant Info
… Q. I already fertilized my lawn in the spring. Should I do it again in the fall? A. Late summer or early fall is an important time to apply fertilizer to lawns. The summer heat and fluctuations in precipitation have stressed lawns. A cool-season fertilizer gives the turf time recuperate and …
Type: Plant Info
