… While Charlie's stromanthe ( Stromanthe 'Charlie') is prized primarily for its striking green and white variegated leaves, it also puts forth … open to display white blooms. This stromanthe, just introduced to the gardening world in 2013, is named after Charlie McDaniel, a Florida teacher and avid horticulturalist who had it in his …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… aster ( Symphyotrichum pilosum var. pringlei 'Monte Cassino') grows to 3 feet in height and is covered in white daisy-like flowers on mounded plants with wispy leaves in late fall. A native … soil, and avoid excessive fertilization to prevent plants from flopping over. This aster is beloved by bees and other pollinators stocking up on pollen and nectar before the onset of …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Weeping Pond Cypress is a deciduous conifer native to the southeastern USA where it can reach up to 100 feet in … the Chicago region. Given it's native range winter temperature equivalent to USDA zone 7, it is another example of woody vegetation that only survived in the refugia of the south during the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Lantanaphyllum viburnum is so named because its foliage is similar to lantana viburnum but more leathery. This hybrid was developed in Holland around …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… terminalis ), bittersweet ( Celastrus scandens ) Description & Symptoms Euonymus scale is part of a group of insects referred to as armored scale. Armored scales live under a … with tiny white lines, particularly on stems and leaf veins. This coating of white lines is the most easily identifiable symptom. White or yellow spots appear on leaf surfaces in … yellow. In severe cases, leaves drop and the plant dies. Treatment & Solutions If possible, site plants where there will be good air circulation. Scale tends to be worse in plants growing …
Type: Plant Info
… the Philippines, New Guinea, southern China, and northern Australia, the Vanda orchid is the national flower of Singapore. It is recognizable as the flower often used in Hawaiian leis. It was discovered in 1613 by Alvin … number of genera, each with its own unique characteristics. A common characteristic, however, is the basic form of the flower, which consists of three petals surrounded by three sepals -- …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… smooth, hefty versions were bred and popularized. Parsnips from the past 'Hollow Crown' is a venerable variety, known before 1825, that's still available today. (Heirloom seed companies … England in 1859, meeting with wild popularity. If the loose, loamy soil that parsnips prefer is exceptionally deep, this parsnip can reach 36 inches in length! Notably sweet—some say the sweetest of all—'The Student' is also said to be redolent of lavender. British seed company Thompson & Morgan is one source for …
Type: Plant Info
… need a windbreak, but a row of evergreens, like arborvitaes, can provide privacy and a nesting site for songbirds. A blanket of snow on their boughs adds winter enchantment in our garden. Eastern arborvitae or northern white cedar, ( Thuja occidentalis ), is a native tree east of the Mississippi. Western arborvitae, ( Thuja plicata ) is found in western North America. Both are sold in Illinois and there are many cultivars. Most …
Type: Plant Info
… Description: This small- to medium-sized shorebird is seen most often on shorelines or mudflats around the Dixon Prairie. …
Type: Birding
… Description: This rare visitor to the lakes is a dark bird. Its pink bill has a white area at the base. …
Type: Birding
