… programs. My main focus is supporting the Garden’s local, regional, and national efforts to increase the supply of native seed for habitat restoration. I help manage the Plant Conservation Alliance Non-Federal Cooperator Committee and the Garden’s work to live up to its Commitment to Indigenous Communities. I have nearly 20 years of experience as a …
Type: Staff bio
… are tiny insects often seen hovering above moist soil of indoor plants. They are attracted to damp soil mixes that contain peat moss or shredded pine bark where they lay their eggs. The … where they can do extensive damage, particularly in greenhouse propagation situations. To reduce the gnat population, change the environment they prefer: avoid overwatering indoor … cover the soil with an inch of sharp sand to deter egg laying. Insecticides are available for professional greenhouse use but are not normally recommended for the occasional home problem. …
Type: Plant Info
… can eat them like grapes. 'Hardy Red' kiwi vine is female, and that's important if you want to grow it for the fruit as well as the flowers, because you'll need a male vine for pollination. 'Hardy Red' is hardy to -25, so you can be confident Chicago winters won't faze it. And it's happy in full sun or …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Short-leaf Aloe was winner of the RHS Garden Award of Merit in 2002 for being one of the first aloes to be successfully cultivated in Europe. As the name implies, this aloe has very short stubby … decorative three inch wide rosettes and cluster together form a dense mound of rosettes up to about a foot tall. Orange flower spikes up to 24 inches tall appear in spring. It prefers a …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Reddish-pink buds open to white flowers on Donald Wyman crabapple. The fruit is glossy red and persistent into winter. … Crabapples are small flowering trees that provide a showy display in the spring landscape for one to two weeks. In addition to the eye-catching buds and flowers, their foliage, habit, and fruit …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Peonies are popular garden plants, known for their stunning flowers, their cold hardiness and the huge variety of their colors, forms and habits. They are divided into two main groups: herbaceous, which die to the ground in the fall, and tree peonies, deciduous plants with woody stems which they retain … is classified as early, mid and late – ‘Margaret Clark’ is a late season bloomer. It grows to 34” tall, taking on a shrubby appearance throughout the summer, then dies to the ground in the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… profuse clusters of white flowers in spring. During the summer the foliage is green maturing to yellow and bronze in the fall. Snowfall grows to about seven feet tall and wide. Eastern ninebark is a deciduous shrub that is native to the … is found along streams and in dry areas such as woodlands and rocky areas. Ninebark is named for its peeling bark on mature branches which reveal lighter bark underneath, although this is …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Classic dark red tulip on sturdy long stems that is ideal for forcing or planting as an annual in the garden. Outdoors, plant as soon as the bulbs (and … a more robust root system before the chill of winter sets in, making them primed and ready to burst into flower in spring. If a bit of cheer is required to fight off the winter doldrums, place the purchased bulbs in a flower pot as tightly packed as …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Oblong grey green leaves provide contrast in the garden landscape and a savory addition to the traditional Thanksgiving stuffing (and other dishes). Full sun and soils that don't remain moist for long periods are keys to its success in Chicago area gardens. This plant has been used for medicinal purposes …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… features fully double orange, scarlet, and yellow blooms above dark green foliage that grows to 16 inches in height during cool weather. When temperatures warm, the plants stop growing and store their nutrients in bulbs. For this reason, the seeds are sown in a cool greenhouse in winter, six weeks before bloom time. The bulbs, which resemble a hand with fingers, are hardy to 10 degrees Fahrenheit, and can be harvested and kept in a cool dark place until next winter, …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
