… Specialist, Midwest Groundcovers, LLC, St. Charles, IL Panelist: Natives or Nonnatives: That is the Question Trish Beckjord is a registered landscape architect with a master of landscape … degree from the University of Michigan. She specializes in sustainable planting and site design. Beckjord focuses particularly on the integration of native species and native landscapes, and sustainable storm-water management best practices. She has led small-scale ecological restoration and scenic corridor planning …
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… of Tomato-Growing Information Plant a variety of tomatoes and reap the rewards. It's time to plant. Remember these essentials: 1. Tomatoes need root development. Here are two ways to … pair of leaves, then bury it deeply in the ground, right up to the remaining leaves. Either way, rootlets will grow along the stem, increasing the plant’s ability to draw nutrients and … of reaching toward the light, which may produce more sparse, spindly seedlings. How much light is enough? Between 12 and 16 hours. Some people have success with a combination of natural …
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… of small, white, fertile flowers, surrounded by sterile, large, showy white petals that age to pink. One of the larger panicle hydrangeas, this cultivar can grow to 6 to 8 feet tall, and … can be trained to a tree form. It requires regular watering in extreme heat. Hydrangeas are best grown in full sun to partial shade and in moist soil. They bloom on the current season's wood—thus, pruning can be a good way to control growth. They are insect- and disease-resistant, but young plants need protection …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… While zoos and botanic gardens around the world were closed to help flatten the pandemic curve, scientists at the Garden continued to work remotely to ensure the rare species they care for are not lost. This is important because plant species are being lost at an alarming rate, and botanic gardens play a … developed by the zoo community and requires collaboration between gardens to determine the best plants to mate and produce offspring, maximizing diversity while minimizing inbreeding in …
Type: Research
… Woods has transformed a formerly degraded oak woodland remnant into a natural treasure. It is home to five community types and a startling amount of plant and animal diversity. When restoration … Center. Spring ephemerals put on quite a show in springtime, and the nature trail is a great way to experience fall color in the Woods. Many Garden programs use McDonald Woods as an outdoor …
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… Blue and yellow, goldenrods and asters — classic colors of an Illinois autumn. Asters are easy to grow, if you plant them in full sun, in soil that is well-drained but not too rich, and you don't overdo water or fertilizer. But which asters? … the ones an ecologist would choose for a prairie restoration, but those likely to do best in a garden. And they were not necessarily the species and cultivars most often recommended …
Type: Plant Info
… , tulips, allium and specialty bulbs in fall and enjoy vivid color after the long winter. Here is how to plant spring-blooming bulbs: 1. Choose the site Pick a sunny, well-drained area. If soil is … grape hyacinths, ornamental onions, or winter aconites. 8. Create impact Bulbs look best planted in sweeping drifts rather than small clumps. … Nothing says spring like a …
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… scientist here at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I have an incredible job that allows me to work with many wonderful graduate students and a team of researchers to study ways to restore … partners, including the Bureau of Land Management, we are studying which native plants may be best able to handle these growing threats (we refer to them as “native winners”). The ultimate goal is to help make restoration of these plants and habitats as effective as possible in order to …
Type: Blog
… Dahlias are indigenous to Mexico, where they were grown by the Aztecs, who used the tubers as one of their staple foods. … get their “feet” wet, the area should not accumulate water and should drain well. If the soil is clay-like, it should be amended with leaf mulch, compost, or peat moss. Since dahlias should … weather arrives to avoid these pests, as remediation is difficult. Cutting the blooms It is best to cut the blooms in the morning, using a sharp instrument to make a clean cut. The stem can …
Type: Blog
… ‘Nivea’ is a cultivar of the U.S. native wisteria. It can grow to 25’ in length with an 8’ spread. It blooms in June with 6-12” long racemes of fragrant, white … display. There may be one or two additional flushes of bloom in summer. The flowers give way to bean-like seedpods that ripen in fall and may persist into winter. It prefers slightly acidic, moderately moist and fertile, well-drained soils in full sun (needed for best flowering). It can be slow to establish and may require three years or more to flower. Once …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
