… have put an end to tender annuals, herbs, and most perennials. If you haven’t brought in your houseplants from their summer vacation, do it now. “It’s definitely time to bring them in,” said Tom Tiddens , the Garden’s plant healthcare supervisor. If you’ve left your tropical houseplants outdoors, the leaves were likely damaged. “Tropicals need to come in when the night temperatures drop to 45 degrees Fahrenheit,” he said. If palm trees, spider …
Type: Plant Info
… on how to find moments of peace and self-reflection at the Chicago Botanic Garden this summer—in the music of a historic violin, the grace of old bonsai, the art of a Japanese dry garden ( … I need solitude. I have come forth to this hill at sunset to see the forms of the mountains in the horizon — to behold and commune with something grander than man." —Henry David Thoreau, … to our Green Roof Garden on the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center. In the rooftop garden, you can sit on a bench to read, to write, to live in the moment. Take in …
Type: Blog
… change, many gardeners are reconsidering the important roles that native plants can play in home landscapes. But just because a plant has been growing somewhere for as long as anyone can … doesn't mean it's a native plant! Important to the ecosystem Native plants are those found in a specific region that began growing there naturally, without being introduced either directly … But the closer they naturally grew to where you live, the more adapted they are to conditions in your landscapes. When choosing ornamental plants, it's easy to forget how important native …
Type: Plant Info
… Europe, Australasia, Asia, southwest China, Tibet, Myanmar, northern India, and New Guinea. In their natural habitats, the plants vary in size from creeping at ground level to 80 feet tall. The genus comprises five main groups: … Small-leaf (lepidote) rhododendrons include some of the hardiest of all evergreen plants in the genus. Vireya rhododendrons are evergreen but frost tender, generally grown in a …
Type: Plant Info
… be at least 1 foot long, cut when the temperature is above freezing. Lay branches overnight in a bathtub filled with room-temperature water. Make cross cuts in stem ends or smash the ends of very large branches so they can quickly take up water. Arrange them in a bucket or vase and keep them in a 60-degree room out of direct sunlight. Change the water …
Type: Plant Info
… Gardens and gardening are among the great joys in life. Mosquitoes can take a bite out of this pleasurable pastime unless preventive strategies … through the bite of a mosquito that has previously bitten a diseased bird. Most mosquitoes in the Chicago area are annoying but pose no serious health hazard. The Illinois Department of … Garden Recommendations The following preventive steps can be taken to eliminate mosquitoes in gardens. Eliminate Areas of Standing Water Efforts should be focused on preventing adult …
Type: Plant Info
… Now that both temperature and leaves are falling, a gardener's thoughts turn to planting bulbs. In an April Smart Gardener , our headline read: " Plan Now, Plant Later ." Now is time to "plant … bulbs, like most spring bulbs, prefer cooler soil, ideally below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. In general, that occurs about two to four weeks before the ground freezes. TIP: If your daffodil bulbs arrive earlier than cool temperatures do, store them in a paper bag (not plastic—too much moisture retention) in a cool place until temps drop. Where …
Type: Plant Info
… or big-box store has sprays and cans of paint designed for outdoor use. Many paints now come in an assortment of wild colors—mauve, purple, yellow, red, violet, and blue—and include primer, … Secure it to the side of a wall or fence and let it reveal other parts of the garden. Placed in a shady site, the mirror will lighten things up. Group It Not using those old colorful bowling … them as garden globes and place them so the finger holes are on the bottom. Stagger them in a border or in a row alongside a path. Place some on birdbath pedestals to add height. Unlike …
Type: Plant Info
… material, such as compost or shredded leaves, clay soil becomes compacted. Plants that thrive in clay tend to have soil-busting root systems that can handle the compaction. A few examples are … clay and occasional drought. This clump-forming grass grows 2 to 3 feet tall and blooms in midsummer. Some gardeners say the flowers smell like popcorn or cilantro. Pair it with purple … Sunny and Moist Swamp milkweed ( Asclepias incarnata ) is a native prairie plant that thrives in roadside ditches and in open spaces. In its native habitat, this milkweed grows in marshes, …
Type: Plant Info
… Lanceleaf coreopsis is a compact plant that grows up to 2 feet tall and is useful in the perennial garden. Larger than some other coreopsis flowers, the lanceleaf produces 2-inch-diameter yellow blooms in early summer. This species is a sun-loving native to our Illinois prairies. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
