… thing, there are several wild species of Rudbeckia growing in the region and several cultivars with bigger and/or fancier flowers that have been developed for people’s gardens. My favorite, … the familiar common black-eyed Susan is a short (about 1 – 2 feet), often annual or biennial with simple leaves, whereas sweet black-eyed Susan is a much taller (3 – 5 feet) perennial with three-lobed leaves. Also, sweet black-eyed Susan begins blooming when common black-eyed …
Type: Plant Info
… With their bright colors and unusual shapes, gourds are not only beautiful, but are also a … gourds that sometimes grow more than 20 inches in diameter; the smaller ornamental gourds with thick, soft shells; and the less commonly grown luffa gourds that are valued in Europe for … outside to the garden when all danger of frost has passed. Some gardeners cover the ground with black plastic to absorb sunlight and warm the soil since gourd plant roots need as much heat …
Type: Plant Info
… and choosing their plants, they should first take care of their "dirty" business. Starting with and maintaining healthy soil is fundamental to good gardening, but too often it is … all sizes, ranging from the largest (gravel) to the finest (clay), which cannot be seen even with an ordinary microscope. Soil particles have sides or edges that play an important role in … feet tread on soil day after day? What happens when gardeners tamp down a moist planting area with heavy boots? The soil becomes compacted. The spaces collapse, squeezing out air and water, …
Type: Plant Info
… Winter is always a good time to slip into a chair with some hot chocolate and do a little reading. A good book or magazine lets readers … pull up a chair and immerse yourself in whatever tweaks your fancy—growing perennials, cooking with herbs, attracting butterflies, or perhaps exploring the wild journeys of international plant … to garden magazines, Pollak says, “I definitely love The English Garden. I always get inspired with every issue, for both plant choices and design ideas in every article. The color photos and …
Type: Plant Info
… This is a task for late April and May, when the leaves are just a few inches tall. A spade with a sharp edge, a garden fork, and a bread knife or a trowel with a serrated edge are some of the tools that make the job fairly simple. Dig up the entire … Siberian irises produce fewer, smaller flowers. For Siberian irises, dig up the entire plant with a fork or spade and set the clump on a tarp or the ground. This is where a serrated trowel, …
Type: Plant Info
… the incredible flowering diversity at the Chicago Botanic Garden during Pride Month in June. With late spring flowers, such as peonies and phlox, overlapping with the early summer blooms such as echinacea and milkweed, there is an overabundance of blooms, … some people prefer the large bright flowers that demand your attention, others love those with a heady scent that recall wonderful memories of times past, and still others prefer the …
Type: Blog
… The Dune Willow Wading through frigid flood waters with a GPS unit, David Johannesen searched for the 12 remaining dune willows ( Salix syrticola ) … an important role in Illinois Beach’s dune and swale landscape—dry sandy ridges alternating with wet depressions—which features a mosaic of uncommon prairies, savannas, and globally rare … the cuttings at the Garden. Photos by Gretel Kiefer. Survival through creative cloning Working with a sense of urgency, a team from Plants of Concern and the Illinois Department of Natural …
Type: Blog
… snow or through mulch to nibble on the tender bark of young trees, which makes them unpopular with gardeners. Short-tailed shrews and masked shrews are also active. These mouse-sized … At the Garden, you may see common grey squirrels or black squirrels—simply grey squirrels with black fur. You may also spot the less common fox squirrels that are larger, with a hint of orange in their grey coat. At night, McDonald Woods rustles with the movement of …
Type: Plant Info
… and well watered. It also needs an ideal combination of cool nights and sun-filled days, with a minimum of thunderstorms that often rip off the leaves before they are ready. Finally, the … together, we will have the show of shows this month. October is truly a transitional time — with great abundance and harvest followed by drastic change. As the tall trees begin to color up, … color), hackberry, Wildfire sour gum, and Green Mountain sugar maple. Additional highlights guaranteed to light sparks include Avalanche crabapples and Somerset red maples. Many future …
Type: Walks
… array of tips to care for your lawn. These are turf tips that will turn your neighbors green with envy, and help the environment as they green the grass. First Things First A beautiful lawn starts with the right environment. Enough sunlight is key, as well as at least 8 inches of good, fertile … pay for. Invest in high-quality seeds, but don't limit yourself to one type; lawns flourish with a mixture of grass types. Here at the Garden, we have found success with a mix of 80 percent …
Type: Plant Info
