… It serves as a screen in our gardens. Native to the Balkans, this pine reaches heights of 30' to 50'. Relatively compact and somewhat slow-growing, it retains its lower branches better than most white pines and can function as a screen. It is distinguished by clusters of five dark-green needles. Unusual, seldom-used pine. It needs …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This toad lily has excellent foliage through the early season and is then capped by terminal clusters of unusual, tricolored flowers. The blooms, which range from white to pink, have crimson spots inside and a yellow eye. Underused because it's not known, this plant is a delightful addition to the shade garden. Use it as an accent plant, container plant or ground cover in a woodland …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Allium senescens , also known as German garlic, is a tough perennial for the Chicago area with pink or lavender flowers from July through August. … wide when grown in full sun and well-drained soil. Butterflies, moths, and bees are attracted to the flowers, while the sap from the bruised leaves and bulbs is reported to deter insects and moles. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Queen Victoria Agave is a variable succulent with ball rosettes of straight or incurved, triangular-oblong, white-marked dark green leaves 6 to 12 inches long with thick rounded tips, each with a brown terminal spike. The leaf margins are entire but may have small white spines. In summer, it bears erect or curved racemes 12 to 15 feet long and creamy white flowers sometimes tinged purple. It is found in California and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… CHARM™ elm emerge glossy red then turn dark green in summer and yellow in fall. This tree is a Chicagoland Grows® selection. Chicagoland Grows® is a plant introduction partnership of the … the Morton Arboretum and the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois formed to promote plant cultivars that perform well in northern Illinois. This variety was developed at the Morton Arboretum for its resistance to Dutch elm disease. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 'Pachara Delight' is a classic "blue" orchid. The petals are a deep violet-blue and "tesselated"—spotted in a neat … species because it can thrive at lower temperatures than many other showy orchids since it is native to the Himalayan foothills from Assam east to China and Vietnam. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… fall. The billowy mounds of foliage on this cultivar top out at 4 feet in size (in comparison to the species, which can grow 5 to 6 feet tall). Grow in full sun, in low-fertility soils, and water only during the most severe droughts once the root system is established. This boltonia is a butterfly magnet. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… One of the latest of the late bloomers, balsam aster ( Aster ageratoides ) is a true aster native to eastern Asia. The plants grow vigorously into bushy 3-foot plants with small, dark-green, … In October and into November, they are topped with intense violet buds that slowly open to reveal contrasting yellow centers. When fully open, the flowers become lavender. As a late …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… In late summer and fall, the flat-topped light pink to white flower heads of stardust showy sedum ( Hylotelephium spectabile 'Stardust') are a great … that dries out periodically, and avoid excess fertilization that would encourage the stems to get too tall and flop over. Tolerant of droughts once the root system is well-established, this fall bloomer is insect-, disease-, rabbit-, and deer-resistant. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Geum ‘Mai Tai’ stands 16 – 18 inches tall and blooms in late April to early June with ruffled, semi-double apricot to peach flowers that fade as they mature. The flowers are 1 ½ inches across and face outward, held on tall wiry burgundy stems. This is a member of the Cocktails™ series bred by Brent Horvath of Intrinsic Perennial Gardens. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
