… A quick primer for successful combinations Every gardener is an artist. After all, you “paint” your garden with plants. Just as an artist moves paint from … coleus makes for a hot-colored tapestry that feels tropical and exotic. At the other extreme is a grouping of pale blue ageratum, pastel pink roses, and white sweet alyssum, which creates a …
Type: Plant Info
… this variety for more than a hundred years and that his mother used it to make a dish that is similar to sauerkraut. Ellen Felton Dark As a Chicagoan, I have always appreciated that … it’s nice seeing their bright green stalks against the snow when everything else in the garden is long gone! And I love that I am almost always able to have some collards on the Thanksgiving table. Ellen Felton Dark is one of those greens that can thrive even in cold weather—down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. A …
Type: Blog
… if you don’t want a brown, unruly patch of land. Conservation scientist Becky Barak, Ph.D., is looking to change that assumption. By studying alternatives to traditional turfgrass, she and … Research. In 2022, Barak received a Biota Award from the Walder Foundation; this award, which is given to early-career researchers who are working on biodiversity restoration, allowed the … meadow and prairie plots include flowering plants, in addition to grasses and sedges. A new site at Uptown Coastal Natural Area with the Chicago Park District is planted with a range of …
Type: Blog
… A Multifaceted Resource A herbarium (say the “h”) is a place where preserved plants are collected and classified. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Nancy Poole Rich Herbarium is home to 12,000 specimens of plants—from our own Cook County backyard and the Upper Midwest—all … database and images available online via vPlants: The Chicago Regional Virtual Herbarium . The site contains data for 80,000 plant specimens, and can provide real-time reference for scientists …
Type: Plant Info
… in pop culture. Here are just a few of our favorites from 2022. Chatting up your plants is in vogue Of the people who talk to their plants, one in five say they do so every day, according to the survey by Trees.com. The plant talkers mostly chat with their houseplants, but 62 percent also talk to their … including Clematis ‘Princess Diana’ and the Ingrid Bergman® hybrid tea rose (Rosa 'Poulman'). Quick quiz: The first new-to-science plant species in 2022 was named after… Leonardo DiCaprio …
Type: Blog
… one simple habit to pick up: deadheading. Deadheading—removing spent or browning blooms—is one of the easiest and most effective ways to encourage more flowers. It’s quick, satisfying, and helps your plants look their best. Heather Sherwood, a senior … Deadheading doesn’t have to be complicated, but a little care improves results. “My advice is to trim back to the strongest growing point,” Sherwood said. “That’s not always at the first …
Type: Blog
Popped under a windowsill or placed on the ground, a window box offers a chance to create plant combinations that wow in sun or shade. Filled with flowers or colorful foliage, they add character and cottage charm whether underneath a window or perched on a deck railing. In this video, Heather Sherwood, senior horticulturist, shares her expert tips for planting window boxes that are visually …
Type: Blog
… for the winter, they may smother your lawn, especially if it was seeded earlier this fall and is just getting established. If the ground is too soft to push a mower over, carefully rake some of the leaves off the new grass before … leaf mulch reduces soil temperatures in the summer, retains moisture, and suppresses weeds. It is a valuable soil amendment and adds a finished look to garden beds. Mulched areas around trees …
Type: Plant Info
… the tray. Use a humidifier in the room. Mist herb plants regularly—except for rosemary, which is prone to mildew. Group similar plants together, so they create their own little micro-climate … are perfect for a container, indoor window `box planter, or a large strawberry pot. The latter is a great way to create an instant indoor herb garden: place rocks or broken pottery pieces in … plenty of light. More experienced indoor gardeners Try growing annual herbs from seed. This is a good strategy for leafier herbs—basil, oregano, cilantro, dill—that germinate and grow …
Type: Plant Info
… shape of the tree or shrub. Branches should 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 … of deciduous trees and shrubs can be done this month, weather permitting. Heavy pruning is best done in late winter or early spring immediately before bud break. Another time to prune ornamental flowering trees is immediately after they flower. (This avoids sacrificing their spring flower display.) Fruit …
Type: Plant Info
