… stately plants, hybrids of our native rose mallows, are prized for their use as structure in a perennial border. Everything about them is large, from their rich green, three-lobed lobed … measuring 8 inches across. The blossoms have conspicuous bottlebrush reproductive structures in the middle, making them appear quite tropical. The flowers are followed by attractive seed … Use them as accent plants, focal points for distant viewing, a backdrop for other perennials in the border, and along the water’s edge. Hummingbirds are drawn to this plant. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… to the top and measure up to 6 inches across. The plant stands 4 to 6 feet tall, blooming in mid summer until fall, although each flower lasts only one day. Hibiscus laevis is native to the United States and Canada and grows in Illinois in wet areas such as marshes and along the edges of streams. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… is a bearded iris that stands 3 feet tall and blooms midseason (it may re-bloom later in the season). It is a rich, uniform blue with wavy petals. A single stem will have four … resistant to rabbits and deer. The flowers are excellent for cutting but have no fragrance. In 1988, Breakers was awarded an Honorable Mention, and in 1990, it received an Award of Merit from the American Iris Society. Iris is the name of the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… amended with peat moss and/or treatment of the soil with powdered sulfur to survive long term in our heavy alkaline clay soils. Best grown in light shade and despite the need to keep the root constantly moist, the plant does not tolerate planting in low-lying sites where water stands for any length of time. This cultivar was developed by the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… border, or a specimen. Like all roses, the more sun you give it, the more flowers you'll get in return. Spraying against disease may be a good idea, especially if you can't give it full sun or it's crowded too close to other plants for good air circulation. In addition, most growers recommend fertilizing in spring and midsummer. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… one inch six-petaled white star-shaped flowers that appear on eight inch tall flower spikes in May and June. The common name is for the Star of Bethlehem that appeared in the biblical account of the birth of Jesus. Admire this beautiful plant with caution, because … to rabbits and deer. It prefers sunny well-drained locations and is not reliably hardy in the Chicagoland area. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… tall. It is named after Peachie Saxton, who discovered the plant. The plants are easy to grow in full sun and are heat tolerant, but require well-drained soil—wet soil is their nemesis. Use this aster in rock gardens and in the front of perennial borders, where it will attract butterflies. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… soils overlaying limestone, this plant can grow too tall and flop over if cultivated in richer soils. Cutting the total height of the plant back to half in midsummer has been used by some gardeners to reduce the incidence of this problem. Once established in the garden, Pitcher's sage is very drought-tolerant. The inch-long tubular flowers attract …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… The true attraction, however, is the abundance of spikes of true blue flowers, which in this area will appear late in summer and into fall. The long trumpet-shaped flowers have protruding stamens and are … requires full sun to flower, but tends to sulk on hot, humid days. This perennial is not hardy in the Chicago area, but cuttings can be easily rooted for the next summer. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Every gardener is familiar with scarlet sage, a long-time staple in the annual border. Clumps of round, scalloped leaves sit quietly under spikes of tubular red … long. The common, petite annuals of today were actually derived from taller, wild perennials in Brazil. Recently, variants of the taller species have appeared on the market. 'Louie's … will grow to a bushy 3 feet, with drooping clusters of vermilion flowers. It blooms later in the season and is perfect to use toward the back of borders, where earlier-flowering …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
