… perennial grows to a height of about 18 inches with full sun and moderate soil conditions. In September and October it produces showy pink and purple blooms. It’s good for a border and is resistant to deer. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Chef de Cuisine Chef Ramiro Velasquez has been working at Carlos, a fine dining restaurant in Highland Park for 17 years. A skilled chef in contemporary French cuisine, Ramiro participates in many charitable causes such as the James Beard Foundation, Share our Strength and Meals on … Chef de Cuisine Chef Ramiro Velasquez has been working at Carlos, a fine dining restaurant in Highland Park for 17 years. A skilled chef in contemporary French cuisine, Ramiro participates …
Type: Page
… as well as squash and cucumbers, are members of the plant family Cucurbita, and originated in the Americas. In recent years, many unique cultivars have been introduced, along with distinctive heirloom … scratches, soft or rotten spots, and cracks, and should feel heavy relative to its size. Shape is unimportant. There should be 3 to 4 inches of dry stem attached to the pumpkin. If you are …
Type: Plant Info
… at planting, will prove hugely helpful at harvest. First, think about the top three issues in your garden this year—and all the hard work you've put into solving them. Next, think about … in your garden last year —and the year before that. Hard to conjure up? That's because memory is simply unreliable when it comes to the hundreds of details that make for a successful garden … The venerable Mother Earth News has a wide-ranging app that's free : motherearthnews.com Smartgardener.com (no relation to our monthly column!) has a free online journal that looks …
Type: Plant Info
… Native to the southeastern United States, blue star ( Amsonia tabernaemontana ) is a herbaceous perennial member of the dogbane (Apocynaceae) family that is hardy in the Chicago area. Often found growing streamside in sandy or gravelly soils, blue star has pale blue flowers in summer, followed by golden-yellow …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Espalier is a method of training and pruning a tree or shrub, forcing it to grow flat against a wall or a free-standing trellis. Although it originated in the Middle Ages as a way to grow fruit inside the safety of castle walls, many nonfruiting … a brick wall — but it's also an effective technique for producing an ample crop of fruit in a small space. You don't need an orchard to grow apple trees. A sunny wall, a special pruning …
Type: Plant Info
… Clouded in mystery as to their exact origin, today’s charming miniature roses are most likely descendants … qualities of these small-flowered plants and refined them to the point where they bloom in all the colors and combinations of their large-flowering relatives. Some are fragrant; most … perhaps what endears them to city gardeners, container aficionados, and flowering plant lovers is their adaptability to indoor conditions — they bring summer’s beauty to a cold winter’s night. …
Type: Plant Info
… What do a pharmacist named Eugene, a cargo ship, and a home garden have in common? They all helped introduce invasive species that affect the Chicago area today. … damage entire landscapes. Introduced as a food source, garlic mustard ( Alliaria petiolata ) is now invasive in woodlands in the Chicago area and beyond. Most of the plants and animals that people …
Type: Blog
… are more difficult to get to rebloom than others. Kalanchoe ( Kalanchoe blossfeldiana ) is a popular gift plant that is available in shades of red, pink, yellow, white, and orange. Kalanchoe is a short-day plant that, much like …
Type: Plant Info
… display on Bird Island prompts questions and reflection from the outset. That reaction is at the heart of the art installation Of Earth and Sky , created by poet Keli Stewart and … our memories, our families, and our day-to-day experiences—as well as the role nature plays in helping communities thrive. Stewart hopes that when visitors encounter Of Earth and Sky , they … fit. “So much of my own personal story and history is tied to Lawndale in particular, to a site right across from Farm on Ogden,” Stewart said. “My family’s church [was there], my daycare, …
Type: Blog
