… features leaves with a wide blue green margin surrounding a golden center. This large hosta is a sport of H . 'Great Expectations.' Hostas are shade tolerant, easy t -grow and long-lived. … are also common; new introductions abound. Hosta cultivars range in size from several inches to several feet; it may take 3-8 years for hostas to reach their full size. They all prefer moist, loamy soil enriched with organic matter. Some …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… explodes into flower. Plant this salvia in full sun and in average soil, and water it to get the root system established. This perennial is a hummingbird and butterfly magnet. 'Pascal' was discovered in 1988 at a 9,000-foot elevation … in the Mexican Sierra Madre Oriental mountains by Yucca Do Nursery staff. It has proven to be winter hardy in Denver, Colorado, during the last five years. Horticulturist Heather …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… REGAL PRINCE® oak is a relatively recent introduction that is a cross between the English oak ( Q. robur ) and the … The genus Quercus includes more than 600 species of the oak tree, of which 90 are native to North America; the Chicago Botanic Garden's collection contains more than 60 varieties and over 1,000 individual trees. Twenty oak species are native to Illinois. Oaks are slow growing, long lived, hard wood trees that produce fruit we all know as …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… that naturalize in Chicago-area gardens, it prefers a shady moist position but its ability to enter summer dormancy makes it remarkably tolerant of heat and drought. It is free of most insect and disease pests. Primula sieboldii is native to swampy meadowlands in Japan, eastern Siberia, Korea, and Manchuria, where it experiences …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This cultivated selection of Douglas-fir is a slow-growing miniature globe of short blue-green needles, suitable for a rock garden or border. It becomes more irregular and open with age, but grows to a maximum height of four feet. In its native habitat Douglas-fir, a native evergreen tree, has … – they hang downward and each cone scale has a three-pointed bract. Douglas fir is native to the Rocky Mountains and along the Pacific Coast; in the Pacific coastal regions, it can attain …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… The American linden is native to Illinois, found growing in woodlands in association with sugar maples. This tree, … flowers favored by bees for making a fine honey, grows rapidly with wide-spreading branches up to 90' tall, too big for most yards. It is not readily available in the trade, and many gardeners …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… NEWPORT ® Japanese snowball viburnum is a dwarf cultivar that maintains its neat, compact round habit with little pruning. It blooms … color. The flowers are sterile so this shrub does not bear fruit. It will grow in full sun to partial shade and is not fussy about soil types or conditions. Viburnums are a versatile genus of multi-stemmed shrubs that are well suited to the home landscape due to their range of sizes and cultural adaptability. Some viburnums are …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… An herbarium is a collection of plant specimens that have been pressed, dried, and mounted on heavy archival … plant taxonomy (diversity and classification of plants). But herbarium collections can be used to address many other important subjects, such as movement of invasive species, climate … and extinction. Herbarium specimens are often a work of art. Sometimes they are challenging to prepare (for example, a cactus can be difficult!). Chicago Botanic Garden botanists Pat …
Type: Item Detail
… Q. Last year, my tomato plants didn’t produce as much fruit as in past years. Why is this and is there anything that I can do about it? A. There can be several reasons to explain low fruit production: • Sometimes flowers drop off the plant during periods of … temperatures. Temperatures above 90 degrees Fahrenheit during the day can cause the blossoms to drop without setting fruit. If evening temperatures fall below 55 degrees, remain above 75 …
Type: Plant Info
… Monitor newly planted trees and shrubs for insects or disease. Succulent new growth is often the first area to be attacked by insects. Aphids can be hosed off foliage. Many sucking, piercing, and chewing … insects will finish feeding this month, leaving cosmetic damage but nothing serious enough to warrant chemical control. All gardeners should familiarize themselves with the Asian …
Type: Plant Info
