… 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 … (biennial). Oaks are often imposing shade trees at maturity and provide habitat and food for a variety of wildlife. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… stonecrop bears reddish-pink flowerheads in later summer and early fall and it is customary to retain the flowers heads over the winter months, cutting the plants back in early spring. … sunny dry conditions as the plant stores water in its fleshy leaves and stems, and it suitable for sites that may be difficult to maintain or access. it also performs well in sunny borders and rock gardens where it is loved …
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 … alternating with summer time heat and droughts – an environment similar to that of Chicago. For more than 400 years this species has held an almost cult-like status with the gardeners of …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 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 noted for their fragrant flowers; most bear small fruit that may add visual interest. Many viburnums …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… that was selected from seedlings at Bodnant Gardens, Wales, in 1935. Its pink buds open to fragrant pinkish-white flowers in April, much earlier than most viburnums, and before the … reddish purple. 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 noted for their fragrant flowers; most bear small fruit that may add visual interest. Many viburnums …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… It has strong branches that form a pyramidal shape. The leaves of red maple have 3 to 5 lobes, with the lobes near the petiole smaller in size. Red maples flower in late March to early April, with clusters of tiny red flowers. Newly emerging leaves are red, but soon become … Fall color is reliably a bright red-orange, and after turning color, the display can last for a month or more, until wintry winds whip off the leaves. While red maples are native to rich, …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Ageratum houstonianum ('Blue Horizon') produces 3- to 4-inch cushions of tiny blue flowers on 30-inch-tall plants. Free from insects, diseases, and pests, this cultivar is perfect for the annual border or as a cut flower. Plant 'Blue Horizon' in full sun and moderately … hormone activity (precocious metamorphosis in insects). It also produces an oil that is toxic to the fungal plant path on Fusarium wilt. While scientists apparently have not studied the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Fern Valley Pink summersweet is a cultivar of a deciduous shrub native to the eastern United States. Its name is derived from the prolific, fragrant light pink flowers … and which attract butterflies and birds. The flowers are produced on vertical flower spikes up to 12 inches long, which are a striking feature of the plant, along with its lustrous dark green … Summersweet flowers on new wood so prune it in late winter. It is a versatile plant, suitable for borders, screens, or as a specimen plant or an understory. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Bretschneider dogwood is native to northeast China. It produces creamy white flowers followed by blue-black fruits. Fall foliage … Members of the genus Cornus , commonly known as dogwoods, are welcome in the home garden for their multi-season interest -- be it flowers, fruit, foliage, and/or bark -- and their range of forms from small trees to suckering shrubs. The dominant display, however, varies among the species. Dogwoods are native …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… leaf margins and abundant flower and fruit production typical of the species. It is reported to be a vigorous grower. Members of the genus Cornus , commonly known as dogwoods, are welcome in the home garden for their multi-season interest -- be it flowers, fruit, foliage, and/or bark -- and their range of forms from small trees to suckering shrubs. The dominant display, however, varies among the species. Dogwoods are native …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
