… For Chicago-area gardeners, May is typically “go time!” for planting annuals, vegetables, and herbs to fill out the garden. The lawn is actively growing, too. However, this month is a study in contrast, before and after the final frost date for the Chicago region’s USDA Hardiness Zones … for these worms. Also keep your garden equipment clean to help prevent moving eggs to another site. Jumping worms typically live near the surface of the soil. If you see jumping worms, put …
Type: Plant Info
… about big, beefy Boston ferns or tall parlor palms? They serve as lush, green focal points in a room and, like rubber plants and ficus trees, they demand adequate space to strut their … roses, pitcher plants, Venus fly traps, shamrocks, and many cacti and succulents—most can fit in small pots on or near a windowsill. Hang air plants ( Tillandsia ) from a string or set them … if you’re looking for inexpensive, unusual containers to hold your plants. The only caveat is that if the container has no drainage holes, it’s best to keep the plant in its original …
Type: Plant Info
… Q. Quite a few trees on my property are chlorotic. Is there a particular fertilizer I can use to eliminate this problem? A. Chlorosis, the yellowing … near the veins remaining bright green, can be caused by a deficiency of iron or manganese in the soil. It also can be caused by alkaline, compacted or waterlogged soils, pollution and other environmental causes. The plants in our area most susceptible to iron deficiency are the white and pin oaks, hollies, certain …
Type: Plant Info
… delphiniums to become twisted and their flower buds to curl and blacken? A. The cyclamen mite is a damaging pest of indoor greenhouse plants such as African violets and begonias, as well as … including snapdragons, geraniums, ivy and delphiniums. The microscopic mite lays eggs in moist, dark places, and the developing young larvae feed on plant and flower tissue, creating … Remove and discard all infected plants from the garden. Do not plant susceptible varieties in the same garden space since adults overwinter in the soil. Approved miticides have limited …
Type: Plant Info
… Third Coast Bluegrass (TCB) is a band of longtime friends and musical colleagues with deep roots in the Great Lakes bluegrass scene going back to the ‘70s. Since their debut in June 2021, they’ve built a sizable following and a reputation as one of the top bluegrass …
Type: Event for Calendar
… Flowering dogwood is the showstopper member of the genus Cornus -- for its elegant layered habit, stunning white … petals. This small native tree is the state tree of Virginia and signals the arrival of spring in much of the southeastern U.S. Alas, it struggles to maintain bud hardiness in northeastern Illinois. Members of the genus Cornus , commonly known as dogwoods, are welcome …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Golden pole cactus ( Hildewintera aureispina ), a member of the Cactaceae family, is a branching cactus that forms tangled mounds of long stems that spread, arch, and trail fairly … and tubular, 1½ to 2 inches long and 2 inches wide. They bloom freely on mature plants in spring and summer if planted in well-drained soil and watered regularly. Indoors during the winter, they should be kept rather …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Elegant Spring magnolia is a relatively new introduction that bears fragrant ivory blossoms with a hint of pink at the base in early spring. Members of the genus Magnolia are known for the stunning beauty of their usually large flowers, which emerge prior to the foliage in spring, and are often fragrant. While shades of pink are the most common bloom color, the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… ‘Flame’ is an herbaceous peony with single Japanese-style fiery red flowers that curve inward around a … 25 inches tall, taking on a shrubby appearance throughout the summer, then dies to the ground in the fall. Plant in sun to part shade with the eyes no more than 2 inches below the soil surface and protect from …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Purple Mildew Resistant beebalm is derived from a north American native plant and grows to around 3-4 feet high and around 3 feet … maintained a consistently good growth habit and overall received a fair evaluation for growing in Chicagoland conditions. Beebalm grows in sunny or partially shady areas. If you gently rub your finger across the leaf, you'll be …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
