… the few orchids that are used as edibles worldwide, one is world-famous and probably already in your kitchen cabinet: Vanilla planifolia . One of the 110 species in the orchid genus Vanilla, V. planifolia is a vining orchid that's indigenous to Mexico. Its … vanilla is more than a sweetener. It is actually a powerful flavor enhancer, due to the 250 to 300 flavor notes that develop when the green vanilla bean (flavorless and odorless) is harvested …
Type: Plant Info
… Susceptible Plants More than 300 species of trees and shrubs, particularly oak ( Quercus ), apple ( Malus ), linden ( Tilia ), … moths are a serious pest of forest and urban trees. Newly hatched larvae chew tiny holes in leaves in spring. Later in the season, mature larvae skeletonize leaves, and in severe cases, entirely …
Type: Plant Info
… for its year-round interest. An extremely hardy deciduous shrub that will reach maturity in five years, the black chokeberry is a perfect choice for naturalizing. If left alone, the … the rose family, Aronia melanocarpa tolerates partial shade (up to 50 percent) but thrives in full sun. Hardy to zone 3 (the Chicago area is zone 5), it is also an excellent choice for … Howard Brooks, of the United States Department of Agriculture, collected plants in Russia to test at an Iowa site. The plants there suckered freely — a trait that may be desirable, depending …
Type: Plant Info
… A biting February morning in Chicago can be a challenging experience for anyone, but for a lover of trees, it can also turn … cold and the winter sun rocketing off the white of the snow, all plants are revealed in their naked glory. This is a moment when you really love your birch. But even if the following … as are most birches in our area, and proper siting for this tree should include a soil test to be sure the soil is acid enough. 'Little King' Touted as an excellent alternative to …
Type: Plant Info
… of water and nutrients from the soil to the upper canopy of the tree. This manifests itself in the characteristic "flagging" of solitary upper branches, where leaves suddenly wilt, turn … green, yellow, or brown, curl, and drop off the tree. Often these symptoms are first noticed in June when one or two dead branches appear high in the tree. Infected branches will also exhibit brown streaking in the sapwood immediately under …
Type: Plant Info
… With spring’s arrival, one can’t help but daydream about greener pastures, or in my case, lawns. Now is the time for spring lawn maintenance. The main purpose of spring lawn … are a number of things you can do to ensure that your lawn gets off to a good start in the spring. Listed below are some things to do in April and May. Spring Lawn Tips 1. Rake Rake … are some very important features to consider when you travel to your local garden center to buy your fertilizer. Knowing the square footage of lawn that you have on your property will …
Type: Blog
… are filled with an abundance of foliage, plants, and animal life unlike any other ecosystem in the Chicago Wilderness region. Among other benefits, they help to filter rainwater. Rare … remnant woodlands, and fish are a part of this shadowed world that has long been entrenched in mystery for local residents and scientists alike. As urbanization, erosion, increasingly … way for people to better understand the ravines,” explained Goad. She and her volunteers will test the protocol this summer, as they meander through the ravines with their notebooks, cameras, …
Type: Blog
… summertime favorites, like tomatoes, peppers, beans, squash, and cucumbers. They plant them in May and by Labor Day, they’ve finished harvesting. But if you only grow warm-season crops, you’re missing out on cool-season edibles that can be grown in the spring and again in summer for an enjoyable fall harvest. Cool-season crops include … for Thanksgiving,” Hilgenberg says. Whether you sow cool-season crops from seeds, or buy transplants from your local garden center, they should be placed in fertile, evenly moist …
Type: Plant Info
… to some plants this year. (You may recall that the Garden was closed for two consecutive days in late January due to extreme weather conditions.) Japanese maples and boxwood were hard hit across northeastern Illinois. Two sycamore trees in the Sensory Garden developed dramatic frost cracks. In the Crescent Garden, the boxwoods that gave shape to the curving beds all died this winter and …
Type: Plant Info
… You type seeds into your search engine—only to get 257,000,000 results. Next you type in seed catalog . Hmm, down to 19,100,000. You need an editor. That's where we come in. An Exclusive Database Found only at our Lenhardt Library, the Nursery Catalog Database—and … since 1932." noursefarms.com Ball Horticultural Company. Although home gardeners can't buy directly from this local (based in West Chicago) resource, the website has a helpful "Plant …
Type: Plant Info
