… Flowers range from white to purplish pink on this smaller statured Colchicum found in the wild from Romania, across the Crimea and Georgia to northern Turkey. Plant in full sun and moist but well drained soils. Divide when the clumps of corms have become so congested they start to push up to the surface of the soil. Interplant corms with companion plants that begin …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… poetica narcissus ( Narcissus ‘Actaea’) is one of the best known of the cultivars derived from Narcissus poeticus . Pure-white glistening petals, slightly overlapped, are centered by a … not flower the following year. These actions all interfere with the translocation of nutrients from the leaves to the developing flower in the bulb. To hide the untidy yellowing foliage, interplant daffodils and narcissus with perennials like daylilies or hostas, which start to grow about the same time that narcissus go dormant. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… foliage of thick substance forming a mound 9 inches tall and 12 inches wide. It blooms from June to July with fragrant blooms that start blue and open to white. The flowers are good for cut flower arrangements. This medium hosta … or “sports” are also common, and new introductions abound. Hosta cultivars range in size from several inches to several feet; it may take 3 to 8 years for hostas to reach their full …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… flower at the tips of each branch. A semi-epiphyte, this plant has aerial roots originating from the stems; the roots help the plant cling to the trunks of trees from Mexico south to Chile. Maturing at 4 feet by 4 feet in size, this plant is easily adapted to … during the frost-free season in full sun with a little afternoon shade. Once temperatures start to cool, bring the plant indoors into a brightly lit room. If the light levels are too low, …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… sun and wet soils. If it gets too large, it can be pruned back hard to generate new branches from near the base. Rosegold pussy willow benefits from having a dark background to accentuate the flowers in very early spring. Members of the genus Salix are commonly known as willows. These woody plants range in size from the imposing weeping willow tree to small shrubs. While not fussy about soil quality, they …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Tobiosho Japanese Maple tree is known for its full canopy of bright red leaves in fall. The foliage starts out green in spring and through the summer, and has brilliant color by autumn. It grows about one foot per year until it reaches 20 feet tall and 15 feet wide. It does well in a partial sun to sunny …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
This is a small (20 feet high and wide) tree that is native to southeast Asia. It has green-white flowers that give way to winged samaras that ripen to a bright red in the fall. Foliage starts green and turns to yellow and red in the fall. It prefers well-drained, rich soils in full to partial …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Italian bugloss is a clump-forming perennial that produces showy blue flowers in May and June. It grows to a height of 5 feet in full sun and moderate moisture and sharp drainage. Plants may be cut back severely if the foliage starts to brown during the summer. The plant is mostly used in a border, as specimens, or in small …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
White "dancing ladies" flowers mature to pale pink on this perennial adapted to full sun and sandy dry soils. In the heavier, damper soils found in most Chicago area gardens, it is a great addition to annual displays. Flowering starts in late spring and continues through to frost. This plant attracts moths, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Large burgundy flowers edged in cream are produced apically (at the growing tip) and then sequentially down the lateral buds starting shortly after mid-summer and continuing up to frost. For those with allergies to pollen this is an ideal cultivar as it is pollen free. Strong lateral stems are ideal for cutting for indoor …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
