… Deep purple to dark blue tubular flowers are produced in clusters throughout the warmer months on this nonhardy shrub native to the American tropics. Plant 'Royal Blue' in full sun, average soils, water during droughts, … flock to the flowers. It prefers the warmer temperatures of mid-summer to early fall, and is insect and pest resistant. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Red Rays Switch grass is an upright clump-forming ornamental grass that grows to a maximum height of 5 feet. It requires full sun to partial shade and moderate to wet moisture conditions. Between July and February it produces …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This large shrub to small tree grows close to 10 feet tall with full sun and well-drained, moderate soil moisture conditions. In March and … These give way to orange, red, and yellow apricots that attract birds (and people). This is one of the hardiest and earliest of the Prunus to flower in Chicago-area gardens. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Mounds of almost entire silver-to-white, heavily felted leaves are the main attraction when a spot of contrast is needed to play off other flower and leaf colors. This plant needs full sun, well-drained soils, and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Clear blue flowers are produced atop this tall, nonhardy perennial from July up to frost. Plant this salvia in full sun and water to establish the root system—thereafter, it will be drought tolerant. It provides a blue-flowered height component to containers and in the landscape. This is also a great annual for attracting pollinators like bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… neck of the bulb sticking up above the soil level. Once the leaves and flowering stalks start to emerge, move the amaryllis to a bright location, and rotate the pot to discourage the flowering stalk from falling towards the light. Amaryllis (the old genus name that is now used as the common name for this group of plants) is native to tropical America whereas …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… neck of the bulb sticking up above the soil level. Once the leaves and flowering stalks start to emerge, move the amaryllis to a bright location, and rotate the pot to discourage the flowering stalk from falling toward the light. Amaryllis (the old genus name that is now used as the common name for this group of plants) is native to tropical America. Once the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… their adult stage. Then they mate, lay eggs, and die. When you find one, you can examine it to learn more about these big bugs. Did you know that cicadas have five eyes? In school we learn that insects have compound eyes, and we use toy bug eye viewers to get a sense of what dragonflies and bees see. But the real picture is a little more complicated. In addition to the pair of compound eyes, many insects, including …
Type: Blog
… Q. What can I do to attract birds to my garden in the winter? A. There is a great demand for food in winter as natural supplies … that attract different types of birds. Beef suet provides a rich supply of fat and is eaten by at least 80 North American bird species. Adding cornmeal, peanut butter, or bacon …
Type: Plant Info
… As they mature, trees take on an unusual gnarled form. Foliage is deep green and pubescent underneath, turning yellow in fall. Fruits are very fragrant and are commonly used to make jelly. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
