Prune grapevines according to selected method. For detailed information on pruning grapevines, contact plant information at (847) 835-0972 to order Plant Information Fact Sheet #36, Pruning Grapevines. Prune raspberry bushes and reattach canes to support system, if necessary. Some gardeners mow their raspberry patches to the ground this month to encourage one big crop during summer. Everbearing …
Type: Plant Info
This is the product of a crossing of the Korean Maple and Japanese Maple. It grows upright to a height of 20 feet and then starts to spread outward to 24 feet. Its foliage is a rich green which turns to bright orange-red and deep red in the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
This is a sterile interspecific hybrid, so its flowers will bloom for a long time. By contrast, one of its parents, Allium macleanii var. elatum , is so fertile and attractive to pollinators (mostly bees of various species) that individual florets are quickly pollinated, and their color soon fades. On the other hand, var. elatum has scapes approaching 5 feet (150 cm) and compound bulbs of 5 or 6 …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Native to the Pacific Northwest, where it grows at high elevations, Sitka alder is a shrubby tree growing 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide. In its native habitat, it is beneficial to wildlife and the environment. It grows quickly to form thickets for animal shelter and improves the soil through nitrogen fixation. Its fallen leaves stabilize steep slopes, and avalanches rarely damage it. It slows the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
QUICKTIME™ Blue Viola These violas (or Johnny Jump-ups) love the cooler weather of spring and autumn. QUICKTIME™ violas are free flowering and mounded plants that quickly grow to 6 inches tall and wide in the spring and are covered with small pansy like flowers. Uniform blue petals surround the darker halo encasing the yellow eye. This viola flowers up to two weeks earlier than other …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Subtly flamed petals in pink and mauve transition to almost white at the edges of the petals on this tulip whose colors complement/contrast with a wide range of springs' vibrant color palette. Tulips grow best in full sun, well-drained, moisture-retentive soils that remain on the dry side during their summer dormancy period. Inter-planting between summer perennials whose root systems quickly soak …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… around. Some years at the Chicago Botanic Garden, there are dragonflies everywhere! The quick, strong fliers seem to love the Garden. Eastern pondhawk dragonfly, female. Most … Damselflies 101 for more information.) Blue dasher dragonfly, female. She looks very different from her male counterpart. Photo ©Carol Freeman. Blue dasher dragonfly, male. Hanging out on the … migrating in huge swarms in the fall. Photo ©Carol Freeman. Dragonflies can be found here from March through the first hard freeze in the fall. Choose the right time to visit, and you …
Type: Blog
… (USDA Zones 9-11) and have epiphytic roots—meaning they derive moisture and nutrients from the air and support from another plant; few orchids grow in soil. Orchids usually prefer a diurnal temperature … the plant through dry periods. Other varieties are monopodial, meaning upward growth is from a single growing point. There is an exception to almost every general statement one can make …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… for plants. The plants become stronger, healthier, and better prepared to fend off attacks from diseases and pests. How to make compost The most efficient compost pile is arranged in … high. Apply water to keep the pile evenly moist, but never soggy. Turn that pile The key to quick composting is turning the pile. The center of the pile heats up and decomposes more quickly …
Type: Plant Info
… the least glamorous thing in gardening. When seeds come in the mail, when garden centers start to fill with tempting flowers, when juices start to flow and gardeners' ambitions are … course, if you keep a pot on a saucer, always empty it so a pool of water doesn't block air from getting into the pot.) With pots, which dry out so quickly, many gardeners' top priority is to not have to water too often. Sub-irrigated containers that wick water up from a reservoir beneath the root zone are one answer. There also are synthetic crystals that can …
Type: Plant Info
