… perennials as a filler. Full sun and well drained soils are required - once established it is drought tolerant. Pollinator insects and hummingbirds love the nectar rich flowers. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… to a point at the tip somewhat reminiscent of fern fronds. Light shade in the heat of summer is recommended to prevent the yellow growth from sunburning. Plant this evergreen in moist well …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… shows and in the garden. Like many other exhibition quality mums, Chrysanthemum 'Purple Light' is not reliably winter hardy in the Chicago region. Plant it in full sun and average soils toward …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… seem to love the same thing — creating a place of their own, making something beautiful. It is a powerful pull for those of us who consider ourselves gardeners, whether by profession or … a garden, they're anxious for more. When will the plants flower? When will they fruit? What is this one called? Gardens are places of discovery, perfect for digging up worms or finding a spider web decorated with dew. Conveying to children that worms or spiders are bad is simply passing along prejudices. In fact, worms are very beneficial to the soil, and spiders …
Type: Plant Info
… full sun and south- or west-facing sites, where winter winds can dry evergreen leaves. The site should have well-drained, acidic soil amended with large amounts of leafy, humus-rich organic matter. Excellent drainage is crucial for rhododendrons, especially in areas with heavy clay soils, such as northeastern … bark. A soil test can help determine the pH of your soil before you plant. If the soil acidity is not in the preferred range, add elemental sulfur and/or an iron chelate to lower the pH. Find …
Type: Plant Info
… you can do to wood, and not suffer the splinters. While their origin remains a mystery, there is evidence of gourds in the early civilizations of Africa, Asia, North and South America, … plants. Each plant can grow 15 to 20 feet and produce 12 or more fruits. A slightly acid soil is ideal, with a pH between 6.0 and 6.5. Harvest gourds after the first killing frost and leave 1 to 2 inches of stem attached. This is important. A gourd is 90 percent water, and this water must evaporate through the stem so that …
Type: Plant Info
… four developmental stages: egg mass, larva (caterpillar), pupa and adult moth. The egg mass is about 1½ inches long and ¾ inch wide with a buff or tan fuzzy surface. Mature larvae are about … with five pairs of raised blue spots and six pairs of raised red spots. The immobile pupa is reddish-brown, leathery, and about 1½ inches long. Female moths are white or cream-colored … about 1½ inches. Timing & Life Cycle By far the longest period in the spongy moth life cycle is the egg mass stage. Female moths lay eggs from late July to early August on almost any …
Type: Plant Info
… When working with a single material, look for uniformity of size and color. The idea is to show a subject off to its best advantage en masse. Direction Attach materials … or wooden wreath base in one direction, clockwise only—the look of an “endless” wreath is much simpler to achieve than a wreath that travels in opposite directions. Dried grasses … so they'll last for several years. Birch bark wreath A few steps down from the gourd wreath is another Nancy Clifton creation, made from birch bark. Its natural curl lent itself to a …
Type: Plant Info
… over the flowers in search of nectar all summer long. A native perennial, butterfly weed is found in prairies, restored natural areas, embankments, along roadsides and railroad tracks, … Magnet for Monarchs A member of the milkweed genus Asclepias (uh-SKLEE-pee-us), butterfly weed is a host plant for the female monarch butterfly, which may lay its eggs on the underside of the … most other milkweeds, butterfly weed does not produce thick, white sap. Instead, the sap is thin and almost clear. Butterfly weed ranges in height from 1 to 3 feet tall, which makes it a …
Type: Plant Info
… The end of the growing season is often a bittersweet experience for gardeners. It signals the end of months of work—but also … blue color well into winter. Elijah Blue blue fescue ( Festuca ovina glauca 'Elijah Blue') is the bluest of the fescues and retains its compact form all season. Blue oat grass ( … flowers complement the slender blue-to-silver foliage; in winter, the blue foliage alone is the attraction. Artemisia stellerana 'Silver Brocade', the hardy dusty miller, features …
Type: Plant Info
