… and vivus, meaning “living,” because this perennial plant keeps its leaves in winter and is very resistant to difficult conditions of growth. The foliage varies from blue, bronze green, purple, black, to red and silver, and these colors remain even when the plant is not in bloom. The flowers, which bloom from May to June, come in a variety of solid and mixed …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This Asian native spirea can grow to a height of 3’ with a 5’ spread and is covered with small white flowers in May or June. This shrub can be planted in full sun in a wide range of soil types as long as it is well drained. It flowers on new wood, so prune in late spring to maximize flower production …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Did you know you can grow kiwis right in your own back yard? The fruit of 'Weiki' kiwi vine is a cousin of the familiar grocery store kiwis. The berries have the same sweet-and-citrus … also healthy. Kiwi berries are denser in nutrients like vitamin C than fuzzy kiwis. 'Weiki' is a German cultivar that's hardy down to -35, and very vigorous. You can get both male and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… the berries are. That's when 'Fairchild' came on the scene. Hardy kiwi vine 'Fairchild' is female, and that's important if you want to grow it for the fruit as well as the flowers, … with deliciously sweet, smooth-skinned fruit about the size of a large grape. 'Fairchild' is hardy to -35, so you can be confident Chicago winters won't faze it. And it's happy in full …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Colors are more intense grown in sun. The flower spikes are red and yellow. This large species is found growing in forests along the Atlantic coast of Brazil. It brings lost-lasting color to tropical flower borders but is too large to make a good house plant. Bromeliads are succulent plants that are usually …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Roundleaf serviceberry is native to the mountains of southern and central Europe. It takes its name from its roundish leaves and is noted for somewhat larger flowers than the genus. In other respects, it displays the four …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Golden pole cactus ( Hildewintera aureispina ), a member of the Cactaceae family, is a branching cactus that forms tangled mounds of long stems that spread, arch, and trail fairly … kept rather dry. Hardy in USDA Zones 9 to11, the golden pole cactus attracts butterflies and is resistant to deer. This plant was named after Hildegarda Winter (1893–1975), the sister of …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… its distinctive horizontal branching habit appears to belong in a Japanese garden, though it is a native species. Its scientific name Cornus alternifolia indicates that its leaves alternate … early June and are followed by bluish-black fruit in July much beloved by birds. Fall foliage is golden orange. Members of the genus Cornus , commonly known as dogwoods, are welcome in the …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Flowering dogwood is the showstopper member of the genus Cornus -- for its elegant layered habit, stunning white … surrounded by four large flat white bracts that appear to be petals. This small native tree is the state tree of Virginia and signals the arrival of spring in much of the southeastern U.S. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… The native gray dogwood can be found in the wild in most counties in Illinois. It is a large multi-stemmed shrub with a tendency to spread and colonize. The bark of older stems is gray (hence its common name) though newer stems are reddish brown. Small white flowers in late …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
