… This tropical vine is grown for the very ornamental green and silver patterned leaves on long stems. Ideal for hanging basket or as a groundcover in frost free areas. Tolerates low light and humidity levels but really thrives when both are higher. If allowed to climb up a vertical …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Clove currant ( Ribes odoratum ), a native of eastern Canada and the United States, produces intensely clove-scented flowers all along the branches in spring. … by yellowish fall color. Plant in any reasonably well-drained soil in full to partial sun and provide room for the plant to slowly spread by suckers. It attracts butterflies and is deer resistant. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This rose can be trained as a climber and grow to 10 feet, or trained as a shrub rose to 4 feet tall. It blooms from spring to fall with urn-shaped double yellow flowers suffused with orange-pink and red as the flowers grow older. Its flowers reflect the season of growth. This rose is handsome as a climber with its dark green leaves and changeable flowers. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… shades above the finely dissected gray-green leaves in the height of summer. This perennial is biennial, meaning that it flowers, sets seed, and dies in the second year. Insects are drawn to the flowers and songbirds are very fond of the seeds. Grown as much for the color and texture of the foliage …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Large, hairy, cream-colored flowers are marked with burgundy splotches. A fetid smell and increased temperature are also effective in attracting flies that pollinate the flowers as they lay their eggs in what appears to be a dead animal. This native of southern Africa is not hardy outdoors in the Chicago region and grows best in full sun and relatively dry soils. The odor can be overpowering indoors. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… are more than 20,000 species of bees worldwide? That’s more than all the mammals, amphibians, and reptiles combined! You may be familiar with bumblebees and honeybees, but Illinois boasts 500 species of native bees—metallic green and blue bees that … than an adult thumb, some are smaller than the width of your pinky nail. The name “Dumbledore” is an Old English term for a bumblebee. Despite what you may expect, bee diversity is most …
Type: Plant Info
… Are you planning for diversity this spring? What could your first salad of the year look and taste like if it incorporated more diversity? In our February 2013 Smart Gardener , we talked … year, make it mâche. Already famous in European gardens for its deliciously nutty taste, mâche is also famously cold tolerant—it can actually grow through Chicago winters in a cold frame or … catalogs or nurseries. A sample from the mixes available at Renee's Garden ( reneesgarden.com ): "Asian Baby Leaf Mix," Edible Landscape "Stardom," and "Heirloom Cutting Mix." A mix makes …
Type: Plant Info
… For more than 100 years, the deep blue flowers and sweet, spicy fragrance of Blue Beauty waterlily ( Nymphaea 'Blue Beauty') have delighted gardeners. The large, dark green leaves are spotted and blotched wih purple here and there. This very large grower (in width) is highly sensitive to cool water early in the season and should not be planted until the water …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Clusters of white flowers are blushed lavender at the tips of the stems, featuring deep purple and silver stems and leaves. This 'nativar'—a cultivar of a native species—is perfectly at home in our Chicago area soils and climate. Simply water enough to get the plants …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Native to tropical and sub-tropical regions of Africa, this plant requires average water and well-drained soil. Therefore, it makes a nice landscape plant in warmer climates because it … and a nice indoor accent plant in winter. Because of the shape and color of its leaves, it is often known as Copper Spoons. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
