… garden plants today? A. Whether it’s your lawn, a mature oak or a perennial border, it’s wise to refrain from adding any amendment to soil before having a soil test. Most Midwest soils contain high levels of potassium and … to leaf out or bloom minimally, perhaps they could use extra nutrition. Turf. If your lawn is recovering from grubs, flooding, lack of fertilization or heavy foot traffic, broadcast a …
Type: Plant Info
… Orchid Wallpaper Take the Orchid Show home with you! Enjoy photos of these rare orchids to use as your personal background. Select the images you would like by clicking on them below. … Take the Orchid Show home with you! Enjoy photos of these rare orchids to use as your personal background. Select the images you would like by clicking on them below. …
Type: Page
… When an exhilarating growing season comes to a close, many gardeners breathe a secret sigh of relief at the prospect of a few dormant months. Gardening in Chicago can be a frenzied few months with so many plants to grow and just not enough time to grow them. Even when days shorten and frost is on the pumpkin, there are some important duties left before gardeners can truly call it a …
Type: Plant Info
… This is a tall buckeye (over 90 feet). It is also known as Aesculus x neglecta 'Erythroblastos'. It blooms in May-June with panicles of yellow flowers. This is another buckeye that will hold onto its foliage into the fall and provide a beautiful display …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… the year. Many traditional plantings have unfilled niches and open soil, allowing sunlight to directly reach the ground. Any bare soil is a welcome mat for seeds—just look at any empty lot where weeds fill the cracks. In the summer, a layer of mulch helps to suppress some weeds and may deter weed seeds from germinating. When weed seedlings do pop up …
Type: Plant Info
… Why Best for the Midwest is Best for the Planet Think twice before you plant those flowers! Are they a native species that … In urban environments like the Chicago area, landscaping with invasive plants has contributed to natural areas becoming fragmented and disconnected, causing natural processes to break down. Active restoration and land management can protect biodiversity and help conserve …
Type: Plant Info
… plenty of fat flower buds. Prune carefully, using proper pruning techniques, taking care not to interfere with the natural shape of the tree or shrub. Branches should be at least 1 foot long, cut when the temperature is above freezing. Lay branches overnight in a bathtub filled with room-temperature water. Make … in a 60-degree room out of direct sunlight. Change the water every other day. As buds begin to swell or color up, make final arrangements and bring into a cool room, out of direct sun. Good …
Type: Plant Info
… Vernal or Ozark witch hazels, although native to the Ozark Plateau, are a welcome harbinger of spring. ‘Kohankie Red’ is a medium-sized shrub or small tree with an oval habit. Oblong leaves are initially light green changing to a dark green then to yellow with red hues in the fall. The flowers are small, fragrant …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Vernal or Ozark witch hazels, although native to the Ozark Plateau, are a welcome harbinger of spring. ‘Lombart’s Weeping’ is a medium-sized shrub or small tree with an oval habit. Oblong leaves are initially light green changing to a dark green then to golden yellow in the fall. The flowers are small, fragrant thread-like …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 'Mini Pearl' daylily has blush pink flowers with lemon green throats in early to mid season. The petals have ruffled edges. The blooms are only 3 inches wide. They stay open for 16 hours or more and are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. Although each flower lasts only one day, there are multiple buds … in series, so a single plant will continue to bloom for 2 weeks or more. It may rebloom. It is easy to grow and does well in full sun to part shade. In 2001, 'Mini Pearl' was awarded an …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
