… 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
… 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
… of your own this Halloween. Goth gardening (drawn from Victorian or Gothic gardening) is having more than a moment; it’s been all the rage for years. In 2024, it was dubbed one of … implemented dark, moody containers, sections of their space, or entire gardens. The appeal is in the creativity: Goth gardening features dark, dramatic-looking plants, but it also embraces … elements like statues. A goth garden or container isn’t supposed to be perfect: The point is to step outside the box—to play with personality and aesthetic. It’s a great option for …
Type: Blog
… king trumpet mushrooms, carnations – fresh cuts Sustainability, reimagined The Last Show is a thoughtful reminder of the Garden’s commitment to sustainability, celebrating renewal … The Final Cut , features a coppiced willow stool—pruned year after year until its surface is covered in scars. Removed at last, the stump hovers above a bed of disbud spider mums grown by … Coppiced willow stool, disbud spider mums Playing with dead things For Toth, the project is as personal as professional. “I feel like a kid in our Nature Play Garden where I sometimes …
Type: Blog
… Botanic Garden. “It stopped me in my tracks.” The irony? That kind of abundance in the wild is rare. More than half of the world’s orchid species could disappear within this century, as … the one Hutchins saw, she said, show both what’s at risk and what might still be saved. “This is what I want for many more places” she said. “It’s what I hope we can help create.” Johanna … conditions, they tend to disappear early when ecosystems are under stress. Their decline is often an early warning that something deeper is breaking down. So, if wild orchids matter so …
Type: Blog
… Bear Williams aka (Larry Kimpel) is a Chicago-based blues/Americana/folk artist who tours and records internationally. He is the founder and co-owner of GVR Records distributed via INgrooves/Razor’s Edge/Universal Music … Alanis Morrisette, Joe Cocker, and Al Jarreau, just to name a few.
bearwilliamsmusic.com oldtownschool.org/hireus …
Type: Event for Calendar
… Sand aloe ( Aloe hereroensis ) is an African aloe native to the rocky and sandy soils in dry areas of the Northern Cape and Free … live in Namibia, Botswana, and Angola. In the tribe's language, the common name for the plant is Sandaalwyn, which translates to "sand aloe." …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
