… packets or harvested straight from the garden. Often, the reason for germination failure is sowing dead seeds. To test the viability of larger seeds, add them to a jar filled with water. … The germination rate should be at least 60 percent for viable seeds. If the germination rate is below 60 percent, sow the seeds more thickly than you normally would to ensure that an …
Type: Plant Info
… To most people, the word “pollinator” is synonymous with the word “bee,” but only a fraction of plants are pollinated by bees. In fact, … Smith, Wikimedia Commons Friendly Visitors at Butterflies & Blooms Butterflies & Blooms is the Garden's butterfly and moth exhibition, where visitors can immerse themselves in a habitat …
Type: Plant Info
… Arkansas amsonia is native to Arkansas and Oklahoma and was identified and named in the wild in 1942 by Leslie … Its fine, soft texture and threadlike foliage has helped win its place in cultivation. It is perhaps best known for its golden and persistent fall color that appears to be almost a golden …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Screamin' Yellow baptisia is notable for its abundant blooms of very bright yellow. Members of the genus Baptisia are … as wild or false indigo due to their use by early Americans as a blue dye. Although "indigo" is in the common name, the blooms of native species may be blue, yellow or white and the blooms …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… common name from the abundant red fruit it bears in the fall, which resemble cranberries. It is a low, wide-spreading shrub with a stiff branching pattern. Young shoots grow in a herringbone … 400 examples of the cranberry cotoneaster in the collections of the Chicago Botanic Garden; it is a versatile shrub. Members of the genus Cotoneaster are characterized by a stiff, dense …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Though most magnolias claim our attention from the beauty of their flowers, bigleaf magnolia is an eye-catcher because of its enormous leaves. At up to 30" long, the leaves are the largest … color, the Magnolia palette also includes white, yellows and purples. Another dominant feature is a prominent fruiting body of small follicles forming a cone-like shape. The species range from …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… enough in the spring to avoid frost damage. Repeat flowering has been reported. This cultivar is named after Brooklyn community and environmental activist Hattie Carthan, who was instrumental … color, the Magnolia palette also includes white, yellows and purples. Another dominant feature is a prominent fruiting body of small follicles forming a cone-like shape. The species range from …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Flowering Choice spirea is a miniature shrub with long lasting pink blooms. Fall foliage is purple-red. The Spiraea japonica species includes the greatest range of cultivars available to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Norman Japanese spirea is one of the smaller cultivars. It produces deep pink blooms and fall foliage that is raspberry purple. The Spiraea japonica species includes the greatest range of cultivars …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… the plants, harvesting the bounty, and eating the delicious, nutritious final product is a priceless education in itself. Gardening and the subsequent cooking activities transcend … yard that receives six to eight hours of sun a day. An area with a north-south orientation is ideal, in that it takes advantage of the east-west movement of the sun and gives veggies more … at the garden center. To prevent the tallest plants from shading out the low-growing ones, site them at the back, on the sides, or down the middle of the garden, depending on the …
Type: Plant Info
