… an unusual plant variety, or to give a fresh cutting a try. What's often called a lily pad is actually a floating leaf: Nymphaea 'Arc-en-Ciel' is sometimes grown specifically for its … calm water so that their floating leaves can unfurl without ripping. It doesn't take much to get a waterlily started, but before you begin, you'll need to consider a few questions. We can … how it grows in your garden's conditions. Resist the urge to overplant! Crowded plants don't get the nutrition they need and won't produce the flower show you're expecting. One blooms by …
Type: Plant Info
… thriving. If he sees yellow nutsedge, he knows to check for poorly draining soil. The nutsedge is an indicator weed, whose presence can indicate a condition that might be a problem for your … is not conclusive evidence by itself, but it might prompt you to dig down and investigate or get a soil test. "Any time you see a lot of weeds in your lawn, it's an indication you're not … your taste or you worry about the bees that love it, providing more nitrogen — at the rate of 1 pound of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet a year — will help the grass grow and compete …
Type: Plant Info
… Leaf. Surely it was at end-of-life this time. It looked sad, and so was I. Why not just get a new one? We had a good run. It was time. I threw the plant into the compost heap, where it … Then a lot of leaves, and finally a flower! And recently, the plant produced what I think is its largest red blossom ever. It took some time, but somehow, we found in the earth what it … are from the day the hibiscus re-bloomed in my garden. This fall, I'm buying it a bigger pot. Get more info on hibiscus , see which varieties we have growing at the Garden , or contact our …
Type: Blog
… We’re big on love stories. In the long, glowy days of summer, love is everywhere at the Chicago Botanic Garden —walkers with friends, just-engaged couples , … Questions on love for us. Now we have a crush on all of them. In love with summer roses Summer is the time when everything is coming up roses. We asked senior horticulturist Tom Soulsby to … Just come with an idea for a poem. A poet will peck away on a manual typewriter and…. You get your own poem to keep—something special, something deep. We tried it. And now we’re in a …
Type: Blog
… The Chicago Botanic Garden is helping increase the supply of native seed at the local, regional, and national … to massive wildfire recovery efforts in the Western United States, the Garden is helping get the right native seed to the landscapes that need it. Andrea Kramer, Ph.D., senior … Seed Bank. Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank More than 100 million seeds from 1,800 species are frozen in the Garden’s Seed Bank , waiting to prevent an extinction, support …
Type: Research
… Q. I have a small aquatic garden in my yard. How do I get it up and operating for summer? A. Performing basic maintenance on your water feature as part …
Type: Plant Info
… phlox are a valuable resource in any garden. In the springtime, moss phlox ( Phlox subulata ) is a cheery smile of lavender around the base of daffodils or flowing over the top of a stone … stake them, Hawke recommends doing it early in the season. The phlox in the evaluation garden get blown around by wind as they grow, he says, which strengthens their stems. In a more sheltered site, they might flop more. Though its phlox cultivars get a layer of mulch to hold in moisture, …
Type: Plant Info
… promotes flowering. Follow the instructions on the label so that only the correct amount is used. Too much fertilizer can damage the roots. What’s growing out your windows? Besides a … stems, or dill foliage. Be creative—think outside the Phlox. Make the Cut Once the flowers get going, plan on cutting stems a few times each week. By frequently harvesting the flowers, you’ll encourage annuals (and some perennials) to continue blooming. Get ready to harvest by filling a bucket with an inch or two of warm water and take it outdoors …
Type: Plant Info
… can be planted outside and treated like outdoor bulbs after they have flowered but there is no guarantee they will flower the following year. Get a head start on summer-blooming bulbs and tubers by starting them indoors in moist, soilless …
Type: Plant Info
… A favorite destination for gardeners and nature lovers alike is the woods. The Chicago Botanic Garden's McDonald Woods was once a part of a large oak … side. If the soil is too rich, many plants will put out leggy but weak growth. Water only to get plants established. Native plants are used to competing in stressful situations. Encourage … weeds. Plant the entire community of plants together at the same time. It will be easier to get the many species growing together. The healthy competition and relationships among plants are …
Type: Plant Info
