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  • … spindly seedlings that emerged. Some of the beets never produced roots at all. I would like to try again. Any ideas? A. Beet seeds are actually clusters of seeds contained in very small dried fruits or berries. Because several seedlings can grow from each fruit, it is essential to thin the seedlings to 2 or 3 inches apart when they are just a few inches tall. Don't discard …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … lawns in fall? A. Many gardeners routinely fertilize their lawns in spring, when fall is actually the preferred time. Moderate daytime temperatures, with cool nights and adequate rainfall, will spur grass growth, making this a good time to apply an organic product or a synthetic fertilizer with a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio. If lawns were fertilized once in May, you might want to wait until early September to broadcast your second application. A third and final application …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … lawns in fall? A. Many gardeners routinely fertilize their lawns in spring, when fall is actually the preferred time. Moderate daytime temperatures, with cool nights and adequate rainfall, will spur grass growth, making this a good time to apply an organic product or a synthetic fertilizer with a 3-1-2 or 4-1-2 ratio. If lawns were fertilized once in May, you might want to wait until early September to broadcast your second application. A third and final application …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … Aconitum 'Barkers Variety' is a tall (up to 5-feet) perennial for the back of the flower or mixed shrub border, featuring … and are the primary food source for Old World bees. Another common name, wolfbane, refers to the poison made from this plant's roots, which was used to tip hunting arrows. Medicinal (and …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … If you want to grow hardy kiwi vine for the fruit as well as the flowers, you need both a male and a female. Hardy kiwi vine 'Andrey' is a male, capable of pollinating 5 female vines.   In addition it offers clusters of greenish … of lily of the valley in May and June. 'Andrey' comes from Vladivostok in Russia. It's hardy to -35, so you can be confidnet Chicago winters won't faze it. It's not fussy about soil. And …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … Clematis ‘Etoile Violette’ or Clematis viticella 'Etoile Violette' grows to 12 feet in height and is covered in early summer with deep purple, 4-inch blooms with cream centers. In fall the fluffy … along a fenceline, or letting them scramble through a tree are all successful approaches to giving the top sufficient light. In the Chicago area viticella clematis usually die back to 18 …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … texture. This hosta forms a very large mound over time. Hostas are shade tolerant, easy-to-grow, and long-lived. Although they produce flowers held high above the foliage on long stalks … are common; new introductions abound. Hosta cultivars range in size from several inches to several feet; it may take 3-8 years for hostas to reach their full size. They all prefer moist, loamy soil enriched with organic matter. Some leaf damage by slugs is to be expected. Deer find hosta delicious. …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … The thick substance of its leaves make it slug resistant. Hostas are shade tolerant, easy to grow, and long-lived. Although they produce flowers held high above the foliage on long stalks … are also common; new introductions abound. Hosta cultivars range in size from several inches to several feet; it may take 3-8 years for hostas to reach their full size. They all prefer moist, loamy soil enriched with organic matter. Some leaf damage by slugs is to be expected. Deer find hosta delicious. …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … The pink buds of HARVEST GOLD® crabapple open to white flowers, followed by yellow fruit in the fall that persist into the winter. This cultivar is noted for good disease resistance by the University of Illinois Extension. Crabapples are … trees that provide a showy display in the spring landscape for 1 to2 weeks. In addition to the eye-catching buds and flowers, their foliage, habit, and fruit make them attractive plants …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant
  • … The flesh-pink buds of Charlotte crabapple open to double pale pink flowers. The fruit is dark green and large (greater than 1 inch in diameter) for crabapples. In the fall the foliage … are small flowering trees that provide a showy display in the spring landscape for 1 to 2 weeks. In addition to the eye-catching buds and flowers, their foliage, habit, and fruit …
    Type: Garden Guide Plant