… Why is iris tectorum called "roof iris"? This Chinese native was was first observed in the late … The Japanese farmers weren't growing it for the flowers but for the roots, which were ground to a white powder that geisha girls used for their traditional make-up. Unlike most iris, this …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… bears large 2-3 inch double bluish-purple flowers from June through August. The plant grows to about two feet tall and about eighteen inches wide and may require staking if flower production is high. Deadheading will prolong the flowering period. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… as a many-stemmed shrub or a single-stemmed tree. Use at the edge of a woodland garden. It is cloaked in white, fragrant, five-petaled flowers in early spring before leaves emerge. Its edible yellow to red fruits, which ripen in the summer, are cherished by birds. The delicate white blossoms of …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Great selection for containers, hanging baskets, or a spot of color in the landscape. This is a pollinator magnet of the first order, providing nectar and pollen to an array of insects and hummingbirds throughout summer and into fall. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… by light green foliage. Yellow Form forest lily ( Veltheimia bracteata 'Yellow Form') is favorite nectar source of sunbirds in Africa and hummingbirds in USDA Zones 9 and warmer in North America. The plant adapts easily to growing indoors in the Chicago area if planted in well-drained soils and given the brightest …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Windy City Harvest’s Youth Farm in high school because she was a “tomboy at heart” who wanted to get her hands dirty. Deshawn Willingham started in the Corps program because he needed a job—then from day one, he fell in love with “how resilient and amazing nature is.” Clarence Smith’s family has farmed for generations in Michigan and Mississippi; Windy City Harvest programs “brought him back to his roots,” and helped him discover that he has a knack for the business side of farming. Put …
Type: Blog
… The leaves of Great Expectations feature wide blue-green margins surrounding a creamy yellow to white variegated center. Widely acknowledged as one of the most stunning hostas, Great Expectations may take several years to reach its mature large size. Hostas are shade tolerant, easy to grow, and long lived. Although … They all prefer moist, loamy soil enriched with organic matter. Some leaf damage by slugs is to be expected, and deer find hosta delicious. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Did you know there is more to the fossil record than dinosaurs? Or that the plants that were living during the dinosaur ages were very different than the ones that exist today? What would cause that to happen over evolutionary time? Go behind the scenes and meet Garden paleontologists, Pat …
Type: Item Detail
… 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
