… A. Purchase a healthy plant that does not appear to have any disease or insect problems, and wrap it carefully before you bring it home. Poinsettias are very sensitive to cold air from drafty windows or doorways, as well as heat from air vents, radiators and fireplaces. Poinsettias will drop their leaves if exposed to chilling temperatures. Try to … all year and attempting to force it to rebloom next season, contact the Plant Information Service at (847) 835-0972 or check the January Gardening Checklist on this Web site. …
Type: Plant Info
… Native to tropical eastern Africa in Kenya, Tanzania, and Mozambique, the fringed hibiscus ( Hibiscus schizopetalus ‘El Capitolio’) in its red form is … are vigorous, strong, fast-growing, large tropical plants that flower continuously in sunny and hot growing conditions with adequate moisture and good air circulation. Outside they can reach 8 feet tall in a large pot, although they can be …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 10-13 species of the beech tree, which are native to temperate regions of Asia, Europe and North America. Only Fagus grandifolia , the American beech, is native to the U.S. and Illinois. A single species, Fagus sylvatica or the European beech, accounts for the vast … among its more than 100 beech trees. Like their cousins the oaks, beech trees are long-lived and slow growing hardwood trees. The fruit produced annually is commonly called a beech nut and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… been sufficient to keep the seedlings alive over the winter. Bluebonnets germinate in the fall and overwinter as a pair of cotyledons (seed leaves). The seeds are very long-lived in the soil … that as plants spread into an area, they depleted the soil nutrients. In fact, this plant and many other members of the pea family (Fabaceae) have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, and they leave the soil richer when they die. The leaves and flowers of bluebonnets are a …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… in the tropics. The leaves are somewhat distinctive, being opposite, decussate (x-shaped), and usually with three to seven longitudinal veins arising from the base of the blade. Its exotic … flowers cupped in bracts (large petal-like leaves) that can grow to 20 inches. Look carefully and you will see delicate purple anthers sticking out of the trumpet-shaped flowers. This small detail is the finishing touch and its hallmark. Easy to grow, this medinilla likes a lot of light and prefers to become …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… small, flattened clusters in late spring on new wood. The foliage turns shades of orange, red, and purple in the fall. Birchleaf spirea is named for the shape of its leaves, which resemble … with a fine-textured twiggy mounding habit. The small simple leaves are generally lance-shaped and held close to the branch. Spring to early summer abundant blooms tend to be in white or pink tones, depending on the species and/or cultivar. While individual flowers are quite small, they occur in clusters of …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… flowers. It is not fussy about soil type or conditions as long as it is well drained, and it may be planted in full sun or partial shade. The genus Deutzia consists of medium sized flowering shrubs native to Asia, generally with slender stems and a fine-textured arching habit. The clusters of small flowers that appear in spring or early summer are white on most species, but may be pinkish in a few species and cultivars. Deutzias are best used grouped in informal settings as a hedge or background to a …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… yucca (without the sharp spines). This plant thrives in full sun but can tolerate some shade and needs moisture during the winter, spring, and early summer. After flowering, the plants go dormant fairly rapidly, leaving the tall spike to mature the seed capsules. The seeds disperse in fall and sound like a rattle when hit by the wind. The eye of the bulb is surrounded by an …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… welcome in the home garden for their multi-season interest -- be it flowers, fruit, foliage, and/or bark -- and their range of forms from small trees to suckering shrubs. The dominant display, however, … varies among the species. Dogwoods are native to cooler temperate areas of North America and Asia. The genus includes 45-60 species, divided into subgenera about which taxonomists …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… The buttonwood or button mangrove is native to tropical and semi-tropical coastal areas of the Americas and Africa and has been introduced elsewhere for its ability to filter brackish water. It takes its name …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
