Is laughter really the best medicine? Find out during this fun, interactive workshop that combines simulated laughter exercises with breathing techniques to produce a wide range of physical, psychological, and emotional benefits. Medical research shows that even if a person pretends to laugh or act happy, the body produces “happiness chemicals.” As a result, participants experience enhanced …
Type: Item Detail
Q: How do I prevent my tomatoes from cracking? A: The main cause of skin cracking is fluctuation of soil moisture, especially as tomatoes ripen. If soil becomes dry, and plants then receive heavy rainfall or amounts of irrigation, the plants will take up water quickly and put on a growth spurt. This type of fast growth causes the skin to crack. Tomato cracks can be avoided by applying a few …
Type: Plant Info
New! Learn the proper methods to grow a living plant arrangement in a water-filled vase, including which plants do best growing in water and how to care for them to keep them happy and healthy for a long time. Adding unique elements and features such as rocks, pebbles, sand, or moss can help you create your own special design. All the plants, vase, and added features are supplied to complete your …
Type: Item Detail
Do not fertilize lawns in summer. Early fall is the best time to apply a 3-1-2 ratio fertilizer. During drought or times of water conservation, turf will go dormant, but the grass plants’ crowns will remain alive with only 1 inch of water. Mow grass at a high level in hot summer, 2½ to 3 inches. Grass clippings can be left on the lawn and gently raked to avoid clumping. Avoid using herbicides in …
Type: Plant Info
Known as river wattle or narrow-leaf bower wattle, this is a graceful shrub from New South Wales, Australia. With cascades of long narrow petals, it resembles a miniature weeping willow. It could make a nice lawn specimen in California, but in northern climes is best suited to a conservatory or a container. It needs full sun to partial shade, with low humidity and well-drained soil that is kept …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Aphelandra sinclairiana is a showstopper every winter when it comes into flower. A relatively tall tropical perennial, growing upto 4 feet in the Chicago Botanic Garden Greenhouse (up to 10 feet outdoors in the Tropics), the large green leaves are surmounted by terminal flower spikes containing dozens of fuzzy apricot-colored buds that open to reveal pink flowers. The color combination is …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Pop Eye Orange Mum Like it's cartoon namesake, this mum is tough with strong stems that hold up well in heavy rains and high winds. Double orange flowers with a greenish-bronze eye begin early in the season (late August) and continue to the end of October (or later - depending on first date of hard freeze). Plant them while still in green bud, showing no color, to allow their root system to get …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Beautiful heart-shaped leaves in dark green, patterned in silver with deep purple veins and undersides make a striking subject for a hanging basket or trellis. In site of its common name, it is not related to begonias but to grapes. In its native southeast Asia and Indonesia it climbs trees and shrubs by forked tendrils or cascades down rocks. The flowers are not ornamental and rarely seen. It …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Borneo Sunset pagoda flower ( Clerodendron paniculata 'Borneo Sunset') is a large, tropical perennial with reddish-bronze foliage. It produces large inflorescences of red-orange flowers at the tips of its branches during the winter months in Chicago inside a greenhouse, but it flowers outside year-round in warm climates. This plant is the perfect choice for homeowners looking for something …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
American hornbeam, native to Illinois woodlands, attains heights of 25 to 40 feet when mature. A good choice for naturalistic gardens, in fall, the American hornbeam displays leaves of various colors, ranging from yellow to scarlet to reddish-purple. This tree is at its best in winter, when the picturesque, sinewy, blue-gray branches can be seen. It is also known as musclewood, because its bark …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
