Asian Garden Celosia Tall sturdy stalks are topped by spikes of flowers and bracts ranging from light pink on the lower flowers to a brilliant flaming fuchsia-pink at the top. Celosias grown and flower best in full sun and average soils with moderate fertilization and supplemental water during droughts. The flowers attract a number of pollinator insects throughout the summer while songbirds are …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Native to Japan, ‘Mops’ is a semi-dwarf shrubby conifer that reaches 4 – 5 feet high and 4 – 5 feet wide. The dramatic foliage is bright yellow green with a feathery, almost stringy appearance. The glowing foliage holds its golden color through summer, unlike other golden cultivars. The slightly weeping branches give the plant a shaggy, mophead form. This plant is easy to grow in average, medium …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Fothergilla gardenii 'Klmtwo' Beaver Creek™ is a very compact and uniform form of dwarf fothergilla selected by Klehm Nursery, not far from Chicago. Fragrant white bottlebrushes cover this 3-foot-by-3-foot deciduous shrub in May. Autumn features a montage of orange, gold, and red leaves just before they fall. This highly desirable ornamental shrub does best if provided with consistently …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
From late summer through fall, deep blue flowers top the 3-foot stems of blue rindo gentian ( Gentiana scabra var. buergeri ). This native of Japan and northeast Asia grows best in full sun with moderate soil fertility. Plant this gentian in full sun and in well- drained, neutral-to-acidic soils and maintain a moist soil throughout the growing season. An extract of the roots has been used …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Citronelle Coral Bells is a bright lime green sport of the popular amber colored Caramel Coral Bells. It was discovered in a perennial nursery in the Netherlands in 2005. Humidity and heat tolerant, this brightly colored Coral Bells is striking. It will work well in perennial borders, containers and in partial shade as a groundcover, and to avoid leaf scorching, it is best if grown in part to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Solace Lenten rose, a member of the buttercup family, comes into flower as soon as nighttime temperatures begin to consistently register above freezing. The flowering shoots bolt upright, featuring large, cupped five-petaled flowers that are flecked with magenta spots. In the center of each flower is a large cluster of pale yellow stamens. The blooms last a long time, slowly fading along with …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Ligularia dentata ‘Othello’ graces the shade with sprays of golden-yellow daisy flowers held well above the bold, broad, green leaves with purple undersides. The stems and petioles of this cultivar are known for their deep burgundy color. This species performs best in shade and moist soils with a nice mulch of composted leaves in fall to take it through the winter. In the Chicago region it is …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Large creamy white upright facing flowers are spotted and then the petals rimmed in dark chocolate brown to stunning effect. Originally bred for the cut flower trade they have also proven their worth in the garden. Newly planted bulbs will produce four to eight flowers per stem and increase the number of flowers as the plants age in the garden. Plant in full sun to at least half day full sun for …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Dwarf Pagoda Holly is a very slow growing cultivar of Ilex crenata with a ‘bonsai-like’ growth habit featuring small leaves and a horizontal branches on a plant maturing at 30” in height. In the Chicago area, this cultivar is best grown in a container (hardy to USDA zone 7) that can be moved into a sheltered location in winter. This use of Azalea or Camellia plant fertilizer will meet this …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Large-flowered inula is an easy to grow, clump-forming perennial that prefers moist, well-drained soil in full sun. It is grown for its large, daisy-like, yellow flowers composed of numerous, narrow, ray florets. Good drainage is essential, and the plants do best in cold climates. Orientalis is hardy to USDA Zone 3 and grows to 2½ feet tall, featuring long leaves and large orange-yellow flowers …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
