… heavily veined long leaves. White flowers in May are followed by red fruit that mature to black. Viburnums are a versatile genus of multi-stemmed shrubs that are well suited to the home landscape due to their range of sizes and cultural adaptability. Some viburnums are noted for their fragrant …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… <p>This <em>Weigela</em> can reach up to 9 feet tall and wide, so when it comes into bloom in May, it puts on a big show. Magenta … </p> <p>They love <em>Weigelas.</em>, and so do gardeners. For a plant that gives you so much to look at, they're very easy to care for. No particular disease or pest problems. No special soil requirements. Just give them …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Q. Which plants will attract hummingbirds to my garden? A. Hummingbirds are among the many migratory species of birds that pass through the Chicago area in May, as they fly north, and then again in fall, as they fly south. To encourage these birds to visit your garden in both seasons, and possibly even nest there, you should plant the flowers …
Type: Plant Info
… My top pick for cool new plant species? The media has called it grotesque and compared to an eyeless worm. And our friends at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in London described it as “the ugliest orchid in the world.” The not-so-pretty Gastrodia agnicellus orchid is just one of the new discoveries and developments I’ve tracked recently, as curator of the … and collector of orchids, I still geek out when researchers stumble on a species unknown to science. Here are five of my favorite recent news stories on orchids: Gastrodia agnicellus , …
Type: Blog
… Step past the sleepy stone lion, breathe in the cowslip primrose, and listen to the water trickle into an eighteenth-century lead cistern—the feeling is as timeless as the tiny thyme plants growing between the hand-pressed bricks. So how do we … Helen and Richard Thomas English Walled Garden withstands the rigors of time? Work is underway to enhance the English Walled Garden’s magestical tapestry. Dedicated in 1991 by Princess …
Type: Blog
… the Forest Preserves of Cook County, including a stint at the Garden. The Conservation Corps is a paid summer internship that gives young people hands-on conservation and environmental science experience. Students partnered with Garden horticulturists and learned to identify plants and remove invasive species. This year, they worked to clear and trim overgrown bushes, install new plantings, and remove invasive plants. In …
Type: Blog
… resolutions—whether at the Chicago Botanic Garden, or in their own backyard. Feel free to snag one of their ideas for yourself. Heather Sherwood, senior horticulturist, Helen and Richard Thomas English Walled Garden Some of my New Year’s resolutions are to clean and sharpen my tools, start a compost pile with my kitchen scraps, pet more bumblebees, … Pogue, senior horticulturist, Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden My New Year’s resolution is to apply the principles of the Garden's soil initiative. I am very excited to learn more about …
Type: Blog
… Pinch off terminal growth buds on rhododendrons to increase next year's buds. Prune all spring-flowering shrubs, if necessary, immediately after … Evergreens, such as boxwood or yew, can be lightly pruned after the new growth fills in to maintain a formal shape. …
Type: Plant Info
… panicles on 2 foot stems. It prefers moist, humusy, organically rich soils in part to full shade. Soils must not be allowed to dry out. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… on this nonhardy mum. Plant this mum in full sun andn as early in the season as possible to permit the root system to become well-established before the plant comes into bloom for a prolonged flower display. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
