… There is a Native American myth that is believed to have originated with the Onondaga tribe of the … incorporates a number of different animals including swans, pied-billed grebes, muskrats, and many others. The central character in the story is a turtle. The turtle, an island in a world of water, was chosen to carry soil and tree seedlings on its back, which eventually became the land the people lived on. So this …
Type: Blog
… good soils are the key to growing any type of plant well: annuals, perennials, turf, shrubs, and trees. The Chicago region's soils are twofold, having positive and negative virtues. On a positive note, our soils tend to be rich in nutrients. But on a … . Amended terra preta soils created long ago still cover 10 percent of the Amazon Basin. It is important to understand that “slash and char” is different than “slash and burn,” which has …
Type: Blog
… ) creates a striking contrast against the snow. You may be bitterly cursing the snow and hoping winter will end, cheering a thaw and higher temperatures. What you might not know is that all this snow has a number of benefits that will help your garden and landscape later …
Type: Blog
… White Swirl has white flowers with a yellow throat and ruffled petals. It stands 40 inches high and blooms in late season. In 1957 White Swirl was awarded Honorable Mention by the American Iris …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… If you are like me, though, you just can’t wait for that first day when you lose the covers and open the windows. It is that breath of fresh air that tells us summer is just around the corner. Roses under a warm … warm blanket of composted horse manure. Compost protects roses from the harsh winter winds and freeze and thaw cycles that can be deadly to many cultivars. As the hours of sunlight …
Type: Blog
… substantiated answer, only theories posited by lepidopterists (or those who study butterflies and moths). I always enjoy these questions, since they are on the cutting edge of scientific understanding. One such question is: “What are those specs of gold on the monarch butterflies?” The short answer is “Nobody … to predators like birds, since they can’t move. Their only defense is to display colors and patterns that either signal poison or blend into the environment. That means the features we …
Type: Blog
… when you saw Spike, the titan arum? I sure did. With Spike’s frilly spathe removed, Tim Pollak and Dr. Shannon Still had a rare opportunity to show the crowd the titan arum’s beautiful and astonishing inner plant parts. At my not-really-science-minded high school, botany (the study … basics about male and female flowers. And then they started talking pollen. Flashback: What is pollen? Tiny squiggles of pollen emerge from the male flowers about three days after Spike’s …
Type: Blog
… to 5 feet on this stately perennial, a favorite of Kris Jarantoski, executive vice president and director. The entire plant contains toxins, which help to make it deer resistant. …
Type: Plant Info
… This shrub grows to a height of 10 feet with full sun to partial shade and moderate moisture conditions. It has white blooms that attract butterflies from May through …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… flowers appear in mid-summer on this hardy but short lived perennial. The flowers and growth habit make this perennial useful in containers as well as flower beds. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
