… petals of this Triumph class tulip. Triumph tulips are stars of the forced bulb, cut flower and annual bedding displays. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This perennial grows to a height of 4 feet with full sun and dry to moderate moisture conditions. It has blue-purple blooms that attract butterflies from …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… It’s time for a visit to the Dixon Prairie to savor late spring flowers and the pollinators visiting these plants. A standout plant, looking almost like a small shrub, is white wild indigo (Baptisia alba). This is the white-flowered cousin to blue wild indigo … plants belong to the pea family; other important families of the prairie are sunflower, sedge, and grass. Queen and worker bumblebees primarily pollinate white wild indigo. Their large size …
Type: Blog
… the season When you consider the possibilities of seasonal polar vortexes, burying blizzards, and Antarctica-like temps, you might wonder how any plants can survive a Chicago winter—and even hold on to a welcome splash of color. As curator of plant collections at the Chicago … diseases or be browsed by critters. But the main reason that a perennial has evergreen leaves is to provide a place to store energy and nutrients while dormant. The leaves are tricky …
Type: Blog
… engineered filtration system from land to water. Curving up from the flat lands of Illinois and arching alongside the coast into Wisconsin, their hills and valleys are filled with an abundance of foliage, plants, and animal life unlike any other … rare plant species that can be found there. The data, now quite valuable due to its longevity, is a treasure chest for land managers and others who are trying to better understand the system …
Type: Blog
… summer with relatives. My grandparents’ farm was the home base for my adventures with cousins and siblings. We spent hours in the breezy northern hills, picking the sweetest strawberries I ever had. They grew wild and tasted like candy. We often brought some back to share with the family, but there is nothing quite like a strawberry fresh off the plant. Time lapse of a strawberry, …
Type: Blog
… Fall bloomers are already stealing the show and, while they are colorful, it is largely due to their size. By the time many of these perennials bloom, they are so tall that … mention, some end up having unsightly “legs” from shedding lower leaves. Ironweed, monkshood, and sneezeweed are all guilty of this unsightly phenomenon. Fortunately, there is a compact …
Type: Blog
… Eastern pondhawk dragonfly, female. Most dragonflies have very different-looking males and females. This one was in the Native Plant Garden. Photo ©Carol Freeman. Some of the dragonflies migrate south toward the Gulf Coast through September and maybe beyond. With the help of citizen observers, scientists are studying the migration … field of vision that helps it avoid predators. The most abundant dragonfly I’ve seen is the eastern pondhawk, with blue dasher dragonflies coming in a close second. I’m also seeing …
Type: Blog
… from Hawaii. Grow in shaded locations in moisture retentive moderately fertile soils and protect from strong winds. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… stems that dance in the wind on this hardy perennial. Plant in full sun in well drained soils and deadhead to prevent unwanted spread. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
