In late spring and summer, large flat-topped cymes of creamy flowers appear. They are followed in late summer by blue-black berries. The frond-like leaves are divided into 5 to 11 toothed elliptic leaflets. They emit a somewhat unpleasant odor when crushed. Among its cultivars is 'Aurea', which has attractive golden leaves. Not fussy about soils, elderberries like a sunny spot and moderate …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Trinette umbrella tree is a variegated dwarf version of an umbrella tree that is native to the islands of Taiwan and Hainan in eastern Asia. Like most umbrella trees, Trinette has palmate leaves with 7-9 leaflets. Unlike other umbrella trees though, Trinette has leaves that are a glossy bright green and yellow. Trinette has a diminutive form growing to only about three feet in height and width. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Korean mountain ash ( Sorbus alnifolia ) has a broad, rounded shape, and can attain heights of 35 to 50 feet. This tree is a great specimen plant for the home landscape. A member of the rose family, this small, flowering tree displays clusters of white, five-petaled flowers in May. Red-orange fruits ripen in the fall and persist into the winter season. Its fall foliage is attractive, with leaves …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Swan Lake spirea produces abundant white blooms along its upright branches. The genus Spiraea consists of small to medium sized flowering shrubs with a fine-textured twiggy mounding habit. The small simple leaves are generally lance-shaped and held close to the branch. Spring to early summer abundant blooms tend to be in white or pink tones, depending on the species and/or cultivar. While …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Burkwood viburnum ( Viburnum x burkwoodii ) is a semi-evergreen shrub that grows in full sun to partial shade under average moisture conditions. In early May pink buds produce fragrant white flowers that attract birds and butterflies. The plant is best used as a specimen, border, or a hedge. It is resistant to deer. This hybrid was introduced in England in 1924. Viburnums are a versatile genus of …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Pale blue petals highlight the dark blotch surrounded by a white eye on these amazingly hardy annuals. Like other violas and pansies, they flower best in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall. However, unlike most cultivars, Marina, if planted in early fall will survive most Chicago winters and burst into flower in early spring with many more blooms than if it were planted directly from a …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Although September ushers in autumn, with its shorter days and cooler nighttime temperatures, it may be the busiest of months for many gardeners. Vegetable gardeners have their hands full—literally and figuratively—harvesting peak warm-season crops and planting cool-season vegetables. Cool-season annuals can replace summer varieties in containers. Lawn tasks, including seeding and fertilizing, …
Type: Plant Info
… important for the plants, it is also important for the bumblebees. Many native bees colonies die off in fall, leaving the queens to overwinter and start the new colonies in spring. These …
Type: Blog
Susceptible Plants Wintercreeper ( Euonymus fortunei ), European euonymus ( Euonymus europaeus ), pachysandra ( Pachysandra terminalis ), bittersweet ( Celastrus scandens ) Description & Symptoms Euonymus scale is part of a group of insects referred to as armored scale. Armored scales live under a protective covering and feed on plant juices. Euonymus scale appears on the stems and leaves of …
Type: Plant Info
Wetlands Invader Ever wonder what that tall plant with a feathery-tufted top is that you see growing along our roadside ditches? It’s called common reed ( Phragmites australis ), and in recent years this highly invasive plant has spread through the Chicago region at an alarming rate. Because the reed grows up to 15 feet high, can be very densely populated, and has a tenacious rhizome (underground …
Type: Plant Info
