Known as steeplebush, this native spirea features erect steeple-shaped clusters of pink flowers. 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 …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Fairy Queen three-lobed spirea produces abundant white flowers along its upright branches in late spring. 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 …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
You may already know Persian Shield. It’s been available for many years both as a houseplant and, in our Northern climate, a bedding annual. While it can be grown in the sun, the foliage develops its best color in part to full shade. There, the puckered leaves shimmer in iridescent shades of purple, magenta, and silver, dramatically outlined by deep green veins. Persian Shield is a soft-stemmed …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
This wisteria is native to Asia. It can grow to 25’ in length with an 8’ spread. It blooms in May with 6-12” long racemes of fragrant, blue-violet flowers. Flowers bloom simultaneously on each raceme providing a dramatic visual display. The flowers give way to bean-like seedpods that ripen in fall and may persist into winter. It prefers slightly acidic, moderately moist and fertile, well-drained …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Calla lilies perfume the air around their sculptural, funnel-shaped, white chalices with a pleasing, faint citrus fragrance. Native to South African aquatic environments, this plant can be grown "dry," like a normal potted plant in soil, or as a "marginal" — a plant which grows at the edges of ponds. The large, fleshy, arrow-shaped leaves provide a dramatic statement in the landscape even before …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) As the spring season unfolds, spring-flowering trees can raise the show of new color from ground level to eye level and above. Read on for some good choices if you want to raise the bar on spring color within your landscape. On with the Show (Cercis canadensis) width="1400" height="787"> Eastern redbud ( Cercis canadensis ) Eastern redbud is a small-scale tree …
Type: Plant Info
Green lawns can also be "green" (as in ecofriendly) lawns. In fact, some of the best tips for lawn care actually reduce our carbon footprint. For example, watering and mowing less often generally is more beneficial for grass. Tom Tiddens, plant health care supervisor at the Chicago Botanic Garden, oversees the care and maintenance of more than 80 acres of grass, and he offers an array of tips to …
Type: Plant Info
Why Best for the Midwest is Best for the Planet Think twice before you plant those flowers! Are they a native species that promotes healthy habits for plants and animals, or could they be an invasive species? The Chicago region has a diverse and naturally rich range of ecosystems—wetlands, prairie, woodlands—that have been changed over time by human activities like landscaping. In urban …
Type: Plant Info
… over grey-green foliage, they give way to peach-colored seedheads. 16 to 18 inches, tall, 26 to 28 inches wide Firecracker sedum ( Sedum 'Firecracker') smolders with intense burgundy-red …
Type: Plant Info
Q: What types of sprinklers should I be using in my garden? A: There are many types of irrigation devices with distribution patterns to fit different watering needs. Hand-held devices or watering cans are the easiest to use for containers or specimen plants that may require higher amounts of irrigation. Screw nozzles and pressure grips with triggers are available to distribute water in a …
Type: Plant Info
