Chicago native plants Articles, Chicago native plants News

Inspiration for growing native plants

Native plants summon fantasies of how Native-American and European settlers saw Illinois prairies; with swaths of big bluestem, swaying in the...

Plant profile: Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie Dropseed)

Prairie Dropseed is one of Illinois’ native grasses. Most people think of Big Bluestem when they think of a prairie, so Prairie Dropseed...

Five easy native plants

There are many good reasons for going native. But where does one start? These nearly carefree, non-invasive native plants are easy to incorporate...

Weeds: If you can't beat 'em, eat 'em

Good and Bad are mutable categories in the natural world, and lamb’s quarters are a case in point. If it’s growing where you don&rsquo...

Even short-lived trees like alders have their purpose in the garden

During the summer, the white alder, Alnus rhombifolia, is a nice shade tree that looks bigger than it really is. By late winter, the bare deciduous...

Valley Oak must be grand to get at least three California cities named for it.

‘Foggy Oak Morning’ by Karen Asherah, is a happy valley oak, Quercus lobata, like those that had been common throughout valleys and low...

Our Lord's candle puts the 'yuc' in 'yucca'.

The one or two foot long and nearly inch wide leaves of our Lord's candle, Yucca whipplei, certainly do not look as painful as they really are....

Climate change alters the American landscape and garden

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the American Public Gardens Association (APGA) today announced an innovative pilot...

The high price of 'green' lawns (part 3)

Fertilizers and other chemicals used to maintain yards also tend to drain into streams and rivers. Nitrogenous and carboniferous fertilizers in the...