Tidy up your garden after cicada invasion
As the great cicada emergence of 2024 nears its end, it’s time to tidy up and give thanks. “Overall, a cicada emergence is probably a good thing for gardens,” said...
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![Most likely, cicadas — noisy but harmless — are the only bugs you’ve been thinking about this spring. Meanwhile, another insect that is more threatening to trees and plants may have been sneaking into your neighborhood unheeded. “Be on the alert for spotted lanternfly nymphs,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist in the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “Researchers are depending on members of the public to report sightings so they can figure out how far this new bug has spread.” Spotted lanternfly, a sap-sucking leafhopper from Asia, has spread through Pennsylvania and the East Coast and […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CTC-L-homegarden-morton-0530-01.jpg?w=126 "Most likely, cicadas — noisy but harmless — are the only bugs you’ve been thinking about this spring. Meanwhile, another insect that is more threatening to trees and plants may have been sneaking into your neighborhood unheeded. “Be on the alert for spotted lanternfly nymphs,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist in the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “Researchers are depending on members of the public to report sightings so they can figure out how far this new bug has spread.” Spotted lanternfly, a sap-sucking leafhopper from Asia, has spread through Pennsylvania and the East Coast and […]")
Spotted insects are truly bad news
Most likely, cicadas — noisy but harmless — are the only bugs you’ve been thinking about this spring. Meanwhile, another insect that is more threatening to trees and plants may...
![Flowering shrubs can bring color, interest and fragrance to your garden even after the spring-blooming forsythia, viburnums and lilacs have had their day. “There doesn’t need to be a lull until the hydrangeas bloom in late June or early July,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Consider planting shrubs that bloom in late spring and early summer. These shrubs will support wildlife with their pollen and fruit and add enchantment to the longer evenings. Here are some good shrub suggestions from the Plant Clinic. For more ideas, use the Arboretum’s Search Trees and Plants […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ctc-l-homegarden-morton-0523-01.jpg?w=117 "Flowering shrubs can bring color, interest and fragrance to your garden even after the spring-blooming forsythia, viburnums and lilacs have had their day. “There doesn’t need to be a lull until the hydrangeas bloom in late June or early July,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Consider planting shrubs that bloom in late spring and early summer. These shrubs will support wildlife with their pollen and fruit and add enchantment to the longer evenings. Here are some good shrub suggestions from the Plant Clinic. For more ideas, use the Arboretum’s Search Trees and Plants […]")
Try these shrubs to keep the bloom in your garden going
Flowering shrubs can bring color, interest and fragrance to your garden even after the spring-blooming forsythia, viburnums and lilacs have had their day. “There doesn’t need to be a lull...
![Is it time to plant the garden? Maybe. “Spring weather is so variable that it pays to be very careful,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “It’s still perfectly possible to get a freeze in late May.” The average date of the last frost ranges from mid-April to mid-May across locations throughout the Chicago region. “Remember that it’s only an average, and an average can mask a wide range of variation,” Campbell said. “In some years, frosts can occur weeks after your average last frost date.” The changing climate has tended to make Chicago […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CTC-L-homegarden-morton-0516-01.jpg?w=117 "Is it time to plant the garden? Maybe. “Spring weather is so variable that it pays to be very careful,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “It’s still perfectly possible to get a freeze in late May.” The average date of the last frost ranges from mid-April to mid-May across locations throughout the Chicago region. “Remember that it’s only an average, and an average can mask a wide range of variation,” Campbell said. “In some years, frosts can occur weeks after your average last frost date.” The changing climate has tended to make Chicago […]")
Planting time depends on forecast, plant type
Is it time to plant the garden? Maybe. “Spring weather is so variable that it pays to be very careful,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum...
![Most spring-blooming bulbs are now finished flowering. To ensure you will have a nice bulb show next spring, resist any temptation to cut back the foliage of bulb plants such as tulips and daffodils to tidy up the garden. “The plants need those leaves for at least several more weeks,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “This is the critical time when they are creating and storing their flowers for next year, and they need leaves to do it.” All bulb plants—including hyacinths, crocuses, and glory-of-the-snow, as well as daffodils and tulips—form a new […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CTC-L-morton-homegarden-0509-01.jpg?w=121 "Most spring-blooming bulbs are now finished flowering. To ensure you will have a nice bulb show next spring, resist any temptation to cut back the foliage of bulb plants such as tulips and daffodils to tidy up the garden. “The plants need those leaves for at least several more weeks,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “This is the critical time when they are creating and storing their flowers for next year, and they need leaves to do it.” All bulb plants—including hyacinths, crocuses, and glory-of-the-snow, as well as daffodils and tulips—form a new […]")
Let bulb plants keep their leaves to make next year’s flowers
Most spring-blooming bulbs are now finished flowering. To ensure you will have a nice bulb show next spring, resist any temptation to cut back the foliage of bulb plants such...
Protect your young trees from incoming cicadas
The Arboretum does not advise that homeowners use insecticides to attempt to control cicadas.
![So you want to beautify your landscape, improve your community, or celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree. What could go wrong? Quite a bit, if you make some common mistakes, according to an expert at The Morton Arboretum, the tree-focused public garden in Lisle. “Proper planting is critical,” said Trinity Pierce, who has overseen the planting of thousands of trees as stewardship manager of the Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative. “Taking time to do it right can mean decades more life for your tree.” Here are some common tree-planting mistakes to avoid. For step-by-step advice, see mortonarb.org/how-to-plant-a-tree. Digging a […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTC-L-home-garden-morton-0425-01.jpg?w=132 "So you want to beautify your landscape, improve your community, or celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree. What could go wrong? Quite a bit, if you make some common mistakes, according to an expert at The Morton Arboretum, the tree-focused public garden in Lisle. “Proper planting is critical,” said Trinity Pierce, who has overseen the planting of thousands of trees as stewardship manager of the Arboretum’s Chicago Region Trees Initiative. “Taking time to do it right can mean decades more life for your tree.” Here are some common tree-planting mistakes to avoid. For step-by-step advice, see mortonarb.org/how-to-plant-a-tree. Digging a […]")
Celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree
So you want to beautify your landscape, improve your community, or celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree. What could go wrong? Quite a bit, if you make some common...
![Applying mulch is one of the easiest and best ways to help your trees and other plants, but doing it the wrong way can lead to trouble. “Mulch should be a flat, even layer over the soil,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “It should never be heaped up, especially around a tree.” When mulch is piled up against a tree’s trunk, it can trap moisture against the bark, which encourages decay. “If the bark rots away, the tree’s circulatory system will be cut off,” Campbell said. “It can lead to the death of […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CTC-L-homegarden-morton-0418-01.jpg?w=117 "Applying mulch is one of the easiest and best ways to help your trees and other plants, but doing it the wrong way can lead to trouble. “Mulch should be a flat, even layer over the soil,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “It should never be heaped up, especially around a tree.” When mulch is piled up against a tree’s trunk, it can trap moisture against the bark, which encourages decay. “If the bark rots away, the tree’s circulatory system will be cut off,” Campbell said. “It can lead to the death of […]")
Spread mulch evenly for plants’ benefit
Applying mulch is one of the easiest and best ways to help your trees and other plants, but doing it the wrong way can lead to trouble. “Mulch should be...
Think ahead before transplanting shrubs
When it comes to transplanting shrubs or small trees, the first rule is: Plan first, so you only have to do it once. “Plants can’t stand to be moved repeatedly,”...
![You can bring a taste of the forest to your garden by planting a few of the wildflowers that bloom in spring in our native woods. Many woodland plants flower in early spring to take advantage of the sunshine that reaches the forest floor before trees open their leaves. “They’ve evolved to seize that opportunity,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. These wildflowers are known as spring ephemerals, he said, because “you only see them for a short time in spring before they go dormant and disappear for the rest of the year.” Sharp-lobed […]](https://www.chicagotribune.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ctc-l-homegarden-morton-0404-01.jpg?w=117 "You can bring a taste of the forest to your garden by planting a few of the wildflowers that bloom in spring in our native woods. Many woodland plants flower in early spring to take advantage of the sunshine that reaches the forest floor before trees open their leaves. “They’ve evolved to seize that opportunity,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. These wildflowers are known as spring ephemerals, he said, because “you only see them for a short time in spring before they go dormant and disappear for the rest of the year.” Sharp-lobed […]")
Wildflowers sparkle in spring woods
You can bring a taste of the forest to your garden by planting a few of the wildflowers that bloom in spring in our native woods. Many woodland plants flower...