My goal this year is to plant a vegetable garden in the ground. What type of soil should I get and where do I buy it? Or is the soil in my backyard sufficient? — Carolyn Smith, Glenview It’s finally vegetable gardening season! Your question is one that is often asked by beginning gardeners. Here […]
Here are some facts that will help you understand why it’s so very hard to stay cool in your home when the sun is beating on it like a bass drum.
Address: 327 S. Oak St., Hinsdale Price: $4,995,000 Listed: April 4, 2024 This six-bedroom home has six full bathrooms and two half-baths. The house features walnut floors, a temperature-controlled wine cellar, a Creston audio-visual home system, a home theater, an exercise room, an outdoor kitchen and bar setup, five HVAC systems, a power generator and […]
Do I need to collect the grass clippings when mowing my lawn to avoid thatch buildup? This practice created a lot of extra work for me last year. Can I skip this step? Nicole Phelps Skokie, Illinois The mowing season is in full swing now and lawns in our area are growing quickly. Don’t worry about thatch buildup. Our Garden experts have found little evidence to suggest that clippings contribute to thatch buildup as long as you are mowing properly. If your lawn already has a thick layer of thatch, returning clippings may cause that layer to get bigger. A […]
A few members of my gardening club have installed nesting blocks for native bees in their gardens. This sounds like something that would help me with more sustainable gardening practices. Can you offer advice? — Noel Judson, Chicago Thank you for this question, Noel. Installing a nesting block is a great way to help attract […]
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 […]
I would like some general advice on how to be successful with my new plantings after having lots of problems over the last couple of years. Some of the plants I have installed have not been performing well. — Jeremy Anderson, Libertyville Welcome to the 2024 gardening season! Living in the greater Chicago area, we […]
Very soon now, billions of cicadas will be singing in the trees and flying around yards, parks and forest preserves in the Chicago region. “We’ve already seen a few of the 17-year periodical cicadas emerge here,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at The Morton Arboretum, the large tree-focused public garden in Lisle. “We’re expecting […]
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 […]
I am interested in using more microgreens and would like some advice on how to grow them at home. — Rissi Melecio, Highland Park We could all use some tips about improving our diets, and microgreens are a great place to start. Microgreens are the sprouted seeds of edible vegetables and herbs grown in small, shallow containers. Routinely used by fine dining chefs, they have intense flavors and add visual appeal to dishes. They are also good for you, with a high concentration of nutrients. They are difficult to find in stores and expensive to buy — but easy to […]