Category: Home and Garden

I would like to dramatically reduce the size of my very large, overgrown, fragrant viburnums and lilacs. Can this be done successfully? If so, how should I proceed? — Camille Jordan, Evanston I prune plants that are overgrown very aggressively. Most gardeners hesitate to prune aggressively enough to get good results. Overgrown plants have little value in your garden, so don’t be afraid to prune. The dormant season is the best time of year to do this work, while the plants have a lot of stored energy in their roots to push up new growth in spring. With the unusually […]

Choosing the right plants is a very important step toward a successful garden.

Even by Chicago standards, recent weather has been extra erratic.

“The first year they sleep, the second year they creep, the third year they leap.” In a leap year — or any gardening year — this old advice is worth remembering. “It tells you what to expect from new plants, whether they’re trees or shrubs or perennials,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The […]

The Orchid Show at the Garden has inspired me to try growing orchids at home. Can you offer some advice on where to start? — Jose Alvarez, Highwood Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis) are among the easiest orchids to care for in a home and are easy to find in shops and gardening centers. Moth orchids prefer […]

Chicago-area gardeners can look forward to a spectacular natural event this May, as periodical cicada s emerge for the first time in 17 years. The good news: Seventeen-year cicadas are harmless to people and to most plants, other than some young trees or shrubs. When the cicadas die, they will fertilize your yard at no cost to you. The bad news: The insects will be plentiful, big, stinky and loud. “If you’ve planned ahead to protect young trees, the cicadas won’t be a problem for the garden,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant information specialist in the Plant Clinic at The Morton […]

Now is a great time to do dormant pruning of trees and shrubs and get an early start on cutting back perennials.