From time to time, there is a plant you may stumble across and bring home to try in the garden that far exceeds expectations and becomes a new “favorite.”  Rose vervain (Glandularia canadensis), also commonly referred to as rose verbena, has played that role in our garden space in the...

Spring is nearly upon us and the plant world is beginning to wake up, with hints of the growing season popping up daily.   A variety of early-blooming garden plants are on display right now, from snow crocus (Crocus sieberi) to daffodils (Narcissus spp.). The spectacular spring...

Gardeners considering the wildlife or ecological value of their plant selections have a lot to consider these days.   New information is emerging constantly about the perceived or proven value our landscape plants may provide for wildlife.  While the field of restoration ecology has...

Flowers are getting fewer and further between as the fall season transitions to winter. In my garden, aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) is about the last blooming plant that is still hanging on to some flowers after starting to bloom almost a month ago. However, one native...

As interest in planting milkweed has grown among gardeners focused on supporting Monarch butterfly populations, many of us have been watching garden centers for milkweed plants.  This interest has sparked demand for easy-to-propagate milkweed species that can offer maximum garden beauty with a...

I am always amazed at the diversity of native species our state hosts from top to bottom.  All in all, Illinois spans three USDA cold hardiness zones which illustrates the difference in climate from our northern counties to the southern confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers.  In...

During the flowering lull of late spring in my home gardens, I often admire the unique, dangling blooms of our native wild columbine (Aquilegia canadensis).  This plant occurs in nearly every county of Illinois and its native range spans the Eastern US, from Florida and Texas to...

Urban areas typically have a large proportion of turfgrass. From lawns and residential areas to golf courses, parks and rights-of-way, turf covers around 2% of the landmass in the US, or about 63,000 square miles.   Research has indicated that highly managed turfgrass offers little...

Among gardeners, there is an ever-growing interest in creating plant arrangements that support pollinators.  This has been driven by recent research identifying declining insect populations around the globe as gardeners respond with garden design to provide valuable habitat.  In addition...