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Headshot for Beth Botts - Original Credit: John Weinstein

Beth Botts

Beth Botts is a staff writer for The Morton Arboretum, a 1,700-acre outdoor museum and garden of trees near Lisle. She works with the Arboretum’s horticultural and scientific staff to provide practical, reliable garden advice in her weekly column. The author of two books, she writes and speaks widely about trees, gardening and nature. She was an editor and reporter at the baiduhai for more than two decades.

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Big-leaved hydrangea (Hydrangea macrophylla) often fails to bloom in Chicago because the shrub's flower buds are killed by winter cold. Other, more hardy hydrangea species bloom more reliably.

Getting hydrangeas to bloom is a risky business

Every June, some gardens are bedecked with the glorious, huge, fluffy pink blooms of big-leaved hydrangea. And some aren't. "'Why didn't my hydrangea bloom?' is one of the questions we...
Whether you use a sprinkler, a hose nozzle, soaker hoses or an irrigation bag for young trees, water each area slowly and deeply so the water percolates 3 to 6 inches into the soil.

A dry spring means it’s time to water

Summer is off to a dry start in the Chicago region, which means it's time for watering. "May was very dry, so plants need more watering than we might be...
Peonies are among the most hardy and long-lived of perennial plants.

You can cultivate gorgeous peonies this June

Peonies, with their huge, look-at-me blooms, are one of the glories of early summer. They're also one of the easiest, most durable garden perennials. "Once it's established, a peony plant...
It's best to wait until late May or even early June, when nighttime temperatures are reliably warm, before planting tender vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers.

Freezing spring nights can endanger tender plants

It's planting time! For most things, yes, but perhaps not for others, according to Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Some plants are vulnerable to...
When you plant a tree, dig a hole just deep enough so the place where the trunk flares out into the roots will sit at the level of the surrounding soil. Planting trees too deeply causes many problems.

Plant your tree the right way with these tips

Planning to plant a tree? "It's important to do it the right way," said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist in the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. "Many...