Gardening gifts and trusty tools for the discerning green thumb
New to gardening? Don't be daunted. "You especially don't need to be confused by the tools," said Julie Janoski, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. "A few...
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Acorns are in short supply this year — here’s why
If we were squirrels, doing our best to stash food away for the winter, this would be an anxious autumn. Acorns — the nuts of oak trees and a favorite...
T-shirts are the perfect tool to help protect arborvitae evergreens from snow damage
Sooner or later, there will be a big snow. When heavy snow is caught in the needles of evergreen shrubs, it can sometimes bend their branches alarmingly. Usually, the alarm...
Winter is coming: Here are 12 do’s and don’ts for preparing your garden for cold weather
Working outdoors becomes less appealing when the weather turns cold. So what is really worth doing to wrap up the garden for the winter? "There's no need to tidy up...
Your plants might be hardy enough to survive a Chicago winter, but their blooms are a different story
Are your plants hardy enough to withstand a Chicago winter? Sometimes it depends on what you mean by hardy. "Hardiness is not a simple, black-and-white thing," said Sharon Yiesla, plant...
Shredded leaves have plenty of uses in gardens, from nurturing soil for spring vegetables to feeding the lawn
It's that time when riches fall all around us, as trees discard their leaves. "Fallen leaves are a great source of organic matter that have many uses in the garden,"...
Mushrooms are a healthy sign in your lawn — but can mean trouble on a tree
After an autumn rain, they suddenly appear: mushrooms. They pop up in the lawn, in the mulch around the base of trees, and among the perennials. Some homeowners are alarmed...
Evergreens might be shedding needles this season as well — here’s how to tell if there’s a problem with your tree
It's normal for deciduous trees and shrubs to drop their leaves in autumn. Many homeowners don't realize that it's also normal for evergreens, such as pines, to drop some needles....
Why leaves change color in autumn — and how to help your trees look as spectacular as possible
The time when trees change color and then drop their leaves is a signpost of the year, a mark of the familiar cycle of the seasons. Early to mid-October is...
9 timely gardening and lawn tips for fall, whether you’re a pandemic gardening newbie or a seasoned pro
Getting outside to soak up some sun and tend to living things was restorative for many during the stressful pandemic-plagued summer. But as the weather gets colder, it'll be time...