Home and Garden – Page 26

A monarch butterfly climbs on verbena blooms Sept. 9, 2025, in Oak Park. Land managers of rights-of-way throughout the area are increasingly implementing monarch-friendly practices such as installing native plants and mowing less frequently. (Brian Cassella/baiduhai)

As monarch butterflies head south, they’re getting an assist along utility rights of way, roadways

By Susan DeGrane

October 9, 2026 at 9:52 a.m.

The Illinois Department of Transportation, ComEd and other agencies are implementing practices along rights of...

Even spectacular bulbs such as these peony-flowered tulips are most effective groups. Plant them in fall for spring bloom. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Plant bulbs now for spring bloom

By Beth Botts

October 4, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

There’s no more satisfying way to spend a crisp fall day than planting bulbs for...

Ageratum is a sun-loving annual that can provide color in gardens that are challenged by rabbits. (Jeff Carrion/Chicago Botanic Garden)

Rabbits nibbling your garden? Here’s what to do.

By Tim Johnson

October 3, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The best way to prevent rabbit damage in the growing season is to exclude them...

In late fall, you may need to use a rake to remove excess leaves that could end up smothering the lawn. (RJ Carlson / Chicago Botanic Garden)

Can I mow over the leaves that have already started falling in my garden?

By Tim Johnson

October 20, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Can I mow over the leaves that have already started falling in my garden? I’d...

Because the climate is increasingly variable and autumn weather is less predictable, the average first frost date has become less useful as a gardening guideline. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Watch the weather, not the date

By Beth Botts

October 19, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Are you still planning your autumn gardening based on the first frost date? It may...

Outisde the family home on Avenue L on Chicago's Southeast Side are Abby Melendrez, Lucy Melendrez-Diaz, Delfino Diaz, Jennifer and Mike Melendrez, Alana Diaz, Sophia and Kaia Melendrez, Alexa Diaz, and Michael and William Melendrez.

Heidi Stevens: Saying goodbye to a childhood home that was so much more than a house

By Heidi Stevens

October 18, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

We don’t talk enough in our culture about the emotional weight of saying goodbye to...

Even in the smallest yard, there’s space for the color and cheer of spring-blooming bulbs. (Beth Botts / The Morton Arboretum)

Look around for more spots where spring bulbs could bloom

By Beth Botts

October 13, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Fitting in more spring bulbs will do more than brighten your yard.

Consider using a high-quality bird seed in your feeder. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden)

Use a high-quality bird seed in your feeder

By Tim Johnson

October 12, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

The hostas under my bird feeder have been decimated. Is there another plant that I...

The loss of large shade trees will increase the amount of sun for your garden. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden)

Wait for winter to remove dead trees

By Tim Johnson

October 6, 2024 at 2:02 p.m.

You may be able to secure better pricing if the work is done in the...

A woody vine with many bright orange berries popping out of yellow seed capsules, Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a serious invasive plant that threatens native forests. (Deborah J. G. Brown/The Morton Arboretum)

Bright berries could signal an invasive plant

By Beth Botts

October 5, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Oriental bittersweet is an aggressive, twining woody vine that winds around the trunk or branch...

A large bald-faced hornet’s nest is attached to our house very close to a grill. (Tim Johnson / Chicago Botanic Garden)

Leave the hornet’s nest in your garden alone

By Tim Johnson

September 29, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

Hornets are beneficial insects that are good for your garden.

A long period of dry weather in Aug. and September may affect trees’ fall color this year. Regular watering helps trees put on their best show. (John Weinstein/The Morton Arboretum)

Dry summer may affect autumn color

By Beth Botts

September 28, 2024 at 5:00 a.m.

The trees in your garden and your neighborhood endured a serious dry spell this year,...

Branch-littered lawns have an easy fix

By Tim Johnson

September 22, 2024 at 12:23 p.m.

I have some significant specimen oak trees in my front yard, and I have been...