Monthly Archives: July 2013

Plant of the Month: Campanula lactiflora ‘Pritchard’s Variety’

Posted on July 31, 2013 by

Campanula comes from the Latin word for “bell”, and campanulas all have bell-shaped flowers, although the flower forms vary considerably. My favorite campanulas are the lactifloras for their tubular, star-shaped, upward-facing   flowers.  Lactiflora means “milky flower”, but most of the lactifloras are … Continue reading →

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Shrinking a Meadow Down to Size

Posted on July 26, 2013 by

The photo at left is an area at the Chicago Botanic Garden that sits just behind the English Walled Garden. I call it “The Meadow”. (Enlarge the photo to appreciate the color display.) Each year it’s planted out with a … Continue reading →

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The Emerald Ash Borer Is In the Neighborhood

Posted on July 19, 2013 by

A few weeks ago, while I was outside thinning the lilacs, a tree care company stopped by my property. As the operator began to pull a long hose toward my ash tree, I called out to the man, assuming he … Continue reading →

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A New Rose, Part II

Posted on July 19, 2013 by

Isolating a plant ailment is confusing at times, especially distinguishing between plant nutritional issues and plant viruses. Even when the cause of the problem is traceable to a mineral deficiency, it’s important to identify which mineral is deficient in order to … Continue reading →

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A New Rose, Part I

Posted on July 18, 2013 by

A long, cool spring–such as we had this year–requires extra patience in assessing which plants didn’t survive the winter. By mid-May, it was clear my Anemone japonica were doomed. While I adore anemone foliage, I particularly love the single-petaled flowers that … Continue reading →

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