The Back to School Garden Reset There is something about the start of the school year that resets everyone’s schedule, gardeners included. Buses start running again, lunches get packed, and somewhere in the middle of all that shuffling, a lot of us realize we...
August has a reputation it does not deserve. Plenty of gardeners write the month off, assuming the planting season is essentially over once the calendar flips past July or even June. The truth is closer to the opposite. August is one of the best windows of the year to...
Walk through the gardens right now and it is hard to miss. Daylilies are in full bloom, and if you have never grown them before, this is the time of year that makes the case for why you should. Why daylilies are such an easy perennial to grow Part of what makes...
By the time July rolls around, the questions we get start to shift. It is not “what should I plant” anymore, it is “is my garden going to make it.” Fair question. Heat and humidity in Illinois can be brutal on anything that went into the ground...
Every year, as we pore over plant catalogs and study offerings from our trusted growers, we find ourselves imagining what will feel fresh and exciting in your gardens for the year ahead. We want our selections to provide plants that not only have a strong garden...
The Perennial Plant Association has named Andropogon gerardii ‘Blackhawks’ — commonly known as Blackhawks big bluestem — the 2026 Perennial Plant of the Year! This award highlights plants that excel in beauty, resilience, and ecological value, and Blackhawks delivers...
