Beth Botts

1 day ago | chicagotribune.com | Beth Botts

If you’re planning to plant or transplant a tree or shrub, it’s best to do it in the next month or so to avoid  the heat and drought of summer. “Give them time to get settled in while it’s still relatively cool,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist at the Plant Clinic of The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Planting in summer has extra risks because the heat makes soil and plants dry out faster. As the temperature rises, water evaporates more quickly.

1 week ago | chicagotribune.com | Beth Botts

Many homeowners wonder how to get grass to grow beneath a tree, where it often is bare or patchy. “It’s better for both the grass and the tree if you don’t try,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Since nearly all the grasses we use for lawns are plants that need full sun, they won’t grow well in a tree’s shade.

2 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Beth Botts

There’s one garden task you can never escape: weeding. “Every garden has weeds,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist in the plant clinic at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “There are always weed seeds are in the soil, and more are constantly blowing through the air from yard to yard or washing down in the rain. All they need is a chance to sprout and grow.”The plants we call weeds are vigorous, opportunistic species that can grow in often adverse conditions and reproduce freely.

3 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Beth Botts

The plants in our yards and gardens bring us beauty and joy, but some of them also bring problems. “A plant can be a problem in a number of different ways,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist in the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. Many problem plants, mainly trees and shrubs, are called out in the plant information pages of the Arboretum’s website (mortonarb.org/problem-plants).

4 weeks ago | chicagotribune.com | Beth Botts

Make plans now to prune spring-flowering shrubs, such as forsythia, lilac, viburnum and flowering quince, after they finish blooming. “We don’t prune these shrubs in winter because we’d be cutting off the buds that will open into spring flowers,” said Spencer Campbell, Plant Clinic manager at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle. “Instead, we wait until after we’ve enjoyed their bloom, and then we prune them if they need it.”Timing is important.