Home and Garden – Page 12

By simply raking fallen leaves onto your garden beds, you can provide your plants with a healthy, protective, soil-building layer of free mulch. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Don’t let fallen leaves go to waste

By Beth Botts

October 25, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Nature never wastes a leaf.

Fall tree color at the Chicago Botanic Garden. (Jeff Carrion/Chicago Botanic Garden)

Peak fall color in Chicago area now on display

By Tim Johnson

October 24, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

When you understand the basics of fall color and monitor the weather, you will be...

Rats walk through an alley on the 1900 block of North Halsted Street Tuesday Aug. 12, 2025, in Chicago. The village of Franklin Park is seeking input from residents via an advisory referendum on if it should ban fruit trees in residential neighborhoods to help reduce rodent populations that might feed on fallen fruit. (Armando L. Sanchez/baiduhai)

Franklin Park seeks voter input on potential fruit tree ban to combat rodents

By Alicia Fabbre

October 23, 2026 at 2:13 p.m.

Franklin Park voters are being asked in an advisory referendum if the village should ban...

After your holiday tree has filled your home with light and cheer in the dark of winter, make sure it goes on to do more good. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Christmas tree can live on if you dispose of it properly

By Beth Botts

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

As this holiday season wraps up, make sure your Christmas tree comes to a good...

Sugar maples can be a good replacement for invasive Norway maples. (Jeff Carrion/Chicago Botanic Garden)

New year, new gardening to-dos: Edit your garden to fit your unique taste

By Tim Johnson

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

I take possession of a new home in early January, and wonder how to approach...

The Chicago Botanic Garden currently uses sand on roads and walks to control slippery conditions once the snow is removed. (Jeff Carrion/Chicago Botanic Garden)

How can I best keep my sidewalks safe during winter?

By Tim Johnson

December 28, 2025 at 1:43 p.m.

Winter has gotten off to a fast start this year, with lots of snow along...

Even when branches are bare, plants in midwinter are already preparing for the leaves and blooms of springtime. (Hailey Hoffman/The Morton Arboretum)

Plants are looking for the light

By Beth Botts

December 27, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Even in cold, dark times, life goes on and spring will come.

A plastic spiral tree guard can help deter deer from rubbing their antlers on the bark of a young tree, but the best protection against animals that rub or eat bark is a barrier of wire mesh. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Itchy deer, hungry rabbits can threaten young trees, shrubs

By Beth Botts

December 21, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Hardy trees and shrubs are naturally well armored against winter weather, but they have fewer...

Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgessii) is a popular, long-lived, winter-flowering houseplant. (Jeff Carrio/Chicago Botanic Garden)

Christmas cactus can flower time and again if cared for

By Tim Johnson

December 24, 2025 at 6:40 p.m.

Christmas cactus does well with average home conditions and moderate care.

Shrubs with bright bark, such as this blood-twigged dogwood, have the most vivid color on newer branches. Pruning out some of the oldest branches regularly will keep the shrub colorful. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Regular pruning keeps color coming in dogwoods

By Beth Botts

December 14, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.

For the best chance of color, certain shrubs need regular pruning, garden experts say.

The lady palm is a small fan palm that can perform well indoors. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden)

Lady palm can perform well in your living room

By Tim Johnson

December 14, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The lady palm is a small fan palm that can perform well indoors due to...

Choose poinsettia plants with dark green foliage all the way down to the top of the pot. (RJ Carlson/Chicago Botanic Garden)

Choose your holiday poinsettia carefully

By Tim Johnson

December 7, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Poinsettias are traditional Christmas plants that will last throughout the holiday season and beyond, as...

Any gardener would appreciate a give of a really high-quality pair of hand pruners. Choose bypass pruners, which have blades that slide past each other like a pair of scissors. (Jeffrey Ross)

Good tools make good gifts

By Beth Botts

December 6, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

There’s no better gift for a gardener than a good, high-quality pair of pruners.