Home and Garden – Page 27

At the end of the growing season, think back on your garden through the growing season to make notes for improving it next year. For example, planting some colorful alliums might fill a gap between the last spring tulips and the first summer flowers. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Make notes now for next year’s garden

By Beth Botts

October 31, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

As fall swirls toward winter, spend a little time out in the garden taking stock...

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...

Surround small trees with hardware wire mesh supported by fence posts. (RJ Carlson/ Chicago Botanic Garden)

Deterring deer in your garden prevents damage

By Tim Johnson

October 27, 2024 at 9:19 a.m.

I moved to Highland Park this summer and have seen deer wandering the neighborhood. Are...

Nadia Hussien, left, is greeted by her sister-in-law, Zuhdieh Hussien, while gathering with relatives at her brother Adnan's home, Oct. 11, 2024, in Homer Glen. Hussien, 80, and her brother are traveling back to their home in Beitunia in the West Bank, in part, to tend to the olive trees on their property despite the potential dangers and travel complications caused by the Israel-Hamas war. (John J. Kim/baiduhai)

Pressing ahead: Amid war in Gaza, some Chicago-area Palestinians risking travel to homeland for olive harvest season

By Zareen Syed

October 25, 2024 at 11:25 a.m.

For some, olive trees are the lifeblood of Palestinian culture, representing so much more than...

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.