Sunday, October 10, 2010

Amsonia Ablaze



If you stop by the garden this week, you will have a prime opportunity to see Amsonia hubrichtii in its most colorful splendor. This plant is native to the Ouachita Mountains of central Arkansas, from which its common name is derived: Arkansas blue star.

In spring, pale blue star-shaped flowers fill terminal clusters on the stems of this 3-foot-tall plant. The flowers are small and are often overlooked by many passersby. Throughout the summer, its needle-like foliage adds a feathery green border along the garden edges of the Light Plate.

By September, the plant bursts into a remarkable chrome yellow, that in daylight, make it look as though an inner light is emanating from it. Even in twilight, Amsonia hubrichtii are the headlights of the Light Plate, shining brightly as the sun sets.

You can view this plant's brilliance from the observation deck of the Art Institute's Modern Wing. For a closer look, stand on the upper path in the Dark Plate, which looks over the Seam to the Light Plate. For a close examination, walk to the northwest corner of the Light Plate to notice the contrast of the deep green Shoulder Hedge to the bright gold Amsonia hubrichtii.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

A Blue Garden


As fall approaches, a new color is reintroduced into the garden - BLUE. In late spring, the Salvia River commands the garden with a blue-violet swath of color. The color we see now in the garden is more a true blue.

In the Light Plate, look for an unusual plant along both paths, Gentiana andrewsii. This native plant grows to 2 feet and is commonly called bottle gentian of closed gentian. The latter name refers to the fact that its bottle-shaped flowers never open.

Above the Seam, Salvia avurea, Blue sage, gracefully drapes over the edge of the wall. Its showy flowers are the color of the sky on a brilliant, clear day. Like all salvias, the blue sage attracts honey bees and migrating butterflies.


An often-overlooked plant with deep blue flowers is found in the Dark Plate beyond the Geranium 'Max Frei.' Ceratostigma plumbaginoides,commonly know as plumbago, makes an excellent ground cover as it only grows to 10 inches. In late fall, its leaves turn a rich, red bronze.

In addition to these three, the Lurie Garden hosts several species of fall-blooming asters. Look for them in both the Dark and Light Plates.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Grace in the Light Plate


It's August 2nd - a new month and new plants to discover as you walk through the garden. While Echinacea, Hemerocallis and a few ornamental grasses provide most of the color in the garden, take the time to look for smaller blooms that bring grace to the garden with their delicate flowers.

Gaura lindheimeri 'Blushing Butterflies' (Butterfly Gaura) can be found on either side of the south path, Light Plate, near the Shoulder Hedge. Another common name for this plant is "Wandflower" because of the way the butterfly-shaped flowers dance along the wispy stem that arches gracefully toward the ground. Butterfly Gaura fits in to the overall design of the Lurie Garden with its delicate inch-wide flowers that catch the breeze much like many of the ornamental grasses.

Veronica longifolia 'Pink Damask' (Speedwell) is beginning to bloom nearby. Although its flowery spike are only 6 inches, it will reach more than 2 feet when fully mature. This plant blooms on graceful, narrow spires that are tightly packed with pale pink flowers. Piet Oudolf selected it for this area because of its long bloom time (6 to 8 weeks) and its complimentary silhouette and color to the Butterfly Gaura. Beneath the Veronica, Ruellia humilis (Wild Petunia) is still producing flowers, creating a lush groundcover of lavender and summer green.

Another plant in the same area is Agastache rupestris (Thread Leaf Giant Hyssop) with its delicate, gray-green needle-like leaves. This plant has small, inch-long flowers in shades of salmon and burnt orange with purple calyxes that are borne loosely on salvia-like spikes. Thread Leaf Giant Hyssop is a native to the mountains of Arizona and New Mexico where it is commonly known as Sunset Hyssop because its colors resemble those of a sunset.

Free, 20-minute guided tours are offered each Sunday and leave every 15 minutes from 10 am to 1:30 pm. Look for the white tent at the south end of the Seam.

Friday, July 30, 2010

Art in the Garden


With the opening of the new Modern Wing and the Nichols Bridgeway at the Art Institute of Chicago, a new program for school children was created by the staffs of the AIC and Lurie Garden. Through the Art & Garden Tour, students can explore the ways in which artist and landscape architects use similar design elements in their work.

First, students spend time with museum educators looking at landscape paintings from the collection of the AIC and discussing the techniques artists use to interpret the natural world. The students then walk across the footbridge to the Lurie Garden and spend time with naturalists in the garden, examining the similar characteristics in landscape design and looking at the garden as a work of art.

Sixteen students from McCracken Middle School joined us in the garden this morning. They are all members of the Garden Club, spending one day each week this summer to care for the vegetables they planted. When the crop is ready for harvest, they will donate the food to a local food bank. These young gardeners recognized many of the plants in the Lurie Garden and were eager to learn about the various design elements used here. They were especially interested in those plants that attract butterflies, since they will soon be creating a butterfly garden at McCracken.

Monday, July 26, 2010

On Tour Today - Just Opening


As you stroll through the garden today, your head will undoubtedly turn toward the stands of deep red Hemerocallis 'Chicago Apache' (Daylily) in the Light Plate or to the many species of Echinacea purpurea (Coneflower) in shades of pink, orange and greenish white. You might want to photograph the 4-foot tall, lavender blue Perovskia 'Little Spire' (Russian Sage) mixed with bold, silvery Eryngium yuccifolium (Rattlesnake Master). But if you take a closer look, you will find plants that are just beginning to open for their August showing.

In the Dark Plate, near the middle of the south path, Scutellaria incana (Hoary Skullcap) is just beginning to show its lavender blue flowers on loosely branched 3-inch spikes. Another member of the mint family, this native makes soft mounds 3 feet high that will continue blooming into September. Small white hairs on its square stems give it the "hoary" description to its name. When dry, its seed head looks like a tiny helmet or skullcap. Directly behind this grouping is a subtle plant, Salvia glutinosa (Sticky Sage). Its similar mound shape and pale yellow flowers make it a good companion for the skullcap.

At the top of the north stairs and overlooking the Seam, Helelnium autumnale 'Rubinzwerg' (Sneezeweed) is opening its daisy-like flowers that are the color of roasted tomatoes with darker centers. This North American native is a member of the aster family and can grow to four feet. Its common name was given because its stamen parts were used as an ingredient in snuff, not because it was an allergen. Currently, two ornamental grasses are neighbors to the sneezeweed - Sporobolis heterolepis 'Tara' (Prairie Dropseed) and Molinia litoralis 'Transparent' (Moor Grass).

A dozen garden signs will be out identifying Agastache 'Blue Fortune' (Giant Hyssop), Liatris spicata (Blazing Star) and Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant) among others. Free tours are offered from 10 am to 1:30 pm and last about 20 minutes.

Friday, July 23, 2010

Salvia River is Cut Back


This week the Salvia River was cut back to the ground. Although this swath through the Light Plate may look barren, we can all look forward to a second blooming in mid-August. It will only be a few weeks until the rich violet-blue spires of Salvia 'Blue Hill,' 'Wesuwe,' 'Rugen' and May Night' will again be making their way through the river.

Monday, July 19, 2010

What's Blooming? Bright White


When used in a garden, white can enhance the colors of nearby plants. Just as black can highlight neighboring colors in a painting, think of Mondrian or Max Beckman, white plants call attention to their neighbors. And when the garden is a riot of color, white blooms give the eye a place to rest, to distinguish one color from another.

Liatris spicata 'Alba' (White Blazing Star) can be found in the Light Plate near the Seam, growing among stands of two varieties of Coneflower - 'Orange Meadowbrite' and 'Rubinglow.' Its 3-foot spires stand like sentinels in the garden. Notice how the other variety of L. spicata, the pink-violet Blazing Star, blends into the background.



New to the garden this year is Parthenium integrifolium (Wild Quinine or American Feverfew), also blooming in the Light Plate near the White Blazing Star. This plant is a Missouri native that grows well as far north as Wisconsin. When established, this plant will grow to 4 feet, its white, wooly flowers creating a screen to highlight the coneflowers.

In the Meadow, white Echinacea purpurea 'Green Edge' (Coneflower) blooms at the south end of both the Light and Dark Plates. A delicate ring of green florets at the base of the cone is what gives this plant its name. This sturdy coneflower is shorter than the other varieties planted in the garden, and it makes a nice contrast when interplanted with silvery Rattlesnake Masters.

Up in the Dark Plate, a stand of Hemerocallis 'Gentle Shepherd' (Daylily) brightens the shade from a Black Locust (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Chicago Blues') near the Cloud Plaza. A screen of white Veronicastrum 'Diane' (Culver's Root) will soon flower, adding more highlights to this part of the garden.

As you stroll through the garden today, pay attention to what white plants can do for a garden. Tours begin 10 am at the south end of the Seam.

Monday, July 12, 2010

What's Blooming? Companions



"Structure is the most important component in a successful planting," wrote Piet Oudolf in his book, Designing With Plants. Indeed, Oudolf believes that by concentrating on the structure of each plant, one can create a garden that is interesting to look at through several seasons, not just during bloom time. This was one of the principles employed when he designed the plantings of the Lurie Garden - selecting plants for their shape and structure to make interesting combinations.

One such combination can be found in the Dark Plate where he used plumes and spires at the south stairs. In the foreground, is a stand of an ornamental grass, Calamagrostis 'Karl Foerster' (Feather Reed Grass) in bloom this month with pinkish bronze inflorescences. It will grow to six feet, creating a screen to highlight the spires of Digitalis ferruginea (Rusty Foxglove) blooming in front. This Digitalis has smaller blooms, doesn't require staking, and makes a nice companion to the reed grass screen. Above and behind these plants, creamy white plumes of Persicaria polymorpha (White Dragon Knotweed) add another dramatic screen, calling attention to the tips of the Feather Reed Grass.

In the fall, the Digitalis will turn a sienna brown; the Calamagrostis inflorescences will blow out to buff-colored plumes; and the plumes of the Persicaria will become a lighter version of the Digitalis.

Tours begin at 10 am today. Look for signs pointing out Liatris spicata 'Alba,' Monarda didyma 'Scorpian,' and Agastache 'Blue Fortune.'

Saturday, July 10, 2010

New in the Garden - Leadplant



Purple spikes of Amorpha canescens make their first appearance in the garden this month. This native perennial is slow to develop, so that in past years its foliage was the only evidence that the plant was in residence. The leaves and stems are often covered with tiny white hairs, making the leadplant seem to be covered in lead dust. Evidently its common name was given at a time when most of us were familiar with lead dust.

A true prairie plant, the leadplant habitat extends through the entire Central U.S. to the Canadian Provinces. Its central root can often extend 15 feet, facilitating recovery from fire. Leaves are bipinnate, 4 to 12 inches long with up to 50 half-inch leaflets compacted along the stem. Flowers ranging from dark to light violet cluster along 6-inch spikes at the ends of major branches.

A good viewing spot for this plant is from the northeastern bench of the Light Plate where the garden turns a corner north to the Shoulder Hedge. You will find it growing between a mix of ornamental oregano and sea lavender on its right and 'Purple Rain' meadow sage on its left.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Finding Blooms on the Garden Tours

Today as you stroll through the garden, look for a vibrant medley of blue and violet perennials located in the Transition Area of the Dark Plate, overlooking the Seam. Here is a good example of the way in which Piet Oudolf used plant shapes to add interest to the garden.

Three kinds of globe-shaped flowers are interplanted for a natural look : bright blue Echinops bannaticus 'Blue Glow' (Globe Thistle); red violet Monarda didyma 'Scorpian, (Bee Balm); and the smaller, burgandy-clored Knautia macedonica (Knautia). In contrast, vertical spires of flower clusters define the space and draw the eye upward: lavender Veronica longifolia 'Evelyne' (Speedwell) at under 2 feet and the taller Veronicastrum virginiatum 'Temptation' (Culver's Root) that can grow to nearly five feet.

In bloom at the corner of the path, just south of this spot, is Astilbe chinensis 'Maggie Daley' (Astilbe), named for the first lady of Chicago. This violet lavender Astilbe is more compact than other varieties in the garden, standing about two feet tall with spires of branched pannicles that are densely covered with flowers. Its foliage is a deep green that is tinged with bronze. Maggie Daley will bloom late into summer, contrasting with the lavender spires of the Giant Hyssop across the path. This planting was an experiment last year - the garden staff tried to find another plant that could tolerate this sunny location.

Down the path and to the east of Maggie Daley is a 7-foot tall plant with huge, lettuce-green leaves - Inula magnifica 'Sonnenstrahl' (Fleabane). This perennial is magnificent if only for its foliage. Atop its sturdy stems are bright yellow daisy-like flowers with drooping petals, giving the appearance that each is wearing a grass skirt. Look beyond this planting to see similar yellow flowers of Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant).

Garden Tours are from 10 am to 1:30 pm and last about 20 minutes. In addition to the plants mentioned above, look for Allium 'Summer Beauty,' Echinacea 'Orange Madowbrite,' and Stachys officinalis 'Hummelo.'

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Fireworks


The City of Chicago puts on a spectacular fireworks display each July 3rd - the idea being that the public can stay home on the Fourth and enjoy its neighborhood displays.

At the same time, the Lurie Garden has its own display of fireworks in the Meadow. Allium christophii, Star of Persia, is a stunning plant that blooms in June. Its globe-like flower clusters can be more than 6 inches in diameter. Each flower has a metallic lavender sheen when it first opens and deepens to amethyst as it matures. A sturdy stalk less than 2 feet high supports the clusters. By now, the starbursts have often dried to a golden color, detached from the stem and roll about the garden like tumbleweeds of stars.






Fireworks in the garden
- or fireworks in the sky.

Monday, June 28, 2010

What's Blooming? Color!


While the violet-blues of the Salvia River continue to dominate, other plants are bringing more colors from the spectrum as the garden eases into its summer cloak. Reds, oranges and yellows can be found, making an effective contrast to the blues and purples of the meadow sage.

In the Light Plate, Echinacea 'Orange Meadowbrite' (Coneflower) can be found between the Salvia River and the Seam, growing through the delicate blades of an ornamental grass, Molinia caerulea 'Dauerstrahl' (Moor Grass). Look for Monarch butterflies lighting on the dark cones as they continue their migration through Illinois.

Above the Seam in the transition area of the Dark Plate, Knautia macedonica (Knautia) is opening before its companion plant, a daylily, Hemerocallis 'Gentle Shepherd' that will follow next month. If you are familiar with the lavender perennial pincushion flower (Scabiosa), you will see some similarities as they are both from the same family, Dipsacaceae. However, the flower of the knautia is claret red and only an inch across. As you traverse the stairs, notice that the red of the knautia echoes the color of the burnette on the opposite side.

The tallest plant in the Meadow is in bloom with bright yellow daisy-like flowers. Silphium laciniatum is commonly called Compass Plant because it can align its leaves north and south to reduce exposure to the hot sun and conserve moisture. This North American native can grow to 10 feet, towering above the Rattlesnake Masters and Green Edge Coneflowers that are interplanted throughout the Meadow. Beginning in late summer, the seeds of its cones will feed birds through the fall and into winter. Look for goldfinches perched along its stem, looking for food.

Monday, June 21, 2010

Summer Solstice



Sunrise 5:16 am on the longest day of the year, but the sun will not reach the garden until well after six. When the light reaches the meadow, the leaves of Silphium laciniatum (Compass Plant) are backlit, emphasizing its deeply-cut leaves that look like large hands reaching toward the sky. In the foreground, a pink cloud of Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke) catches the light as it filters through the trees that form a canopy over the Dark Plate (Robinia pseudoacacia 'Chicago Blues').

On today's garden tours, some of the highlighted plants include Monarda bradburyana (Eastern Bee Balm). This pale pink bee balm was planted last fall in the Light Plate. It makes a nice companion to the deep violet Allium purpurea (Ornamental Onion) that is interplanted with it. Look for both of these plants coming through a ground cover of a young ornamental grass, Sporobolis heterolepis 'Tara' (Prairie Dropseed).

In the Light Plate, growing near the Monarda and Ornamental onions, Stachys officinalis 'Hummelo' (Betony or Hedgenettle) is beginning to open. This plant was developed by plantsman Piet Oudolf at Hummelo, his garden and nursery in the Netherlands. Oudolf uses this plant in the Lurie Garden because of its deep violet orchid-like flowers that are compactly borne on flower spikes. It attracts all types of insects while in bloom and when dry, its silhouette gives interest to the winter garden.

Small garden signs will direct you to other plants in bloom that include: Echinacea purpurea 'Rubinglow' a deep pink coneflower that is just beginning to show; Phlomis tuberosa 'Amazone' (Phlomis) a tall plant with pink flowers clustered around the stem; Sanguisorba menziesii (Burnett) with red knot-like flowers and toothed leaves, growning near the stairs at the Seam.

Monday, June 14, 2010

What's Blooming?



While the Salvia River continues its violet surge through the Light Plate, other parts of the garden are transforming from their late spring colors to summer in hues of pink, red and orange. This morning at 10 am Lurie Garden docents will give short 20-minute tours of the garden, pointing out new blooming plants.

In the Dark Plate, look for the chocolate-colored leaves of Penstemon digitalis 'Husker's Red' (Beard Tongue). Though it's flowers are a pale white, it is the foliage that is striking, offering a bold contrast to the greens nearby. As the seed pods develop, they add an interesting maroon silhouette to the garden.



Along the upper path of the Dark Plate, you will find quits a large showing of Geranium sanguineum 'Max Frei' (Cranesbill) with its bright fuscia blooms. It makes an excellent ground cover in front of the tall ornamental grasses.

If you wish to take a self-guided tour, pick up one of the yellow booklets on the Lurie Garden at the tent on the south end of the Seam. As you walk the paths, look for garden signs that give both botanic and common names.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Last of the Peonies

The heavy rains we've had the last few days have left their mark on the garden. Rivulets have appeared along the paths and water stands in pools wherever there is a slight change in grade. It feels as though bloomtime is about two weeks behind schedule.



In the Dark Plate, the petals of Paeonia lactiflora 'Jan van Leeuwen' (Herbaceous Peonies) are drooping and dropping. It was only a few weeks ago that these plants were the stars of the garden, brightening the understory with their hot-white flowers. Now they look as though pieces of white tissue have blown in to cover the stems.

Although they look less stately, the peonies bring interest to the garden with their gauzey petals and shaggy, golden centers. Come into the garden and watch these plants as they move into their next phase, when their seed pods will swell into shapes the size of large, green olives.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Shrouded in Mist


Foggy and 56 degrees. Last night's nearly half-inch of rain left the garden looking moist and lush. This morning, the tops of skyscrapers to the west and north of the Lurie Garden are shrouded in fog. A few blocks west, the Sears Tower has disappeared entirely.

This phenomenon has left tiny water droplets on the plants, giving them a magical look usually rendered from an artist's imagination.



The tiny stamen tips of Astrantia major 'Roma' (Masterwort) look as though each is embellished with a Swarovski crystal bead.



Pink clouds of Geum triflorum (Prairie Smoke) are weighted down with moisture. If the sun were to come out at this moment, you would think they were covered in diamonds.



Official summer is less than two weeks away, but one could never guess from the cool, wet weather we have had this spring. This has been a Northwest spring, an Oregon spring, where overcast skies have intensified the colors of the flowers rather than washing them out. When we have a day like today, I wish that the Lurie Garden extended another five acres.

Monday, June 7, 2010

What's Blooming?

It is a perfect day for strolling the garden with a Master Gardener docent. Skies should remain overcast, creating good, reflective light for photographing plants.

In addition to the Salvia River in the Light Plate, you will find a variety of plants from the blue-violet palette. Tradescantia 'Concord Grape' (Spiderwort) is blooming in the center near the Seam. You can get a closer viewing in the northwest corner of the garden near the Shoulder Hedge.


Stands of Baptisia 'Purple Smoke' (Hybrid Wild Indigo) are scattered throughout the Light Plate. This is a bold plant with spikes of deep blue pea-like flowers.

For contrast, three varieties of Amsonia, more delicate with star shaped flowers, are planted in close proximity.

Amsonia hubrichtii (Arkansas Blue Star) has needle-like leaves and clusters of tiny, pale blue flowers.


A. tabernaemontana var. salicifolia (Willowleaf Blue Star) has, as its name implies, leaves shaped like those of a willow with clusters of flowers in a medium blue.


Amsonia 'Blue Ice' is making its debut this year. Only 12 to 18 inches high, it fills in as a ground cover with its willow-like leaves and slate blue flowers. All three plants are native to the southeastern U.S.

The majority of plants blooming in the Dark Plate are white - giving the eye a rest from the abundant purples in the Light Plate. Look for brilliant stands of Paeonia lactiflora 'Jan van Leeuwen' (Herbaceous Peonies) on both sides of the Cloud Plaza. Each flower is nearly 4 inches in diameter with hot-white petals in one or two rows with a large, central mass of golden staminodes.
Overhead, Robinia pseudoacacia 'Chicago Blues' (Black Locust) is still in bloom, its dense pendant clusters of white flowers gently perfuming the air. Nearby, Baptisia leucantha (Wild White Indigo) is beginning to open its creamy white flowers.

Garden tours begin at the white tent located at the south end of the Seam. Tours last about 20 minutes are are given every 15 minutes from 10 am to 1:30 pm.