Beth Botts

When a northern catalpa tree blooms in early summer, it’s a lovely sight. Impressive clusters of big, white, trumpet-shaped flowers with purple throats appear on a tall tree with huge, heart-shaped leaves.“It can be a great tree, if you…

Early summer, when plants are still green from spring rains, is the time to think ahead to the hot, dry days of July and August.

These shrubs are tough, adaptable and hardy, so it’s no surprise they’re popular with gardeners.

Now is the time to look out for one of our most conspicuous garden pests: the Japanese beetle. “In recent years they have been showing up in the

Have you spotted an unfamiliar fernlike plant in an unexpected place in your yard? Check it out: It might be poison hemlock.

Now is the time to look out for one of our most conspicuous garden pests: the Japanese beetle. “In recent years they have been showing up in the third week of June,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant know...

Do you notice when your hostas bloom? “Hostas often don't get credit for being flowering perennials, but that's what they are,” said Sharon Yiesla, plant knowledge specialist in the Plant Clinic at The Morton Arboretum in Lisle.

Some of the fiercest beasts of prey in your garden are on your side. They're predatory insects that protect your plants by controlling the populations of more harmful bugs.

Here are some suggestions for shrubs that flower in late June, July and August.

A gardener working in the hot sun to remove unwanted plants from a vegetable patch or a perennial bed may find a lot of words to describe them.