APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS – BEST FLOWERS TO GROW IN CHICAGO

BRING YOUR YARD TO LIFE WITH FLOWERS NATIVE TO THE ILLINOIS CLIMATE. PLANTS AND FLOWERS ARE A GREAT WAY TO LIVEN UP YOUR OUTDOOR SPACE, AS WELL AS HELP LOCAL WILDLIFE FLOURISH.

THERE ARE MANY BENEFITS TO PLANTING NATIVE FLOWERS:

COST EFFECTIVE: ONCE THESE FLOWERS ARE ESTABLISHED, THEY NEED LESS ATTENTION, SAVING YOU MONEY ON WATER AND FERTILIZER.

ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY: NATIVE FLOWERS ARE LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO PESTS AND DISEASES AND ALSO HELP TO PREVENT FLOODING.

ATTRACT POLLINATORS: NATIVE FLOWERS ATTRACT BIRDS, BEES, AND BUTTERFLIES, HELPING BUILD A HEALTHY ECOSYSTEM FOR ENDANGERED SPECIES.

HERE ARE SOME FLOWERS THAT GROW WELL IN CHICAGOLAND’S CLIMATE:

WILD BERGAMOT

GROWING TO BETWEEN TWO AND FOUR FEET IN LENGTH, AND WITH LAVENDER OR PINK PETALS THAT EXTEND OUT FROM UPRIGHT TUBES, THESE ARE PICKED STRAIGHT FROM CHILDREN’S BOOK SCENERY. THEY TEND TO BLOOM IN MIDSUMMER AND BRING A LIVELY FEEL TO ANY GARDEN.

WITH THEIR SHOWY FLOWERS AND MINTY OREGANO SCENT, BUMBLEBEES, AND HUMMINGBIRDS ARE ATTRACTED TO THE WILD BERGAMOT. THESE FLOWERS FLOURISH IN FULL TO MEDIUM SUN, BUT CAN ALSO LIVE WELL IN THE SHADE.

CULVER’S ROOT

AS LONG AS YOU PLANT CULVER’S ROOT WHERE IT CAN GET AMPLE SUNLIGHT, THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL PERENNIAL TO ADD TO YOUR CHICAGO GARDEN. WITH TALL SPIKES OF SMALL, TUBULAR LIGHT BLUE, PURPLE, OR WHITE FLOWERS, THEY’RE A GREAT MATCH TO OTHER COLORFUL FLOWERS SUCH AS THE WILD BERGAMOT.

GARDEN PHLOX

DO YOU LIKE PINK? IF SO, GARDEN PHLOX WOULD BE A GREAT ADDITION TO YOUR GARDEN. THESE FLOWERS TEND TO BLOOM IN JULY AND ARE BEST TO STAKE EARLY IN THE GROWING SEASON. DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, IT’S BEST TO CUT THIS PLANT DOWN TO THE GROUND TO HELP REJUVENATE IT AND LESSEN THE RISK OF MILDEW.

BUTTERFLY WEED

IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN A COLOR POP FOR YOUR GARDEN AND TO ATTRACT BUTTERFLIES, PLANT BUTTERFLY WEED. PART OF THE MILKWEED FAMILY, THIS FLOWER PLAYS HOST TO THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY, THEREFORE YOU GET TO FEEL GOOD ABOUT HELPING THE ENVIRONMENT AS WELL AS HAVING A BEAUTIFUL GARDEN.