Beth Botts

Beth Botts is a staff writer for The Morton Arboretum, a 1,700-acre outdoor museum and garden of trees near Lisle. She works with the Arboretum’s horticultural and scientific staff to provide practical, reliable garden advice in her weekly column. The author of two books, she writes and speaks widely about trees, gardening and nature. She was an editor and reporter at the Chicago Tribune for more than two decades.

Hostas are easy-care and long-lived — and they bloom

July 12, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Most gardeners choose hostas not for their flowers but for their foliage, a tidy tuft of leaves that lasts all season.

Poison hemlock has fernlike leaves and develops tall stalks topped with clusters of white flowers. All parts of the plant are toxic to ingest. (Sharon Yiesla/The Morton Arboretum)

Watch out for poison plant with fernlike leaves

July 5, 2026 at 5:01 a.m.

Because poison hemlock spreads easily by seed, it’s important to remove or control it before its flowers go to seed.

Japanese beetles, which spend most of the year as grubs in the soil of lawns, emerge in summer as adults that eat the tissue between the leaf veins of plants. (Sharon Yiesla/The Morton Arboretum)

To fight Japanese beetles, don’t overwater grass

June 27, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Here are some tips from the Plant Clinic for coping with Japanese beetles and grubs.

Summer-blooming panicled hydrangeas — named for their elongated clusters, or panicles, of many tiny flowers — are hardy and easy-care shrubs that are available in a range of sizes to fit most yards. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Take your pick of summer-blooming hydrangeas

June 20, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

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

It’s best to water in the morning so plants’ leaves have time to dry off. Dampness on leaves overnight can encourage fungus diseases. (Jeffrey Ross/The Morton Arboretum)

Get ready now to water all summer

June 15, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

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. “Make sure you’re ready for...

The northern catalpa tree has clusters of large, frilly white flowers that invite pollinating insects. (Sharon Yiesla/The Morton Arboretum)

Catalpa trees can handle city conditions

June 7, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

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,...

Brown carbon-rich materials such as dried leaves are an essential ingredient for home compost, although it should also include green nitrogen-rich materials such as grass clippings, weeds and fruit and vegetable waste from the kitchen. (Beth Botts /The Morton Arboretum)

Here’s how to make rich, healthy compost

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

Making your own compost is a great way to improve your soil, make use of garden waste and recycle nutrients for your plants to use. And it’s free.

As you fill your pollinator garden in springtime, be sure to include some late-blooming plants such as asters to provide nectar and pollen for insects in August and September. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Plant a pollinator garden that blooms all season

May 23, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Don't forget to plant for nectar, the food reward that entices animals to provide the service of fertilizing plants.

Reed canary grass or ribbon grass (Phalaris arundinacea var. picta) is an example of an invasive plant that easily spreads from gardens into natural areas to choke out native plants and damage ecosystems and wildlife. Avoid planting invasive plants. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Protect wildlife by eliminating invasive plants

May 17, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

May is Invasive Species Awareness Month in Illinois. It's a good time for gardeners to focus on their role in keeping invasive plants at bay.

Before you buy any plant, carefully read the label for information about whether it is suitable for the place where you plan to plant it. If you buy the plant, keep the label to guide care. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Let plant label guide you at garden center

May 9, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Before you fall for a gorgeous blooming perennial at the garden center or a hot-deal tree at the big-box store, stop and read the label.

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