Beth Botts

Beth Botts is a staff writer for The Morton Arboretum, a 1,700-acre outdoor museum and garden of trees near Lisle, Ill. 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 Tribune for more than two decades.

Some trees that grow relatively quickly, such as this tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera), can be good choices for home yards, but many fast-growing trees have weak wood and require extra maintenance. (The Morton Arboretum)

Choosing a tree? Not so fast.

May 4, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Taking the time to select the right kind of tree can save homeowners substantial expense and trouble in the long term.

Pay attention to the trees on your property throughout the year so you can keep them in good health. Large, mature trees provide the lion’s share of benefits to people, such as providing shade, capturing stormwater, handling air pollution and making our communities more beautiful, safer and more restful. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Get to know your trees to keep them healthy

April 27, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

For a healthier landscape and a greener community, taking care of the trees you have is as important as planting new ones. “We often think about planting trees around Arbor...

When you plant a tree, double-check that the root flare, the point where the trunk curves out into the roots, is at the level of the surrounding soil and no lower. Planting a tree too deeply can keep it from surviving. (Jeffrey Ross/The Morton Arboretum)

Take care when planting for a healthy tree

April 19, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Here are some tips from the Morton Arboretum Plant Clinic for planting trees and shrubs.

If you prune roses in springtime to remove dead wood and improve air circulation, it will bring you beautiful blooms this summer with less risk of disease. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Get your rosebushes ready for beautiful bloom

April 12, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Here are some tips from the Plant Clinic for a spring rose tune-up.

Sargent’s cherry (Prunus sargentii) is a small spring-flowering tree that is more likely to thrive in the Chicago area than Japanese flowering cherry (Prunus serrulata). (John Hagstrom/The Morton Arboretum)

For cherry blossoms, choose carefully

April 5, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

The Japanese cherry trees that bloom in a cloud of pink in Tokyo and Washington, D.C., rarely thrive in this area.

The silvery, fluffy hairs of pussy willow buds insulate the flowers inside against cold in early spring. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Pussy willow can grow in a sunny, moist site

March 30, 2025 at 2:29 p.m.

Pussy willow can be part of a home landscape if you have a site with plenty of space, full sun and moist soil.

To keep from compacting your garden soil, avoid digging while soil is wet from spring rains or thawing snow. Compacted soil can stunt plants’ growth. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Delay digging to save soil

March 23, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

It can be hard to resist on a sunny spring day, but don’t start digging in the garden too soon.

Cool-season vegetables grow well in spring before summer's heat sets in. Their seeds can be sown outdoors once the soil is thawed and well drained or started indoors for an earlier crop.

(Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Some crops need a cool start

March 15, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Before too long, it will be time to start planting vegetables.

Pruning raspberry bushes in late winter or early spring will clear the way for them to bloom and bear fruit in summer. (John Hagstrom/The Morton Arboretum)

Prune your backyard raspberries yearly

March 8, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Raspberries and blackberries are pruned in late winter or early spring to get rid of dead, damaged or dense and tangled canes.

When a bare-root plant is delivered, open the wrapping and make sure the roots have not dried out. (Beth Botts/The Morton Arboretum)

Consider buying plants with their roots bare

March 1, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

If you have chosen trees, shrubs or perennials you’d like to add to your garden this spring, consider trying to buy them as bare-root plants. “They can cost less, because...

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