Wild Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis) doesn't bloom until late summer early fall. It is used to help supply nectar to migrant hummers when other summer plants are winding down. My Salvia coccineas, Salvia Guaraniticas, bloom all summer right up until the time they are killed by a freeze. Pineapple sage and Salvia Microphylla 'Wild Watermelon' bloom as the days are getting shorter in fall. Coral honeysuckle will bloom all summer and into fall. Agastaches will bloom all summer and fall. Gartenmeister fushia will bloom all season but it is tender and will have to be brought inside once the temps start dropping. My bat faced cuphea bloomed until I brought it inside for the winter in November then i cut it back and it has doubled in size already and I am looking forward to putting it back out for the hummers next spring. My cannas still had blooms up until our first hard freeze. Impomopsis (standing cypress) is another hardy plant that will bloom through fall. Even after a couple of freezes mine is still green. Lobeliea cardinalis (cardinal flower) and Lobelia Siphilitica (Great Blue Lobelia) bloom later in summer through fall until frost. The Great Blue Lobelia does seem to be a bit hardier than my Lobelia Cardinalis and can take withstand more freezing. There are also late blooming hostas that my hummers feed on that will bloom unitl early to mid fall. Cypress vine (cardinal climber is a hybrid of the cypress vine) will bloom earlier and longer than cardinal climber. Spring flowering plants besides the bleeding hearts already mentioned by Wetbug that may help are: baskets of red impatiens (I make up several baskets to hang around my yard as soon as they are available) azaleas rhododendrons dwarf red buckeye (flowering tree which can be pruned to height) bottlebrush buckeye (flowering shrub) Weigelia (mid spring blooming shrub) Red flowering currant (shrub) Flowering Quince (shrub) Leonitus leonurus (Lion's Tail)(Spring through fall) Native columbine which you have Cross vine (related to trumpet vine but a spring bloomer) Coral bells White wild Indigo Lily of the valley Penny

One more thing mikey about your trip. If you are traveling by car or renting a car you need to be aware of the expressway construction. One of the main expressway, Dan Ryan is under a major refiguration that will last a couple of years. And when I say major I do mean it. There are alternate routes that are lovely like traveling down Lake Shore Drive. Even some of the feeder expressway leading downtown will be congested...they already are but this may put us all over the edge. So when you are here turn on to the local TV stations for the updates. If you are staying downtown then your good to go with public transpertation or CTA or Train....Just know were your heading first! Get maps, listen to the radio, AM 780 for updates. Enjoy your trip it will be worth it.

Usually my mowing in April is to get the yard cleaned up and the grass is beginning to grow. This past weekend was the second week I've mowed, and the grass really grew in that one week despite not receiving a lot of rain. I also started seeing butterflies in mid April, again earlier than usual. So I figure nature is moving along a couple weeks earlier this year. I only put out a few feeders to see if I attract any hummers, and will put out more when I see more birds.

I don't know where you are in zone 5, but I previously had a Blue Muffin, a different Viburnum dentatum cultivar. I ended up removing it because the viburnum beetles chewed it to lace. So I would check to see if the V. beetles are in your area. Also, if you want berries as well as flowers, you will need a different cultivar of V. dentatum or closely related viburnum since they aren't self fertile, so 2 Chicago Lustres won't pollinate each other since they are genetically the same plant.