Blayne Greiner, Instructor for the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Windy City Harvest urban agriculture program, gives us some tips from his recent class on seed starting. A lot of information was covered in this 3-hour workshop, so if this video still leaves you with questions, consider taking these courses. Visit chicagobotanic.org/windycityharvest/courses to sign up for the next one.
In case you missed it, here’s the recipe for blocking mix: 30 quarts brown peat, 20 quarts compost, 1/2 cup lime, 20 quarts coarse sand or perlite, 10 quarts soil, 3 cups organic fertilizer mix (blood meal, colloidal phosphate and greensand mixed together in equal parts).
Tim Pollak, outdoor floriculturist, shows us how to plant a side-planted moss-lined hanging basket for shade to enjoy this summer. You can find plants for your hanging basket at A Bloomin’ Festival on May 14-16 or you can buy them already planted at the sale. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/bloomin for more information.
The horticulturists at the Chicago Botanic Garden are leading some of the potting parties at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show at Navy Pier this week. Cost is $20 and includes a pot and five plants that will make for a wonderful spring display. For more information, visit www.chicagoflower.com.
Hannah Rohn and Heather Sherwood show us how to make a garden container from Portland cement, peat moss, perlite and water. For detailed instructions on another technique for making English garden troughs, visit www.chicagobotanic.org/trough.
