… a knockout punch to some plants this year. (You may recall that the Garden was closed for two consecutive days in late January due to extreme weather conditions.) Japanese maples and … yellow.” “A lot of stresses are cumulative, and the past couple of years have been stressful for plants,” Tiddens said. “We’ve had a very cold winter and a slow, wet spring. Plants have a budget—it’s usually more of a balanced budget for resources or growth. When they’re stressed out, the budget goes to defense.” That …
Type: Plant Info
… about right this year, but the quality of the experience is a little ‘off,’” Tankersley said. “For instance, the cherry [tree] outside my office—in a good year—is a mass of light yellow … the Chicago area is hard to predict.” Part of the mission of the Garden’s Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action is to fight climate change through scientific research … a topic of conversation among the horticulture staff for the last couple of weeks and in the news,” said Tankersley. “The diminished [fall] displays are caused, in part, by the drought and …
Type: Blog
… plant bugs, cucumber beetles, spongy moths — the list is legion. And all are ravenous for something green. Good and Bad Bugs Before you act, remember that not all bugs are harmful. If … from one another. In late fall, many homes are invaded by the Asian ladybird looking for a place to spend the winter. They like walls that have been painted white or face south, … after first dampening the area around the aphid-infested plants. The ladybirds settle down for the evening and in the morning wake up to all that wonderful food. As an example, a Garden …
Type: Plant Info
… three-quarters of all human food now comes from just eight species… Modern U.S. consumers now get to taste less than 1 percent of the vegetable varieties that were grown here a century ago." Think about your own vegetable garden: Are you planning for diversity this spring? What could your first salad of the year look and taste like if it … catalogs or nurseries. A sample from the mixes available at Renee's Garden ( reneesgarden.com ): "Asian Baby Leaf Mix," Edible Landscape "Stardom," and "Heirloom Cutting Mix." A mix makes …
Type: Plant Info
… more. “Hands in earth, sand, mud: building, digging, sewing, baking—these are what humans DO.” For fun, interesting, and education-based ideas, we turned to a fun, interesting, and … employees, librarians, and just-plain-curious caregivers who came together at the Garden for a Nature Play conference (sponsored by the Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago Wilderness, and … undyed yarn or fabric into a personal style experience. 10. Paint Chip Color Hunt One quick visit to the paint store can send kids off to hunt for hours, as they try to match nature’s …
Type: Blog
… a closer look, you’ll notice signs of wildlife all around you, too. Their connection makes for the best kind of codependency. Killdeer, a shorebird that commonly nests at the Garden. … on each other, and the bond between them creates a healthy ecosystem. Plants provide food for various wildlife and, at the Garden, you can find examples of this everywhere. The milkweed … Sometimes, nature lends a helping hand to protect the plants, too. Foxes and coyotes that visit the Garden on occasion chase away geese and voles, small rodents that damage the bark of …
Type: Blog
… they're large, moveable, colonize naturally, and, as long as they're not waterlogged, last for decades—possibly outliving the person who planted them. In fact, there's only one real … is not heavily shaded in spring and early summer. Avoid full shade or wet areas in the yard. Get out your camera or smartphone and take photos of daffodil-friendly spots now, before perennials grow up, bare spots get covered, and leaves fill in on the trees. You are creating a photo map that will prove …
Type: Plant Info
… summer peach, a hue between pink and orange—that’s “Peach Fuzz,” Pantone’s Color of the Year for 2024. As curator of plant collections at the Chicago Botanic Garden, I immediately began … Fuzz, so silver-leaved plants make wonderful companions, maybe with white blooms in between for a subdued look. Incorporating darker pink and orange with Peach Fuzz creates a harmonious … Peach Sky’ Yarrow With flat flower heads, yarrow is the perfect perennial for spiky or globe-shaped companions. It’s a taller perennial, 32 to 36 inches, and blooms …
Type: Blog
… with the diverse plants appropriately themed to each specific garden. A fine starting point for this walk is the Great Basin, the Garden’s central lake, which is surrounded by gardens that … the roses, irises, daylilies, bulbs, and sages are massed by the hundreds, even thousands, for their color impact visible across the water. This time, too, is when the waterlilies and … is every gardener’s dream. Look and listen for all our water sources on your next Garden visit. …
Type: Walks
… many forsythia species and cultivars. A cultivar is a plant developed through breeding for particular characteristics such as color, scent, size, or shape Girald forsythia ( Forsythia … shrub is finished flowering. If you wait too long, you’ll remove the buds and the flower show for next spring. Don’t prune the shrub into a circle or a rectangle or you’ll lose the graceful … Information Deer Resistant Plants Prune Trees and Shrubs Tree and Shrub Care Checklist Get Crafty Forcing Flowering Branches Spring-flowering Branches Indoors So Classy: Spring Wreaths …
Type: Plant Info
