… back from extinction in the wild? Chicago Botanic Garden scientists think so. Their belief is reflected in the rows of rare alula ( Brighamia insignis ) growing discreetly in a Garden … decade ago, with just one plant clinging to a wind-swept sea cliff on a Hawaiian island, alula is still seen today by visitors at botanic gardens around the world. These living collections of … chance of preventing extinctions and reintroducing plants, like alula, into the wild. “Alula is an amazing species that deserves a future on this planet,” said Kayri Havens, Ph.D., chief …
Type: Blog
… level. They play an important role in small landscapes, especially in urban sites where this is no room for a large tree. The individual flowers may be exceptionally small —like those of the … Eastern redbud—but so plentiful and eye-popping that you just can’t miss them when the tree is in full bloom. Magnolias are also spectacular, but they have large, primitive-looking … (Cornus alternifolia) Pagoda dogwood, also called alternate-leaved dogwood, is an uncommon native tree occasionally found in the northern half of Illinois. The common name …
Type: Plant Info
… and restore healthy habitats Every landscape healed and plant species saved from extinction is the result of someone doing something painstaking: counting, hand-pollinating, nurturing … resilient. Read more Harvesting native seeds by hand A nationwide shortage of native seed is slowing down restoration work at exactly the moment it needs to speed up. The Seed … Program, a first-of-its-kind initiative developed by a botanic garden and local government, is working to close that gap one harvest at a time. Every seed in the program is harvested by a …
Type: Blog
… frost makes kale taste sweeter! Looks Good & Good for You Kale, the cabbage without a head, is a member of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), along with broccoli, brussels sprouts, and … kale as a crop rather than a decoration can sow kale seeds in early spring as long as the soil is not pure muck. Choose a well-drained, full-sun spot and thin the plants as they grow, allowing for the full-body structure they are going to assume. An alternative is to buy transplants and pop them in wherever you want them. Leaves from transplants can be …
Type: Plant Info
… The Prairie State is…not so much! Illinois is known as “the prairie state,” but this moniker no longer truly reflects the landscape. Urban … enjoyed continuous sweeps of plants, location was not a problem, but now so much prairie is lost that the distance between patches has increased and successful pollination has declined. …
Type: Plant Info
… this variety for more than a hundred years and that his mother used it to make a dish that is similar to sauerkraut. Ellen Felton Dark As a Chicagoan, I have always appreciated that … it’s nice seeing their bright green stalks against the snow when everything else in the garden is long gone! And I love that I am almost always able to have some collards on the Thanksgiving table. Ellen Felton Dark is one of those greens that can thrive even in cold weather—down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. A …
Type: Blog
… lepiota, was the mushroom du jour. Three of the cases involved this toxic mushroom that is commonly found in yards after summer rains. It looks lovely, and it usually won’t kill you, … vomiting and/or diarrhea, often severe, starting one to three hours after ingestion. This is the most commonly eaten toxic mushroom in the United States. It might seem like a bumper crop … lawn mower’s mushroom, is also nonedible. (Photo with permission Michael Kuo, mushroomexpert.com .) Not all mushrooms growing in lawns are toxic. But the only way to tell is to know what …
Type: Blog
… range of soil types including alkaline soils. A walk around the Garden to view lilacs in bloom is included. The School’s CEUs=3 hours OPC elective Mark Zampardo, Ph.D., horticulture educator …
Type: Item Detail
… cornerstone of a successful garden. The simplest and most effective way to build healthy soils is through the proper use of mulches as a soil amendment. We will go over the benefits of mulch, …
Type: Item Detail
… Observing patterns is central to predicting weather and understanding climate. We will consider the conditions that …
Type: Item Detail
