… to buy—as a gift or for yourself. If you buy them at a store, wrap them up completely and get them back indoors as soon as you can. Holiday plants come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. … It's beautiful because the red, cream, or sparkle-laden plants are dazzling. But it is also dreaded because the plant will drop its leaves in warm and dry air, cold drafts, or … a bit between waterings. As each flower fades, remove the flowering stalk. A bonus: you can get it to rebloom next year . Drop by the Garden Shop for a selection of plants and other …
Type: Blog
… around with the idea before we decided to fill it with sweetgum tree seeds. (Sorry, I did not get a good photo of it.) I had a ceramic birdhouse, so I filled it with soil and planted … A pitcher plant growing inside a beverage pitcher was a favorite table display. (This pitcher is a species of Nepenthes.) Home tips Since these containers were not made for plants, you may … it work. I had to take apart a toy drum to turn it into a planter for beets. (Beets in a drum—get it? If you want to impress, don’t shy away from puns, references to popular stories, or …
Type: Blog
… There is something wonderful about a plant that gives you color, pizzazz, longevity, reliability, and … barrier around the more desirable lilies in an effort to outfox the fox. Alliums at the Garden Get Information on Allium Species Find Alliums with our GardenGuide Take a Spring Garden Walk … (although the foliage and bulbs often do), and, when happy in their full-sun, well-drained site, can form colonies or self-seed, especially when some of the more humongous flower heads are …
Type: Plant Info
… In August, when the jewelweed and cardinal flowers bloom, the ruby-throated hummingbird is migrating. It’s perfect timing, because the hummingbirds get energy for their journey southward by sipping nectar from the blossoms of these plants native … early blooming trees and shrubs as well as insects and spiders. It’s at this time you might get lucky enough to observe the courting male as he flies in a U-shape and also buzzes in front …
Type: Blog
… frying, and using fresh in salads. Squash seeds quickly germinate when the soil temperature is above 60 degrees. Once plants begin to produce, harvest the fruits two to three times a week. … about three to four weeks and then the plants are finished. Pole beans take a bit longer to get going but healthy plants will continue producing beans throughout the summer. To use as a … the soil a few inches below the surface and water thoroughly if it feels dry. Nina Koziol is a garden writer and horticulturist who lives and gardens in Palos Park, Illinois. …
Type: Plant Info
… As the days get shorter, you might be looking for off-the-beaten paths where you can soak up the rest of the … away on the Chicago Botanic Garden’s southeast side, just north of Dundee Road, the Reserve is relatively unknown, even to longtime visitors. As an assistant ecologist, I’m in the Reserve a … moths, and butterflies. A picture-perfect pond The restoration work also allows visitors to get a great view of the 6-acre pond, framed with color. Look for swamp white oaks turning a nice …
Type: Blog
… and rest them on a grassy meadow near the Dixon Prairie. Inside these 2- by-2-foot quadrants is a fantastical world to discover: the height of different species of plants, the temperature of … classroom walls, said Drew Wehrle, the Garden’s former coordinator of student field trips. To get their hands dirty, so to speak. Evaluating the ecosystem of a particular quadrant helps … crafted to fulfill age-appropriate state Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), so students get to explore while also engaging with ideas that complement what they’re already learning in …
Type: Blog
… Greenhouses at the Chicago Botanic Garden, I talk to a lot of people about indoor plants. I get that you want potted plants that are easy to take care of (hello, spider plant). But there … have captivating flowers that look like they escaped from a Dr. Seuss book. The foliage is heart-shaped, with blushing purple undersides. The purple hues will fade with low light … These striking tropical plants have slippery pitcher-shaped modified leaves. The plants get nutrients from the insects that accidentally slide into their pitchers. No worries if you …
Type: Blog
… At the end of fall, it is easy for people to think that nature has shut down for the winter—this could not be farther from the truth. This thought is particularly true of people who have walked through the McDonald Woods at the Chicago Botanic … time to reach independence, the adults often need to push them out of the territory in fall to get ready to start the next nesting season. Screech Owls Another owl in the eared group is …
Type: Blog
… The hand-carved Buddha is in the house. A circa-1850 glazed Chinese jar is filled with green Cymbidium orchids native … dry garden surrounded by rolled bamboo walls: It took three crew members two days to get the rolled bamboo walls just right. The finished walls support moss baskets filled with … come into bloom and the ikebana displays change. And the Semitropical Greenhouse? You’ll get a different view each time, depending on the angle of the winter sun as it shines through the …
Type: Blog
