… I just returned from two weeks in Mongolia searching for fossil flowers. Why go halfway around the world to look for fossils of flowering plants when there are plenty of fossil flowers closer to home? … we feel lucky! We collect one to several gallon-size Ziploc bags of rock from as many sample points as possible, and then photograph the sample locations and take GIS coordinates for future …
Type: Blog
… Like many flowering plants, clivia prefers to be kept rootbound and can remain in the same pot for as long as five years. Since it takes a few years for a clivia plant to bloom, it's best to purchase a mature plant, unless you are very patient. … base to prevent seed set. In spring, resume normal watering and feeding AT THE GARDEN If you visit the Greenhouses at the Chicago Botanic Garden in late winter, you can see both the yellow …
Type: Plant Info
… tombstone in Cumberland, England "While life lasts." This can be a very brief moment in time for a spring ephemeral. In that narrow window that exists between thawing ground and the leafing … pollinators associated with them, they usually have several different pollinators that can visit, including other native bees and many species of flies. For ephemerals in the genus … False rue anemone ( Isopyrum biternatum ) With spring on the horizon, you should make plans to visit the McDonald Woods to view the diversity of colorful spring wildflowers. For those of you …
Type: Blog
… to its demise at the turn of the twentieth century, when these and other waders were hunted for their feathery plumes that women wore in their hats. Since then, the great egret, standing more than 3 feet tall with a nearly 5-foot wing span, has become the symbol for the National Audubon Society, founded in part to stop these birds from being killed to … is doing well in Illinois; however, habitat loss and water pollution may threaten its future. Visit Baker’s Lake in Barrington to watch the great egret during breeding season and McGinnis …
Type: Blog
… and reds of the torch lilies, the evaluation garden will be a riot of colors and a haven for pollinators. The masterworts sulked last summer so we worried that winter might end the trial. But, after a strong start this spring, we’re hopeful for a bounty of their pincushion-like flowers in June and July. Visitors and staff were sad to … on Instagram and Facebook. Keep an eye on our social media channels, but better yet, come visit us in person. …
Type: Blog
… And so, our love story began ❤. The hibiscus dazzled my family by blooming profusely for many years, indoors during the cold months and outdoors on the patio in the summer. Then, one … a larger pot, so I gently tore away at the root ball until there was enough room in the pot for roots and dirt. This helped, and once again, the hibiscus started producing blooms and … I waited just one day too long before bringing it indoors. The overnight frost did not make for a happy hibiscus, and the entire winter, it angrily shed its leaves. I took it back outside …
Type: Blog
… And it can save you some big bucks. A 1-gallon pot of purple coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea), for example, may cost $8 to $10. A packet of seeds can provide dozens of the same plant for about one-third of the price. Each seed holds an embryonic plant that’s resting and waiting for the right conditions to germinate. One of the most satisfying things a gardener can do is …
Type: Plant Info
Carya illinoinensis , also known as pecan, is a large, deciduous, lowland tree, the largest of the hickories. It typically grows 75 to 100 feet tall (infrequently to 150 feet) with a large, rounded, spreading crown and trunks that mature to 2 to 4 feet in diameter. It is native along the Nueces River in Texas but has spread from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio, south to Alabama and Mexico, …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
Carya ovata , shagbark hickory, is a large deciduous tree that typically grows 70 to 90 feet tall (infrequently to 120 feet) with an irregular, oval-rounded crown. It is native from Quebec to Minnesota, south to Georgia and Texas. Trunks mature to 2 to 3 feet in diameter. This tree features smooth, medium yellow-green, odd-pinnate, compound leaves, each having 5 (less frequently 7 or 9) …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Winter is a great season for bookworms—there’s nothing like a good book to keep you company during the colder months. And … and give us a glimpse into the history of plants all the way back to ancient Greece. For just a taste of what this collection offers, we asked Leora Siegel, Lenhardt Library’s senior … are digitized and linked above, but nothing quite compares with seeing a rare book in person. Visit the Lenhardt Library from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday to explore its full …
Type: Blog
