… our gardens during the great fall migration. Among these fascinating and colorful creatures is the ruby-throated hummingbird, which travels through the Chicago area in great numbers during … there are as many as 25 species of hummingbirds in the United States, the ruby-throated is the only hummingbird regularly found east of the Mississippi River. During the summer, they … that glistens in the sunlight. In shade, the throat appears black while the female’s throat is white. The birds weigh slightly less than a penny but when they’re beefing up during …
Type: Plant Info
… or attracting butterflies. They can help children discover nature. And…creating a theme garden is just plain fun. Here’s a look at some popular planting themes. Of all the creatures that … the size of a thumbnail—that are just as fun to attract and to watch. A butterfly garden is simply one that offers nectar for the adults and certain plants for their caterpillars. Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid that butterflies, bees, and other pollinators rely on for energy. Each …
Type: Plant Info
… “decorating” with plants, but it’s an opportunity to use them as displays, whether your style is minimalist, cottage, formal, funky, or vintage. There’s the beauty of a fern with its delicate … for their parlors, has become popular once again—but for a different reason. The foliage is dramatic and looks like contemporary sculpture. There are several species and cultivars, but … thrive on neglect, take up little room, and are quite stunning. Aspidistra Cast-iron plant is another oldie-but-goodie. Hardy and long-lived, aspidistra was a common houseplant in England …
Type: Plant Info
… Peas Radishes June sun warms the soil Beans Cucumbers Squash The back of the seed packet is a wonderful place to find information on how to plant. For most of the above, simply hoe a … basic (pH), which fertilizer it needs. Our Plant Information Service sums it up nicely. Here is the link for you to access soil testing services . Once you know more about your garden’s … Mother Nature or your hose. Healthy soil, as discussed above. An occasional weeding. That weed is stealing the nutrients that you want to be in your vegetables—pull it, by hand, when it’s …
Type: Plant Info
… much joy and satisfaction, but the blooms never last as long as you would like. My first urge is to take pictures. But there is another way to preserve this ephemeral beauty: drying flowers. If you’ve walked through the … A great native flower to try. The blue flowers stay true. Lady’s mantle: In most cases, it is best to remove the leaves before drying—lady’s mantle is the exception. Sunflowers: …
Type: Blog
… Home gardeners can sympathize: not every seed that is planted grows. This truth extends to restored prairies that are grown from seed mixes, … development has left us with less than one-tenth of one percent of prairieland, which is vital part of our ecosystem. Today, the prairie can be found only in small patches, and … to a large swath of acreage in the suburbs, she and her team visited each restored prairie site to compare the plant communities to the mix of seeds that were planted there initially. “I …
Type: Blog
… cabinet. Currently, I am in the second year of my research of the vanilla orchid. Vanilla is an exciting plant to study because it grows as a vine with two different types of roots. These … in the wild can germinate without one or more mycorrhizal fungi. As a scientist, my goal is to study the interactions that the vanilla orchid has with these fungi as they mature. This is important because most vanilla farms are monocultures—it is easier to obtain clones from …
Type: Blog
… attracts a wasp that hunts the spider as potential food for its own larvae. Thus the wasp is fooled into landing on the flower—and picking up its pollen—while hunting. So cheeky! A … (Check out more on orchids fooling mating bees with this famous video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h8I3cqpgnA .) Oncidium Sharry Baby ‘Sweet Fragrance’ has dancing skirts and chocolate fragrance. I’m Happy Just to Dance with You Before this dance is through I think I’ll love you too. I’m so happy when you dance with me. The most …
Type: Blog
… as busy ever. Our cool-weather crops include brussels sprouts, spinach, and toscano kale. Fall is a great time to grow vegetables—insects die off, weeds wither, moisture plentiful. If you … Remove debris such as leaves, clippings, and bits of fruits and vegetables. Garden sanitation is important to remove the overwintering habitat for many insects. Cucumber beetle and squash … growing season—with row covers, garden blankets over raised beds, cold frames, etc. Now is the best time to gather plants at the end of the season for beautiful arrangements for the …
Type: Blog
… Farm Morning at Blackberry Farm The barn on Blackberry Farm Ross showed how easy it is to incorporate fresh produce and gardening into your life in his lecture, “Eating Between the … throughout the season.” In addition to being a well-known restaurant and inn, Blackberry Farm is a fully working farm. Ross spent nearly ten years managing the gardens at Blackberry; now he helps chefs get more involved in the garden. Even though the farm is a large operation, the lessons learned there can be easily adapted in containers or raised …
Type: Blog
