… a Christmas tree this month, select one with firm needles that don’t drop off when the tree is raised up a few inches and dropped to the ground. The bottom of the stump should be moist with … are the balsam and white firs; red, white and Scots pines; and Douglas fir. Once the tree is at home, cut another 2 inches off the stump and immediately plunge the tree into a bucket of warm water. It’s not necesssary to add preservatives to the water. Make sure the stand is full of water each day. A freshly cut tree can take up as much as one gallon of water in a …
Type: Plant Info
… o blongifolium ‘October Skies’ Ornamental Features A key attractive feature of most asters is the mass of striking flowers that resplendent in the garden and in a vase. Depending on the … form compact clumps, or be large and billowy. The new growth on ‘Lady in Black’ calico aster is bronze and stays purple all summer when grown in full sun. ‘Bridal Veil’ aster ( … DNA research. For example, the native New England aster, formerly called Aster novae-angliae is now Symphyotrichum novae-angliae , a mouthful to be sure. Calico aster, a Chicago-area native, …
Type: Plant Info
… In Chicago, February is too early to start gardening outside, but herbs may be started indoors during the winter. Sow … like parsley, with a hint of anise and lemon. Sow seeds every three to four weeks. Chervil is quick to flower and go to seed (bolt) in hot weather. It is excellent in salads, soups, and vinaigrettes and with seafood. When using it in a soup or …
Type: Plant Info
… Branch Trail to the Chicago Botanic Garden , where I work as a senior graphic designer. Life is just better when you start and end your day outside on a bike. I stopped to take a selfie, as … places for a break, in spots including the Skokie Lagoons. My favorite part of the commute is riding into work past the three islands of the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden. I’m in … It’s a great way to start the day. If you’ve never tried the North Branch Trail, fall is a great time to give it a go. I’m already looking forward to the golden hues of the black …
Type: Blog
… or a Q-tip and go from male to female flowers moving the pollen and aiding fertilization. This is a fun project for children, too. To attract bees to your vegetable patch, plant flowers they … because you won’t have to replant the entire border each spring. One bee-loving native plant is swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) . Although this milkweed thrives in moist places, it … use the plant for their eggs, so avoid pesticides. The nectar and pollen in native plants is highly nutritious to native pollinators and that’s a good reason to include them in your …
Type: Plant Info
… The Chicago Botanic Garden is helping increase the supply of native seed at the local, regional, and national … forest preserves to massive wildfire recovery efforts in the western United States, the Garden is helping get the right native seed to the landscapes that need it. Andrea Kramer, Ph.D., … native seed production Restoring 30,000 acres of land takes a lot of native seed. The Garden is helping the Forest Preserves of Cook County (FPCC) meet this ambitious goal by supporting …
Type: Research
… home to my quiet, tree-lined Chicago neighborhood, but one thing I miss about urban living is ample outdoor space. The back door of my apartment leads to a wooden fire escape—built after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 as a second means of exit from the building. The landing is wide enough to finagle furniture during moves, but doesn’t invite much summertime lounging or … for starting an herb container, no matter where you live. Find the right container: Drainage is key for healthy herbs, says Hilgenberg, so make sure to find a pot with holes at the bottom. …
Type: Blog
… recently experienced the fascinating bloom cycle with the titan arum Sprout. However, there is an additional denizen of the Araceae (a.k.a. Aroid, a.k.a. Arum) family with rare and … flowers of Japanese cobra lily have a spathe (pulpit) with a spadix (jack) inside. The pulpit is striped purple with white on the outside, while the interior is a dark, shiny, chocolate color. What is different about the blossom of a Japanese cobra lily …
Type: Blog
… In gardening, as in life, patience is a virtue. Twelve years ago, the Garden embarked on a mission to bring a rock star of the plant … Botanic Garden. The titan arum ( Amorphophallus titanum ), also known as the corpse flower, is the largest flowering structure in the world. When it blooms, it puts on a show like no … its display location . Native to the rainforests of western Sumatra, Indonesia, the titan arum is distinguished by its large size, odd shape, and terrible stench (hence its common name, corpse …
Type: Blog
… in trees for shelter and protection from the elements. What you see as a messy clump of leaves is actually a structure formed from sticks and then lined with leaves and other materials to make … Are my neighborhood squirrels somehow related to the Three Little Pigs ? Since I know that is not the case, I started to speculate: Perhaps squirrels are attracted to that particular view. … branch over a lawn. Could it be that this spot also puts their predators at risk and therefore is actually a safer place to live? I don’t know! So, I started looking around to see if there was …
Type: Blog
