… Five years ago this past May, I found myself starting a new job and a new research project. My job, of course, was as a conservation scientist here at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and the research project had me sitting on the side of a road at dusk in Pueblo West, Colorado. I … that produce lovely-smelling flowers, waiting for their impressive pollinators to show up. And when they did, I snapped some of my very first photos of these beauties: hawkmoths, better …
Type: Blog
… to set the stage for new partnerships. Patrick Herendeen, Ph.D. , senior director, systematics and evolutionary biology at the Garden, served as co-coordinator of “A Workshop to Explore Enhancing Collaboration Between U.S. and Chinese Researchers in Systematic Biology,” held in late February at the South China Botanical Garden in Guangzhou, China. Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and Natural Science Foundation of China, the workshop brought systemicists from both countries …
Type: Blog
… “Keep Going” planter, with a side of coffee. We toured the garden, got to know each other, and sipped on coffee. Lots of coffee. The activity I led was called Inspirational Herb Dish Gardens and was intended to provide these vets with a lovely planter of kitchen herbs to cook with, as … After the first retreat was done, I thought to myself, “Wow! That was a really good program!” And it was. It was really good. Over the course of the summer, these vets returned to the …
Type: Blog
… dear to me: American’s national parks (I just planned a Grand Canyon/Arches trip for June!), and the power of nature to improve mental health. The latter article cites scientific evidence that nature makes us happier, more productive, nicer to each other, and—critically—more forgiving of ourselves. Additional evidence of this has been published in recent issues of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Nature . Gardeners recognize this power: We find therapy digging in the earth, getting our …
Type: Blog
… Good news! There are many fall-flavored plants that will provide you with texture, form, and long-lasting colors in both flowers and foliage. I love the combination of purple or blue asters (Symphyotrichum) with ornamental … other lesser-known plants, such as some of the fall-blooming Salvias or sage can add height and lend to very interesting combinations in your container gardens. Try using cold-hardy …
Type: Blog
… It’s a big week for cooking, for getting out the china, crystal, and silver, and for setting a holiday-worthy table…but have you thought about a centerpiece yet? A cornucopia, or horn of plenty, is a classically beautiful, easy, and crowd-pleasing way to pull together a centerpiece without a lot of fuss or expense. I taught …
Type: Blog
… many women continue to face in participating in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine) careers. The largest group of women in STEMM fields to embark on an Antarctic … medical specialists, biogeochemists, wildlife guardians, anthropologists, surgeons, and veterinarians, and we represented 33 countries. But we all shared a common goal: to create a world where …
Type: Blog
… has been five months since the Black Lives Matter movement ignited a new civil rights movement and caused the Chicago Botanic Garden to reflect and recommit to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility for our staff, our visitors, our volunteers, and our boards. Part of that …
Type: Blog
… Botanic Garden, Jess Goehler is responsible for the acquisition, development, use, research, and interpretation of the Garden’s internationally renowned collection of permanent plants. … involves the procurement of plants from other botanic institutions, commercial nurseries and partners, plant breeding programs, and plant collecting expeditions. Additionally, she plays … has experimented in many botanical areas including ecological work with the National Park Service in rural Idaho, conservatory, residential and public horticulture in Ohio, Illinois, and …
Type: Staff bio
… into the fall. Gardening in containers can offer us year-round seasonal interest, and we can extend the garden seasons to create vibrant container gardens. I’m a huge fan of fall container gardens with a rich variety of color, texture, and hardiness that carry their beauty well beyond the first frost. A container garden that … garden offset blooming fall annuals. Photo by Tim Pollak A fall container with grass, pansies, and heuchera, which comes in a host of leaf colors. Photo by Tim Pollak Change-outs should take …
Type: Blog
