… When spring unfurls, the trillium are among the stars of the native wildflowers—and in coming years, the show at the Chicago Botanic Garden will be even more spectacular. A … in the United States Trillium plant parts illustration from Trillium , by Fredrick W. Case and Roberta Case, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1997. The rhizomes were grown out in the … considered endangered. Trillium are so beloved that they have appeared on two U.S. Postal Service stamps. …
Type: Blog
… From ancient China to Greece, Europe, and finally the New World, the tradition of sending messages as a gift of flowers has flourished … in the Victorian era, when public display of emotion was frowned upon, great effort and detail went into the choice of flowers presented in a bouquet. Each flower chosen had its own well-known meaning concealed in its size, shape, color, and even the way it was presented — by hand, singularly, or in a group. Even the number of blooms …
Type: Blog
… Garden is naturally romantic. As with fine wines, the descriptive words for roses are rich and varied. Among the 5,000-plus rose bushes planted are some that speak the language of love … Fragrant. The very definition of a romantic rose. ‘Tiffany’ —Rosy pink, strong fragrance, and the perfect name for a proposal. ‘Love and Peace’ —A beautiful combination: yellow, edged in pink. And that fragrance! Starry Night™ …
Type: Blog
… I study biodiversity and restoration in the tallgrass prairie. My post-doctoral research is focused on seed mix design for restoration from both a social and ecological perspective. Using social science methods, I am studying the factors that drive … design for prairie restoration managers. Using ecological data collected though observation and experimentation, I am determining how seed mixes become prairies, that is, which planted …
Type: Staff bio
… Take a peek in your closet, and you might find a long wooden broom for sweeping up dust or offering rides to witches and wizards. For broom maker John Spannagel of Hidalgo, Illinois, brooms are more than just a … nearly three years ago. The retired construction worker makes roughly 50 brooms a year and tours at local farm shows. As part of the Chicago Botanic Garden's Harvest Weekend , …
Type: Blog
… Eastern pondhawk dragonfly, female. Most dragonflies have very different-looking males and females. This one was in the Native Plant Garden. Photo ©Carol Freeman. Some of the dragonflies migrate south toward the Gulf Coast through September and maybe beyond. With the help of citizen observers, scientists are studying the migration … coming in a close second. I’m also seeing quite a few damselflies, which are generally smaller and more thin-bodied than dragonflies and tend to hold their wings above their bodies. (See my …
Type: Blog
… the internal struggles, enlarging your plant collection by propagation is a relatively easy—and inexpensive—undertaking. It also makes a thoughtful gift over the holidays or as a homegrown … houseplants, such as pothos or begonia, are better suited to stem cuttings. Others, like jade and African violets, can grow from a leaf cutting. Before propagating your favorite plant, find … Botanic Garden’s propagation expert, shared a few tips for creating new plants from stem and leaf cuttings. 1. Cut a piece of your houseplant below a node (where leaf and stem meet) For …
Type: Blog
… has made me appreciate these moments even more. Budburst encourages everyone to observe and record how plants change with the seasons. The spots of green usually come from evergreen … to be conifers , which have modified leaves called needles. I marvel at how conifer branches and needles, laden with snow, hold all that weight. In contrast, I appreciate the exposed branch … The ingenuity of leaf loss is protection, preventing branches from bearing too much weight and breaking when it snows. All I need is patience, and I will see the world become green again. …
Type: Blog
… just because. You may have seen kindness stones around your neighborhood. After my daughter and I recently painted some rocks, I was putting them around a flower bed in our front yard when … a woman walked by. She said, “I love those—every time I see one on my walk, I take a picture and post it. Do you mind?” Kindness stones make people smile and are small enough to put on a desk or window ledge. The whole family can get involved—even …
Type: Blog
… osprey nesting platform, established with partners Friends of the Chicago River ( FOCR ) and Forest Preserves of Cook County in 2016, has hosted an osprey pair since 2024: Oakley & Onyx. … have helped boost osprey populations after decades of declines due to DDT insecticide use and habitat loss. The osprey is listed as a threatened species in Illinois, which means it’s at risk of disappearing as a breeding species. Fish-eating raptors that migrate south and winter from the southern United States to South America, ospreys are often seen during their …
Type: Blog
