… Thanksgiving is here again, and we at the Chicago Botanic Garden are thankful for all the pollinators who make our food possible, every day, around the world. Bats, bees, butterflies, birds, and more pollinate plants that create one-third of the food we eat. As you enjoy a meal with friends and family, take a moment to say thanks for the little things that make such a big …
Type: Blog
… fall. Sweeps of perennials on Evening Island, the cascading mums on the Visitor Center bridge, and masses of mums in the Crescent Garden are found in the boundaries of our formal garden areas. Our show doesn’t end there, however. Find gorgeous asters and sunflowers in the English Walled Garden, Japanese anemones and Endless Summer hydrangeas in the Waterfall Garden, mums mixed with later blooming annuals …
Type: Blog
… is, “What’s the most romantic spot at the Garden?” So we scoped it out, asked around, and compiled a list of our top ten most romantic spots. Now it’s up to you to… The Krasberg Rose … stroll. 1. “Doesn’t it smell wonderful?” Claim a bench under the Krasberg Rose Garden’s arbor and take a deep breath. Then another. Soon you’ll be discussing the bouquet of roses—one smells … like to sit here?” With climbing hydrangeas overhead, a pergola of white wisteria just ahead, and a romantic morning glory tile inset behind you (are those leaves or hearts?), the vividly …
Type: Blog
… One of her responsibilities is sowing seeds for the annual displays on the Garden's grounds and for plants used in classes and camps. She is especially interested in the complex strategies that plants have developed to … seeds until conditions are favorable for the seedlings' survival. In her work, she researches and tests different techniques to break these germination inhibitors present in the seeds of …
Type: Staff bio
… Not only does it produce few viable seeds, but even if you are able to germinate the seeds and establish a few plants, there is a good chance it will show little recruitment over the years and remain a few plants. We are beginning to understand why that is, which makes for an … the stigma, which receives pollen) in the throat of the corolla (cluster of fused petals) and the position of the stamens (male structure of a flower that produces pollen). Flowers with …
Type: Blog
… Bees & Beyond, a program that reveals the vital role pollinators play in our everyday lives and in a healthy, diverse planet. The “beyond” in the title refers to bats, birds, butterflies, moths, wind, and generally any force or creature that keeps our world producing. We see this celebration in … beauty of lepidopteran, it is important to recognize their greater role in this turning and churning machine we call earth. Postman butterfly Besides their good looks, butterflies …
Type: Blog
… These days, we text hearts. But in Victorian times, flowers acted as the instant messaging and emojis of the day. In nineteenth-century Europe (and eventually in America), communication by flower was all the rage. A language of flowers emerged. Books appeared that set the standard for flower meanings and guided the sender and the recipient in their floral dialogue. Victorians turned the trend …
Type: Blog
… Looking for a fun and novel table decoration for a special event? Here’s an idea. We turned our table decorations … We paired unusual plant containers with plants that had some relationship to those planters and asked teachers to guess the connections. We provided an easy example to start. You can … based on the shape, color, or function of the container. You can also start with a container and then select a plant or seeds to match. If you have one or the other and can’t think of good …
Type: Blog
… employee. He was soon promoted to assistant heavy equipment operator with the Construction and Maintenance department. From there, he worked as an assistant electrician for many years. In … to foreman in the Grounds department. He also works as a lead heavy equipment operator and on the landscape waste program. Under the program, all of the Garden's landscape waste is … yards of fall leaves from the village of Glencoe. In other duties, Sanchez teaches pruning and landscape techniques for the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden in …
Type: Staff bio
… the day flower family, which commonly features plants with flowers that open for a day or less and then deliquesce (liquefy). If you pinch one of the blue petals between your fingers, you will … you break a leaf, you will understand how this common name came to be. The genus Tradescantia and others in this family have a mucilaginous sap that, for all you farmers out there, resembles … means “plant” in old English. Spiderwort is a monocot, along with grasses, sedges, lilies, and irises, in that it features linear leaves with parallel veins. Also, monocots feature flower …
Type: Blog
