Fall will soon settle in at the Chicago Botanic Garden and that's an invitation to engage your senses. It's a time of abundance and dazzling colors, of fragrance and sumptuous berries, and of trees and shrubs resplendent in their autumn garb. The usual stars—pumpkins and asters, kale and chrysanthemums—are plentiful. In the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, the soft sunlight falls on lush …
Type: Plant Info
Asters are a highlight of the autumn landscape. There are about 250 species native to North America, Europe, and Asia. Illinois native perennial asters grow along roadsides, in woodlands, prairies and other natural areas. As summer wanes, they put on a stellar show of flowers in blue, purple, pink, violet, or white that attract butterflies and other pollinators. Although wild asters have a …
Type: Plant Info
The autumn garden is full of late-season color: bold dahlias and asters, pastel Japanese anemones, dusky chrysanthemums, and sunny goldenrods. But there is another group of plants flowering at this time, although the "blossoms" are not quite what you might expect. Ornamental grasses are in their full glory during the golden days of fall. All summer, these warm-season grasses have produced …
Type: Plant Info
Overcome Your Three Biggest Fears Every gardener has their fear when it comes to growing food, rational or not—fear of failure, fear of bugs or critters (in my case, spiders), fear of Nature’s power to wipe out a crop with one fell storm. In this month’s edition of Smart Gardener , we get to the root of three fears that often pop up in veggie garden conversations—and offer up some simple Garden …
Type: Plant Info
Good Earth An elder taught me that mshkeke is the Potawatomi word we use for medicine , but the literal translation is good Earth . There is a family story about how my father and great-grandmother healed me with mshkeke when Western medicine failed. It involved a bad case of pneumonia, an ill-tempered toddler, an escape from the hospital, and my great-grandmother’s plant medicine. I don’t …
Type: Blog
In December, winter officially arrives. Most gardeners get a break from their responsibilities—a welcome respite since the winter holidays often occupy a large portion of everyone’s to-do lists. Protecting outdoor plants from the consequences of winter—whether it’s snow, ice, temperature swings, or the products used to combat the weather—is the chief task. Indoors, houseplants may need some TLC, …
Type: Plant Info
Have you ever wondered how the artistic installations of Lightscape are created? Have you ever aspired to make your own holiday light display a little more artistic? Love and Be Loved in the Linden Allée Bright Idea s in the Lakeside Gardens Firefly Spheres in the Sensory Garden Ricochet in the Lakeside Gardens We had the opportunity to talk with lighting designers Lee Fiskness and Travis Shupe …
Type: Blog
Strange, but true. This beautiful garden of edible plants is as much of a pleasurable stroll garden as any of the more traditional spaces, like the English Walled or the Landscape Gardens . They all feature individual garden rooms filled with gorgeous, best-for-the-Midwest plants, meandering paths, tidy brick-edged beds, fountains or pools, welcome benches to stop and admire with views across the …
Type: Walks
Regal fritillary butterfly ( Speyeria idalia ). Garden Scientists Help Find Missing Prairie Species As spring wakes up our prairies, tiny regal fritillary caterpillars begin an urgent search for young violet leaves—the only food they eat. Regal fritillary butterflies once lived in a world of endless prairies filled with violets ( Viola species) for their caterpillars. Now, they find themselves in …
Type: Blog
Pollinators are crucial to the health of the planet, helping with everything from the food we eat to the cycle of life. You can welcome pollinators such as bees into your yard by making a native bee home. Mason bee (Osmia lignaria) Did you know that native bees are better and more efficient pollinators than honeybees when it comes to fruit trees? Honeybees carry pollen in sacks on their hind …
Type: Plant Info
