… It may come as a surprise to many gardeners, but grapes can be grown in the Chicago area. Vitis labrusca , the American … how it is pruned, and is therefore a good choice for small spaces. It grows up and out of the way and can be trained on a fence, arbor or trellis, with plenty of room left to grow other … the purpose for the grapevine — fresh fruit, jam, or wine, choose a variety that grows best in your area. Chicago is the most northerly zone for grape growing and, although there are …
Type: Plant Info
… A fully budded azalea plant is a promise of six to eight weeks of continuous flowering in the middle of winter! Azaleas are popular holiday plants for this very reason; they provide nonstop color throughout the darkest winter months and, with … plant in a bright window, out of direct sun, for winter. Outdoors in summer, a shaded spot is best. Water — Constantly moist soil is extremely important. Humidity — Mist foliage during winter …
Type: Plant Info
… The polar vortex and a very wet, cold spring delivered a knockout punch to some plants this year. (You may recall that the Garden was closed for two consecutive days in late January due to extreme weather conditions.) Japanese maples and … but the temperatures are up and down,” Tiddens said. What’s a gardener to do? Provide the best conditions and cultural practices possible. When buying new plants, match the plant to the …
Type: Plant Info
… are collected and classified. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Nancy Poole Rich Herbarium is home to 12,000 specimens of plants—from our own Cook County backyard and the Upper Midwest—all the way from Russia, Korea, and China. This biological library enables scientists from around the … more expedient and reliable method. Precision is especially important when considering plants for drug exploration. The cancer fighting properties in Taxol were discovered in a native species …
Type: Plant Info
… Q: Is there anything I should do now to prepare my roses for winter? A: Discontinue the fertilization of roses by the first week of August, … will begin to shut down for the summer and will begin the process of storing nutrients to best survive the harshness of winter. Discontinue deadheading spent flower blooms by Labor Day …
Type: Plant Info
… bits of green—reminders of the resilience of nature. On a winter awe walk , when I’m looking for unexpected beauty, those bits of color bring my attention to the bigger world around me. My work with Budburst , the Chicago Botanic Garden’s community … a curtain to reveal insights into the life cycle of plants that we may rush by in our hurry to get inside from the snow or cold. It’s a great time for everyone—especially kids and families—to …
Type: Blog
… Curls Alumroot is an outstanding dark orange alumroot selection introduced in 2013. Grown for its foliage, Cinnamon Curls Alumroot has dark orange, thick, highly ruffled leaves. The … wide. Insignificant cream colored flowers appear in early summer and increase the height to 18 inches. Best if grown in full sun to partial shade, it works well in containers, the front of mixed …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… by a white eye on these amazingly hardy annuals. Like other violas and pansies, they flower best in the cooler temperatures of spring and fall. However, unlike most cultivars, Marina, if … directly from a greenhouse. Interplant between tulips and other spring flowering bulbs in fall for a spectacular spring display. The plants bulk up into tidy mounds before the worst of Chicago … weather hits in January and February. The well established root system allows the plants to produce an abundance of flowers as soon as temperatures start to warm. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Q. What is a rain garden? A. A rain garden is a natural or constructed depression intended to mitigate stormwater. The plantings in a rain garden allow water to percolate into the soil, … a rain garden generally requires less maintenance than a lawn and provides valuable habitat for wildlife. Considerations when planning a rain garden include available sun, size of desired … water only stands temporarily, rain gardens are not breeding grounds for mosquitoes. It's best to install rain gardens in full sun rather than under large trees. Select native plant …
Type: Plant Info
… Millions of seeds sit frozen in a vault at the Chicago Botanic Garden, waiting to prevent an extinction, support habitat restoration efforts, or contribute to scientific … Bank. The Garden’s Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank—part of the Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science and Action—provides long-term storage for more than 4,200 seed … diversity of an entire plant population, seed banking is an efficient and cost-effective way to preserve the diversity of many plant species into the future. Most of the Midwest’s native …
Type: Research
