… Their Bets As if on cue, tiny green leaves peek out from the dark soil each spring, reaching for the sun. But how do flowers know it’s spring? And can they detect real spring versus a warm … it’s still winter? “Within the context of ‘reasonable conditions’ plants are generally able to detect real spring from a false start,” said Paul CaraDonna, Ph.D., a Chicago Botanic Garden conservation scientist. “It is important to keep in mind that plants have long dealt with variable and unpredictable environments. How …
Type: Blog
… In a discussion of ivy, it is important to distinguish between English ivy, the trailing or vining plant form belonging to the genus … away from the wall and keep 1 to 2 feet between individual plants. Autumn and spring are the best planting times. Water well during the first year and mulch to keep down competitive weeds. … ivy cultivars available are not winter-hardy here, 'Thorndale' is particularly recommended for midwestern gardeners. As an outdoor annual container plant, English ivy combines beautifully …
Type: Plant Info
… Meet the bees of the McCormick Place Rooftop Farm …and try their honey! Check out our video to learn more about the honey harvesting process. Iris Michael (second from left), Fred Daniels … ranging from reducing inflammation to antimicrobial properties. People have used honey for these purposes for more than 5,000 years , from ancient Greece to the Mayan civilization, and … Rodeo Farm honey at the Garden Shop, or in the market at Farm on Ogden while supplies last. Visit our farms! Come check out the McCormick Place Rooftop Farm, as well as Farm on Ogden, …
Type: Blog
… Winter is a great season for bookworms—there’s nothing like a good book to keep you company during the colder months. And … are digitized and linked above, but nothing quite compares with seeing a rare book in person. Visit the Lenhardt Library from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday to explore its full …
Type: Blog
… When the rosarian William Radler was a teenager, he resolved to breed a hardy rose that was beautiful, bloomed all season, was disease resistant, and … Knock Out ™ , the award-winning shrub rose that mail-order catalogs call "perhaps the best-ever landscape rose for four-season interest." Mr. Radler germinated the first Knock Out seed in his basement during …
Type: Plant Info
… Topiaries, whether formal or whimsical, large-scaled or edible, can be a fascinating addition to most garden spaces. A plant familiar to many gardeners because they have either grown it, … a wide range of pH and moisture conditions, but it must have excellent drainage. This can be best accomplished when the plant is grown in a clay pot year-round. Clay permits faster … container growth also eliminates the need to transplant the rosemary into ordinary garden soil for the summer. During the active growing season, place the container in full sun, water only …
Type: Plant Info
… The Orchid Show Murals St+art India Foundation, based in Delhi, commissioned artists to create murals for The Orchid Show: India Blooms. Artworks by Seema Surana are on display in the Visitor Center; … nostalgia with an exploration of transformation. The Orchid Show Open through March 23 Buy Tickets Now …
Type: Blog
… founders of the Royal Horticultural Society in the eighteenth century. Forsythias are medium to large shrubs that produce four-petaled clusters of bell-shaped flowers in the axils of the stiff, rough branches. These Asian shrubs are very adaptable to poor soils and varying moisture, but the flower buds may be tender on older cultivars. Pruning is best done immediately after flowering, giving new growth time to form flower buds. Never shear …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… the Morton Arboretum and the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois formed to promote plant cultivars that perform well in northern Illinois. This cultivar is a selection from Johnson's Nursery in Wisconsin. The genus Spiraea consists of small to medium sized flowering shrubs with a fine-textured twiggy mounding habit. The small simple … are quite small, they occur in clusters of inflorescence that can be very showy. Spireas are best used in groupings in a shrub or mixed border, where they are valued as tough, reliable and …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… poison ivy and you will hear a few choice words. But come fall, poison ivy practically begs us to love it. Its leaves are some of the first to turn colors, from green to brilliant shades of … is communicating with us, said Matt Evans, managing ecologist, woodlands. “Poison ivy thrives best when fewer animals eat and trample it, and it has figured out how to make sure there is less … the most common." How to identify poison ivy Poison ivy takes many forms, so it is important for hikers, gardeners, and anyone who enjoys the outdoors to become familiar with its …
Type: Blog
