… The pigments that give all leaves their color are essential for the plant’s ability to harness energy from the sun and make sugars in the process we know as photosynthesis. But … and at home to investigate the importance of chlorophyll in plants? There was only one way to find the answers. I ordered the seeds and grew some variegated cat grass in our nature lab … You need: A container that will hold soil at a depth of at least 2 inches; drainage holes are best, but not necessary Variegated cat grass seeds (sold as “cat grass, variegated” and available …
Type: Blog
… As we are all adapting to new ways of connecting for work and play, students in Windy City Harvest’s Youth Farm program have learned to adapt too. With a new way of doing things, the Youth Farm found themselves up against a few obstacles, but discovered some positive surprises along the way. Windy City Harvest is part of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s urban agriculture program that strives to bring food, …
Type: Blog
… Why Care about Fungi? The Chicago area is host to more than a thousand species of mushrooms and mushroom like fungi—beneficial, … Other fungi are plant pathogens . In large forests that extend miles, older trees die to make way for new trees—it is a natural part of the life cycle. Forest fungi help this regeneration to …
Type: Plant Info
… yourself back from buying every type you see on the shelf, you also know that this feeling is fleeting. Those beautiful colors and unusual varieties are in their prime now, when the hot … for a fruiting pepper plant. In just a month or two, the number of varieties will start to dwindle and your hot spicy recipes will taste bland again. Fear not! You can preserve that … contains the following: 2 cups vinegar (white distilled vinegar preserves the pepper colors best) 1¼ teaspoons canning or pickling salt ½ tablespoon of sugar or honey (*may be left out if …
Type: Blog
… This is a Caribbean cultivar, Kashee, highly valued in Saint Vincent for cooking. Through genetic, historical, and morphological data, we were able to match this cultivar to the Tahitian cultivar, Puero, which has the same distinct spiky skin. Breadfruit If you visit …
Type: Blog
… that in mind, we’ve gathered a few stories about how orchids will do just about anything to attract a pollinator…along with a few soundtrack suggestions. A spray of Brassia rex … flower’s bucket, where you’ll have to swim to the exit—picking up the flower’s pollen on your way out. On the plus side: you’ll smell great to that female bee when you finally find her! … (Check out more on orchids fooling mating bees with this famous video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h8I3cqpgnA .) Oncidium Sharry Baby ‘Sweet Fragrance’ has dancing skirts and …
Type: Blog
… Ask most families what their favorite fruit is and the answer is unanimous — the apple! Whether picked fresh on a crisp autumn day or baked … children than any other fruit. The good news for gardeners is that you don't need an orchard to grow apples. There are several options available to both suburban and urban gardeners who have … should be no problem planting more than one variety, necessary for cross-pollination and the best fruit production. …
Type: Plant Info
… Description: The most common year-round woodpecker at the Garden is frequently spotted-especially in the McDonald Woods and Barbara Brown Nature Reserve. Even on … give its whinnylike call in the woods at the Garden. This hardy, adaptable bird is built to get food left by other birds that leave town for the winter. Woodpeckers can go up and down … that long tongue when he's not using it? He wraps it inside his head around his skull. The best “human” example of a woodpecker's tongue wrapped around its skull is a retractable tape …
Type: Birding
… Many gardeners consider hostas quite similar to daylilies — absolutely fail-safe plants. Stick them in the ground, give them a little water, … multiply so freely that, in a few years, you'll be splitting them apart and giving them away to friends. Hostas have become so ubiquitous in shaded suburban gardens that one species, Hosta lancifolia , is actually known as "the Winnetka weed." But because they are so easy to grow and so adaptable …
Type: Plant Info
… C-shaped grubs of these beetles feed on the roots of turf grass, causing dead brown patches to appear. Timing & Life Cycle Adult beetles emerge in early July and feed for four to six weeks … to plant tissue. Skeletonized leaves and petals eventually will drop off. The damage, however, is largely aesthetic, and most plants do not die from these attacks. When found in large numbers, … Hand-picking Japanese beetles from plants or knocking them into a bucket of soapy water is the best control. Beetles are attracted to plants where other beetles already are feeding, so …
Type: Plant Info
