… Learning Campus Get ready to explore the natural world The Regenstein Learning Campus is advancing the Chicago Botanic Garden’s influence as an education institution as it serves people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds each year. The centerpiece is the Learning Center, a 26,700-square-foot facility that includes indoor and outdoor classrooms, a nature laboratory, … Get ready to explore the natural world The Regenstein Learning Campus is advancing the Chicago Botanic Garden’s influence as an education institution as it serves …
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… large compost piles way in the back of our 1-acre garden. The contents seldom get turned (as is usually recommended), but I continuously add grass clippings, small twigs, weeds, and kitchen … and onto the beds and borders as a soil amendment. The best part—besides free compost—is the small amount of garbage our household produces as a result. Everyday items—paper, plastic, … our kitchen and garden waste out of a landfill. We talk about throwing things away but there is no “away.” Garbage dumps, landfills, and facilities that burn everyone’s trash are …
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… September 27 – October 13, 2019 Joutras Gallery Opening reception: Thursday, September 26, 6 - 8 p.m., Joutras Gallery Join us for Focusing on Nature , our annual exhibition of nature … September 27 – October 13, 2019 Joutras Gallery Opening reception: Thursday, September 26, 6 - 8 p.m., Joutras Gallery Join us for Focusing on Nature , our annual exhibition of nature …
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… sporadically at the Garden’s Bernice E. Lavin Plant Evaluation Garden, but their big show is at an end. This applies more broadly to the other plants in the evaluation garden too. The … they just provide room for something new and exciting to take their place. Now that the garden is being less dramatic, more of my energy is being directed into cleaning and compiling data … and the desired traits gathered from data—that I’m trying to capture at a series of key points over the span of time in the evaluation garden. This record of the plant's life and how I …
Type: Blog
… developed for people’s gardens. My favorite, sweet black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia subtomentosa) , is a native species of moist to wet prairies and woodland edges. Although the flowers are very similar, the familiar common black-eyed Susan is a short (about 1 – 2 feet), often annual or biennial with simple leaves, whereas sweet black-eyed Susan is a much taller (3 – 5 feet) perennial with three-lobed leaves. Also, sweet black-eyed Susan …
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… may have elevated the rose to star status with his line, “Of all the flowers, methinks a rose is best.” But what is it about dahlias that has attracted so many fans and admirers? In our effort to describe the … Another praised the benefits of smaller varieties, which can be used in containers when space is limited. “Sometimes, you don’t realize they are all part of the same family,” she said. …
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… McDonald Woods, along the trail near Parking Lot 4. The large tree to the left of the bridge is a hackberry. One reason for the popularity of this tree is that the fruits—hackberries—feed birds, squirrels, and other woodland creatures. In the …
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… Phosphorus is a component of most fertilizers that helps plants to grow. When too much is applied or is applied at the wrong time—such as right before it rains—most of it is washed away and ends up …
Type: Plant Info
… (there’s a reason for that), located on the outer road that encircles the Garden, stands an official National Weather Service Cooperative Station—a collection of instruments that measures … Reading #1: Temperature Though it looks vaguely like a beehive, the little white structure is a weather shelter that houses two temperature gauges. The maximum temperature thermometer’s … interesting fact: no matter what the air temperature is in winter, the soil seldom drops below 26 degrees (it’s measured at a 4-inch depth). This gauge takes a reading of bare soil …
Type: Blog