… American English stands as the pinnacle of Beatles tribute bands, hailed as the undisputed best of our time. Their accolades speak volumes, having clinched the top spot in sound-alike contests at Beatlefest ® for three consecutive years, as voted by thousands of fervent Beatles fans. This recognition … the early years of Ed Sullivan, featuring classics like “She Loves You” and “Twist and Shout,” to the psychedelic era encapsulated in Sgt. Pepper and Magical Mystery Tour, every musical and …
Type: Event for Calendar
… was raised in plantsman Arthur Simmonds' garden in Surrey, England, in 1933, and belongs to that group of plants known as dieback shrubs. These are soft-wooded shrubs or subshrubs that … above-ground growth tends to die back, anywhere from a few inches from their tips all the way down to the base of the plant. But the roots remain hardy; and when pruned hard in early … low-mounding shrub, 2 to 4 feet tall, whose frosty green, aromatic foliage is a lovely foil for virtually all other plants of the true Chicago mixed border — perennials, grasses, dwarf …
Type: Plant Info
… keep away from our nectar-rich honeysuckle. With open, fluttering hearts, we’re paying homage to connections of all kinds at a celebration this summer called Love in Bloom . Lean into love on … To kick things off, our Nature Preschool students answered some Very Big Questions on love for us. Now we have a crush on all of them. In love with summer roses Summer is the time when … Just come with an idea for a poem. A poet will peck away on a manual typewriter and…. You get your own poem to keep—something special, something deep. We tried it. And now we’re in a …
Type: Blog
… also called southern maidenhair fern, produces delicate, new, pale green fronds that mature to medium green. The stems are very thin, wiry and dark purple. Each individual leaflet, called a … north in warm microclimates, such as hot springs. It would be an elegantly textured addition to the shade garden in the South. In the Chicago area it is best grown in a greenhouse. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… than other selections of the P.J.M. grex of rhododendrons. The leaves change from deep green to a mahogany color in late fall and, in a mild winter, will remain on the plants until spring. … commonly sold rhododendrons in the Chicago area. Like other rhododendrons, this cultivar grows best in moisture-retentive, acidic soils in climates with cool summers. Water it well the first couple of years after planting to ensure that the small, fibrous roots growing near the soil surface become well-established. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 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 … will migrate and can really irritate them (and be detrimental to contact lenses). One way to avoid this is to use disposable gloves. Wash your hands thoroughly after removing the …
Type: Blog
… think it’s a lovely sight when a tiny blade of a baby Joshua tree nudges up from the soil—but, to be honest, we’re a little proprietary about it. As Chicago Botanic Garden interns, we plant … and whether there are signs of insect and rodent damage. The work comes at a critical time for Joshua trees, iconic plants of the Southwest. Joshua trees provide habitat and food for a … Joshua trees will be saved. Maddy: It takes good ol’-fashioned manual labor and teamwork to get a big project done! Working side by side in the soil and getting to talk about life and our …
Type: Blog
… Description: Most winters, thanks to volunteer Peter Dogiakos, who fills homemade bird feeders with thistle in the Enabling Garden, Garden visitors can get close views of a northern bird species called the pine siskin. Gregarious little birds, pine … from year to year, and when it's a particularly lean winter, the siskins fly south looking for food. They readily come to feeders filled with thistle seed. Siskins were particularly …
Type: Birding
… the ruby-throated hummingbird is migrating. It’s perfect timing, because the hummingbirds get energy for their journey southward by sipping nectar from the blossoms of these plants native to northern Illinois. Ruby-throated hummingbird © Carol Freeman The ruby-throat is the only … numerous in late summer and fall, as those that nested farther north pass through on their way to their winter homes in Mexico and Central America. The ruby-throated hummingbird …
Type: Blog
… the least understood—and therefore least considered—part of gardening. And yet soil is, next to water, the most precious resource that a gardener has. In this edition of Smart Gardener, … matter What's the difference? They're all natural soil amendments, but the terminology can get confusing. Compost is a general term for natural materials that have decomposed enough to be … bark or wood mulch for paths or heavily landscaped beds, since it contributes little in the way of nutrients. Got dirt? Start fresh with a raised bed garden, and heatlhy, nutrient-laden …
Type: Plant Info
