… talks about guiding students away from their electronic devices and into the plant world. It is a pretty spring day. The sun shines through my office window, illuminating the old and worn … a river, a specimen and an open floristic manual in each of their laps. Inspired, I stand up to look out my window at the plants in bloom in my campus view. I wonder if the present-day … looking up—is looking down. Their attention is on the smartphones in their hands; they appear to be unaware that there is anything around them at all. This reminds me, once again, of the …
Type: Blog
… enthusiasts, we often focus on how plants are affected by their environments. Their growth is affected by weather, water, nutrients, etc. But the plant-environment relationship is a … their environments, changing the very ground beneath them in ways that are beneficial to other plants, to animals, and to ecosystem functioning. Unfortunately, we can also experience negative …
Type: Blog
… Why not try growing some plants indoors? Better still, why not experiment with your plants to understand them better? In this activity, you will confuse a bean sprout and train it to grow in any direction you want. Sound like fun? You will need: a gallon-size zip-top bag paper … trap the seed and ruin the activity.) As soon as your plant has grown a root and a stem that is 1-2 inches long, turn the bag one quarter turn and put it back. You may have to wait a week – …
Type: Blog
… I love my container gardens in the growing season, but what’s the best way to brighten your doorstep for the longest season of all: winter? The answer is the easiest kind of container gardening, even for the black thumbs among us. The key is knowing how to create a harmonious design that doesn’t blow over in winter’s first blizzard. I attended a …
Type: Blog
… Carnival Black Olive Alumroot matures to a neat 12 inch by 14 inch mound shape and has purple to black foliage that matures to a dark … color, and present as slightly upwardly cup shape with moderately lobed edges. This cultivar is well named, the mix of black, green and purple tones successfully mimic the color of black … uniform size and good heat tolerance. The Carnival Series was introduced by Darwin Plants, the official trade name of a Dutch company, Witteman and Co, founded in 1865. For the best foliage …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… and poet Beth Feldman Brandt, who collaborated on the boxes, are traveling from Philadelphia to give a free talk October 6 at the Chicago Botanic Garden. An exhibition featuring the boxes and other material related to Bartram runs through January 12, 2020, at the Lenhardt Library. Bartram’s Garden, once visited by notables such as George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, is now a 45-acre National Historic Landmark in Philadelphia. “It’s an amazing place,” said Owen. …
Type: Blog
… Just below the summit, we scrambled past enormous boulders to an unhappy sight—a small group of beautiful aspens in big trouble. As curator of woody plants at the Chicago Botanic Garden, I'm interested in what's happening to quaking aspen ( Populus tremuloides ) because the trees have become increasingly threatened by geologic disturbance and climate change. The Garden is part of a research group that's working to collect root pieces and other genetic material from …
Type: Blog
… If you are longing for spring blooms as much as we are, you might like to try forcing branches to bloom indoors. Spring-flowering trees and shrubs form their flower buds in late summer or fall … indoors in water it may take one to four weeks for the blossoms to open, although two weeks is typical. The closer to their natural bloom time you cut the branches, the sooner they will …
Type: Blog
… Carnival Rose Granita Alumroot matures to a neat 12 inch by 14 inch mound shape, has silvery gray green foliage with a rose pink glaze, … that most. Although primarily grown for its decorative foliage, a spike of delicate pinkish to creamy white flowers appears in early to mid summer, increasing the height to 18 inches and … uniform size and good heat tolerance. The Carnival Series was introduced by Darwin Plants, the official trade name of a Dutch company, Witteman and Co, founded in 1865. For the best foliage …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… relatively inexpensive. Tillandsia make great holiday, teacher appreciation, or hostess gifts. To hold the plants, you can use a variety of containers, such as clear glass bowls, teacups, … holiday ceramics, seashells, driftwood, and ornaments. Use moss in your chosen container to help anchor the shallow roots of Tillandsia . To make magnets, glue a magnet to the back of a seashell and secure moss and a Tillandsia to the inside of the shell. Care for air plants is easy. Mist the leaves with water and an occasional diluted fertilizer, maintain at average …
Type: Plant Info
