… 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
… 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
… shrubs grown either as standards or as tightly pruned topiaries. A standard is a plant trained to a single trunk or stem with a distinct shape created by its leaves and flowers at the top of … produce lush foliage and even fruit in its restricted environment. Espalier is also a creative way to grow fruit-producing trees in limited space. Parterre Tightly clipped or sheared low … often escaping into the cultivated garden areas where they would "volunteer" seedlings for years to come. The concept of a knot herb garden was an attempt to combine utilitarianism …
Type: Plant Info
… A Cherished Tradition My first introduction to a saree was when my grandmother gifted me a children's version when I was a little girl. I … (age 3) Love Joy Growth Sarees are a distinctive attire that Hindu women have been wearing for centuries. Some of my family's favorite designs are celestial orbs or metallic butta, bold … phases of life, the folds depicting the stages of life lived and those yet to come. The way a saree is draped also indicates cultural connections. The finishing touch of a saree is its …
Type: Blog
… at the Chicago Botanic Garden, there are dragonflies everywhere! The quick, strong fliers seem to love the Garden. Eastern pondhawk dragonfly, female. Most dragonflies have very … dragonflies and tend to hold their wings above their bodies. (See my blog post Damselflies 101 for more information.) Blue dasher dragonfly, female. She looks very different from her male … be found here from March through the first hard freeze in the fall. Choose the right time to visit, and you might even be lucky to find yourself in the middle of a migrating swarm of green …
Type: Blog
… planting ideas and more As summer blooms fade, you’ll see mums everywhere—the automatic go-to fall favorites—but what else can heighten your containers and garden with color, texture, and surprise? We love featuring mums in our fall displays at the Garden, but we also aim for variety and surprise. Here, Tim Pollak, manager of plant production, celebrates our seasonal mum. According to Tim Pollak, manager of plant production at the Chicago Botanic Garden, autumn offers ample …
Type: Blog
… Before heading for mulch piles, these plants take one final star turn. At the Chicago Botanic Garden, even in … for the mulch pile, these remnants now take a last autumnal bow as art before they return to nourish the living collection. Deaccessioned: Uknown root flare, chestnut mushrooms, mums – … to the soil, nourishing the next generation of the Garden’s living collection. As autumn gives way to winter, The Last Show is a moving reminder that every end feeds a beginning, that decay is …
Type: Blog
… Many students I know struggle to find a good idea for science fair projects and sometimes wait until the last minute to do … percentages. Cover with a damp paper towel; label the plates. Treat the seeds the same way in every respect except for one thing: the condition you are testing. That condition is your … by age of the seeds? You can acquire old seeds from a garden store (they will be happy to get rid of them), or maybe a gardener in your family has some old seeds hanging around. Find out …
Type: Blog
… en el Día de los Muertos I grew up in the city seeing the Day of the Dead holiday come to life with ornamented school patios, plazas, and cultural centers. I loved sitting around the dining table with my family, cutting out intricate papel picado for the school altar honoring the dead. My dad was so skillful with paper. He was an accountant, … face of mortality, joy and laughter endure. Now, I see this celebration as a loud and majestic way of expressing ourselves. I experience it as a symbol of community, a unifying, conciliatory …
Type: Blog
