… flower. The corm of an Amorphophallus titanum : after a dozen or so years, it’s large enough to produce a bloom! Spike just keeps on growing at the Semitropical Greenhouse, and visitors are … leaf shoots are true to center, we knew that a flower shoot powers up in a slightly different way. Again: it’s subtle but telling! Horticultural intuition. Both Deb Moore—our indoor … production greenhouses—it’s a thrill to watch a plant that you’ve tended for so long finally get ready to flower! Visitors’ anticipation is rubbing off on us, too—we’ll be standing right …
Type: Blog
… favorite insects at the Chicago Botanic Garden is the praying mantis. So we were very excited to obtain an egg case earlier this spring. We decided to keep it indoors so we could watch it … to know that although it looked like a bad infestation, aphids are not really a big problem for the plants. When they are very abundant, it does not take long for natural predators like … and devour on our flowers, and they will grow up over the summer. The next time you visit, stop by and see if you can find them helping our plants remain healthy and less bothered …
Type: Blog
… While few of us who garden in the Midwest look forward to cold weather, we do welcome the autumn palette, especially when it announces itself gradually, … prom dresses in the garden, there are some fall-blooming plants we will always find room for, even though they sport colors more akin to April than October. Their springlike colors … and dark autumn. A thorough reading of the Plant Evaluation Notes will help you select the best plant for your needs — and isn’t that what we gardeners all want? Greek anemone ‘Blue …
Type: Plant Info
… 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
… A biting February morning in Chicago can be a challenging experience for anyone, but for a lover of trees, it can also turn into an exhilarating moment of truth. With … the chalky white or cinnamon bark, often peeling, or "shingling," and calls attention to the dangling male flowers known as catkins. Spring is signaled by the limey-green new foliage, … for all seasons. Betula nigra is the most southerly of all birches but still is one of the best choices as a landscape tree for our area. Able to withstand variations in soil moisture and …
Type: Plant Info
… When ice and snow season arrives, it's important that roads, driveways, and sidewalks are safe to walk and drive on, so life doesn't become more challenging than it already is. While personal … Read the Label All deicing products have advantages and disadvantages. No matter which product best meets your needs, carefully follow label instructions to make sure it is used effectively at … lowest rate possible. Calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) is generally considered the best deicer for plants and from an environmental standpoint. But since high concentrations can reduce oxygen …
Type: Plant Info
… We admit to a weakness for daffodils here—last time we counted, we came up with quite a grand total: more than half a … its well-drained soil and warmer temperature. Narcissus 'Tête-à-Tête' waves you on your way as you leave the Garden—it's the miniature that's popping up under trees near the parking …
Type: Plant Info
… of bright yellow flowers. Depending on the spring weather, they flower any time from mid-March to mid-April. Most forsythias are native to east Asia, although one species hails from southern … many forsythia species and cultivars. A cultivar is a plant developed through breeding for particular characteristics such as color, scent, size, or shape Girald forsythia ( Forsythia … Information Deer Resistant Plants Prune Trees and Shrubs Tree and Shrub Care Checklist Get Crafty Forcing Flowering Branches Spring-flowering Branches Indoors So Classy: Spring Wreaths …
Type: Plant Info
… Description: Look in open areas like the Dixon Prairie, or elsewhere around the Garden, for this warbler that is common at the Garden during its long migration stopover. One of the most … migration is an active, thin-billed bird called the yellow-rumped warbler. It's one of up to 36 warbler species seen in the area during the spring and fall migrations. This warbler … however, there are many more, and they'll be wearing their finest attire. Though humans do best to stay away from poison ivy lest they have an allergic reaction, the yellow-rumped warbler …
Type: Birding
… There’s no question that native plants are popular. They provide food and shelter for native bees and many other important pollinators. Many native plants are drought-tolerant, … pest-resistant. As ground covers, some can be used in place of turf grass, which is difficult to grow in shade. Others, like ferns, complement nonnative perennials in shady beds, borders, and … shade tolerant and provides much-needed late-summer blooms that last into fall. It grows best when planted in rich, organic soil. Although it will grow in full sun, turtlehead does well …
Type: Plant Info
