… Summer is a social time, filled with friends, family, and sunshine—but what if you want to slip away on your own? A growing body of research shows that solo trips outside, away from your everyday life, can calm the mind and allow you to de-stress. We’ve got tips on how to find moments of peace and self-reflection at the Chicago … love seat—one of eight at the Garden as part of our summer celebration Love in Bloom ; look for nature-based poetry on each tête-à-tête bench. As you settle in at The Rookery, treat …
Type: Blog
… modestly blend in with the crowd. But as nights turn cool, they drop the bashful act and step to center stage. —Fall color is not something trees put on, says Andrew Bell, curator of woody plants. It's something they reveal. The pigments — anthocyanin for reds, carotenoid for yellow — are always there, masked during the growing season by green … colors are unveiled. When an autumn offers clear, sunny days and cool nights, tree color tends to be more vivid, because chlorophyll retreats sooner and more thoroughly. Of course, it's not …
Type: Plant Info
… and love as table sugar. Now that you know where your candy comes from, let’s use some sucrose to make a treat. The common sugar beet, Beta vulgaris (this one is cultivar ‘Bull’s Blood’), is … weeks, so be prepared to be patient. How to Make Rock (Sugar) Candy All the ingredients for the solution are assembled and ready to go. Note: the flavoring pictured here is not the best to use, because it contains alcohol. Use an essential oil for better results. You will …
Type: Blog
… in the spring. Remove the wrapper and packing material and soak the roots or entire plant for 8 to 12 hours to fully hydrate it before planting. Examine and remove all dead or damaged roots. Prune back …
Type: Plant Info
… Q: I’ve read a lot recently about heirloom vegetables and would like to try growing some this year. Can you explain a little about heirlooms? A: Heirloom plants are … are genetically unique, open pollinated, and produce seed resulting in plants that “come true” to type, meaning offspring will be more or less the same as the parent plant, unlike hybridized varieties. This is an advantage for home gardeners because seed from favorite vegetables can be saved from year to year. Heirloom …
Type: Plant Info
… the Morton Arboretum and the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois formed to promote plant cultivars that perform well in northern Illinois. This variety was developed at the Chicago Botanic Garden for its oversized flower heads and its good green mildew resistant foliage. This hardy hybrid of … will extend flowering. Beebalm is great for attracting bees and butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden. It is easy to grow and adds a lot of color to your border. Cut back at the end of …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… most lilacs finish in the springtime. BLOOMERANG™ Purple lilac is a dwarf shrub notable for its periodic rebloom into August after the initial flowering in May. The blossoms are sweetly … tubular in form and are borne in large panicles. While the common name of the plant has come to define a shade of pale purple, some species and hybrids have pink or white blossoms. Lilacs begin to set buds for the following year shortly after they finish blooming; if pruning is desired, it …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… the common lilac was introduced in France in 1916 and is still a popular choice in the trade for its double white fragrant blooms. Like other lilacs, its blossoms attract bees, butterflies … tubular in form and are borne in large panicles. While the common name of the plant has come to define a shade of pale purple, some species and hybrids have pink or white blossoms. Lilacs begin to set buds for the following year shortly after they finish blooming; if pruning is desired, it …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… , was originally propagated at the Arnold Arboretum in 1920. It has a rounded habit reaching 6 to 8 feet tall; its shape is very full and balanced. The flowers of the Judd viburnum are pink in bud, opening to white and very fragrant. The flowers open in early May and persist for up to two weeks. The fruit is black and may persist into winter. Fall foliage color is …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… important part of the tall grass prairie providing an important food source and winter shelter for a range of insects, small mammals and birds, even bison. Shenandoah switch grass is an … streaks by summer and burgundy by fall. The purple seed heads appear in late summer though to fall. Like most switch grasses, Shenandoah is extremely versatile and can cope with a range of soil types from sandy to clay and shade conditions although it prefers full sun. Because of its versatility it can be …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
