… You may have noticed more garlic mustard in your garden, yard, or alley this year. The ecologists who tend to the Chicago Botanic Garden’s natural areas have, too. We had not seen much garlic mustard in our natural areas in recent years, and its reemergence is a reminder for all of us that controlling and managing invasive species is an ongoing …
Type: Blog
… visit Hill Top Farm, Potter’s home, after finding a photo of children reading by the fireplace in a National Geographic my parents had. Picturesque Hill Top Farm was purchased by Beatrix Potter in 1905 with proceeds from the sale of her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit . Photo by … Society—which had a few assumptions about women and their research. Beatrix’s full name is Helen Beatrix Potter . She shares her first name with her mother, Helen Leech Potter, who was …
Type: Blog
… amphibians, and reptiles combined! Can you guess how many more eyes they have than humans? In addition to the two most prominent, there are three eyes on top of their heads just for … are many fascinating facts we have learned about bees, but the most critically important one is their role in pollination. Busy Pollinators Smart gardeners know that it's the presence of … for commercial pollination. The value of pollination service by bees is worth billions of dollars annually. Bees also pollinate our native plants that provide food and habitats for other …
Type: Plant Info
… are checked for perfect picking. Containers satisfy the need to design complete gardens—but in small spaces, where mistakes are forgiven and quickly corrected. They provide uniquely … full of bright berries and seed pods. Types of Containers Choose your container to suit your site, the design of your home, and the types of plants you want to grow. Every pot must have … are also very heavy and expensive and should be used only as permanent containers. Terra cotta is a popular, medium-priced material, available in all sizes and therefore a good choice for …
Type: Plant Info
… Washington Carver did not seek wealth or fame for his work. He found personal satisfaction in scientific discovery and using his talents to make the world a better place for farmers and … scientist who invented dozens of products for peanuts. What’s most important about his story is why he devoted so much time and ingenuity to peanuts and how he did so much more than make a … because, as we all learned in high school economics, when the demand goes up, so does the price. Then—and only then—did the sustainable practice of crop rotation take hold. But wait, …
Type: Blog
… many gardeners and scientists alike have long assumed their flower type to be one that is strikingly red, tubular, and scentless. Flowers that are often thought of as typical choices … (known as pollination syndromes), these human constructs may mask what is really going on in nature. Many “typical” hummingbird flowers belong to species that produce diluted nectar with … Garden's Paul CaraDonna, Ph.D., and his research collaborators Nickolas Waser, Ph.D., and Mary Price, Ph.D., of the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, have discovered that it all comes down …
Type: Blog
… O’Hare International Airport. Sometimes called the living rock cactus, Ariocarpus fissuratus is prized by collectors who either don’t know or don’t care that the plant is critically … Rocha Alvarez with A riocarpus plants The largest of the Ariocarpus fissuratus housed in the Garden’s greenhouses are maybe 6 inches tall, just big enough to display in a modest pot … they are 50 to 60 years old. Specimens this size can command hundreds or even thousands of dollars on the black market. Enlisting often-impoverished locals to collect rare plants remains …
Type: Blog
… The fourth of July is upon us, and while many beautiful flowers can be found in patriotic shades of red and white, the color blue is very difficult to find at the Garden. In fact, blue is a rare sight in the entire natural world. Less than ten percent of the plant …
Type: Blog
… it's only March, and yes, there's still snow on the ground. Yet smart gardeners know that now is the time to plan for fall color in your garden. Nurseries and garden centers start receiving and displaying their stock in the … over grey-green foliage, they give way to peach-colored seedheads. 16 to 18 inches, tall, 26 to 28 inches wide Firecracker sedum ( Sedum 'Firecracker') smolders with intense burgundy-red …
Type: Plant Info
… panicle hydrangeas ( H. paniculata ) do. A hydrangea with a great backstory (more about that in a minute), 'Annabelle' has become a synonym for the genus itself, the iconic hydrangea, the … can be issues ('Limelight' can top out at 8 feet tall), the news in the panicle category is dwarf stature. Think of Little Lime ™ as a mini 'Limelight'. Topping out at a manageable 3 to …
Type: Plant Info
