… the titan arum also sends up tall, umbrella-like, individual leaves that can reach 15 feet and look like small trees. It’s huge underground, too: leaves and flowers are powered by the largest known corm (a type of tuber) in the world. To bloom, the … it’s worth the wait: an utterly thrilling visual phenomenon. The titan arum bloom cycle is unpredictable. At first, even the experts don’t know if what’s emerging is a leaf or a flower …
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… President’s Day was established in 1885 as a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents past and present. It also seems to be just the right day for me to share the highlights of my visit to … Cool-season vegetables and herbs planted in the White House Kitchen Garden The White House is “The People’s House” and its garden is the iconic “America’s garden.” I’d come on a visit … beehive supplies the first family with honey. Established in 1791, the President’s Park is the official name for the 82 acres surrounding the White House. Originally laid out by Pierre Charles …
Type: Blog
… of Tomato-Growing Information Growing tomatoes in containers Got bad soil? Buckets, troughs, and pots all work well for growing tomatoes, too. Small space, poor soil? Container gardening may be the answer. If your garden is small or has heavy clay soil that would make nice pottery, don’t fret. You can grow tomato … pop a few pots of tomatoes into a sunny perennial border for some vertical (and edible) focal points. By the end of summer, a healthy tomato plant will have produced a large mass of roots, so …
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… How the Garden Helps Pollinators Without pollinators, our world—and our lives—would be drastically different. Scientists at the Chicago Botanic Garden are at the forefront in understanding the threats plants and pollinators face—and the consequences of their declines. Garden scientists are working to … the world to understand and conserve genetic diversity. She’s also studying how jackfruit is pollinated, which can help improve fruit yield. Moths and the Health of Our Oak Woodland …
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… For the past week, the big forklifts and trucks with their whimsical cargo have been rolling in to set up for the U.S. debut of … slots are selling fast for the new holiday event at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Lightscape is a festive, immersive trail of color, imagination, and sound, a night out for families, … staff have been working every day past dark since November 8 to set up more than a million points of light. Just a few things on the to-do list: unravel about 12 miles of cable, build a …
Type: Blog
… This bulb is similar to the nodding star-of-Bethlehem ( Ornithogalum nutans ) except that if sited where it …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Summer is in the air. As the nights heat up, it’s a perfect time to get outdoors and entertain in your … guests down the garden path with purposefully placed outdoor lighting. You can shine focal points on specimen plants, and create wonderful shadows and backlighting effects that will …
Type: Blog
… Plant Evaluation The program evaluates herbaceous and woody plants in comparative trials, ultimately recommending the top performers to gardeners … with the American Rose Trials for Sustainability ® program. The goal of this national program is to identify, through regional evaluation and testing under low-input conditions, the most … Lamium Issue #24 — An Evaluation Study of Alchemilla Issue #25 — Fall-Blooming Anemones Issue #26 — A Garden Study of Sundrops and Evening Primroses Issue #27 — A Comparative Study of …
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… A. Tillandsia plants, commonly called air plants, can be used quite creatively, and many different species are available. They will last longer than many plants sold this time of year, and they are relatively inexpensive. Tillandsia make great holiday, teacher appreciation, or … 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
… claws of some creature in a zombie movie? Does it smell bad too? Happy spring! This charmer is the first native wildflower of a Chicago spring: the skunk cabbage ( Symplocarpus foetidus). A … who pointed out skunk cabbage as we walked through the McDonald Woods , the 100-acre restored and protected natural area that is home to at least seven state-listed threatened or endangered plant species. Skunk cabbage’s appearance means that the trilliums and bloodroot are not far behind. And spring beauties, star-flowered isopyrum, and cardamine, …
Type: Blog
