… greenhouse staff spends their winters growing the unique and beautiful plants that we feature in the troughs, another team is hard at work making the troughs. Hypertufa is a simulated stone container that is durable in all weather conditions, but lighter-weight than solid stone or concrete. Our trough style, … completely cure for several weeks. Once cured, it is ready for our spring display! You can buy pre-made hypertufa containers, but this is definitely a project you can do at home for a lot …
Type: Blog
… Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden teacher. This project is “baking” in name only, as the dough is simply mixed, rolled, and cookie-cut—the ornamental “cookies” then … her at work, while supplying some tips along the way. The first question: Where do you buy a whole pound of cinnamon? Nancy orders bulk cinnamon online from San Francisco Herb Company. … cinnamon until achieving the feel and sheen of pie dough). If too many hairline cracks form in dough, add a bit more applesauce and mix until glossy and smooth. Prep Prep your rolling …
Type: Blog
… These are just some of the questions I’m studying as a master’s of science candidate in the Plant Biology and Conservation graduate program run by Northwestern University and the … However, these early individuals are at higher risk of exposure to extreme weather events. In contrast, later flowering individuals risk flowering in an environment with less sunlight due … for the next season. Close up of the Eastern Spring Beauty ( Claytonia virginica ) flower To test whether there are reproductive differences in earlier or later flowering time in spring …
Type: Blog
… this the year to try bigleaf hydrangea, tea olive, or another plant that you think only grows in a warmer place? The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently released a revised Plant … the state of Illinois, has shifted to a slightly warmer zone. Most of the Chicago area is now in zone 6a, including the Chicago Botanic Garden, which previously was in 5b. (Zone 1a is the … Gardeners use it as a general guide, for instance, to decide which perennials to buy that might survive the winter. The map also may help you decide when to bring in tropical …
Type: Blog
… plant was the cause of the girl’s life-threatening allergic reaction. The girl had been flown in from Japan to be treated at the hospital, National Jewish Health. After I got the call, I … is known worldwide for treating patients with respiratory, immune, and related disorders. In the girl’s case, the doctors apparently had a list of potential allergens they were testing, … As it turned out, Thujopsis did appear to be the culprit, and the hospital is continuing to test the girl’s blood samples with extracts from the Thujopsis to determine what constituents …
Type: Blog
… 3/8" long, slightly rounded, metallic green insects. The beetles can be easily seen feeding in large groups on leaf and flower tissue. Leaves and flowers become skeletonized. The white, … of turf grass, causing dead brown patches to appear. Timing & Life Cycle Adult beetles emerge in early July and feed for four to six weeks on more than 300 species of plants. Female beetles lay eggs in the soil 3 inches below the surface of a lawn. …
Type: Plant Info
… search for young violet leaves—the only food they eat. Regal fritillary butterflies once lived in a world of endless prairies filled with violets ( Viola species) for their caterpillars. Now, they find themselves in small fragments of prairie surrounded by pavement and farmland. Their future largely depends … with other plants, animals, or fungi. And then, it provides potential solutions to test—like sourcing seeds from a different location, managing the restoration to attract a missing …
Type: Blog
… annuus— that brightens the vegetable garden or borders and occasionally fills a vase or two in the kitchen. The name Helianthus is derived from the Greek helios for sun and anthus for a flower. Vincent van Gogh paid tribute to their beauty in a series of paintings, and poets including William Blake salute them in their verses. Native … after a single season spent with sunflower shells on the soil around it. Better idea is to buy sunflower seeds that have the hulls removed. It’s a bit more expensive, but you won’t have to …
Type: Blog
… across bridges as they merrily toot their horns. You don’t see the workshop crammed with test tracks, a lathe, a drill press, soldering irons, a drawer filled with spare train motors, … maroon.” But that’s what keeps the trains rolling at the Chicago Botanic Garden. A room in the basement of the Regenstein Center is the hive of repair activity for the Model Railroad … when the train travels over magnets. They also invent their own fixes. They have to. Cubs fans in fresh whites never lose hope for their team winning one day. “The Amtrak train hasn’t been …
Type: Blog
… and more than 32,000 registered cultivars (named hybrids). They are divided into 13 divisions in an official classification system. Some people refer to any yellow daffodil as a jonquil. … sold in garden centers and by mail-order sources from September through November. If you buy several bags of bulbs, you can stagger the bloom time by potting a few each week. Didn’t buy any bulbs in fall? No problem. In February and March, garden centers, groceries, and big-box …
Type: Plant Info
