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  • … Collection, graciously met me on a Saturday and more graciously waited two additional hours for my arrival. With Pat safe and sound, I headed to the New Jersey Turnpike. As much as … as take care of some additional botanical business. I conducted a national collections review for the University of Delaware Botanic Gardens in Newark, Delaware. Feeling weak after a long day … from the Chicago Botanic Garden a couple years ago. While in the area, I had a chance to visit Doe Run, which was the famed garden of plantsman, Sir John Thouron, and which is now owned …
    Type: Blog
  • … patches, and scientists at the Chicago Botanic Garden study prairie plants and their chance for survival amid changing climates and landscapes. For Dr. Barak, a key question is what restored plant communities will look like. Restored … rainwater and carbon dioxide—they also provide opportunities we can all enjoy each time we visit, said the scientist and former teacher. “I think it’s about more than that [the ecological …
    Type: Blog
  • … Plant Information Service at  @email  to request a list of approved fungicides.   Looking for one-on-one tomato assistance? Contact our Plant Information Service for a personal diagnosis and recommendations. … Service at  [email protected]  to request a list of approved fungicides.   Looking for one-on-one tomato assistance? Contact our Plant Information Service for a personal diagnosis and recommendations. …
    Type: Page
  • … like cactus, and as such, should never be overwatered. Small but mighty, they'll bloom for a long time, especially if the plant boasted lots of buds, not flowers, when it was … sparse watering, and no fertilizer while in bloom. Because it's a succulent, it has no need for extra humidity. When all the flowers have dried, cut off the flower stalks and move the plant … orchid nurseries. Bright light, with little direct sun, in a normally heated room is fine for moth orchids. As with all indoor plants, avoid putting it on a radiator or air conditioner, …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … play an important role in small landscapes, especially in urban sites where this is no room for a large tree. The individual flowers may be exceptionally small —like those of the delightful … or other small ornamental tree becomes the star of the season, providing a dose of enchantment for winter-weary gardeners.   Here are a few favorites for the home landscape Pagoda dogwood                               (Cornus alternifolia) Pagoda …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … sometimes even as late as December. In fact, frost makes kale taste sweeter! Looks Good & Good for You Kale, the cabbage without a head, is a member of the mustard family (Brassicaceae), along … not pure muck. Choose a well-drained, full-sun spot and thin the plants as they grow, allowing for the full-body structure they are going to assume. An alternative is to buy transplants and … on strong stems. The seed packet may say the plant grows to 2 feet, but it's not unusual for the plants to tower considerably higher. The tightly curled foliage offers a texture not …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … Gardening in shade can be challenging for gardeners who want to grow great plants. That’s where hellebores come to the rescue. They … about 20 species of hellebores that inhabit Europe and Asia. The leaves tend to be evergreen for most of the year and plants bloom for almost two months before the flowers begin to fade. Although many hellebores have nodding, …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … to the collected specimens. Hepta- means "seven," and -codium refers to the flower head. Then for nearly 65 years,  Heptacodium  was forgotten. But in 1980, another expedition to China … blossoms emerge from the tips of the branches. The blooms are sweetly fragrant and persist for several weeks. To maintain this late bloomer's attractive shape,  Heptacodium  must be pruned … Evaluation Garden, where it thrives in dappled shade. The plants there are pruned annually for aesthetics and to control random suckering. Plants have performed well and flowered …
    Type: Plant Info
  • … many African American households, including mine. Tequia Burt's grandmother inspired her love for collard greens. Writer Tequia Burt grows heirloom collard greens in her Chicago garden. … Ole Timey Blue seeds to the Seed Savers Exchange. He said his family has grown this variety for more than a hundred years and that his mother used it to make a dish that is similar to … green, these collards date back to 1935. Vates I like to choose hardworking, tough plants for my garden, and Vates fits the bill. Though a more common heirloom variety than Ole Timey Blue …
    Type: Blog
  • … Tom Soulsby is the senior horticulturist for the Rose Garden, Heritage Garden, and Linden Allée. He is responsible for curating and maintaining a collection of more than 5,000 roses in one of the largest public … his passion for horticulture excellence.   As a lifelong gardener, some of Soulsby's best horticulture education has come from practical hands-on gardening that included working as a …
    Type: Staff bio