… Christmas tree lots carry a dazzling array of trees ranging from fragrant balsam firs ( Abies balsamea) to shimmering Colorado blue spruces ( Picea pungens … blue spruce ( Picea pungens ‘Procumbens’) Spruce ( Picea sp.) Spruces come in colors ranging from dark green to icy blue, but they all share one thing in common; incredibly sharp needles. … very well to the dry air indoors. If you select a spruce, it is critical that it is kept away from any sources of heat that might dry it out. The branches are strong and can support ornaments …
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… the landscape. Creeping Siberian cypress ( Microbiota decussata ) This shrub changes color from a bright green in the summer to a bronze-purple in the winter. Viola blue spruce? ( Picea pungens ‘Viola’) Its remarkable blue/silver color comes from epicuticular wax, a compound the tree produces as a defense mechanism to protect needles from damage, including moisture loss and UV damage. Eastern arborvitae ( Thuja occidentalis) …
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… plant collections, chose carefully selected rhizomes, or underground horizontal stems, from Huntsville’s collection. Biota of North America Program ( BONAP ) map of Trillium in the United States Trillium plant parts illustration from Trillium , by Fredrick W. Case and Roberta Case, Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1997. … with Huntsville, we catalogued each of its Trillium species to evaluate which ones from its collection might grow in our limestone-based soils and USDA Zone 5 growing conditions. …
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… gravitational pull of the earth. Geotropism is difficult to overcome, but that didn’t stop me from trying to make a plant grow sideways through a maze. You can try this activity at home. You … to make dividers duct tape (or any opaque tape) soaked bean seeds—I used different beans from a soup mix a container with soil You’ll need a shoe box, cardboard dividers, seeds, a pot … on the side opposite of the hole you cut. Just for fun, I used several different seeds from a bean soup mix to see if one kind would get through the maze better than the others. It was …
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… questions about an orchid’s growing conditions, you can always ask the grower you’re buying from, or check out the American Orchid Society’s Culture Sheets . Also, make sure that your … motivation to keep caring for it when it’s not in flower. Also, sometimes the shock of moving from the greenhouse to your house will cause orchids to skip a year in flowering. Don’t lose all … hope though! There are some orchids that flower continuously for most of the year, and others from which you can get multiple flowerings in a year. 3. Only buy a healthy plant. Soft brown …
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… Garden Gems from Faraway Places Do you have hostas, daylilies, a Japanese maple, or a star magnolia in your … to building its permanent collections. The Garden’s living collections focus on plants from around the world that grow well in the Chicago area and are adapted to the local climate and soils. “Collecting and conserving plants from the wild provides us with a deeper, almost intrinsic understanding of how the plants grow; …
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… 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 … them for fibers, edible seeds, and as a dye. Sunflowers are among the easiest annuals to grow from seed. Sow a few seeds of Russian Mammoth outdoors in mid-May and by the end of summer, the … so many cultivars, a gardener could easily collect more than four dozen different types—from dwarf to ginormous, with flowers that are single or double, and colors that range from …
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… for the seed bank. It turns out that he already knew about the goldenseal population from a conversation that he had had with a local forester years ago. The forester thought that … size of the population. The owners agreed to allow me to collect its seeds as well as seeds from any other species that I sought for the seed bank. The only problem was that for the seed … interested in preserving the seeds of natural populations, not introduced ones. Seeds from natural populations represent individuals that are ideally suited to that environment by …
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… reassemble the crib? How will your houseplants feel about having siblings… er, clones? Aside from the internal struggles, enlarging your plant collection by propagation is a relatively … begonia, are better suited to stem cuttings. Others, like jade and African violets, can grow from a leaf cutting. Before propagating your favorite plant, find out which method works best . … the Chicago Botanic Garden’s propagation expert, shared a few tips for creating new plants from stem and leaf cuttings. 1. Cut a piece of your houseplant below a node (where leaf and stem …
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… ©Carol Freeman They have to among nature’s greatest achievements. Their transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly is truly mind-boggling when you really think about it. … situation are my 105mm and 200mm macro lenses. They allow me to be a comfortable distance away from the butterflies, get excellent details, and also keep the background soft. As with all … ISO, and aperture to get sharp, interesting photos. Hecale Longwing ©Carol Freeman To keep from getting in the way of other guests, I leave the tripod at home and handhold my camera. This …
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