… the tree species and the region in which you live. Bonsai in fall color, before being prepped for storage. The same bonsai prepped for winter storage; tags indicate tasks to do in spring on this tree. Here in the Chicago area, … conditions. Prior to bringing in your tropical trees and tucking your cold hardy trees away for the winter, there is some work to be done. In this post, we will discuss fall and early …
Type: Blog
… As we are all adapting to new ways of connecting for work and play, students in Windy City Harvest’s Youth Farm program have learned to adapt too. … “We built community by coming together despite the pandemic and produced vegetables for the community during it.” “I’m glad to have been able to work on the Farm another year.” “I was glad to come back to familiar faces.” “If it wasn’t for this opportunity, I would have had more anxiety about the situation. It really does take my …
Type: Blog
… Americans are at last tuning in to the taste of homemade condiments. The time has come for homemade mustard—and you won’t believe how easy and tasty it is. Start with the Basics As … horticulturist Nancy Clifton to learn the how-to’s. Within five minutes of starting her demo for us, she had the first batch of mustard whipped up: Nancy Clifton’s Basic Mustard Recipe ½ cup … Whisk ingredients together. Pour into clean Mason or Ball jars and set aside on a pantry shelf for two weeks, to allow the spice’s heat to mellow to the degree desired. Sample out of one jar …
Type: Blog
… plant and send it into shock, which can be hard to recover from indoors. 3. Check thoroughly for pests, and treat as needed. One of the biggest ways to set yourself up for success is to start with clean plants. There are several pests that can cause problems … mites, scale, and aphids. Insecticidal soap is a lower toxicity insecticide that is safe for most houseplants and will take care of nearly any pest problem you might have. As with any …
Type: Blog
… Botanical Garden, and the Chicago Botanic Garden) and we all researched best practices for digital libraries and made recommendations for improvement to the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). BHL is a group of natural history … the past ten years, BHL has uploaded more than 50 million pages of biodiversity literature for public use. (Left to right) 2017 BHL residents Ariadne Rehbein, Alicia Esquivel, Pamela …
Type: Blog
… woodlands, and fish are a part of this shadowed world that has long been entrenched in mystery for local residents and scientists alike. As urbanization, erosion, increasingly intense weather … plants begin to peel away at the perimeter of the ravines, it has become increasingly urgent for us to unwrap those mysteries and help protect the system that has long protected us. “The … challenges have not deterred Goad and a team of citizen scientists from digging in to look for solutions. For 15 years, the many contributors to Plants of Concern have been collecting …
Type: Blog
… Although nearly 7,000 plant species have been cultivated at some point in human history for food consumption, approximately 95 percent of human food needs worldwide are met by about 30 … met by only three of those crops: corn, wheat, and rice. Plant genetic resources are the basis for food security, and the diversity they encompass will be the fodder for adaptation to climate change and the stresses that may come with it. Realizing the potential …
Type: Research
… April, that blanket can be especially welcome. If you are like me, though, you just can’t wait for that first day when you lose the covers and open the windows. It is that breath of fresh air … the corner. Roses under a warm winter blanket of mulch. Our Krasberg Rose Garden is ready for its breath of fresh air, too. All winter, many of our roses have been under their warm … increase and daytime temperatures get warmer, however, we need to start inspecting our roses for signs that it is time to remove the compost and prepare the roses for the beauty yet to come. …
Type: Blog
… with the macabre—also shows in the jack-o-lantern characters Obenchain created for HallowFest, the Garden’s former celebration of Halloween. Riley Obenchain poses with some … who’s helped keep the Garden’s trams, lawnmowers, and other machinery running smoothly for 35 years, “but in actuality, anyone can do this.” Here are a few of Obenchain’s tricks and … them sharp. He taps them into very thick pumpkins using an old hickory log that he’s kept for years. Toothpicks, bamboo skewers, or even the occasional nail can be used to patch mistakes. …
Type: Blog
… important agricultural pollinators, but many of our native bees are vastly more imperiled. For example, the rusty patched bumblebee , native to the Upper Midwest, was just listed this … losses and asking what they can do to help support bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. For a start, it’s more beneficial to pollinators to plant species that are native to your region, … Here are five more pollinator-friendly actions that everyone can take. Provide resources: For pollinators, this means flowering plants with pollen and/or nectar. Diversity is key, as …
Type: Blog
