… “Wealthy individuals would send floral specimens by railroad from as far away as New York. For people in the Chicago area, that was astounding.” One fall flower show in 1899 drew more than … the future Chicago Botanic Garden; low in the horizon is the city of Chicago (click on image for a larger view) An early image of the Garden’s islands: in the foreground are Bird Island on the left, and the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden on the right (click on image for a larger view) Midsummer in the English Walled Garden is a feast for the senses. Research …
Type: Blog
… it comes to controlling invasive plants, a little faith can’t hurt. This is particularly true for garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata). We have been struggling to get this highly invasive biennial plant under control at the Chicago Botanic Garden for more than 20 years. When I first began working on restoration of our 100-acre Mary Mix … is having a significant negative effect on garlic mustard (see woodsandprairie.blogspot.com ). Observers have reported an almost complete absence of garlic mustard in areas that are …
Type: Blog
… be contained in its pot. Roots growing out of and over the edge of a pot signal that it’s time for re-potting—which gives you the opportunity to examine your plant for overall root health. Plump, green roots look and are healthy; yellow, spotted, black, or dried out roots indicate that it’s time to re-think how you’re caring for your orchid. Roots Can Rot Overwatering is the number one threat to an orchid plant. Orchid …
Type: Blog
… Violet has just cracked the top five on Nameberry . What’s behind the trend? Celebrities, for starters. When Gwyneth named baby Apple a dozen years ago, some scratched their heads. Fast … Floral Emblems. Ask the librarian to show you books where you’ll find these beautiful names for girls (and boys) and their language of flowers meanings. Angelica gigas Angelica : … and Rocket ( Eruca sativa ) connoted “rivalry” in the language of flowers, but names for boys are few in the world of blooms. Expand into the wider world of plants and a few more …
Type: Blog
… be able to hang it from a branch. Finally, fill the fruit with birdseed and hang it outside for your feathered friends to enjoy. If you like, you can add a little suet, but you may find it … any visitors the first few days after you’ve placed your feeder. It can take up to two weeks for birds to discover their new food source, but once they do, they tell all their friends in the neighborhood. The final product is ready for visitors. After you hang your bird feeder, take some of the seed and plant it to see what …
Type: Blog
… An edible orchid in an ice sphere adorns a cocktail from chef Daniel Boulud, marthastewart.com Why, yes, that's an orchid in my cocktail Noted French chef Daniel Boulud paired with a mixologist to come up with a white cosmopolitan recipe that calls for elderflower liqueur and a frozen orchid sphere. The “aromatic” Platanthera obtusata. Photo by … hybrid in your name with the Royal Horticultural Society (the official international register) for $1,500. Out-of-sight, out-of-mind... until bloom time. Orchid boarding school Some nurseries …
Type: Blog
… have dropped their leaves, the scenery appears brown and boring UNLESS you know what to look for. I’m talking about tree bark. Learning to identify trees by their bark can be a fun winter challenge. For starters, I’d like to share one of my favorites: the hackberry, Celtis occidentalis . … trail near Parking Lot 4. The large tree to the left of the bridge is a hackberry. One reason for the popularity of this tree is that the fruits—hackberries—feed birds, squirrels, and other …
Type: Blog
… Following her internship, in the next seven years, Raue worked as a horticulturist for the Farwell Landscape Garden, Native Plant Garden, Graham Bulb Garden, and Aquatic Garden. She transferred to Plant Production as a grower for indoor floriculture in 1996 and then to the nursery as a grower in 2001. Raue was promoted to …
Type: Staff bio
… Garden. The first significant snowfall of the season gives the Garden a perfect white coat for winter. What better reason for a walk through the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden ? Many consider winter to be the …
Type: Blog
… thistle ( Cirsium pitcheri) , federally listed as threatened, is both a critical nectar source for migrating monarchs and supports a rich diversity of insect visitors that forage for both nectar and pollen. A 2016 pollination network study found that C. pitcheri attracts the …
Type: Research
