… paint his own pumpkin this year, so creating a “pump-cano” was the perfect fall fun activity for him. This is an entertaining and simple activity for children of all ages and a great way to extend Halloween celebrations during the first week … soda White vinegar Red food coloring Dishwashing liquid soap Supplies all laid out, ready for an explosion! What to do: Remove the top of the pumpkin and hollow it out by removing all …
Type: Blog
… but that knowledge has been lost,” Ross said. It’s not just edibles. Ross looks to the garden for home décor ideas, such as using okra pods in creative ways, and as an unexpected source of … and pick them young. Choose the right plants—such as cherry tomatoes instead of beefsteak for an urban container, or squash blossoms instead of larger squash (and pick the squash when it … keeps up to a week or more in the refrigerator; use on roasted vegetables or grilled steak. For the potato salad: 10 ounces small purple Peruvian potatoes (about 20) 10 ounces small yellow …
Type: Blog
… One of my summer interns found a little plant, under a bunch of big plants, and we thought for a second it might be the same as the big plants, but it is definitely different. It’s our … humid summer day in Chicago, and we have been searching through our identification guidebooks for what seems like forever. “Is it this one?” we ask each other, pointing to pictures in the … differences between species, “species blindness” (The only other reference I could find for species blindness was in Rutgers University Professor Lena Struwe’s bioblitz project ). …
Type: Blog
… the Construction and Maintenance department. From there, he worked as an assistant electrician for many years. In 1994, he was promoted to foreman in the Grounds department. He also works as … from the village of Glencoe. In other duties, Sanchez teaches pruning and landscape techniques for the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden in both English and Spanish. …
Type: Staff bio
… shirt and get glowin’: Forget the pricey pumpkin lattes Put together a quick, seasonal meal for someone—try pumpkin bisque , with walnut bread , and a corn and nopales (cactus leaves) salad … No one knows anymore. Here’s an easy way to send a postcard that will cost you….35 cents for a U.S. postage stamp—download one of our Lenhardt Library's historic garden images and print … kernels of dried corn to make a necklace . Pretty up your dining room table Just in time for Thanksgiving, create a one-of-a-kind seasonal centerpiece featuring local flowers—and figs. …
Type: Blog
… “threads” that links plants together to share water and nutrients—is an irresistible metaphor for connection and harmony. Designer Stella McCartney is making pants and other clothes out of … you can find in the Garden’s McDonald Woods . Shelf fungi decompose and recycle organic matter for plants to use. Usually, here at the Chicago Botanic Garden , we are too busy thinking about high-throughput DNA sequencing tools for fungi and other sexy issues to turn our attention to haute couture. And let’s face it, our …
Type: Blog
… six-plus decades of cooking, including Chicago’s My π Pizza), Larry likes to re-create recipes for great food that is new to him. (He’s in the process of writing a cookbook now.) While talking … recipes, Larry mentioned that he had a new favorite sandwich, using his favorite recipe for pickled red peppers. Naturally, we asked if he’d share. Larry Aronson's Pickled Red Peppers 1 … 50/50 chopped sweet and hot peppers into sterilized jars. (Follow manufacturer’s instructions for sterilizing jars and lids.) Pour hot pickling liquid over vegetables, filling to ¼-inch from …
Type: Blog
… it to produce male flowers the next time around. Basically, Japanese cobra lilies change sex for a period of time to save energy and allow themselves time to recover. Like all species of … with a pair of giant, polished, trifoliate leaves, creating an almost tropical appearance for a midwestern garden. It reaches 2 feet tall, and female plants can produce bright … China, Japan, and Korea. It is one of the easiest to grow, and perhaps the best garden subject for the Chicago area. They are pricey to buy, but the flying saucer-shaped tubers bulk up quickly …
Type: Blog
… In November, I had the unique opportunity to go to the Portland Japanese Garden for a week-long training session—and what a week it was! I arrived in Portland in early November, … garden, but in Portland, one gardener told me that moss will start to grow if you sit still for ten minutes. The tools I used to rake and clean were very efficient, but at the same time … on the moss. Bamboo rake, broom, and winnow Leaf litter should be removed on a regular basis for healthy moss growth. The next few days were all about pine pruning. We began with a …
Type: Blog
… flower reflects onto the shadowed water below. Doctoral student Lynnaun Johnson wades over for a closer look. Habitat is shrinking for this reclusive orchid, and he is using a unique approach to better understand the species’ … Taxodium distichum) . He plans to conduct more fieldwork this spring before examining the bark for fungi. The number of ghost orchids in Florida has dwindled as more and more swamps have been …
Type: Blog
