… Putting roses to sleep for winter In early November, many of the roses that bloom twice per year (called remontant, or … nighttime temperatures—and Garden staff jumped into action to put the rose beds “to sleep” for the winter. Now the garden looks entirely different. The process that our staff uses to prep roses for winter is the same process you can use in your rose garden, too. Step 1: Prune canes. While …
Type: Blog
… For many people, lilacs are a sentimental flower. My mother planted many lilacs on our farm in … in the water. Leave the bucket in a cool, dark place and allow the flowers to take up water for at least an hour. Remove leaves Remove all of the leaves from each stem. Recut stem ends … back into the bucket of water. Allow the stems to take up more water in a cool, dark place for another one to two hours. The lilacs will then be ready for arranging, and will last three to …
Type: Blog
… the Prairie Series Life in the prairie in the middle of winter is fairly uneventful; at least for humans who focus primarily on life above ground. Perhaps now is a good time to reflect on the … of this nation. The root mass in a prairie is more than double the shoot mass above ground. For thousands of years, the death and regeneration of roots and organisms that interact with them … of endomycorrhizal fungi that support their symbiotic relationship with prairie plants. For the prairie plants, the fungi develops a network of very fine hyphae that spread through soil …
Type: Blog
… of ornamental plants, predominantly herbaceous perennials, to determine the best garden plants for the Upper Midwest and areas with similar climatic conditions. The herbaceous plants under evaluation are grown outdoors in side-by-side trials for a minimum of four years; vines and shrubs are evaluated for a minimum of six years. Plants are monitored regularly to assess their ornamental traits; …
Type: Staff bio
… is simply mixed, rolled, and cookie-cut—the ornamental “cookies” then air dry on the counter for a couple of days, becoming surprisingly lightweight and a pretty, cinnamony color. The process is easy and kid-friendly, great to try at home for your seasonal decorations. Nancy let us photograph her at work, while supplying some tips … but no, don’t eat this dough! “I tried it,” Nancy says, “And it tastes terrible. It’s for crafting only!” Mixing and Rolling Ingredients 1 pound (16 oz.) cinnamon 3 pounds (large 48 …
Type: Blog
… a paper grocery bag or use newspaper to spread out on a table. This creates a clear work space for your child and makes clean up a breeze. 2. Grab a small pail to make the mud in. Let your … it in a sunny spot to dry. Parent Tip: Remember to have some damp towels or wipes nearby for messy hands. Mud Kitchen Give up one area of your yard to be that mud kitchen area. We know … or even recyclables. Mud Painting No paint? Try mud! It’s fun and a great sensory experience for kids. Here’s what you’ll need: Dirt Disposable bowl Flour Water Any type of paper …
Type: Blog
… back approximately 600 years. Originally, men and women arranged flowers as Buddhist offerings for altars at temples. Since then, ikebana has established itself as an art form beyond religious … style, the arranger is invited to remain silent. The silence creates a meditative space for the artist to connect with and appreciate nature more closely. For ikebana floral designer and Garden volunteer Shelley Galloway, the connection between nature …
Type: Blog
… spring, I was traveling through the McDonald Woods at the Chicago Botanic Garden, searching for some of the flat-bodied crab spiders ( Philodromus ) that typically spend the winter in … with wings. When I was in college studying mammology, we used to go out at night and look for streetlights where there were large numbers of moths and other flying insects attracted to … I don’t know if the bat was aware of it, but this dead branch provided the perfect camouflage for her rich color. This made me think about how these mammals perceive the world. Do bats have …
Type: Blog
… and other fruit ripening in your kitchen, because it can attract fruit flies. Leave it there for three to five days, depending on the conditions. Natural “beasties” in the air (yeast) will … head of gunk on your seeds, remove that film and throw it away. (Unless you’d like to keep it for some reason.) If you can’t skim all of it, no worries, the remaining goo will rinse off in … look right. They are not viable. Let the seeds air dry on the wax paper in a protected place for about a week. 6. Store the completely dried seeds in an envelope until you are ready to use …
Type: Blog
… is the date we put Spike on public view!) . Several weeks later, Beccari saw a flowering plant for the first time. He sent a few tubers and seeds to Florence, Italy, but the tubers all … Kew, in England. There, in 1889, 11 years after its discovery, a titan arum plant flowered for the first time outside its tropical home. No one knows how common the titan arum is in the … known habitat is the rainforest of Sumatra, which is being steadily eroded by deforestation for palm oil production, by pollution, and by human encroachment. The corms are also being dug up …
Type: Blog
