… joined by end-of-season pickled green tomatoes. Web designer Christina Weisbard has a weakness for fruit trees…which explains the bounty of mulberry, quince, and crabapple jellies that she’s made for holiday gifts this year. Of the pickled green tomatoes that she also canned, she says, “They … butter to give as holiday gifts. Chill Out A stickpin holds this beautiful crochet work in place. It took customer support manager Karen Angel four to five hours each to hand-crochet cozy …
Type: Blog
… path protects young boxwoods in this highly-trafficked area. Prepare properly The right plant for your design goals should help reduce maintenance. Choose the right plant for your garden’s growing conditions and design goals. A plant that is well-adapted to your site … for some plants. Plant salt tolerant plants along busy roads; broad-leaved evergreens perform best when sited so that they are protected from the winter sun and wind. The later in the season …
Type: Blog
… know about taking pictures at Lightscape at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It’s a great chance for photographers of all abilities to practice shooting after dark. And with a little time and … are not allowed at Lightscape. Instead, raise your ISO. Newer cameras have improved technology for low-light situations, and the old rules of thumb don’t always hold true. Pick a setting … will create beautiful light trails and unlock a new realm of possibility. Experimenting is the best way to learn. Start by moving your camera in a continuous path while pressing the shutter. …
Type: Blog
… at a Time Parents and grandparents are often children’s first and most important teachers. For 15 years, I have had the pleasure of teaching families with young children at the Chicago … you’ve ever spent time with a toddler, you know that young children are active learners. The best teaching occurs when we join that child in hands-on, developmentally appropriate play. A … of space to acquire new skills like weeding, watering, and planting. All of it is about caring for something —the first step in understanding that the world is bigger than ourselves. This is …
Type: Blog
… & Blooms, I noticed a crepuscular , cosmopolitan imago puddling in order to prepare for an upcoming lek . What did I just say? The vocabulary surrounding Lepidoptera can be very … as “emerging” or even “hatching” from their pupal state. The correct scientific term for this is actually “eclosion.” If you want to impress (or possibly annoy) your friends, tell … about our amazing collection of butterflies. Expect to be quizzed on them during your next visit to Butterflies & Blooms ! Postman comparison images by Notafly (self-made Own …
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… , this butterfly seemed to seek out dead, brown leaves in the tree canopies and use them as a place to blend in. I always got a kick out of showing people that one of those dead leaves was … at rest on a branch Kallima inachus with its wings open The butterfly has another surprise for visitors: It has incredibly vivid coloration on the dorsal side of its wings. When the …
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… to improve our soils and are about to embark on another trial…biochar. Biochar has been used for thousands of years in the Amazon Basin of South America to greatly improve poor, unproductive soils for farming. The ancient Amazons used a simple “slash-and-char” process to create biochar. This … poor soils. This new tool is being trialed and then possibly integrated into our arsenal for best practice soil management. …
Type: Blog
… stairs. Growing an herb container doesn’t require a whole lot of space, luckily. To find the best inspiration, I turned to Lisa Hilgenberg, horticulturist for the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden. She recently planted … tower in the garden, so ideas were fresh on her mind when I talked with her. Here are her tips for starting an herb container, no matter where you live. Find the right container: Drainage is …
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… little concerned about whether they would have time to emerge before we have to shut our doors for the season. When I came into the pupae chamber a few days after they arrived, there was a … to name it “Bobby.” Bobby and Aaliyah (the atlas moth) will definitely be hanging around for a couple of weeks, so come over and say hello. Photo by Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK [ … & Blooms home is in the Regenstein Learning Campus . I can’t think of a more appropriate place for visitors to come to interact and learn about nature in some of its most beautiful …
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 … lily hails from 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 …
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