… For many homeowners, a long, hot summer means mow the lawn, water, repeat. It’s a cycle that … to traditional turfgrass, she and her collaborators are hoping to offer a “menu of options” for greener lawns that not only look good and stand up well against the Chicago area's moody … near their house,” Barak said. “[This research is] only helpful to the extent that it’s used!” Visit Rethinking Lawns —a website designed by Kozik in collaboration with Barak, Tonietto, and …
Type: Blog
… that can be hard to achieve with green-foliaged plants. Tall, dark plants become a backdrop for everything else in the garden: their purple-to-black foliage makes chartreuse plants pop, … with dark spots. While "back of the border" was once considered the appropriate placement for tall plants, they need not be relegated to a line-up against the wall. On your next summer visit, keep an eye out for the many different ways that horticulturists are using tall, dark …
Type: Plant Info
… “Back then, we were getting ready to pack it in,” says Tom Soulsby, senior horticulturist for the Rose Garden, Heritage Garden, and the Linden Allée. Tom is responsible for curating and maintaining a collection of more than 5,000 roses in one of the largest public … years and Soulsby has no reason to believe that trend will not continue. “We continue to care for roses now as we do in June and July—we water, mulch, and keep on top of the deadheading to …
Type: Plant Info
… more. “Hands in earth, sand, mud: building, digging, sewing, baking—these are what humans DO.” For fun, interesting, and education-based ideas, we turned to a fun, interesting, and … employees, librarians, and just-plain-curious caregivers who came together at the Garden for a Nature Play conference (sponsored by the Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago Wilderness, and … undyed yarn or fabric into a personal style experience. 10. Paint Chip Color Hunt One quick visit to the paint store can send kids off to hunt for hours, as they try to match nature’s …
Type: Blog
… a closer look, you’ll notice signs of wildlife all around you, too. Their connection makes for the best kind of codependency. Killdeer, a shorebird that commonly nests at the Garden. … on each other, and the bond between them creates a healthy ecosystem. Plants provide food for various wildlife and, at the Garden, you can find examples of this everywhere. The milkweed … Sometimes, nature lends a helping hand to protect the plants, too. Foxes and coyotes that visit the Garden on occasion chase away geese and voles, small rodents that damage the bark of …
Type: Blog
… others feature thistles and brambles, as well as bindweed, nettles, and red campion. Known for its fabulous floral displays and glorious garden designs with state-of-the-art plants, the … of a garden or neighborhood and well behaved in another. The Garden does offer alternatives for many invasive plants. There can be a happy medium when it comes to dandelions. Lawn “Mow How” … inches tall before the first cut. You’ll have less maintenance during May, and the bees will visit clover and dandelion blossoms, but when it comes to cutting the grass for the first time, …
Type: Blog
… with the diverse plants appropriately themed to each specific garden. A fine starting point for this walk is the Great Basin, the Garden’s central lake, which is surrounded by gardens that … the roses, irises, daylilies, bulbs, and sages are massed by the hundreds, even thousands, for their color impact visible across the water. This time, too, is when the waterlilies and … is every gardener’s dream. Look and listen for all our water sources on your next Garden visit. …
Type: Walks
… Resale stores, antique shops, and garage or estate sales can be rewarding if you’re looking for inexpensive, unusual containers to hold your plants. The only caveat is that if the container … pots that sit on narrow trays to catch any water. The windows face south and are perfect for her sun-loving succulents planted in old empty spice tins that have a few drainage holes in … ( Streptocarpus ), nerve plant ( Fittonia ), and money plant ( Pilea ). And, the next time you visit the Garden, stop by the Greenhouses where fragrant flowering plants, seasonal plants, and …
Type: Plant Info
… where her classroom was the first to include students from TrueNorth, an education cooperative for students with disabilities. Keira remembered that one of her TrueNorth friends used music to … was incredible,” Shannon said. “She had tools in her toolbox to be kind to other children.” For these preschoolers, the logic is simple: Different people need different things, and if you … Nature Preschooler described the TrueNorth students as her “TrueNorth neighbors”: They visit the Nature Preschool classrooms, and at the end of their time they go back to their own …
Type: Blog
… productive small-space garden. The cycle of selecting seeds or small plants, digging a garden for them, nurturing the plants, harvesting the bounty, and eating the delicious, nutritious final … source and easy to access, since food crops require hands-on tending, watering, and monitoring for problems—as well as daily checking on how big and colorful those veggies are getting! Start … A simple drawing of the garden is visually helpful and shows exactly how much space you have for each plant. This will prevent over-purchasing at the garden center. To prevent the tallest …
Type: Plant Info
