… best things about visiting (and working at!) the Chicago Botanic Garden: you get great ideas for your own garden. I put one of them to work in my new "all vegetable" front yard garden this … covers most everything.) On a fine spring day, apply two coats of chalkboard paint. I went for black, but you can have the white base paint tinted any color. (Ooh! Lime green would have … rain, wind, and dirty hands. Like many gardeners, I've tried lots of different methods for labeling over the years: Popsicle sticks (disintegrate fast, get stepped on), zinc and copper …
Type: Blog
… 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
… 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
… “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
… 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
… to complete the look you are trying to create. Create a miniature landscape or theme. Caring for your terrarium Watering : Water until moistened after planting, being careful not to let … terrarium uncovered until the foliage has dried. A closed terrarium may not need to be watered for four to six months—look for condensation to form on the inside of the container to check the moisture level. Open …
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
… David Murray is the horticulturist for the Shida Evaluation Garden. Our new Shida Evaluation Garden allows us to expand our … landscape plan by Wirtz International Landscape Architects includes specialty evaluation areas for perennials, roses, and vines. This new garden features crabapple tunnels, deciduous hedges, …
Type: Staff bio
… I kept one seed growing in the bag all winter, adding water as needed. The bean plant grew for five months, leaning toward the window in my office. The plant produced a white flower about … The red fruit was hidden under the leaves. So if you try this activity, and you stick with it for six months, you, too, may be rewarded with a little treasure! …
Type: Blog
