… Arkansas amsonia is native to Arkansas and Oklahoma and was identified and named in the wild in 1942 by Leslie … Its fine, soft texture and threadlike foliage has helped win its place in cultivation. It is perhaps best known for its golden and persistent fall color that appears to be almost a golden …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Screamin' Yellow baptisia is notable for its abundant blooms of very bright yellow. Members of the genus Baptisia are … as wild or false indigo due to their use by early Americans as a blue dye. Although "indigo" is in the common name, the blooms of native species may be blue, yellow or white and the blooms …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… common name from the abundant red fruit it bears in the fall, which resemble cranberries. It is a low, wide-spreading shrub with a stiff branching pattern. Young shoots grow in a herringbone … 400 examples of the cranberry cotoneaster in the collections of the Chicago Botanic Garden; it is a versatile shrub. Members of the genus Cotoneaster are characterized by a stiff, dense …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… if you don’t want a brown, unruly patch of land. Conservation scientist Becky Barak, Ph.D., is looking to change that assumption. By studying alternatives to traditional turfgrass, she and … Research. In 2022, Barak received a Biota Award from the Walder Foundation; this award, which is given to early-career researchers who are working on biodiversity restoration, allowed the … meadow and prairie plots include flowering plants, in addition to grasses and sedges. A new site at Uptown Coastal Natural Area with the Chicago Park District is planted with a range of …
Type: Blog
… but it often overshadows the concerns ecologists have about our own native bees. Illinois is home to about 500 species of bees that are important pollinators in natural areas, in … bees. (I picture carpenter bees wearing little tool belts around their waists.) Nick Dorian is a postdoctoral researcher with the Garden’s Negaunee Institute for Plant Conservation Science … found at a nursery,” Dorian says. The endangered rusty-patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis) is supported by gardens containing wild bergamot (Monarda fistulosa). Photo credit: Nick Dorian. …
Type: Plant Info
… the plants, harvesting the bounty, and eating the delicious, nutritious final product is a priceless education in itself. Gardening and the subsequent cooking activities transcend … yard that receives six to eight hours of sun a day. An area with a north-south orientation is ideal, in that it takes advantage of the east-west movement of the sun and gives veggies more … at the garden center. To prevent the tallest plants from shading out the low-growing ones, site them at the back, on the sides, or down the middle of the garden, depending on the …
Type: Plant Info
… any seed starting are time, light, a growing medium, cleanliness, water, and attention. Time is critical. Some species need weeks longer than others. Impatiens, for example, need to be … a couple of standard fluorescent tubes in a utilitarian shop light works fine, if the fixture is hung on chains with S-hooks so its height can be adjusted. Install it securely in an … very well and allow the delicate roots to find their way between its particles. Potting mix is generally too dense; it's better to buy a sterile seed-starting mix. The mix must be sterile …
Type: Plant Info
… the Science Career Continuum program from over 100 different public schools in Chicago. Below is a map of College First participants’ schools. [gmap … the Science Career Continuum program from over 100 different public schools in Chicago. Below is a map of College First participants’ schools. [gmap …
Type: Page
… Cochineal is an ancient red dye that was treasured by the ancient Mexicans and was once the world’s most …
Type: Item Detail
… Seed starting is a highly rewarding and fun activity as you plant your seeds and then watch them come to life. …
Type: Item Detail