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  • … 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
  • … In November, I had the unique opportunity to go to the Portland Japanese Garden for a week-long training session—and what a week it was! I arrived in Portland in early November, … garden, but in Portland, one gardener told me that moss will start to grow if you sit still for ten minutes. The tools I used to rake and clean were very efficient, but at the same time … on the moss. Bamboo rake, broom, and winnow Leaf litter should be removed on a regular basis for healthy moss growth.   The next few days were all about pine pruning. We began with a …
    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
  • … purchasing them—the sphagnum moss in which they are sold provides too much constant moisture for the plant, and can damage the delicate, epiphytic root system. Anne Nies, a master’s degree … to maintain a healthy growing environment. Our second video details step-by-step instructions for repotting a  Paphiopedilum  orchid, which has different watering and culture needs from a  …
    Type: Blog
  • … and violets of the dominant fall asters, many of them blooming throughout October. Look for bottle and cream gentians in the Garden’s Dixon Prairie or elsewhere. Buried beneath the riot … to locate. Another, more common gentian of wet prairie is also worth a mention. Not so much for its brilliant color, although it is blue and fairly showy, but for the fact that its flower petals remain closed. This is the closed or bottle gentian ​ …
    Type: Blog