… Fields Country Club in Olympia Fields, Illinois. From there, he continued to grow his love for the turf industry at numerous golf courses throughout the Chicago area. Before joining the Garden, he worked for the Des Plaines Park District and the village of Wheeling's Park District as its turf …
Type: Staff bio
… Allison Pillar is the grower for indoor floriculture in the Plant Production department. She produces high-quality plants for display in the Greenhouses, Krehbiel Gallery, Garden View Café, and Orchid Show. She also …
Type: Staff bio
… start to wonder. Where was it going? And what made it turn? After a big snow, I love looking for wildlife tracks and the stories they tell. The paw prints and other tracks in the snow are … a recent blog, we talked about finding awe on winter walks—turning attention outside yourself for emotional well-being. By following animal tracks, you lose yourself in a different world and … , where I’m director of youth education. One winter, after a snowstorm, I decided to look for evidence of wildlife near the Garden’s Regenstein Learning Campus. My first sighting was the …
Type: Blog
… way out of the ground in the Farwell Landscape Garden. Cooler temperatures may slow growth for most plants, but they also allow for richer colors to develop. These peony stems have a deep burgundy color that is highly … empty bed. Eventually these will grow out into large bushy plants with showy red flowers, but for now we can enjoy the unique form of the new growth. Many geranium varieties also feature …
Type: Blog
… be contained in its pot. Roots growing out of and over the edge of a pot signal that it’s time for re-potting—which gives you the opportunity to examine your plant for overall root health. Plump, green roots look and are healthy; yellow, spotted, black, or dried out roots indicate that it’s time to re-think how you’re caring for your orchid. Learn more about repotting Phalaenopsis and other orchids in our blog. …
Type: Blog
… about and get engaged with nature. The hands-on component is key. After a teacher signs up for a field trip, we deliver kits of materials for every student. Students pick up the kits at the school. Every virtual program includes a live … seeds that we plant together. Thanks to a generous donor, we offer this program free of charge for all schools that serve a population where 50 percent or more students are considered “low …
Type: Blog
… while the smaller berries are sterile. Spike and Stinky contributed all the pollen used for Alice’s pollination last September. About one-third of Alice’s female flowers received … while Stinky, thought to be more distantly related, provided appropriate genetic material for proper reproduction. You can see the difference on Alice’s infructescence (fruit stalk) , … produced by Stinky’s pollen will make one or two seeds. It will take several more months for the fruits to ripen and turn deep red—a signal that seeds may finally be collected. One …
Type: Blog
… explore and make more than one kind of insect. Coffee filters —Cut these each into six pieces for wings. You can see how to cut them from the photo of our completed insect below. Pipe cleaners —Cut these into 3-inch pieces for legs. Craft supplies to decorate and color your insect —Use feathers, googly eyes, crayons, … wait until the fall season of Little Diggers, but if you don’t want to wait, you can sign up for My First Camp for 3-year-olds, and enjoy more hands-on science, art, food, and gardening. …
Type: Blog
… genera and over 19,000 species found in all parts of the world. In addition to being a source for economically important plants, the family is also important because legumes dominate many … important family. This collaborative team has published a new subfamily classification system for the family, and is now focused on major lineages within each of these subfamilies. Research …
Type: Research
… is the range, population size and habitat preference all have important consequences for gene flow and population structure. I am interested in the population genetics of rare species, and what that can tell us for about the management of these species. Botanic Gardens: " Botanic Gardens are playing a … structure of plant populations. Restoration: Choosing "genetically appropriate material" for restoration has become an important aim of many restorations. I study the genetic, …
Type: Staff bio
