… A bridge can be a portal, a passage, a strategic position, an arrival, a departure, or a place to meet halfway. And of course bridges can be marvelously romantic, as anyone who’s gasped … Bridges are integral to the Chicago Botanic Garden, too, built as it is on nine islands. For a lovely summer evening, take a long walk together…cross these six romantic bridges together…and prepare for some memorable moments. Bridges are one of the most spectacular places at the Garden for …
Type: Blog
… and some are broadleaf evergreens—this is a deciduous variety. Crape myrtles are most famous for their flowers, which grow as clusters of small blooms. Flowering typically takes place between June and August. This tree has never flowered while here at the Garden. I am hoping … in the ficus genus in the world, but there are only about a half dozen that are commonly used for bonsai. Ficus benjamina , Ficus microcarpa , Ficus retusa (or Green Island fig), and …
Type: Blog
… A landmark program at the time of its conception, Plants of Concern has remained a model for long-term, collaborative community science and still represents one of the only programs of … Concern began when staff, landowners, land managers, and volunteers selected initial species for monitoring from the 1999 Chicago Wilderness Biodiversity Recovery Plan’s priority plant list … we as an agency simply would not be able to collect without this program.” Perhaps the best outcome of the Plants of Concern program is that it has “inspired many volunteers to engage …
Type: Blog
… where I am the curator in charge of the Bonsai Collection , which is known as one of the best of its kind in the world. Shortly after I purchased my first tree, I started learning about … of the Gators) hosted the State Bonsai Convention. That weekend was an eye-opening experience for me, as I got to learn from and assist international bonsai artists like Jim Smith, Colin … in Okazaki, Japan, where he had spent some time. Suzuki, or “Oyakata” (an honorific reserved for a person of high authority) as we would call him, was a third-generation bonsai master and …
Type: Blog
… with the macabre—also shows in the jack-o-lantern characters Obenchain created for HallowFest, the Garden’s former celebration of Halloween. Riley Obenchain poses with some … who’s helped keep the Garden’s trams, lawnmowers, and other machinery running smoothly for 35 years, “but in actuality, anyone can do this.” Here are a few of Obenchain’s tricks and … stalks instead of using toothpicks to inset eyeballs ensures they don’t rot out and stay in place while your jack-o-lantern is on display. While most of the pumpkins carved for HallowFest …
Type: Blog
… most of you know what I am referring to when I say “leap year.” “Lep Year”—“lep” being short for Lepidoptera (from the Latin “scaly wing”), the order of insects that includes butterflies … by the females when they are ready to mate. Some moths can follow these chemical trails for miles. Moths are not only extremely diverse in shape and pattern, they also have a wonderful … their prey by homing in on the scent of their droppings. Interested in finding out more? Visit the Moth Photographers Group at mothphotographersgroup.msstate.edu or BugGuide at …
Type: Blog
… horticulturists at the Chicago Botanic Garden transcend tradition on Valentine’s Day. Read on for thoughtful, unusual, and homemade floral gift ideas. Spouses can evoke their wedding day by … outdoor floriculturist at the Garden. Tim would use sweet peas, freesias, and delphinium for a nostalgic, sweetly scented gift. Tropical flowers from spots such as Hawaii and Florida can … such as forsythia. Prune 2- to-3-foot lengths, put them in a container filled with water, and place them in a sunny location. The bright yellow forsythia flowers will begin blooming in …
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 … qualities, and flexibility. Building yotsume-gaki, a tea garden fence Vertical supports in place, it's time to tie ibo-musubi knots in the time-honored way. On my last day in Portland, I …
Type: Blog
… well with many of the mounding shade perennials. Lamium Although lamiums have been around for a long time, the one species, Lamium maculatum , is of particular interest to shade … study in the Chicago Botanic Garden's Plant Evaluation Program. Fifty-one varieties were grown for six years and evaluated on their ornamental traits, disease and pest resistance and cultural …
Type: Plant Info
… two of the major islands in the nation of Indonesia. Amorphophallus titanum , the Latin name for the titan arum species, is native to the island of Sumatra. The corms of the Titan Twins were … arums with pollen from an individual from another institution that has been stored “on ice” for just such an occasion. Java: height=79.75” and circumference 51.25”; Sumatra: height=69” and … how long the plant generates odor and heat. It is possible that when pollination takes place, it signals the plant to save energy and stop these energetically expensive processes. …
Type: Blog
