… more. “Hands in earth, sand, mud: building, digging, sewing, baking—these are what humans DO.” For fun, interesting, and education-based ideas, we turned to a fun, interesting, and … employees, librarians, and just-plain-curious caregivers who came together at the Garden for a Nature Play conference (sponsored by the Chicago Botanic Garden, Chicago Wilderness, and … undyed yarn or fabric into a personal style experience. 10. Paint Chip Color Hunt One quick visit to the paint store can send kids off to hunt for hours, as they try to match nature’s …
Type: Blog
… a closer look, you’ll notice signs of wildlife all around you, too. Their connection makes for the best kind of codependency. Killdeer, a shorebird that commonly nests at the Garden. … on each other, and the bond between them creates a healthy ecosystem. Plants provide food for various wildlife and, at the Garden, you can find examples of this everywhere. The milkweed … Sometimes, nature lends a helping hand to protect the plants, too. Foxes and coyotes that visit the Garden on occasion chase away geese and voles, small rodents that damage the bark of …
Type: Blog
… Sackville-West (Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons ) Sackville-West (1892-1962) is well-known for her close relationship with writer Virginia Woolf; she was also a dedicated gardener and … In June, Pride Month commemorates the anniversary of the Stonewall riots, a turning point for gay and lesbian rights, which occurred in 1969. It is worth remembering, that pioneers like … As a scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden, I most often think of Sackville-West when I visit the Thomas English Walled Garden . This garden is inspired by a long history of British …
Type: Blog
… tombstone in Cumberland, England "While life lasts." This can be a very brief moment in time for a spring ephemeral. In that narrow window of time between thawing ground and the leafing out … true of species like bloodroot ( Sanguinaria canadensis ), whose blossoms only last for a day before they drop. Additionally frustrating is that cloud cover can hamper catching the … pollinators associated with them, they usually have several different pollinators that can visit, including other native bees and many species of flies. Besides being important sources of …
Type: Plant Info
… For many homeowners, a long, hot summer means mow the lawn, water, repeat. It’s a cycle that … to traditional turfgrass, she and her collaborators are hoping to offer a “menu of options” for greener lawns that not only look good and stand up well against the Chicago area's moody … near their house,” Barak said. “[This research is] only helpful to the extent that it’s used!” Visit Rethinking Lawns —a website designed by Kozik in collaboration with Barak, Tonietto, and …
Type: Blog
… that can be hard to achieve with green-foliaged plants. Tall, dark plants become a backdrop for everything else in the garden: their purple-to-black foliage makes chartreuse plants pop, … with dark spots. While "back of the border" was once considered the appropriate placement for tall plants, they need not be relegated to a line-up against the wall. On your next summer visit, keep an eye out for the many different ways that horticulturists are using tall, dark …
Type: Plant Info
… images at a slower shutter speed. (Typically, you want to have at least 1/400th of a second for a 400mm lens, or 1/100th of a second for a 100mm lens, etc., so the shorter lens will gain you two stops in this example—a significant … review the images on a large screen and know what will be acceptable to you on the day of your visit. Every camera is different, and what may work for me may be too grainy for you. Most …
Type: Blog
… we spend a lot of time and energy researching the flora of the areas we are going to visit. We search out areas of the world where the climate is similar to that of the midwestern … document that our hosts submit to the national environmental agencies within each country for approval and permits for the trip. Among our goals on plant-collecting trips is to collect seeds to conserve and to …
Type: Blog
… patches, and scientists at the Chicago Botanic Garden study prairie plants and their chance for survival amid changing climates and landscapes. For Dr. Barak, a key question is what restored plant communities will look like. Restored … rainwater and carbon dioxide—they also provide opportunities we can all enjoy each time we visit, said the scientist and former teacher. “I think it’s about more than that [the ecological …
Type: Blog
… “Back then, we were getting ready to pack it in,” says Tom Soulsby, senior horticulturist for the Rose Garden, Heritage Garden, and the Linden Allée. Tom is responsible for curating and maintaining a collection of more than 5,000 roses in one of the largest public … years and Soulsby has no reason to believe that trend will not continue. “We continue to care for roses now as we do in June and July—we water, mulch, and keep on top of the deadheading to …
Type: Plant Info
