… like palms, rubber plants, and ficus trees can be grown indoors and outside once the weather is warm. And, for first-time indoor gardeners, we have a plant story for you. Outdoors If you … thumbs—around a patio, on a deck, on a balcony or near an entryway—growing plants in pots is a good way to add color and a little pizzazz. Flanking a walkway or a front door with large … can purchase a raised bed or make your own from rot-resistant cedar planks. The initial cost is the bed, the potting mix to fill it, the seeds or plants, a trowel, a watering can or hose, …
Type: Plant Info
… leaves known as bracts, which look just like flowers. The most well-known member of this group is the poinsettia, whose red "flowers" are in fact the showy bracts of an ornamental spurge. All … spurges are mid-spring bloomers, with the bracts coloring in May or even earlier, if spring is unusually warm. They combine beautifully with midseason tulips and daffodils, cool-season … season. The following are all plants for full sun and well-drained soils. One cautionary note is that these plants can spread aggressively by underground stems. Chameleon spurge ( Euphorbia …
Type: Plant Info
… plants that give you pause. In the opinion of renowned garden writer Allen Lacy, the astilbe is one of these prized garden plants. Multidimensional, versatile and adaptable to a variety of settings, it is one of the "steeples and spikes" in a panoramic garden. At the Chicago Botanic Garden, these … all add to the astilbe's interest. A favorite choice of the lowest-growing, ground-cover type is Astilbe simplicifolia 'Sprite'. It blooms with soft pink flowers that top out at 1 1/2 feet. …
Type: Plant Info
… leaving prairies with fewer species and fewer relationships. “A diverse prairie restoration is more resilient to challenges like climate change,” said Andrea Kramer, Ph.D., senior director … asking why a species failed and how they might successfully reintroduce it. The tool is inspired by violets and now guides the Garden’s efforts to reintroduce violets into prairie … all impact whether they will germinate and grow. When you consider where to collect seeds, the site conditions of the restoration, and how all these factors influence genetic diversity—things …
Type: Blog
… for infestation Bonus Recycle holiday evergreens For Chicago-area gardeners, January is primarily a time for planning, not planting. With winter in full swing in our USDA Hardiness Zones 5b and 6a, January is a great month to prepare for the gardening season ahead and to tend to the indoor plants … be pruned in dormant winter months to minimize the risk of oak wilt disease. Heavy pruning is best performed later in winter or in early spring just before bud break. However, immediately …
Type: Plant Info
… Winter is a great season for bookworms—there’s nothing like a good book to keep you company during the … far as stories go, the Rare Book Collection at the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Lenhardt Library is a true treat. The Lenhardt Library acquired its Rare Book Collection from the Massachusetts … the Rare Book Collection—no easy feat. Below are her picks, in no particular order; each book is uniquely beautiful and impactful. The Illustrated Language of Flowers by Anna Christian …
Type: Blog
… he needed a job—then from day one, he fell in love with “how resilient and amazing nature is.” Clarence Smith’s family has farmed for generations in Michigan and Mississippi; Windy City … thanks to a hard-earned Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certification, their impact is set to scale up quickly. Produce from the Big Three’s Incubator plots at Legends Farm. Coleman … that created a recipe for success. “Clarence, he’s a pastor [with a broad network]. Deshawn is really handy—he’s the smarts when it comes to farming and trying new things. And I bring the …
Type: Blog
… after wild populations of the species were last seen in Illinois. The bloom this past spring is a small but striking sign of recovery. Its presence is thanks to the Chicago Botanic Garden and conservation partners who set out to test whether an … decades. It couldn’t have survived Big Marsh’s original wetland, but slag had transformed the site into something resembling the daisy’s almost nonexistent native habitat. This was a rare …
Type: Blog
… on its long, strappy leaves. A grass that grows into an elegant, 3-foot mound, 'Prince' is hardy in zones 8 to 10, but not in our area. Planted as an annual or overwintered in a … details. Angelica gigas Canna 'Intrigue' are sure to get noticed. Tall, Dark, and Bold A "what is that?" plant to be sure, Giant Angelica ( Angelica gigas ) starts the year out with … deep maroon leaves that can anchor a large container or water feature. The water canna is a non-hardy, tuberous perennial that we've used in the Heritage Garden fountain plantings, …
Type: Plant Info
… and economy. In fact, the threat they pose to native plants, animals, and ecosystems is second only to habitat destruction. Nearly half the threatened or endangered species are at risk due to competition with invasive species, and combatting invasive species is costing the United States nearly $125 billion each year. In natural areas of the Chicago …
Type: Plant Info
