… is the manager of Plant Production, which includes nursery and greenhouse operations. He works with a talented team of growers to produce a complex and diverse range of plants for the Garden's programs, collections, and displays. Clark has been with the Garden since 1979, making him one of the Garden's longest tenured employees. He started …
Type: Staff bio
… consider these ideas for how to have a more environmentally friendly holiday season: Decorate with natural materials: Collect things from your yard to use as holiday decorations. Dried … centerpiece. Choose a tree you can see from your window to decorate for the birds, and hang it with pinecone bird feeders and strings of cranberries and popcorn. Give the gift of experience: … Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden has lots of opportunities: Take a cooking class with someone special, invite a friend to a relaxing yoga session, or explore snow science at a …
Type: Blog
… and ’60s. That big bump at the end of the long swizzle stick is a muddler. Infusion starts with muddling. Infusions Herbal infusions are a why-didn’t-I-think-of-that idea that’s easy, … of both will vary according to taste—feel free to experiment!) Bruise fruit and herb leaves with muddler to release some of the juices and flavor. Do not pulverize! Fill jar with ice and water. Cover and refrigerate for two hours. Strain water into glasses. Refrigerated …
Type: Blog
… enthusiasts had preserved samples of actual plants, pressing them onto archival paper with their field notes and placing them in long-term storage facilities called herbaria, for … is focused on collecting and analyzing genetic information on the remaining plants, working with field collectors in the Midwest from Iowa to Ohio, and also from Maine. She is examining the genes, or DNA, of each of the sampled populations, along with genetic information she collected at eight sites right here in Illinois. Ellwanger is also …
Type: Blog
… am growing Hill Country Red Okra for my family to eat and for the beautiful pods it produces, with bright blooms to attract pollinators. Photo courtesy of Chris Smith, The Utopian Seed … who collected heirloom seeds. Like most peppers, Pippin’s Golden Honey requires a sunny spot with plenty of room to stretch out, rich soil, and consistent watering. It’s a little late in the … forgiving, and prolific crop. Photo courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds/rareseeds.com Aunt Lou’s Underground Railroad Tomato This heirloom seed is still with us today because an …
Type: Blog
… ...and this year's fall colors It’s hard to think of fall without picturing a mosaic of trees with warm-colored hues. Amber browns, golden yellows, and blazing reds cover many natural areas … the Chicago Botanic Garden. It’s all thanks to fall’s shorter days and cool nights. But with our changing climate, what happens to that classic fall color we’ve come to know and love? … have already dropped, some are the light yellow that is so attractive, and some remain green with no sign of their producing fall color.” So, how does fall color work, exactly? Ordinarily, …
Type: Blog
… species. And we will have to be particularly diligent this year to manage invasive species with other tools to ensure they don’t set seed and become an even larger problem next year. … is easy to find garlic mustard when the plant is actively growing. The leaves are triangular with toothed edges and are much larger at the base of the plant. It has multiple stalks with developing or fully formed flowers at the tips. Flowers are white with four petals. The …
Type: Blog
… but lighter-weight than solid stone or concrete. Our trough style, which is rectangular with a distressed finish, is designed to look like vintage livestock feeders that you might … piece of garden artistry. Here is how we make them at the Garden: STEP 1 Create a wooden frame with an open top and bottom. We build it so we can easily take it apart in Step 6. Line the interior of the frame with heavy-duty plastic sheeting so the concrete does not stick to the frame. STEP 2 Mix 1 part …
Type: Blog
… and add 2 tsp. vinegar. Step 3: Gather your family. Guided by the recipes above, experiment with veggie/spice quantities and steep times. The longer you steep, the deeper the color—steeping … inside and out. Don’t waste your egg contents—scramble them or use in baking. Kids with the urge to decorate can: Wrap rubber bands around eggs before dyeing for striped designs. Wrap onion skins around eggs and secure with rubber bands for marbled looks after coloring. Write names, etc. in wax crayon on eggs …
Type: Blog
… It’s easy to find fun outdoors—with sticks, chirpy crickets, magic circles, and more. “Hands in earth, sand, mud: building, … markers, or utterly simple, charming drawings like the happy face made out of seeds shown with our headline. 4. Nature as Paintbrush Sure, you can use a standard brush for painting, but … also feel wonderfully different in the hand. 5. Kid-made Kites Send the imagination soaring with a simple paper bag and a couple of kitchen skewers—in moments, it’s a kite! And then there’s …
Type: Blog
