… 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
… to collect seeds for conservation, research, and ecosystem restoration. Under contracts with the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the Garden hires crews of two-to- four early career … and getting to know the terrain. Monica is a transplant from the Midwest who had been working with tallgrass prairies. Before arriving, she had assumed the desert would be drab and boring. … is heartbreaking for the would-be seed collectors. Still, their field days have been filled with wonder and heart-stopping moments—meadowlarks singing in the surrounding sagebrush, hawks …
Type: Blog
… need of a fall makeover? Good news! There are many fall-flavored plants that will provide you with texture, form, and long-lasting colors in both flowers and foliage. I love the combination of purple or blue asters (Symphyotrichum) with ornamental kale as the colors play off each other nicely for a long-lasting fall container. … of the fall season. Try to plant by early September to give your plants a chance to kick in with some growth before the cooler temperatures and shorter days slow things down. Remember, many …
Type: Blog
… beds, symbolizing and labeling the plant maps. She creates custom maps, some complex in nature with maps and data from government agencies, used for staff publication, intern poster projects, … the Information System Advisory Committee. She supervises and trains volunteers who assist her with the mapping process and mentors College First and Research Education for Undergraduates … to safeguard and protect plants from becoming lost, support species verification and assist with classes. Veronica earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Land Surveying from the …
Type: Staff bio
… and working on bonsai for more than 16 years. Like so many, he started out as an enthusiast with a true love of horticulture, nature, and natural trees. Baker was an active member of the Baltimore Bonsai Society when a chance encounter at an open house event with bonsai curator Jack Sustic at the U.S. National Arboretum, Bonsai and Penjing Museum (U.S. … off until 2014. Thanks to an introduction by Sustic, Baker spent six months in 2012 studying with bonsai master Torho Susuki at the Diajuen Nursery in Japan. Returning to the U.S. in late …
Type: Staff bio
… of biodiversity is an important objective of many conservation plans. We are working with a number of institutions to assess the levels of genetic diversity that currently exist in a number of rare species, both in situ and ex situ . This includes working with numerous partners on the vulnerable Cirsium hillii and the federally listed, Cirsium … ). These types of studies allow us to assess populations of critical concern and assist with management and conservation collection decisions. It is also important to understand the …
Type: Research
… The ability of organisms to move across a landscape is an important part of dealing with change. For example, this ability to move—or disperse—allows plants and animals to deal with human-altered land-use change, such as urban development, agriculture, and grazing. For … human-altered land-use change. They addressed this issue by combining molecular genetic data with detailed pollinator observations across 21 populations of evening primrose in Colorado. They …
Type: Research
… their extinction risk. We have been working on a long-term experimental reintroduction program with the national tree of Malawi, Widdringtonia whytei (Cupressaceae); this Red Listed species … and transplant site affect seedling establishment and survival. This a collaborative project with Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Kings Park and Botanic Garden, Mt. Mulanje …
Type: Research
… down into the glass without allowing it to touch the sides. Cut a piece of paper towel with a hole in the center. This will go over the top of your glass to prevent dust from settling … the skewers using one or two clothespins as pictured here, and be ready to cover loosely with a piece of paper towel like the glass shown in the middle. Important tip : The directions I followed (from a reputable source) instructed me to moisten the end of the skewer with water and roll it in some sugar to “seed” the formation of new crystals. When I tried this, …
Type: Blog
… bit on their surroundings but only to a certain extent. I’m prioritizing the plants that “pass with a vengeance” (e.g., Shasta daisies, coneflowers, and burnets). I’m less concerned about … its foliage remained beautiful as it bloomed. The foliage is a light green, almost chartreuse, with subtle burgundy splotching. The thing that sets it apart is its layer of hairs that give it a silver sheen. The foliage combined with the plate-sized pink flowers are absolutely stunning. Size: 43” tall by 57” wide. Flower …
Type: Blog
