… Lawn tasks, including seeding and fertilizing, can begin in earnest. September also is a good month to plant many varieties of trees and shrubs. Garden To-Do List Continue to … soil samples. Start a compost pile If you didn’t start a compost heap in the spring, September is a good time to make one. Begin to layer grass clippings, dried fallen leaves, soil, a handful … selections of spring-blooming bulbs to plant in October and into November, provided the soil is workable and not frozen. Want to see flowers as soon as possible next year? Learn more Plant a …
Type: Plant Info
… fully submerged, others tethered to sand by just a few roots. “A lot of rare plant monitoring is just monitoring, and sometimes volunteers see things declining,” said Gretel Kiefer, manager … shoreline remains undisturbed, dune willow survives at just a few sites in Illinois and is listed as endangered in the state. Dune willow’s spring blooms provide meals for early … mosaic of uncommon prairies, savannas, and globally rare wetlands. “There is no ‘replacement’ site for Illinois Beach, nor is there a possibility to re-create such a unique ecosystem at such …
Type: Blog
… canadensis) width="1400" height="787"> Eastern redbud ( Cercis canadensis ) Eastern redbud is a small-scale tree with big impact. A Midwestern native plant growing 15 to 25 feet tall, … appeal. In native habitats, redbud grows as an understory tree in partial shade and soil that is naturally rich with organic matter. In cultivated gardens, redbud feels at home in dappled shade, but performs well in full sun as long as soil is consistently moist. Cornelian cherry dogwood ( Cornus mas ) Cornelian cherry dogwood offers …
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
… 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
… 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
… 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
… to them. I’m continuing on the path that they started on; I am their future. What is Día de los Muertos? Día de los Muertos dates back 3,000 years to the Aztecs and Olmecs. They … to the goddess Mictecacihuatl, who watches over the dead. This festival emphasized that death is a cyclical part of the universe and need not be feared; the “veil” between life and death is the thinnest on this holiday, allowing the deceased to “visit” their family ofrendas. This …
Type: Blog
