… When you lift a rock in your garden and glimpse earthworms and tiny insects hustling for cover, you’ve just encountered the celebrities of soil. We all know them on sight. The leggy, the skinny, the pale…the surprisingly fast. Behind this fleeting moment are … line of work. “ There’s a real need for soil ecologists in the country ,” she said. The good news is that the future story of fungi is one we can all help to script. Gardeners, she advised, …
Type: Blog
… the Construction and Maintenance department. From there, he worked as an assistant electrician for many years. In 1994, he was promoted to foreman in the Grounds department. He also works as a lead heavy equipment operator and on the landscape waste program. Under the program, all of the Garden's landscape waste is … from the village of Glencoe. In other duties, Sanchez teaches pruning and landscape techniques for the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden in both English and Spanish. …
Type: Staff bio
… recognizable and beloved wildflowers, but there are a few things you may not know about them. For one thing, there are several wild species of Rudbeckia growing in the region and several … or prairie at home, you may notice a sweet, spicy fragrance emanating from it; especially on a dewy, humid morning in the fall. This wonderful aroma comes from the fruits. In the Chicago … Susans. The process of preparing these seeds to enter the Seed Bank involves rubbing the heads on a screen to release the seeds within (remember, all of those tiny disc flowers produce a …
Type: Blog
… from sticks and make a picture inside The beauty of this activity is its simplicity. Focus on the process, not the finished product. As you are collecting and sorting materials, see what … it with us. Next level After you get comfortable with the concept, try making nature art on a walk or in your own yard for someone else to discover or add to. Imagine walking in the park and discovering a river of …
Type: Blog
… your experiment with scent would make a great science project! If you come to the Garden on the night Spike blooms, perhaps you’ll get to see Shannon Still working on “Operation Pollination.” Introduce yourself if you’re there! Watch Prairie's question on YouTube. Watch Shannon's response on YouTube. ©2015 Chicago Botanic Garden and …
Type: Blog
… demonstrated a way to grow a bean seed in a plastic bag to test geotropism. I started working on that project around Thanksgiving week last year. At that time, I started a few bean bags just … I kept one seed growing in the bag all winter, adding water as needed. The bean plant grew for five months, leaning toward the window in my office. The plant produced a white flower about … The red fruit was hidden under the leaves. So if you try this activity, and you stick with it for six months, you, too, may be rewarded with a little treasure! …
Type: Blog
… Not only were gravel gardens featured at Olbrich Botanical Garden, but they were also on display at my previous place of employment, Epic Systems, in Verona, Wisconsin. Jeff Epping, … garden beds each season to improve plant health and drainage can also be an expensive endeavor for the home gardener. The first step in prepping the beds is removing the top layer of soil. … old plant material is removed from the bed each spring, and that no organic material is left on the beds (which could potentially break down to humus). Not only will these beds help to bring …
Type: Blog
… Miniature flower arrangements offer a charming and whimsical gift for mom, grandma, or anyone special. A nice feature of these tiny bouquets is that you can show … trim the top so the foam does not stick up. Add water to soak the foam. Trace the cap on a piece of foam and then carve the foam with a butter knife to fit inside the cap. Begin … around it. Cut the flower and herb stems about 3 inches. You can trim them shorter depending on the desired height in the arrangement. Stick them into the foam. You might want to start with …
Type: Blog
… the Chicago Botanic Garden. Jeff Ross at Blackberry Farm Morning at Blackberry Farm The barn on Blackberry Farm Ross showed how easy it is to incorporate fresh produce and gardening into … but that knowledge has been lost,” Ross said. It’s not just edibles. Ross looks to the garden for home décor ideas, such as using okra pods in creative ways, and as an unexpected source of … potatoes you can find. The leftover pesto keeps up to a week or more in the refrigerator; use on roasted vegetables or grilled steak. For the potato salad 10 ounces small purple Peruvian …
Type: Blog
… of haiku is an expansive one with many forms. Designed to be “one breath” poems with a focus on nature, haiku has the power to strike an emotional chord. Collaborating with the Midwest Region of the Haiku Society of America, the Chicago Botanic Garden put out a call for submissions for haiku poems. After careful review of hundreds of submissions, we’re excited to share our …
Type: Blog
