… has been tracking the recent rains. We know many of you are anxious to get planting done—it is spring, right? But we encourage caution and patience. If it squishes, wait. Working with wet … to get back in your garden. If the soil can form a sticky ball when you squeeze a handful, it is still too wet for planting. Soil will take longer to dry after periods of cool weather. Sandy … excessive walking in garden beds and on lawns. It can compact and damage your soil. Soil is ready for planting when it crumbles in your hand. Working the soil when it is too wet can …
Type: Blog
… GO has taken over the imaginations of kids and adults alike since its recent release. The game is global—users can play anywhere in the world—and the Garden is one of the locations with many features for those using the game. Nearly 50 PokéStops dot the … Gyms—virtual locations where players can train and battle their Pokémon—are currently found on-site. But that’s not all that’s to be found: the gardens are a mass of blooms and butterflies, …
Type: Blog
… gentian. Talk about taking your breath away! It seems that a brilliantly colored flower is necessary to attract pollinators to a plant of such short stature that chooses to bloom at a … in remnant prairies of high quality, of which very few have survived. To find this rare gem is a real treat. Gentiana puberulenta Gentianopsis crinita Equally impressive is its cousin, fringed gentian (Gentianopsis crinita) . Fringed gentians can be found in …
Type: Blog
… find are petals scattered on the ground, and you realize you have to wait another year. This is particularly true of species like bloodroot ( Sanguinaria canadensis ), whose blossoms only last for a day before they drop. Additionally frustrating is that cloud cover can hamper catching the full glory of the blooming of some species. You may … species and other ephemerals absorb large quantities of water that would otherwise move off site, often carrying valuable nutrients and soil with it. This high demand for moisture also …
Type: Blog
… August 6, 1878, he first observed the leaves and fruits of a plant (interestingly, August 6 is the date we put Spike on public view!) . Several weeks later, Beccari saw a flowering plant … flowered for the first time outside its tropical home. No one knows how common the titan arum is in the wild. Many suspect it is endangered. Its only known habitat is the rainforest of Sumatra, which is being steadily …
Type: Blog
… artful, and transporting. In a way, the experience of seeing Asia in Bloom: The Orchid Show is much like ikebana, the traditional Japanese art of flower arranging. On display now through … Garden’s Orchid Show invites you to pause and reflect on this historic art form. Ikebana is the traditional Japanese art of flower arranging. The practice of ikebana ( ee -kay- bah … Since then, ikebana has established itself as an art form beyond religious ritual, and is often seen displayed in people’s homes. Though it is now a secular practice, ikebana carries …
Type: Blog
… We had not seen much garlic mustard in our natural areas in recent years, and its reemergence is a reminder for all of us that controlling and managing invasive species is an ongoing challenge. Our natural areas comprise more than half of the Chicago Botanic … plants to maintain healthy habitats for birds, wildlife, and other plants. Prescribed burning is essential for control of invasive species. We were only able to do one prescribed burn at the …
Type: Blog
… that go by the common name of "milkweed" are the food that these butterflies need. Milkweed is both a food source and a host plant on which the monarch butterflies lay their eggs. Monarchs … the underside of the milkweed foliage. After hatching, the larvae consume the foliage, which is high in cardiac glycosides—a poison that interferes with the heart functioning of vertebrates … Chicago region, the following milkweed species (Asclepias) are native: Asclepias amplexicaulis is native to our prairies and is suitable for planting in sunny perennial flower gardens. The …
Type: Blog
… it in the right spot and water it. Best for Sun ‘Joanna Reed’ catmint ( Nepeta ‘Joanna Reed’) is one of the tidiest catmints I’ve ever grown, an attribute that cinched a top rating in our … pair well with catmint ( Nepeta —in the background). To me, lamb’s ears ( Stachys byzantina ) is an essential perennial for sunny gardens and ‘Big Ears’ is my favorite. Its large, pale silvery-green leaves are velvety soft and the perfect color and …
Type: Blog
… Pondering the Prairie Series Graminoid is a term created to encompass all of those grass-like plants with narrow leaves and barely … small and much reduced flower, often without showy petals. The function of most flower petals is to attract insects. Flowers with petals generally have sticky pollen that attach to the legs … plant so that cross pollination can happen and (voila!) the offspring of two parent plants is represented by a seed. Petal-less gramioid flowers produce dry pollen that is carried by the …
Type: Blog
