… The Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden is the place to explore small-space gardening. Seven Basil Types Planted at the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden There, basil is king. (Of course it is—the word basil is rooted in the Greek basilikos , meaning royalty.) The bed is planted with …
Type: Blog
… May is the month to look for warblers, vireos, thrushes, sparrows, and some shorebirds, as they … through the Chicago area. Most birders might agree that the highlight this time of year is warblers. It is for me—they are tiny jewels with wings. I feel totally blessed if I can see a few during …
Type: Blog
… like, right? Well, the same with plants. One important aspect of visiting a botanic garden is acknowledging its plant collection. Botanic gardens are living museums, and when you go to a museum, you want to know what is in front of you. A display plant’s name on the label is the first interaction between you, the individual, and the environment. It’s important to …
Type: Blog
… much larger than her body. Not much larger than a quarter, the ruby-throated hummingbird nest is an engineering marvel. This is all well and good until the eggs hatch. Growing young hummingbirds can double or triple the … to hold the family. One of the ways the hummingbirds get around this need for flexibility is that they construct the nest of soft plant fibers and then wrap the whole thing with spiderweb …
Type: Blog
… and squeals of delight, as folks of all ages decided how best to connect with the fruit: Is it real? Should I touch it? Should I sit on it? Hug it? Photograph it? People even talked to … Garden. While they seem to be called “squash,” “pumpkin,” and “gourd” interchangeably, there is actually a science to identifying these cultivars, and pretty much everything called “pumpkin” is really a squash—although “pumpkin” is most commonly used to describe those distinctive orange …
Type: Blog
… your list. But before buying that little tree, there are a few things to consider. Tree health is essential. Glued-down rocks on a juniper bonsai Often, a tree’s leaves will give you a good … of its health. Waxy, shiny leaves and the indication of new growth are signs that the tree is healthy and actively growing. Dull, spotted, or damaged leaves are things to look out for. These may be indications a tree is unhealthy or stressed. Be sure to gently feel the foliage, especially on junipers. Junipers …
Type: Blog
… Like so many things in tending bonsai, how you overwinter your trees is specific to the tree species and the region in which you live. Bonsai in fall color, before … bringing in your tropical trees and tucking your cold hardy trees away for the winter, there is some work to be done. In this post, we will discuss fall and early winter care that lead into … temperatures below 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit for any length of time without some damage—it is a good idea to slowly move your trees into lower light conditions. This will prepare your …
Type: Blog
… had the pleasure of teaching families with young children at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It is a gift to work in a garden with children because there is so much about gardening that we can use to help them grow. “It is not what is poured into a student that counts but what is planted.” —Linda Conway If you’ve …
Type: Blog
… ) in Bed #10 in the Growing Garden. This attractive plant has large, thick, green leaves, is about 10–12 inches long and 8–10 inches wide, with deeply serrated edges, and is completely covered in tiny, purple hairs (which are not really hairs—in the botanical world they are called “tricomes” ) . It is native to Ecuador and other South American countries. There is more to notice about this …
Type: Blog
… " The Anna Karenina principle states that “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way” When we talk about rare species we tend to think of them as a collective group that shares similar traits, however, some argue that “every rare species is rare in its own way”. Rabinowitz (1981) showed that all common species had wide ranges, large … while rare species could have any combination of these traits, but not all three. What is interesting is the range, population size and habitat preference all have important …
Type: Staff bio
