… to dominate the party. Even if someone brought in better foods that more people enjoy, there is no room on the tables. The kale is everywhere! While not a perfect analogy, this anecdote relays the reasons why buckthorn invasion is detrimental to forest ecosystems. The dinner guests are like the other plants and animals that …
Type: Blog
… Using peonies as a cut flower for floral design is easy, with a few tricks to preserve the health of your plants and flowers. Peonies are the … queen of the garden during their blooming season. From late spring through early summer, there is a beautiful abundance of color and shapes blooming, depending on the variety. Finding a variety that is also fragrant adds to the reward of growing this exquisite flower. Storing peony stems allows …
Type: Blog
… Chamomile Chamomile can be traced back to ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome. Chamomile’s oil is said to have calming properties. It is a popular herbal tea that is said to help with digestion, insomnia, and the common cold. Its fragrant white flowers with a …
Type: Blog
… for our staff, our visitors, our volunteers, and our boards. Part of that process is to take a hard look at the stories the Garden tells about gardens, plants, and people. We do … to tell underlying stories that may be offensive. This approach ignores cause-and-effect, and is tone-deaf. For example, take Carolus Linnaeus, whose statue we feature in the Heritage Garden. … we publish, and part of virtually every class we teach. What we disregard about Linnaeus is that he also classified people, and he used inferior terms for all who weren’t European and …
Type: Blog
… Scientist Amy Iler, Ph.D., is part of a research team reviewing major impacts of climate change in polar regions of our … focused on the latest findings in the polar regions: the Arctic and Antarctic. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the earth, resulting in melting ice on sea and land, … Arctic plants. “One of the most fascinating and concerning aspects of warming in the Arctic is the positive feedback between warmer temperatures and melting sea ice, which leads to even …
Type: Research
… the words “evergreen” and “conifer” —they are not the same thing!—and every year, someone is confused. I blame Christmas trees. The “Christmas Tree” intersects both of the sets … spruce, fir, and Douglas fir. Wait a minute…those are are the same trees! You see, the problem is that our Christmas trees tend to be both evergreen and conifer, and as a result, many of us … Brown’s tree might have been a bald cypress. One conifer that loses its needles, and therefore is not an evergreen, is the bald cypress. These can be very attractive when covered in snow. (The …
Type: Blog
… and with a bit of advance planning, choosing suitable varieties to plant in the spring is possible. Here are a few ideas to get you started creating, and/or caring for, your edible … to frost. Here, a transparent plant cover called a cloche (from the French word for bell) is used to protect plants if frost is expected. Plan to plant strawberries No grocery store strawberry ever tastes as good as one …
Type: Blog
… A longtime favorite of staff and visitors alike, the zebra longwing ( Heliconius charitonius ) is native from South America to south Texas and Florida, and occasionally an immigrant can be found as far north as Nebraska! The zebra longwing is the state butterfly of Florida. One very interesting thing about these beauties is that they roost communally in groups of 25 to 30 butterflies. In the Butterflies & Blooms …
Type: Blog
… year, I’m growing peppermint, catnip, banana mint, and pineapple mint. Rich in nutrients, mint is both delicious and medicinal, known for easing both digestion and indigestion. Mint can also … a runny nose by clearing congestion. A perennial herb that thrives in both sun and shade, mint is a vigorous grower and should always be grown in its own pot—plant it in a raised bed or in the … and acidic—but it does provide a nice grassy, mild lemon profile. Packed with antioxidants, it is good for heart health and blood pressure, boosts immunity, and may even help lower anxiety. …
Type: Blog
… Tom Soulsby is the senior horticulturist for the Rose Garden, Heritage Garden, and Linden Allée. He is responsible for curating and maintaining a collection of more than 5,000 roses in one of the … Garden's Employee of Distinction award and as an Outstanding College First Mentor. Soulsby is also responsible for both supervising and coordinating the horticulture of diverse group of …
Type: Staff bio
