… and whimsical gift for mom, grandma, or anyone special. A nice feature of these tiny bouquets is that you can show off the beauty of small flowers that always sing backup to showier blossoms … a little larger than you need, and then trim it to fit. Push it into the cap. If your cap is narrow, like a milk bottle cap, you may want the foam to be above the level of the cap so there is enough room to hold the flowers. Otherwise, trim the top so the foam does not stick up. Add …
Type: Blog
… claws of some creature in a zombie movie? Does it smell bad too? Happy spring! This charmer is the first native wildflower of a Chicago spring: the skunk cabbage ( Symplocarpus foetidus). A … we walked through the McDonald Woods , the 100-acre restored and protected natural area that is home to at least seven state-listed threatened or endangered plant species. Skunk cabbage’s … and ice. The temperature inside the hood can be 95 degrees hotter than outside. Thermogenesis is the goal for skunk cabbages, titan arums , and other “warm-blooded” plants . The heat …
Type: Blog
… exposed branch structure of a deciduous tree, naked of its leaves. The ingenuity of leaf loss is protection, preventing branches from bearing too much weight and breaking when it snows. All I need is patience, and I will see the world become green again. Winter pulls back a curtain to reveal … cultivate an appreciation of nature by thinking about what’s known as phenology. Phenology is the study of the timing of the biological events in plants and animals such as flowering, …
Type: Blog
… trains rolling at the Chicago Botanic Garden. A room in the basement of the Regenstein Center is the hive of repair activity for the Model Railroad Garden. There are also ghost trains for Night of 1,000 Jack-o’-Lanterns . That is why there is a staff of three year-round engineers and 18 seasonal engineers, helped by 66 volunteers, that …
Type: Blog
… four “P’s,” if you will—enable many older gardeners to carry on. Keeping active in the garden is what our volunteers love best. There is no better place to start than prevention. Since recovery takes longer as we age, let’s make … of tools with bright colors make them easier to spot in the garden or lawn. Preparation is the next area where the time spent will be repaid handsomely. Containers along a path are an …
Type: Blog
… Plant Garden Farwell Landscape Garden Graham Bulb Garden, Aquatic Garden Viburnum Walk Liz Rex is the horticulturist for the Crescent, which welcomes visitors entering the Garden from the Visitor Center; and the Esplanade, which is the lawn area where music events such as Dancin' Sprouts and Hot Summer Nights are held. Rex … Plant Garden, which showcases plants native to Illinois, and the Landscape Garden, which is a designed at a smaller scale to be relevant to the typical homeowner. She is also responsible …
Type: Staff bio
… escaping. 7. Daddy long legs are spiders. FALSE. A Daddy long legs isn't a spider; although it is in the Arachnid family, it's in a separate order from spiders. All spiders have two body … a Daddy long legs only has one round body part (and just two eyes, see #4). 8. Spider silk is always sticky. FALSE. Spiders can control the feel of the silk they produce—some is sticky, some is non-stick, some is thick and heavy, some is airy and light. 9. Scientists have …
Type: Blog
… found out on the Internet. The Internet knows everything. Lexi: It’s very stinky. Maxwell: It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see it. And it is very stinky. Carrie: I happened to see the Facebook post. And we were here every day for Spike … months old, as well as Susan and Jim Osiol of Mt. Prospect. Jamie: We keep coming! Third time is the charm. Susan: I’m obsessed. Our daughter called first thing this morning: ‘Mom, Sprout is …
Type: Blog
… An old friend is back in front of the Visitor Center. The Bloom Cart shows you a curated selection of what’s in … of where to find the five featured bouquets. But there’s more to it than that. The Bloom Cart is meant to introduce you to the Garden–to start conversations, to steer you to unexpected places, to introduce you to new plants (or reintroduce you to old ones). It is an old-school signpost of sorts, made of pine by the Garden’s carpenters, with handwritten …
Type: Blog
… crack clay pots.) Mint needs at least four hours of sunlight per day, so pick a sunny spot. It is tolerant of most soils and weather conditions—just be sure it gets some water every week to … julep, but it’s also perfect for any mint sauce or jelly. Banana mint (Mentha arvensis) is part of the spearmint family, but grown mostly for its incredible smell. It still maintains a good flavor in cooking, though. Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is most often used for its peppermint oil. Peppermint family plants are strong flavored and best …
Type: Blog
