… Seeing bulbs coming up all around me inspires lots of questions. I want to understand how this is possible and I want to test their strength. So I spent a few weeks playing around with this … layer of soil. Day 4: The leaves have pushed the soil up a little more. Day 5: The soil is light and there are a lot of wheat plants, so they continue to lift the soil. Day 6: “Get off … ...and bursting from inside the pot. This demonstration was pretty easy and impressive. It is a simple activity to illustrate how plants and other living things change their environment to …
Type: Blog
… a pantry item. They’re a labor of love, made with a special ingredient: broomcorn. Broomcorn is a type of ornamental grass used to make specialty brooms, a passion Spannagel discovered … broomcorn broom-making. We caught up with Spannagel to learn a little about his craft: What is broomcorn? (Spoiler: It’s not corn) Broomcorn ( Sorghum vulgare var. technicum ) is an annual ornamental grass. It has no “ears” or “cobs,” and it can grow anywhere from 12 to 14 …
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… until late May, due to temperature requirements. This crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) is continuing to respond very favorably to the root work we did. This crape myrtle ( Lagerstroemia ) was the focus of my previous post on repotting . It is continuing to respond very favorably to the root work we did. Crape myrtles are a genus of … trees or large shrubs. Some varieties are deciduous, and some are broadleaf evergreens—this is a deciduous variety. Crape myrtles are most famous for their flowers, which grow as clusters …
Type: Blog
… sunny windowsill or in a more formal arrangement. The great thing about starting seeds indoors is that it is relatively inexpensive—and who can resist the satisfaction of watching those first sprouts … any seed starting are time, light, a growing medium, cleanliness, water, and attention . Time is critical. Some species need weeks longer than others. Tomatoes, for example, need just six to …
Type: Blog
… I make no secret about the fact that fall is my absolute favorite season. Between the pumpkin-spiced treats, falling leaves, warm-toned … also happens to be my favorite season for horticultural therapy. This exciting time of year is when all the off-site therapy gardens are reaping the benefits from their summer of hard work. The fall programs …
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… plants you have to be careful that what you take isn’t getting sprayed with herbicides—which is why I recommend only harvesting weeds from your own yard, or places you know have … sorrel. Oxalis stricta Oxalis stricta , also known as yellow wood sorrel or lemon clover, is an annual weed that you can find anywhere…and everywhere. It spreads aggressively from its … can explode on contact! It only takes a brief sampling of the leaf to figure out why this weed is also called sour grass. The plants are full of oxalic acid, which is dangerous to humans in …
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… and rest them on a grassy meadow near the Dixon Prairie. Inside these 2- by-2-foot quadrants is a fantastical world to discover: the height of different species of plants, the temperature of … outside the classroom creates valuable experiences and future scientists. Prairie Pondering is just one of the Garden’s guided field trips , where students from Chicago area schools can … and ask questions that Garden experts examine on a daily basis. The goal of the field trips is to create real-life opportunities for students to have fun with science outside of their …
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… days, a barely noticeable inch, and other days, a remarkable 4 or 5 inches. Below the soil is a giant corm, which is a type of underground tuber or bulb (some can weight up to 200 pounds). The titan arum bloom … as a germinated seed about the size of a quarter. Big bloom! While it will look like Spike is a 6- to 8-foot-tall flower, what you will see is actually a tall spadix (flower structure) …
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… Early summer in the Dwarf Conifer Garden is all about the new growth. Everything is bursting forth with fresh new growth in vivid shades of green, chartreuse, yellow…and blue! … growth. Likewise, Taylor’s Sunburst lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta ‘ Taylor’s Sunburst’) is a handsome green tree for most of the year—until spring, when radiant yellow new growth bursts …
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… plant materials they saved are from populations that no longer exist. Now, all of that data is coming together for the first time in a research study by graduate student Claire Ellwanger. … conservation graduate program run by the Chicago Botanic Garden and Northwestern University—is using modern analysis tools to uncover the genetic history of the species. What she finds will … manage it for the future. Claire Ellwanger measures orchid seedpods in the field. This orchid is a pretty interesting species because there has been this massive volunteer effort for over 20 …
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