… 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
… tarragon ( Artemisia dracunculus ) has silvery leaves and an anise-like flavor, but basil is the king of herbs, beloved by all. It’s such a crowd-pleaser that we’re giving away Napoletano … fish,” says Tankersley. “Please let there be driftwood available!” Beautiful in bloom, dill is delicious as a fresh herb, or use the seeds as part of a pickle. Dill is also known to help soothe upset stomachs and relieve insomnia. “Although the sound of waves on …
Type: Blog
… framework. Asian plants enrich our tables as well. The list of culinary vegetables from Asia is exhaustive. Wheat and barley originated in western Asia, and rice in the east. Fruits include … domesticated apples trace back to central Asian species. One of the Garden’s core values is the belief that beautiful gardens and natural environments are fundamentally important to the … from genetic resources. The ethical collection and propagation of plants from other places is a form of what’s termed ex situ conservation that many public gardens, including the Chicago …
Type: Blog
… on to other projects. One important thing I must mention: technically speaking, this mixture is not truly soil. Soil is the upper layer of material on the Earth that serves as an ideal medium for growing plants. It … and affect other properties of the mixture. The substance we would find on the surface of Mars is called regolith , which is mineral particles that result from weathering of rocks. Since my …
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
… talks about guiding students away from their electronic devices and into the plant world. It is a pretty spring day. The sun shines through my office window, illuminating the old and worn photo on my desk. With the image is a handwritten note: “1912 photo of Bucknell botany class field trip.” Twenty-nine formally … exhibition. But then I notice something: nearly every one of them—instead of looking up—is looking down. Their attention is on the smartphones in their hands; they appear to be unaware …
Type: Blog
… enthusiasts, we often focus on how plants are affected by their environments. Their growth is affected by weather, water, nutrients, etc. But the plant-environment relationship is a two-way street, and plants can have a strong influence on the habitats they live in. We might experience this by walking in a forest and feeling ground beneath our feet that is spongy from the buildup of slowly decaying leaves that accumulated over decades or centuries. …
Type: Blog
… Pondering the Prairie Series A weevil is a type of beetle. It typically has an elongated head that appears as a snout. In fact, its other name is snout beetle. Weevils, or snout beetles, make up what many believe to be the largest family of … weevils in a blog that features prairie plants? The relationship between plants and insects is a very close one. Insects can be very beneficial to plants, as pollinators, or very …
Type: Blog
… As an active leader in international research collaborations, the Chicago Botanic Garden is participating in an initiative to set the stage for new partnerships. Patrick Herendeen, Ph.D. … from both countries together to explore research techniques and opportunities. (Systematics is the branch of biology that aims to understand the diversity of life and relationships among … Ph.D. , chief scientist at the Garden, also attended and spoke at the workshop. “There is an ongoing and increased interest in collaboration,” he said. “Chinese science is very …
Type: Blog
