… Even when snow is falling and temperatures plummet, I’m working on my backyard vegetable garden. I might not be … planning, you can harvest something from your garden from April through October. The trick is to gather what you need now and start dreaming so you can get a jump on things as soon as the weather warms. That’s what our experts do at the Chicago Botanic Garden. “Timing is everything," says Lisa Hilgenberg, horticulturist, Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden. Now is …
Type: Blog
… No rain, then too much rain, then...this is a challenging year for gardening. For those who garden in northeastern Illinois, Here are some … the soil. One of the most important things a gardener can do to address both of these extremes is to routinely add organic matter to planting beds. This helps condition and loosen the soil so … on hot, sunny days to help reduce evaporation, but they perk back up at night. When the soil is so saturated with water that it displaces tiny air pockets that roots require, the plant may …
Type: Blog
… on that prairie, for the long haul, they have to survive and reproduce. We learned that fire is essential for reproduction. A healthy population is one that will be resilient in the face of adversity. Fires keep populations healthy,” said … live there need diversity too. Some animals only eat one species of plant, so if that plant is gone, that animal is gone,” said Wagenius. For Wagenius and his team, there’s more to learn …
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… post, we demonstrated how plants respond to the gravitational pull of the earth. Geotropism is difficult to overcome, but that didn’t stop me from trying to make a plant grow sideways … it’s too challenging, it won’t work. Trust me, I learned this the hard way. When the maze is complete, give your beans a last bit of water, and maybe a kiss, and then close the box. Apply … to be sure it has not dried out. Add a little water, but only enough to moisten the soil if it is very dry. When you see the bean plant emerging through the open window in the box, open it and …
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… slow-growing, this boxwood ( Buxus microphylla ) should make a full recovery. The bad news is that more plant damage is likely to appear once the weather is consistently warm, though many plants will recover from the long, hard winter. While plants …
Type: Blog
… might have noticed that there’s actually no way to get to that island. Did you wonder why that is? Horaijima, or the Island of Everlasting Happiness, represents paradise—a place inaccessible to mortals, designed to be viewed and contemplated from a distance. Ayse Pogue is a senior horticulturist at the Garden, and she oversees the Malott Japanese Garden, including … that resemble ripples of water, a symbol found in traditional Japanese dry gardens. The result is an ethereal effect that maintains the look and feel of a serene floating island and inspires a …
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… gathered stories about the most famous orchid of them all: the genus Vanilla. (Yes, vanilla is an orchid.) One unusual story comes from Ph.D. student Lynnaun Johnson, whose work in our … in Mexico, including those of Madagascar and Tahiti. Vanilla cultivation Tahitian vanilla is a hybrid of V. planifolia (shown) and V. odorata . Photo by H. Zell CC-BY-SA-3.0 While in … and hard. At the farms that were in the forest, the soil appeared rich and softer. There is no way to quantify the terrestrial root growth, but I did note that the roots in the organic …
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… (circuit and materials), and seating. The entrance/exit to an outdoor space—the threshold—is perhaps the most important factor to consider when designing an outdoor space for the elderly, … in wheelchairs to cross the threshold on their own. Another factor involving the threshold is the comfort (or perceived comfort) when entering or exiting the garden. Creating a transition or “comfort zone” between the indoor and outdoor space is key. Aging eyes have difficulty adjusting from indoor light to outdoor sunlight. Providing …
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… too? What, with the world’s best antidepressant right out your front door? The magic elixir is a winter walk. And the Chicago Botanic Garden awaits with a prescription-strength dose—miles … of mapped-out walks ranging from 1 to 2.3 miles. A hidden gem, the path along Spider Island is just the place for a peaceful winter walk. I love a brisk walk any time, anywhere. But never is it as urgently necessary for my mental health as in winter. A winter walk is the cure for …
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… work? Let’s look at those roots from a different angle Most orchids are epiphytes. An epiphyte is a plant that grows on another plant (not in soil), but is not parasitic. They’re Called Aerial Roots Of the 27,000-plus species of orchids on the … air and from the leaf litter in the tree niche it inhabits. Orchid Roots Are Adventitious That is, an orchid’s roots can grow along the stem of the plant, not just out of the bottom of it. The …
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