… Robin Carlson added the color inside Brian’s head. Now Brian, along with the rest of the team, is bringing his vision to life at the Orchid Show , from February 9 to March 24 at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Also, Orchids After Hours is back —on Thursdays from 4 to 8 p.m., the Show is lit for evening, and cocktails and light tropical fare are available for purchase. New this …
Type: Blog
… of monarch groves in California may also be playing a role. In the West, severe drought is likely contributing to reduced monarch populations. These threats are compounded by climate … these butterflies (and other wildlife) with high-quality, insecticide-free habitats. This is not something that needs to be restricted to a distant wilderness. Indeed, it is a cause in which everyone can take part. Homeowners and farmers can plant milkweed to support …
Type: Blog
… to see what you come up with. Post your photos, #Lightscape, and tag us: @chicagobotanic. Blur is good If you manually focus closer to your lens, distant points of light grow into luminous … your widest aperture and watch them grow as you shift them out of focus. The resulting blur is called bokeh. Lightscape is a perfect opportunity to explore what your lens can do with this technique. Camera phone users …
Type: Blog
… Cathy Thomas is the plant propagator for the Plant Production department. One of her responsibilities is sowing seeds for the annual displays on the Garden's grounds and for plants used in classes and camps. She is especially interested in the complex strategies that plants have developed to prevent the …
Type: Staff bio
… Tim Pollak is the Manager, Plant Production at the Garden, where he has worked since 2001. As part of his job, he is the grower and buyer of all the plants for the seasonal annual displays, containers, hanging … other media and appears regularly on local TV news segments to discuss gardening topics. He is also a regular instructor for the Joseph Regenstein Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. …
Type: Staff bio
… The first moth to emerge in the Butterflies & Blooms exhibition is the Atlas moth ( Attacus atlas) , which is native to Southeast Asia. The Atlas moth lives for one to two weeks, so its main purpose after emerging from its cocoon is to mate. Most moths do not have functioning mouthparts, and the Atlas will not feed at all. It …
Type: Blog
… Garden this spring. Its bold blooms draw pollinators in as well as Garden visitors. What is it, you ask? Some of the most unusual plants our Production Greenhouse team grow for our … nursery quonset, with temperatures of 42 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit all winter long. (It is called vernalization, and it is a process by which keeping a plant in colder winter temperatures induces a bloom cycle.) The …
Type: Blog
… industry know, the concept of “social distancing” in harvesting crews and packing plants is not feasible on the scale needed to feed our population. That presents challenges for those on … and turn part of our carefully manicured lawns into home vegetable gardens. Besides, there is a benefit beyond the crops raised. It’s called horticultural therapy: taking care of plants … on the history of Victory Gardens and tips on how to build a garden yourself . I believe it is time to revisit the tradition of Victory Gardens. The Garden is here to help. …
Type: Blog
… a good container? A: One of the things I’m always thinking about when I’m doing a container is height. When you first plant a container, all of the plants are very small. But a month later … between the different foliage. It makes the container more interesting if something is not in bloom. Salvia ‘Balsamispim’ Mystic Spires Blue™ Improved Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ … the best thing about planting containers? A: What’s interesting and fun about containers is you have to know a little bit about what each plant is going to do. The salvia is tall, and so …
Type: Blog
… song—translated as “Hey, sweetie,” (though you can’t often hear the third syllable)—is reserved for late winter, spring, and summer, when the bird is courting and nesting. Nothing brightens a mid-February day more than when a chickadee sings … with white cheeks makes it easy to identify. Photo © Carol Freeman The black-capped chickadee is considered a non-migratory species—it can survive the harsh winters of northern Illinois. …
Type: Blog
