… Gabriela Rocha Alvarez is the plant recorder at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Gabriela started working at the Garden as a … data analysis form the basis for curating and evaluating the plant collection that Gabriela is aiming to project. Gabriela is a social justice advocate, and she was part of the inaugural … and monitored the technical and financial aspects of the projects; she performed technical on-site verification, conducted interviews with scientists, researchers, farmers, suppliers, …
Type: Staff bio
… Choose the right plant for your garden’s growing conditions and design goals. A plant that is well-adapted to your site will perform better and have fewer problems. Proper siting makes a big difference for some … so that they are protected from the winter sun and wind. The later in the season an evergreen is planted, the more at risk it is for winter burn. Tree wrap may help prevent frost cracking in …
Type: Blog
… it as “the ugliest orchid in the world.” The not-so-pretty Gastrodia agnicellus orchid is just one of the new discoveries and developments I’ve tracked recently, as curator of the … anywhere in its range—and has not disappeared like so many others. Platanthera cristata is endangered in Illinois, found in only a few northern counties. Graceful as a butterfly In … singular orchids become targets of poachers as quickly as they are discovered. The Garden is collecting Paphiopedilum species, but only cultivated orchids that have often been bred for …
Type: Blog
… We have a problem. My cat is eating my plant. Despite the fact that my prayer plant has inhabited my apartment for over a … that she can, in fact, eat it. The leaves turned all ratty and shriveled, and now the plant is dead. Rita the plant-muncher, whom I love very much. (Don’t worry–she has not taste-tested any … plants are not toxic to cats—otherwise, we’d be having a much bigger problem. My cat usually is completely disinterested in my plants. But my cat’s new habit got me thinking about …
Type: Blog
… supervisor, and grounds manager—before he became the director of horticulture in 1996. Johnson is an instructor at the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. He writes a … a weekly gardening tips column for the Daily Herald , and responds to other media request. He is a regular speaker at the American Public Garden Association's annual meetings. Johnson's … his grandfather maintain two large vegetable gardens each summer. Johnson's garden at home is low maintenance and consists primarily of mixed shrub and herbaceous borders. …
Type: Staff bio
… chunks of meat onto rosemary skewers for a delicious infused kabob. Genius! A sage brush is perfect for sweeping marinades onto grilled chicken. After the meat is cooked, snip the herb into softened butter to create sage butter to serve along with it at the table. A beautiful plant in the garden, sage is most familiar as the flavoring in stuffing—but it makes a great grill brush, too! After using …
Type: Blog
… garden or borders and occasionally fills a vase or two in the kitchen. The name Helianthus is derived from the Greek helios for sun and anthus for a flower. Vincent van Gogh paid tribute … turn their heads toward the sun, tracking it as it moves across the sky. This unusual behavior is called heliotropism, and it is almost magical. Later, as the flowers grow heavy with maturing seeds, they face east and …
Type: Blog
… the seed germinates, the bacteria grows and infects the young seedling. Don’t worry! There is a way to save your seeds from this cruel fate. We use two methods to help prevent disease in … heat treatment. Bleach treatment Pumpkin seeds (top), tomato seeds (below). Bleach treatment is easy. If you’re working with squash or melon family members, asparagus, or zinnia seeds, you … and lettuce. A few common household supplies make this an easy task. Your first step is to collect your materials. You will need a work space with bleach, water, measuring cups or …
Type: Blog
… I study biodiversity and restoration in the tallgrass prairie. My post-doctoral research is focused on seed mix design for restoration from both a social and ecological perspective. … though observation and experimentation, I am determining how seed mixes become prairies, that is, which planted seeds and species are likely to germinate, emerge and establish in restored …
Type: Staff bio
… Wolfsbane is a beautiful—and poisonous—fall-blooming perennial. It also has a colorful history associated … at unsuspecting enemies. One thing both Hollywood and horticulturists can agree on: wolfsbane is a potent plant. Ingesting wolfsbane is typically fatal. Arends azure monkshood ( Aconitum carmichaelii ‘Arendsii’) Lamarck …
Type: Blog
