… when it eventually reopens or are available now from online sellers, including smile.amazon.com (your purchases through this link support the Chicago Botanic Garden, if you designate us as the recipient). Bonus for members: While the Lenhardt Library is closed, more than 7,000 horticulture and gardening e-books are now available for online … Woods Shinrin Yoku: The Japanese Art of Forest Bathing By Yoshifumi Miyazaki Forest bathing is the practice of seeking a deeper connection with nature by spending dedicated time surrounded …
Type: Blog
… Horticultural Society was founded. To celebrate the Society’s 125th anniversary, the Garden is featuring two special exhibitions, lectures, and the launch of a commemorative book, Chicago … Fire of 1871 to the victory garden era through the present.” A view looking south from the site of the future Chicago Botanic Garden; low in the horizon is the city of Chicago (click on image for a larger view) An early image of the Garden’s islands: …
Type: Blog
… Foraging for edible mushrooms is a treasure hunt that always yields a reward. You never know what you’re going to find. At the … Jean-Pol Grandmont Great finds: black trumpets, and more importantly—chanterelles! Summertime is the fruiting season for two of my favorite edible mushrooms: chanterelles (Cantharellus … eaten mushroom in the United States. (The green-spored lepiota [Chlorphyllum molybdites] is the most common.) We can tell chanterelles from jack-o-lanterns when we turn them over and …
Type: Blog
… at a nursery or retail lot, never buy a bagged tree. It’s harder to know whether the tree is fresh if it’s wrapped in netting. The best way to tell which pre-cut tree will last longest is to do the “shake test.” Grab a tree by its trunk and give it a little jostle. If more than … water and sap. A fresh cut allows the tree to absorb water more easily. Make sure the cut is perpendicular, not at an angle or pointed. Watering rules As soon as you get your tree home, …
Type: Blog
… off the lawn and cutting back perennials are all fine to do now providing your garden soil is not too wet. Early flowering bulbs like snowdrops at the Chicago Botanic Garden are very … growth, they might benefit from a light layer of mulch. For the most part, though, there is nothing special for most gardeners to do in their perennial beds. Even in great weather for … have a flower bud at the ends of the stem. The dormant season, and in particular late winter, is the best time of year to complete rejuvenation pruning, which is the aggressive pruning of …
Type: Blog
… also allow for richer colors to develop. These peony stems have a deep burgundy color that is highly ornamental in an otherwise empty bed. Eventually these will grow out into large bushy … x hybridus ‘Blue Metallic Lady’ in the Thomas English Walled Garden sports new growth that is almost showier than its flowers. Of course, since it is spring, there are plenty of flowers to see. Many people associate spring with bulbs, but there …
Type: Blog
… Circle, Ring, Wreath This is a BIG wreath—great for an outdoor wall. Flint. Dent. Sweet. Flour. Pod. Pop. Regenstein Fruit … Bantam’—in a seasonless sunburst. The French saying on this wreath translates to, “the moon is my light and my joy.” Monica Vachlon (administrative assistant of horticulture) and Jacob … wreath are made of raffia. A nursery grower in our production greenhouse by day, Lorin Fox is an artist and woodcarver off-hours. A close look at his wreath reveals the mushrooms he …
Type: Blog
… What better way to celebrate spring and keep kids busy than with mud? All you need is a muddy buddy, a few basic supplies, and a sprinkling of imagination to try these fun, … kids to explore and experiment. There's no right or wrong way to do this. The only rule is no eating the cupcakes! Here’s what you’ll need: Dirt Small bucket Large spoon Water Herbs, … Let your child spoon some dirt into the pail. 3. Add a small amount of water and stir. This is approximately a 10:1 ratio of mud to water. You’ll want the mud to be thick, like peanut …
Type: Blog
… The hand-carved Buddha is in the house. A circa-1850 glazed Chinese jar is filled with green Cymbidium orchids native to Asia. And we’re pampering 10,000 other orchids … 25 and kicks off with a Members’ Preview night on Friday, February 9. This year’s Orchid Show is infused with a deep sense of history and culture, thanks to our friends at Pagoda Red …
Type: Blog
… plants first appeared in the fossil record and then rapidly diversified. The fossil record is the best source of evidence to document the origin and early evolution of a group of plants … (China), and Niigata University (Japan). A grant from the National Science Foundation is funding this research. Our research has revealed an abundant and diverse assemblage of fossil … species thar belong to extinct groups of seed plants of uncertain affinities. Our research is currently focused on these extinct lineages to investigate their evolutionary significance …
Type: Research
