… A longtime favorite of staff and visitors alike, the zebra longwing ( Heliconius charitonius ) is native from South America to south Texas and Florida, and occasionally an immigrant can be found as far north as Nebraska! The zebra longwing is the state butterfly of Florida. One very interesting thing about these beauties is that they roost communally in groups of 25 to 30 butterflies. In the Butterflies & Blooms …
Type: Blog
… Tom Soulsby is the senior horticulturist for the Rose Garden, Heritage Garden, and Linden Allée. He is responsible for curating and maintaining a collection of more than 5,000 roses in one of the … Garden's Employee of Distinction award and as an Outstanding College First Mentor. Soulsby is also responsible for both supervising and coordinating the horticulture of diverse group of …
Type: Staff bio
… A striking century plant is putting on a show in the final stages of its life—it’s blooming for the first and only time in … right before it dies. In the Arid Greenhouse at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Agave ocahui is known as the century plant because people used to think it flowered only once every 100 years. A more accurate estimate is that it blooms once after 25 to 30 years of growth. The Garden’s century plant came from The …
Type: Blog
… it’s time to start thinking about moving your houseplants inside. The best time to do this is when temperatures outside are relatively close to the temperatures indoors, meaning mid- to … unsightly growth from your plants. 2. Lightly trim back plants as needed. This step is optional, and you really only need to do it if your plants have become large and overgrown. … for pests, and treat as needed. One of the biggest ways to set yourself up for success is to start with clean plants. There are several pests that can cause problems indoors. The most …
Type: Blog
… can also be an expensive endeavor for the home gardener. The first step in prepping the beds is removing the top layer of soil. Plantings include succulents and drought-hardy plants. They … by 4 to 5 inches of pea gravel. The gravel allows plants to grow in sharp drainage, which is a very desirable attribute when growing many native prairie plants or other dry-loving plants. … (Penstemon x mexicali ‘Red Rocks’). The key to establishing the plants in a gravel garden is to prevent the root balls from drying out until they have a chance to root down below the …
Type: Blog
… and others. The national flower of Brazil— Cattleya purpurata (formerly Laelia purpurata) —is also an orchid. The native orchids of Brazil are often epiphytes growing on trees and shrubs, … elevations in cloud forests. The care of Brazilian orchids and their hybrids in cultivation is as varied as the number of species and their habitats, but where they naturally occur provides … recognized and still more commonly referred to as Sophronitis coccinea , C. coccinea is one of perhaps six to nine species and as many varietal color forms included in the former …
Type: Blog
… This is the story of a road trip I took with some corpse flowers, the rock stars of the plant world. One of the hallmarks of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s plant collection is the more than 70 species of Amorphophallus . In particular, Amorphophallus titanum , also … flowers, in 2003. There’s a worldwide conservation effort to preserve the species, as it is considered “vulnerable”—unless the circumstances threatening its survival and reproduction …
Type: Blog
… then fill out a book dedication form, including copy for the bookplate. After the bookplate is printed and mounted, you’ll be notified that it has taken its place on the library shelves. … Naturally, every conservation book requires a labor of love—a typical restoration time frame is three months. After conservation work is completed, you’re invited to view the restored volume before it takes its place in the Rare …
Type: Blog
… milkweed (A. verticillata) , which often can be found at the very edge of highways where there is little competition or dry pastures and degraded prairies, and swamp milkweed (A. incarnata) , which is the only species we have that grows in marshes. You are not likely to see the other 11 species … and try to deconstruct it into the parts of a flower, you may recognize the petals but that is about all. Milkweed flowers do not appear to have either sexes, but both the female part of a …
Type: Blog
… on the edge of fading away. He had discovered the treasure he set out to find. Often, this is where the story ends. But when the prize is an elusive plant sought by scientists nationwide, this is where the story begins. Andrew … bags. The murky waters that now stood between them and a successful exit from the overgrown site were deep and dangerous, and wading out was not an option. They had no choice but to leap …
Type: Blog
