… away on the Chicago Botanic Garden’s southeast side, just north of Dundee Road, the Reserve is relatively unknown, even to longtime visitors. As an assistant ecologist, I’m in the Reserve a … Nope, you’re not in a movie theater If you’re in the Reserve’s prairie when the breeze is just right, you might pick up on the fragrance of prairie dropseed, a short, mound-forming … and hazelnut trees turning shades of yellow, orange, and red. My favorite place in the Reserve is the southeast corner. I love the views across the pond, with the Garden’s other shorelines in …
Type: Blog
… view the landscape. Contrasting textures and shapes keep the garden interesting even when snow is minimal. Fresh snow highlights the different textures found throughout the garden. The Dwarf Conifer Garden is full of dozens of varieties and species of conifers in all shapes and sizes. While the rest of the Chicago Botanic Garden slumbers under a thick layer of snow, this one is at its peak, waiting to show off shapes and colors that almost don’t seem real. …
Type: Blog
… play outside. Outdoor activities encourage creativity and independent thinking. The good news is that outdoor play time has many benefits ; a growing body of research shows that nature play … positive social relationships. Sharing discoveries—like water creatures from Garden lakes—is a great way to cement knowledge. Nature play abounds at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and can be … in the backyard and a bit of imagination. Paint with mud. Why use regular paint when mud is so much more fun? Swap out watercolors for mud, and ditch brushes for hands to create …
Type: Blog
… in the foliage. If you happen to come to the exhibition just after a rain shower, and the sun is shining, it’s your lucky day, because love is literally in the air. I remember one day in the exhibition when the weather was lousy. It had … human relationships seem tame. Visitors were enjoying the show, too. They would say, “This is supposed to be a ‘family’ exhibit!” Females who had already mated or just weren’t impressed by …
Type: Blog
… asters. The chosen replacement was a smooth aster cultivar, Aster laevis ‘Bluebird’, which is new to the Garden’s plant collection. It bears flowers nearly identical in color to ‘Jindai’ … and can grow to the same height as well. Bluebird smooth aster ( Aster laevis ‘Bluebird’) is getting along nicely with its neighbor plantings. Furthermore, this cultivar is more … relocated or divided, and these were heeled into a well-mulched bed located immediately at the site, and watered generously. Additional Echinacea , Liatris , and grasses were delivered and …
Type: Blog
… have become increasingly threatened by geologic disturbance and climate change. The Garden is part of a research group that's working to collect root pieces and other genetic material from … raise the trees in cultivation and then plant new ones in the wild. The quaking aspens project is just one part of a broader Garden goal to protect species and promote biodiversity. As part of … Adam Black, director of horticulture at the famed Peckerwood Garden in Hempstead, Texas. Adam is a plant geek at heart and knows the Chisos Mountains intimately from 20-plus years of …
Type: Blog
… muddling technique Muddling 101 Here’s the first rule of muddling: Don’t overmuddle. Muddling is the process of gently—repeat, gently—bruising the leaves of herbs. As Kasey said, “If you hear the leaves tear, you’re overmuddling.” The goal is to release the fresh, green taste and aroma of the leaves, not to break or pulverize them … steel bar sets from the ’50s and ’60s. That big bump at the end of the long swizzle stick is a muddler. Infusion starts with muddling. Infusions Herbal infusions are a …
Type: Blog
… of dice you make will depend on the game you want to play, but for all games the basic idea is the same. Players will toss the seeds and the side that lands face up is the number they will work with. You’ll want to select seeds that are more flat than rounded. … 6s, 7s, 8s, and 9s. Those are scary numbers to add until you get the hang of it, which is the whole point of this game. To play, toss the seeds, then move the blanks out of the way. …
Type: Blog
… with food, our campers are eager to “dig into” their creations. For little ones, this project is easy and fun to do with a grown-up and provides opportunities to identify colors and start … plant parts. Older kids can use new kitchen tools (with adult supervision) and discuss what is really a fruit or a vegetable. Watch Painting with Veggies on YouTube. Supply list: Cutting …
Type: Blog
… season, we unveiled our cookbook, Cooking in Season with Windy City Harvest . This cookbook is a collection of our favorite seasonal recipes and features the fresh produce grown and … kale at the Washington Park farm Just like planting seeds and harvesting the bounty, cooking is an essential component of the Windy City Harvest program. Program participants learn how to … their dishes at our annual Open House celebrations. One of our favorite fall recipes is a grilled kale salad. Grilled Kale Salad Preparation: 15 to 30 minutes. Serves: 6 to 8 Salad: …
Type: Blog
