… and—critically—more forgiving of ourselves. Additional evidence of this has been published in recent issues of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and Nature . Gardeners recognize this power: We find therapy digging in the earth, getting our hands dirty, and participating intimately in the miracles of life, as well as the floods, freezes, insects, diseases, and other gardening …
Type: Blog
… A cold spring—or, as some of us in the Second City affectionately call it: Second Winter—can test our ability to feel connected … forsythia, are hit with the reality of the snow outside our windows, causing a short circuitry in our minds and a yearly re-questioning of “Why do we even live here?” However, small signs of … activities, the Chicago Botanic Garden’s horticultural therapists engage our clients in similar moments of joyful perseverance for their health and well-being, guiding them through …
Type: Blog
… One of the most recognized lines from Shakespeare is the following: “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.” You would have to read Hamlet to get the backstory, but one thing I know as an ecologist, is that we would be in a lot of trouble if there wasn’t a whole lot of rot going on all over the place. You can … our oak woodland, that if things were not constantly rotting, you would be up to your eyeballs in dead leaves, and it would be almost impossible to walk anyway, because of the mass of dead …
Type: Blog
… It’s finally starting to feel like spring in Chicago, which means it’s time to get those home gardens up and running. In the Horticultural Therapy Department, we’re in the process of setting up our off-site gardens at facilities all over the greater Chicago …
Type: Blog
… of teaching families with young children at the Chicago Botanic Garden. It is a gift to work in a garden with children because there is so much about gardening that we can use to help them … know that young children are active learners. The best teaching occurs when we join that child in hands-on, developmentally appropriate play. A backyard garden, a small container on a porch, … perseverance, and a sense wonder. Young children have an innate curiosity that thrives in direct sensory experiences. Think about small hands in mud or splashing water, tasting herbs, …
Type: Blog
… which looks like a mini-snapdragon. Whatever it takes to get you to stop and feel spring in the Buehler Enabling Garden. People sometimes walk right by the brick pillars of the Enabling … the horticulture therapy garden. She likes to surprise them. “The Buehler Enabling Garden in spring is all about happiness!” she said. “I plant flowers that are colorful and scented, even … More than one million spring blooms have started to unfurl at the Chicago Botanic Garden, in areas including the Enabling Garden . Green is still planting last-minute flowers; blooms …
Type: Blog
… Guillermo Patino has worked in the Grounds department since 1991, when he started out as a seasonal employee. He was promoted to Grounds crew leader in 2009. Patino has broad expertise in landscaping, particularly in pruning trees and shrubs. You can see his work at the Linden …
Type: Staff bio
… J. Louis Foundation Green Roof Garden North, and the Bernice E. Lavin Plant Evaluation Garden. In addition, Pogue assists with gardening classes, leads tours, and gives demonstrations. Pogue … worked for the Garden since 2007, when she started out as a seasonal assistant horticulturist in the Farwell Landscape Garden, the Graham Bulb Garden, and the Model Railroad Garden: Landmarks … and the Children's Outdoor Classroom. Two years later, she was promoted to horticulturist in the Dwarf Conifer Garden and the Waterfall Garden, and then to her current position. Inspired …
Type: Staff bio
… Looking for a reason to be glad for the cold weather in winter’s stretch? Consider the needs of fruit trees. Fruit trees need to spend a certain amount of time during their dormant winter period at cool temperatures in order to satisfy their chill requirement. Simply defined, the accumulation of chill units (CU) … tree’s biological clock. This clock counts down the time needed to change the nutrients stored in the roots into a form that can flow up the trunk as the weather warms and support flowering …
Type: Blog
… forcing branches to bloom indoors. Spring-flowering trees and shrubs form their flower buds in late summer or fall before the plants go dormant for the winter. The buds can be forced into bloom indoors in late winter or early spring. magnolia ( Magnolia ) crabapple or apple ( Malus ) redbud ( Cercis ) In order to flower, the buds need to undergo a period of cold. Once the branches are indoors in …
Type: Blog
