… On a bright, sunny Saturday in June, more than 1,500 people came to see just what was happening inside the renovated paint store along Ogden Avenue in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. It was the opening weekend for the Farm on Ogden , … food locally makes for healthier individuals and communities. Speakers included Illinois U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, and Alderman Michael …
Type: Blog
… 22 at the Chicago Botanic Garden, the creative team started by squinting at squares of color in the slant of the afternoon sun. The colors had to pop in daylight and for Orchids After Hours , an evening look at the Show with cocktails and light … That’s a hard no—too dance party-ish. Finally, for the space under the two-story skylight in Nichols Hall, we settled on translucent squares of mostly leafy green, sunny yellow, sky blue, …
Type: Blog
… has returned to the Chicago Botanic Garden this spring. Its bold blooms draw pollinators in as well as Garden visitors. What is it, you ask? Some of the most unusual plants our … become the epic plants you see throughout the Garden. You won’t find these Dr. Seussian plants in many other gardens in the Midwest (if you do, please let us know). Echium are native to the Canary Islands, regions …
Type: Blog
… is a two-way street, and plants can have a strong influence on the habitats they live in. We might experience this by walking in a forest and feeling ground beneath our feet that is spongy from the buildup of slowly decaying leaves that accumulated over decades or centuries. The trees in such a forest have “engineered” their environments, changing the very ground beneath them in …
Type: Blog
… Recently, I had the pleasure of speaking at a symposium on plant exploration that was held in Des Moines, Iowa. The audience was enthralled following the plant-collecting exploits of such … focused on plant collecting a tad closer to home—not as exotic perhaps, but still crucial in support of my research as the Chicago Botanic Garden’s plant breeder. So let’s go seek out the … selections and garden advocates. It’s likely that every midwestern gardener has a phlox or two in their landscape. Most of the remaining 60-plus phlox species are relatively unknown to …
Type: Blog
… a few great ideas to get your taste buds going: Add a bit of mint to a basil pesto Grow thyme in unexpected flavors: orange, lime, lemon (all are growing in our kitchen herb garden) Dry and mix your own herbes de Provence recipe) Infuse lavender blossoms in lemonade Speaking of infusions, “herb mixologist” Kasey Bersett Eaves opened our eyes to the …
Type: Blog
… Most butterflies and moths featured in popular magazines and other media are large, well-known species, such as monarchs and luna … moth is actually quite small, though far from nondescript! Mompha species moth; photo taken in Utah My research at the Chicago Botanic Garden focuses on an insufficiently studied moth … up close: Mompha stellella on the left and Mompha eloisella on the right. Both are found in Illinois, typically during the month of August. Photo credit: Terry Harrison In North …
Type: Blog
… recognize a squirrel nest, called a drey , when they see one. The eastern gray squirrels in our region build dreys in trees for shelter and protection from the elements. What you see as a messy clump of leaves is … materials to make it a dry and cozy home. This month I was walking around my neighborhood in Chicago, and I noticed that three out of four squirrel dreys on my street were located on …
Type: Blog
… U.S. Navy veteran Anna Andersen is quick to tell you how the Chicago Botanic Garden’s impact on her life goes beyond the beauty of the plants to the nurturing she found in its Veteran Internship Program (VIP). “I am grateful for the VIP and Garden for providing me direction into the horticulture profession and community. I have reaped the most benefits in a very personal way,” she said, adding that she has been “through a lot of emotional trauma, …
Type: Blog
… can do “all by myself,” or at least with minimal help from you. Growing future gardeners in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden Planting seeds leads to discussions about what seeds … responsibility and helps them feel they are making a contribution to the family or classroom. In recent years, students from our Little Diggers class, ages 2 to 4, have planted peas indoors and transplanted them outside into the raised beds in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden. Come follow the steps we took to get there. Planting …
Type: Blog
