… go dormant for the winter. Just like animals that hibernate, trees slow their processes down in order to conserve energy. What we can see of this process can be beautiful: leaves change from … to vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows. Then trees drop their leaves and wait out the winter. In a regular year, trees aren’t in a rush to go dormant. The process that we see takes several weeks. The production of …
Type: Blog
… Show of hands: Who’s ready for spring? We are, too. Thankfully, the bright, blooming containers in the Heritage Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden were planted this week, welcoming spring and … past 15 years—it’s one of his favorite things to do each spring. The bright, colorful troughs in the Heritage Garden welcome visitors every spring. “After a long, drawn-out winter, it’s nice … Tom Soulsby uses small, visually interesting plants that would otherwise get lost in a mass planting in the Garden. People look forward to these 41 containers each spring, which …
Type: Blog
… this past May that 15 veterans from the Thresholds Veterans Project began a journey to be well in the Buehler Enabling Garden. Inspirations: “Keep Going” planter, with a side of coffee. We … herbs to cook with, as well as a message of encouragement they could reference for inspiration in their daily life. After the first retreat was done, I thought to myself, “Wow! That was a … the course of the summer, these vets returned to the Garden five more times to participate in various retreats all focused on wellness and using nature to heal. To date, more than 2.7 …
Type: Blog
… While working out in the woods this winter, a small lump on the branch of a young elm tree caught my attention. At … are amazing, but their nests are truly a marvel of avian architecture. Not much larger in diameter than a quarter, they are just large enough to hold the one to three navy bean-sized … something out of lightweight fuzzy plant fibers? I imagine you might find yourself wrapped up in a ball like some sort of oversized grotesque moth cocoon. The silk also helps to anchor the …
Type: Blog
… and beautiful Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden. You likely saw a lit-up island floating in the lake, and if you looked closely, you might have noticed that there’s actually no way to … principles. She provided circular patterns that resemble ripples of water, a symbol found in traditional Japanese dry gardens. The result is an ethereal effect that maintains the look and … alkaline soil, but she explains that any plant, even one not native to Japan, can be used in a Japanese garden as long as it is maintained according to Japanese gardening principles. …
Type: Blog
… In 2001, Plants of Concern was launched through the Chicago Botanic Garden to track the status of rare, threatened, and endangered species in northeast Illinois. A landmark program at the time of its conception, Plants of Concern has … collaborative community science and still represents one of the only programs of its kind in the world. Here, we’ll look back at our history and celebrate a few of the many …
Type: Blog
… In gardening, as in life, patience is a virtue. Twelve years ago, the Garden embarked on a mission to bring a rock … Amorphophallus titanum ), also known as the corpse flower, is the largest flowering structure in the world. When it blooms, it puts on a show like no other. Huge. Rotten. Rare. Watch our … red “flower” with a nauseating stench that can be detected up to an acre away. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience. We have been cultivating eight of these mysterious plants behind the …
Type: Blog
… 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 27 years. The succulent sends up a tall stalk of blossoms right before it dies. In the Arid Greenhouse at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Agave ocahui is known as the century plant …
Type: Blog
… easily take root and begin propagating anywhere they touch soil. For these reasons, grow mint in a plastic pot, so it doesn’t take over your yard. (The roots are so strong they can crack clay … it gets some water every week to keep it from becoming bitter. Maintaining flavor Mints spread in two ways: by runners and by seed. However, many plants are hybrids, which means the sprouts … your flavor There are more than 600 types of mint on the market. Here are a few that work best in the kitchen: Kentucky Colonel spearmint (Mentha spicata ‘Kentucky Colonel’) got its fame …
Type: Blog
… There are things I look forward to seeing every season. In spring, I watch for “mighty plants” that emerge from the ground with enough force to heave the … plants—pushing up soil that was compressed by a blanket of snow never fail to impress me. I am in awe of the strength of plants. Daffodil leaves erupt from the ground and lift the mulch in the beds around the Regenstein Learning Campus. Seeing bulbs coming up all around me inspires …
Type: Blog
