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  • … shears A large working surface Five heavier red-twig dogwood branches roughly 3/8 of an inch in diameter, cut into equal lengths. Heather recommends 30-inch lengths for a front door wreath. … 6-inch ties, but shorter ones will do) Five 1½-inch bundles of red-twig dogwood branches cut in roughly 22-inch lengths (or slightly more than two-thirds of the length of the base branches) Five 1½-inch bundles of twigs cut in roughly 11-inch lengths (or slightly more than one-third of the length of the base twigs) …
    Type: Blog
  • … name: Venus flytrap. We added the wetlands-loving venus flytrap and other carnivorous plants in mini bogs that we created on the Green Roof Garden at the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant … insects with nectar. Insects slip down the “pitcher” part of the plant and are liquified in the digestive juices at the bottom. Dionaea muscipula Sarracenia ‘Bug Bat’ Nepenthes alata   … plants are only looking to devour insects. Why do some plants eat insects? Not all habitats in the world have nutrient-rich and well-draining soil. Carnivorous plants have evolved to live …
    Type: Blog
  • … With more than 1,850 known species of moths in the state of Illinois—more than ten times the diversity of butterflies—it is a real adventure … along with visual searches, I have been investigating the diversity of moth species found in the restored portions of our oak woodland. Moths are removed from the traps and then … moth (C tenucha virginica ) are striking—even its wings have a metallic sheen. My interest in moths stems from the fact that many of the species are dependent on one or just a few native …
    Type: Blog
  • … answer to that one is, well…have you noticed that weeds will grow quite well from the seams in the sidewalk? Or from the smallest cracks in the driveway? Or apparently straight out of bare concrete along the expressway? So, seeing that weeds will grow in the most adverse circumstances, you can safely assume that an organic medium such as mulch …
    Type: Blog
  • … year of extraordinary challenges, we are looking forward to all that summer 2021 has to offer in the Lavin Plant Evaluation Garden. Here at the Chicago Botanic Garden, the trials we started … after a strong start this spring, we’re hopeful for a bounty of their pincushion-like flowers in June and July. Visitors and staff were sad to see the long-running panicle hydrangea trial end … ninebarks almost made us forget. A review of the ninebarks will be published later this year in Fine Gardening . Buddleja Kniphofia Sanguisorba hakusanensis Among the exciting happenings …
    Type: Blog
  • … see a special guest star at the Tropical Greenhouse: Alice the Amorphophallus is on display, in full and glorious fruit!  Visitors are asking: why are some of the berries on the titan arum … while others are big and plump? Dr. Pat Herendeen and “Titan Tim” Pollak plucked a few of each in mid-February, X-rayed them, and performed a bit of berry surgery to get the answer. An x-ray … pollinated by Stinky (Denver Botanic Gardens, 2015).   X-rays showed that seeds had developed in the larger berries—those pollinated with pollen from Stinky, the titan arum that recently …
    Type: Blog
  • … work space for your child and makes clean up a breeze. 2. Grab a small pail to make the mud in. Let your child spoon some dirt into the pail. 3. Add a small amount of water and stir. This … the liners. 5. Decorate the top of the "cupcake" with herbs, leaves, beans, etc. 6. Place it in a sunny spot to dry. Parent Tip:  Remember to have some damp towels or wipes nearby for messy … outweigh the alternative… At the Garden, with young kids, much of our time is spent digging in the mud, doing heavy work, getting our hands dirty with earth, and imaginative play. So trust …
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  • … as possible. When I travel, I always try to pick up a book on the local plants that grow well in the area. Advice: Do not be afraid to kill plants. I actually encourage new gardeners to not be afraid to kill plants by telling them I have killed many more in a much more public setting. Once I killed a plant, it made me reflect on what I needed to do … and maintain the highest quality bonsai for our visitors to enjoy all season long. Advice: As in life, success in gardening and bonsai is in the process. Gardening success is not achieved in
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  • … is available at the  Garden View Café .) “Something borrowed, something blue…” sets the tone in the English Walled Garden. 2. “Would you like to sit here?” With climbing hydrangeas overhead, … The top of the Waterfall Garden has it all: rushing water, a sweet arbor, birds chirping in shady trees. It’s one of the best spots at the Garden to sit…very…close. The peaceful hideaway atop the Waterfall Garden is a romantic destination in any season. 5. “Pics or it didn’t happen?” Romantic memories need a great background. At the …
    Type: Blog
  • … or plants around them. Fungal infections are common because spores can travel on the wind or in water droplets and may land on seeds, sometimes penetrating the outer layers of the seed coat … is a way to save your seeds from this cruel fate. We use two methods to help prevent disease in seedlings: bleach treatment and heat treatment. Bleach treatment Pumpkin seeds (top), tomato … easy way to do this is to combine 1 cup (8 ounces) of water with 1/4 cup (2 ounces) of bleach in a bowl. Add a drop of dish soap to the solution to break the surface tension, add the seeds, …
    Type: Blog