… like to share one of my favorites: the hackberry, Celtis occidentalis . Hackberry may not be in the top ten trees you think of, but maybe it should be. Take a look at the interesting texture … side of Parking Lot 4. Scroll back up—do you recognize the large picture above? This was taken in McDonald Woods, along the trail near Parking Lot 4. The large tree to the left of the bridge … this tree is that the fruits—hackberries—feed birds, squirrels, and other woodland creatures. In the summer, caterpillars of mourning cloak, question mark, and hackberry emperor …
Type: Blog
… We’ve officially reached planting season, and it is now safe to put in warm-season flowering annuals, vines, herbs, and vegetables. Horticulturists at the Chicago … such as tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and squash. Happy planting! Summer plantings await in the production greenhouses. Get the best performance from your plants with these tips from the … planted annuals for two weeks. Continue to plant new perennials, ornamental grasses, and roses in containers. If plant roots are root-bound (encircling the pot), make four cuts into the bottom …
Type: Blog
… few horticulturists for their gardening resolutions—whether at the Chicago Botanic Garden, or in their own backyard. Feel free to snag one of their ideas for yourself. Heather Sherwood, … Michael Jesiolowski, senior horticulturist, entrance gardens I want to include more bulbs in my perennial plantings. Bulbs might not be the first thing that comes to mind when going plant shopping, but they can be used to complement perennials in bloom or massed on their own to make a bold statement. How about an early summer combo of …
Type: Blog
… Even in the quiet months, the Garden’s natural areas are bursting with birdlife. Our restoration … lively red-headed woodpecker community commuting between Turnbull Woods and McDonald Woods. In early spring, the nature trail also becomes a prime perch for watching the warbler migration … from the North Branch Trail as you approach Dundee Road—where a pair first built their nest in 2024. In 2025, they successfully fledged a young osprey: tagged and weighed on-site by Cook …
Type: Blog
… was off-center. While leaf shoots are true to center, we knew that a flower shoot powers up in a slightly different way. Again: it’s subtle but telling! Horticultural intuition. Both Deb … We called upon the folks at the Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens in San Marino, California; Smithsonian Gardens in Washington, D.C.; Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; …
Type: Blog
… this is the optimal window to prune apple trees for plant health. Over the years, I have been in every tree many, many times. Some are easier to prune than others, and some are downright … branch directional training that increases production and lessens apple weight-load breakage in late summer. The apple arbor in bloom, April 2012. New whipstock was planted on half of the arbor a few years ago, and the new …
Type: Blog
… close to the temperatures indoors, meaning mid- to late September. Before you move everything in, however, there are four quick steps you’ll want to take to help ensure a successful winter of … cuticle (a protective waxy layer on the leaf), making it more vulnerable to disease problems in the future. Large-leaved plants are particularly susceptible to spider mites. Spider mites … urge to repot unless necessary. Sometimes plants have simply grown too large for their pots, in which case it’s OK to repot. But don’t repot if the plant doesn’t need it, as this adds …
Type: Blog
… Research Institute—among others, discovered for the first time how the tropical rainforest in South America responded to the asteroid impact that ended the reign of dinosaurs, … Botanic Garden; National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C.,; University of Florida, U.S.; Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, Cuiabá, Brazil; ExxonMobil Corporation, Spring, Texas, U.S.; Centro Científico Tecnológico-CONICET, Mendoza, Argentina; Universidad de Chile, Santiago; …
Type: Research
… the pumpkin and enjoy the show. You can repeat this as many times as you like. First pour in the baking soda Then slowly add the dishwashing soap Red food coloring goes in next Eruption! What is happening: This is an acid/base chemical reaction. The vinegar is … a “base.” Whenever you combine an acid and a base, the reaction produces a salt and water. In the case of baking soda and vinegar, there is a second reaction that produces carbon dioxide …
Type: Blog
… fly through the Chicago area to their nesting habitats up north, while others return and stay in the area. Spring is the season for laying eggs, because it gives the juvenile birds all summer to mature and become strong before they need to migrate in the fall. Also, as spring turns to summer, the growing chicks require more food. The trees … including these: A plastic netting or mesh bag, like the kind oranges and apples are sold in Scraps of yarn or strips of fabric cut 1/4 inch wide and at least 6 inches long (longer is …
Type: Blog
