… white, fragrant, five-petaled flowers in early spring before leaves emerge. Its edible yellow to red fruits, which ripen in the summer, are cherished by birds. The delicate white blossoms of …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Africa and hummingbirds in USDA Zones 9 and warmer in North America. The plant adapts easily to growing indoors in the Chicago area if planted in well-drained soils and given the brightest …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… bloom in August, they immediately thought, “puppet.” An unusual thought, unless you happen to be Ross…or his mom, Debi Gerbasi…or artist Jessica Plummer. These three started making puppets together for fun about a year ago. Naturally, the group began with puppets of themselves…then of all the … project. Slowly, the basement of Debi’s house turned into a creative factory, with floor-to-ceiling plastic walls around the sanders, saws, and drills. (A separate, dust-free area houses …
Type: Blog
… and the birds are returning from their winter homes. Some birds 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 …
Type: Blog
… 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 …
Type: Blog
… A Phalaenopsis, or moth orchid, is called the “gateway orchid” for beginning collectors: it requires very little care, and yields great rewards with blooms that last up to three months! Early success with a moth orchid leads growers to try other species and, finally, to orchid addiction. But how do you ensure early success? As a …
Type: Blog
… As Senior Director of Restoration, I am the team leader for the Garden's natural areas team (including the skilled team of ecologists who manage the Garden's amazing natural areas ). I work collaboratively with land managers to harness the Garden's research capacity to address priority management needs. Ultimately, our goal is to play a leading role in …
Type: Staff bio
… On the virtually treeless plains of Nebraska almost 150 years, ago a day was set aside to celebrate and appreciate trees—Arbor Day. This year we have selected the genus Quercus , the oaks, as an exemplar of why trees are important to us and our environment. Quercus rubra standing tall at the Garden There are 461 species of … southwest are estimated to be well over 1,000 years old. They have been part of human culture for millennia wherever they are found. Young acorns on a Quercus imbricaria Quercus robur …
Type: Blog
… Dye-ing for nature-based fun? Forgo the food coloring and kits, and go for naturally safe, naturally … of what you need is probably already in your own kitchen and pantry. The tools you’ll need to create your own egg dyes Step 1: Gather your supplies. Stainless steel utensils and glass containers won’t stain; always rinse utensils as you go from color to color, so there’s no contamination. Pint and half-pint Ball jars or heat-safe glass bowls (the …
Type: Blog
… series, Remus Lupin, a tormented werewolf, drinks a potion of wolfsbane carefully concocted to control his transformations. As early as Dracula in 1931, wolfsbane casually replaced garlic as a repellent for vampires in film. Nevertheless, the correlation of wolfsbane with the supernatural predates … from the toxic slobber of a three-headed dog named Cerberus, the scary canine guardian to the gates of Hell. In the Dark Ages, wolfsbane was said to be used by witches in spells and …
Type: Blog
