… a lily pad is actually a floating leaf: Nymphaea 'Arc-en-Ciel' is sometimes grown specifically for its beautifully mottled and variegated leaves. Still, there are a few gardening ventures that … into one of them: the watery world of waterlilies. Nymphaea is the beautifully named genus for about half of all waterlily species. (The Nymphaeaceae family totals eight genera and about … or at nurseries) down into the soil around the rhizome. To keep water clear and mosquito-free, overfill large containers with running water once per week—the overflow disrupts mosquito …
Type: Plant Info
… For Chicago-area gardeners, January is primarily a time for planning, not planting. With winter in full swing in our USDA Hardiness Zones 5b and 6a, … ability to absorb water. Retie vines that become torn from their supports. Keep small ponds free of ice by installing pumps or pouring warm water over ice as it begins to form. De-ice with …
Type: Plant Info
… dragonflies and tend to hold their wings above their bodies. (See my blog post Damselflies 101 for more information.) Blue dasher dragonfly, female. She looks very different from her male … be found here from March through the first hard freeze in the fall. Choose the right time to visit, and you might even be lucky to find yourself in the middle of a migrating swarm of green … blossoms, but you can spot them throughout the 385-acre grounds. Drop by and keep an eye out for the dragonflies near the late-summer blooms. Skimming bluet damselfly, female. This is a …
Type: Blog
… garden, I grow at least one African American heirloom crop, partly to commemorate Juneteenth. For Black Americans, Juneteenth marks the final liberation of our ancestors held as slaves on … forgiving, and prolific crop. Photo courtesy of Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds/rareseeds.com Aunt Lou’s Underground Railroad Tomato This heirloom seed is still with us today because an … 19, 1865—in Galveston, Texas, when the last enslaved Black people learned that they were free. They got word more than two years after President Lincoln had signed the Emancipation …
Type: Blog
… Live balled and burlapped trees or those planted in containers can remain in the house for no more than one week before they break their dormancy. Trees must be acclimated gradually to indoor conditions before they are brought inside for one week and then acclimated gradually to outdoor conditions before they are planted in the … plant regularly or swish upside down in a bucket of tepid water to keep the foliage clean and free of mites. As new growth emerges, train tendrils to desired form. Take the plant outside …
Type: Plant Info
… time, a sad collard green—from its pot into the trash. The mess, and the funeral, is for a good cause though. Today, I bravely enter new territory: My neighborhood garden center, … care preferences, and age. An Excel spreadsheet, you guys. This man is not messing around. For the likes of me, Wheatley recommends a more forgiving collection of starter plants. For those … to your home, anthuriums bloom bold red and pink flowers. “Anthuriums are generally problem-free and easy to grow. They can handle a wide range of light but would probably do best in a …
Type: Blog
… Winter is a great season for bookworms—there’s nothing like a good book to keep you company during the colder months. And … and give us a glimpse into the history of plants all the way back to ancient Greece. For just a taste of what this collection offers, we asked Leora Siegel, Lenhardt Library’s senior … are digitized and linked above, but nothing quite compares with seeing a rare book in person. Visit the Lenhardt Library from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday to explore its full …
Type: Blog
… ranging from reducing inflammation to antimicrobial properties. People have used honey for these purposes for more than 5,000 years , from ancient Greece to the Mayan civilization, and beekeeping has a … Rodeo Farm honey at the Garden Shop, or in the market at Farm on Ogden while supplies last. Visit our farms! Come check out the McCormick Place Rooftop Farm, as well as Farm on Ogden, …
Type: Blog
… Their Bets As if on cue, tiny green leaves peek out from the dark soil each spring, reaching for the sun. But how do flowers know it’s spring? And can they detect real spring versus a warm … the warmest ever recorded in Chicago and as the highest global average temperature in history for that month. At the Garden, it was in the 60s one day and snowing the next. It’s no wonder … in the Landscape Garden Viburnum ( Viburnum prunifolium ) “It’s really weird and really early for this kind of weather. One day it was 65 degrees [Fahrenheit] and the next day it snowed,” …
Type: Blog
… amazing gifts: food, shelter, many medicines, even the air we breathe. And they do the same for the world’s wildlife. Indeed, all life depends on plants. The United Nations recently named … soon. You can check to see if your representative has signed on here . For more information, visit: https://botanybill.weebly.com/ …
Type: Blog
