… Fall bloomers are already stealing the show and, while they are colorful, it is largely due to their size. By the time many of these perennials bloom, they are so tall that they often need to be staked. Not to mention, some end up having unsightly “legs” from shedding lower leaves. …
Type: Blog
… The Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden is the place to explore small-space gardening. Seven Basil Types Planted at the Regenstein … different basil varieties, laid out in a pinwheel design, and all grown from seed. It’s enough to make a gardener’s—or a foodie’s—head spin with plans for dinner…and for your own herb garden. …
Type: Blog
… the Chicago Botanic Garden has been tracking the recent rains. We know many of you are anxious to get planting done—it is spring, right? But we encourage caution and patience. If it squishes, wait. Working with wet soil and turf damages it. Here are tips to help gardeners navigate Chicago’s spring: Wait until the soil dries out to get back in your …
Type: Blog
… Pondering the Prairie Series Life in the prairie in the middle of winter is fairly uneventful; at least for humans who focus primarily on life above ground. Perhaps now is a good time to reflect on the diversity of life in a prairie below ground. All one has to do is drive across the Midwest and view the unending and, to many, boring, miles of corn and …
Type: Blog
… temps, you might wonder how any plants can survive a Chicago winter—and even hold on to a welcome splash of color. As curator of plant collections at the Chicago Botanic Garden , I’ve got some ideas on evergreen perennials you can plant to brighten up the winter with bits of green, silver, mahogany, and more. Breaking down evergreen … diseases or be browsed by critters. But the main reason that a perennial has evergreen leaves is to provide a place to store energy and nutrients while dormant. The leaves are tricky …
Type: Blog
… a question we heard a lot from Spike’s visitors this past weekend. The titan arum, native to the rainforests of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, was first “discovered” by Italian … August 6, 1878, he first observed the leaves and fruits of a plant (interestingly, August 6 is the date we put Spike on public view!) . Several weeks later, Beccari saw a flowering plant for the first time. He sent a few tubers and seeds to Florence, Italy, but the tubers all perished; a few seeds, however, eventually germinated. One …
Type: Blog
… of big plants, and we thought for a second it might be the same as the big plants, but it is definitely different. It’s our first field day. We don’t know what this plant is called, and … guidebooks for what seems like forever. “Is it this one?” we ask each other, pointing to pictures in the book where the leaves kinda sorta look like our little plant. Finally, we flip through the book one last time, and it seems to open all on its own to the right place. It’s called water horehound ( Lycopus americanus ). We …
Type: Blog
… I assess conservation strategies, ecological, and physiological adaptations of plant species to complex environments and ecosystems. My research covers a unique aspect of ecology and the …
Type: Staff bio
… and mango spring rolls; and heartland five-bean salad with creamy garlic dressing. Learn how to cook a lobster, work with spring roll wrappers, prepare a basic cheese sauce, and blanch …
Type: Item Detail
… and sharpness—and concentrates on the principles of composition and aesthetic design to convey meaning and emotion. The emphasis will be on how technique affects the aesthetics of …
Type: Item Detail
