… Using peonies as a cut flower for floral design is easy, with a few tricks to preserve the health of your plants and flowers. Peonies are the … flower. Storing peony stems allows you to use early and mid-season blossoms together in an arrangement. Here are few tips to extend the bloom of cut peonies indoors. When cutting … buds that have just begun to open and feel similar to a marshmallow. Cut stems can be stored in the refrigerator for two to three weeks, but ... no fruit—such as apples—can be in the …
Type: Blog
… Sometime around midsummer, we all look at our yards, filled in and blooming, and think about designing something new, dividing plants, or perhaps creating a new hedge. Attractive native shrubs are often overlooked—and occasionally hard to come by in local nurseries and garden centers—but they are well worth the effort to find. Already adapted … chomping at the bit to plant this native shrub. It’s unfortunate, because the chokeberry is one of the best shrubs you can grow in Illinois. Iroquois Beauty™ chokeberry ( Aronia …
Type: Blog
… Early summer in the Dwarf Conifer Garden is all about the new growth. Everything is bursting forth with fresh new growth in vivid shades of green, chartreuse, yellow…and blue! Layers of color draw you into hidden …
Type: Blog
… Simplicity is critical in creating a striking Instagram photo. Here are some tips to help you reduce distractions and bring focus to your pictures. The most important thing to keep in mind when photographing for Instagram is that your photo will be viewed at a relatively small …
Type: Blog
… entirely dependent on what they could produce themselves, as were the early American settlers. In time, a fruitful garden became a common symbol of independence from foreign imports—highlighting a new American pride in agriculture. The farm-to-table movement of today epitomizes the fruit-growing traditions of … and with a bit of advance planning, choosing suitable varieties to plant in the spring is possible. Here are a few ideas to get you started creating, and/or caring for, your edible …
Type: Blog
… I make no secret about the fact that fall is my absolute favorite season. Between the pumpkin-spiced treats, falling leaves, warm-toned … my favorite season for horticultural therapy. This exciting time of year is when all the off-site therapy gardens are reaping the benefits from their summer of hard work. The fall programs … their school garden from summer to fall. Fall planters Creating fall planters—either in a personal, tabletop container or raised garden bed—is a great way to prepare your garden for …
Type: Blog
… return: start seeds. It’s easy to do, whether you want to start seeds on a sunny windowsill or in a more formal arrangement. The great thing about starting seeds indoors is that it is relatively inexpensive—and who can resist the satisfaction of watching those first … The lights don’t need to be fancy or expensive, though; a couple of standard fluorescent tubes in a utilitarian shop light works fine, if the fixture is hung on chains with S-hooks so its …
Type: Blog
… importance are adding biodiversity and sustainability. Both of these elements are omnipresent in gravel gardens. The origins of gravel gardening are rooted in Essex, EngIand, via Beth Chatto, Cassian Schmidt at the Hermannshof Garden in Germany, and Roy … can also be an expensive endeavor for the home gardener. The first step in prepping the beds is removing the top layer of soil. Plantings include succulents and drought-hardy plants. They …
Type: Blog
… for our staff, our visitors, our volunteers, and our boards. Part of that process is to take a hard look at the stories the Garden tells about gardens, plants, and people. We do … the structural racism at the heart of the European colonization of the "New World" that began in 1492 and the displacement of indigenous people. In a great many cases, the names of the plants, and animals, and places the indigenous people …
Type: Blog
… of mint —this year, I’m growing peppermint, catnip, banana mint, and pineapple mint. Rich in nutrients, mint is both delicious and medicinal, known for easing both digestion and indigestion. Mint can also relieve a runny nose by clearing congestion. A perennial herb that thrives in both sun and shade, mint is a vigorous grower and should always be grown in its own pot—plant …
Type: Blog
