… I make no secret about the fact that fall is my absolute favorite season. Between the pumpkin-spiced treats, falling leaves, warm-toned landscape, and endless fall activities, I simply can’t get enough of the many opportunities that fall … 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 …
Type: Blog
… to look. (The reality soon set in that most of this “free” food was actually growing on lawns and private property.) Whenever you forage weeds and wild plants you have to be careful that what you take isn’t getting sprayed with herbicides—which is why I recommend only harvesting weeds from your own yard, or places you know have …
Type: Blog
… ( Amorphophallus titanum ), “Spike,” to the Semitropical Greenhouse. Now we are all watching and waiting for Spike to bloom—a dream of the Chicago Botanic Garden for 12 years! Finally, in … next ten days or so, we’ll see the fruit of our labor in all of its stinky glory. What’s next, and when? Over the next several days, Spike will grow taller—some days, a barely noticeable inch, and other days, a remarkable 4 or 5 inches. Below the soil is a giant corm, which is a type of underground tuber or bulb (some can weight up to 200 pounds). …
Type: Blog
… Mushrooms reproduce by making billions of spores that spread and grow into new organisms. You can take advantage of this phenomenon to make a beautiful print on paper. How to Make Spore Prints All you need are some fresh, open mushrooms, paper, and a bowl. You can use mushrooms found growing outside or buy them from the market. When … on the mushroom They should look like mushrooms you want to eat This portobello mushroom is good for making spore prints. This shiitake mushroom may be a little old—notice the brown …
Type: Blog
… in your garden? How about marigolds, coleus, a gingko, or a panicle hydrangea? If so, this is a testimony to the many plant explorers who, in the past four centuries, traveled far and wide, for years at a time, in search of new plants. The story of plant exploration is a thrilling chapter in the annals of science. American and foreign botanists often risked their lives to serve the sciences and arts that depended on …
Type: Blog
… Here are a few tips to get you started. 1. Know yourself, your growing environment, and what you’re buying. A healthy orchid. Notice the plump pseudobulbs (stems), smooth green leaves, and beautiful flowers. If you look closely, you’ll even see new buds forming. Orchids live in a … flower alone. Having a tag will help you to always remember what species or hybrid your orchid is. 2. Choose a plant you really like. This may sound obvious, but orchids aren’t like other …
Type: Blog
… the Chicago Botanic Garden? Find out with our mystery photo challenge! Guess these objects and where to find them with our close-up snapshots. Click on the picture to reveal the answer to … clue below. Clue: Right past here, you’ll find six unique rooms filled with flowers, herbs, and more. A nostalgic sense of romance and beauty washes all around. Within, you’ll find a sleepy … too. × It’s the English Walled Garden gate! The Helen and Richard Thomas English Walled Garden is a favorite among visitors and was originally created by the noted British landscape architect, …
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 paths throughout the Dwarf Conifer Garden. Many … but Acrocona spruce ( Picea abies ‘Acrocona’) has cones that start out a vivid ruby red and slowly fade to a soft tan. The cones start out upward-facing, but slowly begin to droop as …
Type: Blog
… has been five months since the Black Lives Matter movement ignited a new civil rights movement and caused the Chicago Botanic Garden to reflect and recommit to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility 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 …
Type: Blog
… Join The Guild for cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a night of conversations on clean beauty with Laura White, Founder of Arch Glow. Space 519 …
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