… osprey would be a rare—if not impossible—sight in Cook County in the summer. But now, thanks to the ban on certain pesticides (including DDT), and the creation of osprey nesting platforms, … Immature bald eagles, with their mottled black and white plumage, can easily be mistaken for ospreys. In summer, visitors can watch an osprey (Pandion haliaetus) —with its 6-foot wingspan—soar above a lake, then plunge in to snatch a meal with its talons to bring to its young. Once endangered in Illinois, the osprey …
Type: Blog
… While El Niño might be giving us a warmer winter, it’s never a bad idea to prepare against winter burn, or scorch . Three simple steps will make a big difference in … path protects young boxwoods in this highly-trafficked area. Prepare properly The right plant for your design goals should help reduce maintenance. Choose the right plant for your garden’s growing conditions and design goals. A plant that is well-adapted to your site will perform better and have fewer problems. Proper siting makes a big difference …
Type: Blog
… Lorin Fox is the grower for the woody plants, perennials, and aquatics in the Plant Production department. His job is to produce high-quality plants for the Garden's plant collection and special displays. Fox has … his family had a vegetable garden, a couple of crabapple trees, and a grapevine. He moved on to working in a friend's garden and greenhouse, and has been practicing the art of bonsai since …
Type: Staff bio
… of fall allium and autumn crocus blooms. This year, however, a special mention must be made for the glorious gladiolus! Especially the delicate, 4-inch, salmon pink flowers of the salmon … trial at the Garden: first, it is a winter-growing bulb in South Africa, which translates to summer growth in North America. Second, this plant thrives in moist soils in grassy areas—it … success in our plant trial program, other gladioli (also currently in full flower) were added to the trials. We’ve also discovered that these wild species thrive and multiply in well-drained …
Type: Blog
… There is a Native American myth that is believed to have originated with the Onondaga tribe of the Iroquois nation of northeastern North America. … character in the story is a turtle. The turtle, an island in a world of water, was chosen to carry soil and tree seedlings on its back, which eventually became the land the people lived … when you consider how many different species of turtles there are. There is a turtle species for just about every kind of wetland environment that exists, from sea turtles to bog turtles to …
Type: Blog
… A lot of thought and work are put into raising bonsai trees and pruning them just so, but for many bonsai artists, their containers are just as important as the plant itself. “The pot and … soil have a relationship just as much as the tree and the pot have a relationship. The tree-to-pot relationship is aesthetic and functional too,” said Chris Baker, curator of bonsai at the … tree and container is equally important. It’s all about the discipline of pairing, according to Baker. All images and quotations below, courtesy of Chris Baker. A crabapple tree in the …
Type: Blog
… plants were disappearing and other lineages were taking their place. Some of these would go on to dominate modern ecosystems, such as the conifers and angiosperms. Jurassic and Early Cretaceous age rocks from Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, China, are the source for a remarkable diversity of fossil plants and animals. The Early Cretaceous of Mongolia in … and China that are yielding new, exceptionally well-preserved fossil seed plants. Our goal is to understand the diversity and evolutionary implications of these fossil plants. The fossils are …
Type: Staff bio
… When I was 8 years old, I traveled with my family to Przysietnica, Poland, to spend the summer with relatives. My grandparents’ farm was the home base for my adventures with cousins and siblings. We spent hours in the breezy northern hills, picking …
Type: Blog
… Putting roses to sleep for winter In early November, many of the roses that bloom twice per year (called remontant, or … December brought below-freezing nighttime temperatures—and Garden staff jumped into action to put the rose beds “to sleep” for the winter. Now the garden looks entirely different. The …
Type: Blog
… Tom Tiddens has worked at the Chicago Botanic Garden in the Plant Health Care department for 25 years. In 1994, Tiddens was promoted to supervisor of the department. Since then, the department has significantly reduced its use of … representative in the Sentinel Plant Network, which unifies botanic gardens in an effort to monitor for and provide education on high consequence pest and pathogens that threaten the …
Type: Staff bio
