… When buckthorn moves in to the ecosystem, it dominates. Imagine a friend invites you to a dinner party, promising a delicious spread of food and libations. You arrive, excited and … to dominate the party. Even if someone brought in better foods that more people enjoy, there is no room on the tables. The kale is everywhere! While not a perfect analogy, this anecdote …
Type: Blog
… the radicle through the seed coat of a sunflower seed Although it may not look like it, spring is on its way, which means it’s time to start prepping for the anticipated spring planting season. This is a great time of year for horticultural therapy contracts. Everyone is itching to start planning and prepping for a successful horticultural therapy outdoor garden program, …
Type: Blog
… adaptation of the iris flower. The name Iris was taken from the Greek goddess of the rainbow to symbolize the many colors of this flower. …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… rhododendron bred at the famous Weston Nurseries in New England. Butterflies are attracted to the fragrant flowers (a trait of its American azalea heritage). One quarter of the leaves are …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… What comes to mind when conceptualizing a new garden design? Color? Absolutely. Soil and sun conditions? … Hermannshof Garden in Germany, and Roy Diblik of Northwind Farm in Wisconsin. I was introduced to gravel gardens while I lived in Madison, Wisconsin. Not only were gravel gardens featured at … 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
… Yesterday we moved our first titan arum ( 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 the next ten days or so, … 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
… One of the top questions we have been getting about Spike the titan arum is “How do you know how much water to give it?” The care and feeding that we have given Spike and its fellow titan arums—our … Titan arums require well-maintained conditions of high humidity and high temperature—similar to their natural conditions in the tropical rainforests of Sumatra. Therefore, the cultivation is …
Type: Blog
… 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
… & Blooms exhibition features a huge variety of live butterflies. One interesting example is Caligo atreus, also known as the yellow-edged owl, or our favorite: the magnificent owl. … (You will typically see the eyespots when the butterflies’ wings are closed.) This is thought to help them ward off predators. Caligo translates to “darkness,” which corresponds to the fact that they prefer to fly in the early morning before …
Type: Blog
… A striking century plant is putting on a show in the final stages of its life—it’s blooming for the first and only time in … at the Chicago Botanic Garden, Agave ocahui is known as the century plant because people used to think it flowered only once every 100 years. A more accurate estimate is that it blooms once after 25 to 30 years of growth. The Garden’s century plant came from The Huntington Library, Art …
Type: Blog
