… It’s finally starting to feel like spring in Chicago, which means it’s time to get those home gardens up and running. In the Horticultural Therapy Department, we’re in the process of setting up our off-site gardens at facilities all over the greater Chicago area. These gardens come in all shapes … Enabling Garden. To start your own home horticultural therapy garden, the first thing you need is a good container. At the Buehler Enabling Garden, as well as off-site gardens, horticultural …
Type: Blog
… may be interested to know that different foods come from different parts of the plant. Here is a fun and educational activity that will foster creativity in children of all ages. Appropriate for ages: 2 and up Set-up time: 5 – 10 minutes Activity … cut the fruit and vegetables different ways to get different effects during stamping. Celery is the most versatile; you can create rosette, crescent moons, and lines from celery. Most other …
Type: Blog
… did the Chicago Botanic Garden end up sharing one of the most sought-after strawberry plants in the world with a three-star Michelin restaurant? The collaboration and conservation … to meet Aaron Keefer, the culinary gardener for the renowned French Laundry restaurant in California’s Napa Valley. At a conference in Iowa, their conversation turned to the rare … where the prepaid lunch tasting menu begins at $310 a person. Marshall strawberry What is the Marshall strawberry? The Marshall strawberry has a storied history. In the early twentieth …
Type: Blog
… Look up! In partnership with Friends of the Chicago River ( FOCR ) and the Forest Preserves of Cook County … North Branch Trail at the south end of the Chicago Botanic Garden near Dundee Road. The osprey is listed as an endangered species in Illinois, which means it’s at risk of disappearing as a … attacking the young. FOCR and the FPCC sought out the Garden as a partner for an installation site, in large part owing to the Garden’s strong conservation messaging and proximity to other …
Type: Blog
… In August, when the jewelweed and cardinal flowers bloom, the ruby-throated hummingbird is migrating. It’s perfect timing, because the hummingbirds get energy for their journey … Ruby-throated hummingbird © Carol Freeman The ruby-throat is the only hummingbird to breed in eastern North America, and these tiny jewels are somewhat common nesters in Cook County …
Type: Blog
… Star-of-Bethlehem, and cyclamen are welcome additions to winter white. Hippeastrum ‘Amalfi’ in the Semitropical Greenhouse Hippeastrum papilio by Jerry Richardson from Warsaw, Indiana [ … Amaryllis Amaryllis ( Hippeastrum ) are probably the best-known bulb grown for forcing indoors in the winter months. In recent years, plant breeders have introduced dozens of new varieties … dubium Star-of-Bethlehem Another beautiful—but less common—plant that provides winter cheer is Ornithogalum ‘Bethlehem’ , or Star-Of-Bethlehem. These bulbs produce a 1- to 1½-foot-tall …
Type: Blog
… Look Here’s how you can make Thanksgiving-themed floral centerpieces like a pro: Pick flowers in autumn colors. Buy a few bunches of flowers in different fall colors and textures. Nancy chose red roses, yellow mums, red-yellow mums, and … jars to give them a vintage look. Save time by measuring flowers. Nancy’s time-saving hack is to trim one flower with pruners and remove foliage at the bottom of the stem. Place that …
Type: Blog
… Guillermo Patino has worked in the Grounds department since 1991, when he started out as a seasonal employee. He was promoted to Grounds crew leader in 2009. Patino has broad expertise in landscaping, particularly in pruning trees and shrubs. You can see his work at the Linden Allée—he does almost all the pruning. Also, Patino is the lead employee on the team that puts outdoor lights on the large trees for Wonderland …
Type: Staff bio
… Did you know that one in every three bites of food you take required a pollinator visit? Pollination is essential for many of our favorite foods—from almonds to vanilla, and so many fruits and vegetables in between. The decline of pollinators around the world is threatening not only our food supply …
Type: Blog
… at Threaded Films heard that the Chicago Botanic Garden’s first titan arum, Spike, might bloom in August, they immediately thought, “puppet.” An unusual thought, unless you happen to be … sewing room.) Jessica took the creative lead for shaping the titan puppet, which is made of foam. Paper templates came first; next came foam that could be heated, bent, sanded, carved, airbrushed, and painted. The spadix (the tall structure in the center) is made of lightweight, open-cell foam…with buttons for eyes. The puppeteer’s arm …
Type: Blog
