… dear to me: American’s national parks (I just planned a Grand Canyon/Arches trip for June!), and the power of nature to improve mental health. The latter article cites scientific evidence that nature makes us happier, more productive, nicer to each other, and—critically—more forgiving of ourselves. Additional evidence of this has been published in … even when Mother Nature doesn’t cooperate with our harvest, she doesn’t let us down. Nature is generally consistent, and when it isn’t, it is surprisingly consistent in its inconsistency. …
Type: Blog
… late in the season, the garden looked exceptionally lush—canes were tall, bloom was heavy, and November’s cold-but-not-freezing nights kept the last of the season’s flowers going through Thanksgiving. Finally, early 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 process that our staff uses to prep roses for winter is the same process you can use in your rose garden, too. Step 1: Prune canes. While early spring …
Type: Blog
… Spring is here, and the birds are returning from their winter homes. Some birds fly through the Chicago area to their nesting habitats up north, while others return and stay in the area. Spring is the season for laying eggs, because it gives the juvenile birds all summer to mature and …
Type: Blog
… time in nature can provide protection against cancer, high blood pressure, depression, stress, and more. Take a walk in nature to improve your mood and your health. A recent National Geographic article noted that advances in neuroscience and … rate to brain waves to protein markers—indicate that when we spend time in green space, ‘there is something profound going on,’” said University of Utah cognitive psychologist David Strayer. …
Type: Blog
… in ways that relate directly to their work. As the season progresses, new crops are harvested and introduced to our staff. A lot of these are vegetables they have never eaten or seen before. … and allyl sulfides, as well as thiosulfinates. Those are complicated words, but what they mean is that these compounds are being studied for their effects on blood pressure, cholesterol, and … http://www.agriculturejournals.cz/publicFiles/48446.pdf http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/tc/antioxidants-topic-overview http://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f1378 …
Type: Blog
… hillii ) blooming This thistle was not the Canada thistle ( Cirsium canadensis ), which is a non-native weed that is commonly seen along the roadsides and in your garden. What I stumbled on was Hill’s thistle ( Cirsium hillii ), considered rare in … drier prairies with less competition from taller plants. A number of species of bees visit and pollinate this plant. The plant is believed to be monocarpic, which means the plant dies …
Type: Blog
… shadowed water below. Doctoral student Lynnaun Johnson wades over for a closer look. Habitat is shrinking for this reclusive orchid, and he is using a unique approach to better understand the species’ uncommon lifestyle. During … to reach the widely dispersed plants. Each time he located an orchid, he looked past the plant and took a sample from the bark of its host tree. “What I’m interested in primarily is …
Type: Blog
… the 125th anniversary of the Chicago Horticultural Society, which created the Garden and manages it today. The roots of the Chicago Botanic Garden run deep. Ground was broken in 1965 … Horticultural Society was founded. To celebrate the Society’s 125th anniversary, the Garden is featuring two special exhibitions, lectures, and the launch of a commemorative book, Chicago … Fire of 1871 to the victory garden era through the present.” A view looking south from the site of the future Chicago Botanic Garden; low in the horizon is the city of Chicago (click on …
Type: Blog
… I thought: “I can smell winter.” It’s that subtle shift that you feel as the days click on, and we are led farther away from the beloved fall season. The days continue to get shorter, and the sun doesn’t seem to shine quite as bright so naturally; moods shift, and energy becomes … it all: lackluster moods, low energy, and even mild depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder is defined as depression associated with late autumn and winter, thought to be caused by a lack …
Type: Blog
… with Boyce Tankersley, director of living plant documentation, to see what’s in bloom and take in the different climates visitors can enjoy. In the Arid Greenhouse, we saw a number of species of aloe from South Africa just coming into bloom as well as cacti and succulents. In the Tropical Greenhouse, we were surrounded by palms and cycads while we … like pinkball dombeya ( Dombeya wallichii ). Native to East Africa and Madagascar, the genus is a highly sought-after ornamental in USDA Zones 9 and warmer. One of the rarest plants in our …
Type: Blog
