… he has worked since 2001. As part of his job, he is the grower and buyer of all the plants for the seasonal annual displays, containers, hanging baskets, and specialty plant displays. He … the high-impact horticulture displays and unusual plants and flowers that the Garden displays to create excitement for plants. He has a bachelor of science degree in landscape horticulture, … University. Pollak writes for newspapers and other media and appears regularly on local TV news segments to discuss gardening topics. He is also a regular instructor for the Joseph …
Type: Staff bio
… a question we heard a lot from Spike’s visitors this past weekend. The titan arum, native to the rainforests of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia, was first “discovered” by Italian … is the date we put Spike on public view!) . Several weeks later, Beccari saw a flowering plant for the first time. He sent a few tubers and seeds to Florence, Italy, but the tubers all perished; a few seeds, however, eventually germinated. One …
Type: Blog
… Some vegetables are more satisfying than others when it comes to harvest. Parsnips are in that category. The sun was out, the air was crisp, and the nights were frosty: parsnip weather. Cold weather is actually a good thing for parsnips—in fact, they need it to convert the starch in their roots to sugar, transforming them from lowly, nose-turned-up roots …
Type: Blog
… the trees have dropped their leaves, the scenery appears brown and boring UNLESS you know what to look for. I’m talking about tree bark. Learning to identify trees by their bark can be a fun winter challenge. For starters, I’d like to share …
Type: Blog
… Ground was broken in 1965 and the Garden opened in 1972, but its underpinnings can be traced to 1890, when the Chicago Horticultural Society was founded. To celebrate the Society’s 125th anniversary, the Garden is featuring two special exhibitions, … “Wealthy individuals would send floral specimens by railroad from as far away as New York. For people in the Chicago area, that was astounding.” One fall flower show in 1899 drew more than …
Type: Blog
… Simone Gore is an assistant grower for outdoor floriculture in the Plant Production department. Her job includes producing high-quality plants for the Garden's seasonal displays, working with many of the annuals and tender perennials that … garden. Also, growing up near the Chain O'Lakes, she visited local nature preserves and grew to love the outdoors. …
Type: Staff bio
… ‘Tis the season for the harvest bounty at Windy City Harvest! Our staff and program participants are busy … staff, and local chefs. Windy City Harvest Youth Farm participants Our program has been lucky to develop wonderful partnerships with local chefs and restaurants. Many of these chefs, … is an essential component of the Windy City Harvest program. Program participants learn how to cook with produce grown on the farms, sometimes using fruits and vegetables that may be …
Type: Blog
… flower reflects onto the 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 March 2016 fieldwork in the Florida … deeper every day—even when it meant paddling his canoe within 10 feet of a sunstruck alligator to reach the widely dispersed plants. Each time he located an orchid, he looked past the plant …
Type: Blog
… horticulturists at the Chicago Botanic Garden transcend tradition on Valentine’s Day. Read on for thoughtful, unusual, and homemade floral gift ideas. Spouses can evoke their wedding day by … beautiful flowering branches from early-spring flowering shrubs, such as forsythia. Prune 2- to-3-foot lengths, put them in a container filled with water, and place them in a sunny location. … and serve double duty in the summer garden. Tim Pollak likes giving indoor blooming plants to friends and family, because they serve as a lasting reminder. Forsythia (Forsythia …
Type: Blog
… Terese Adamiec is the grower for outdoor floriculture in the Plant Production department. She focuses on growing and maintaining the annuals that are used in the display gardens for the spring, summer, and fall seasons. She also maintains the inventory of nonhardy plants … orders hundreds of varieties of seeds for seasonal displays, and delivers the finished plants to horticulturists throughout the year. Adamiec has been with the Garden since 2011, when she was …
Type: Staff bio
