… at the Chicago Botanic Garden, only one can compete with the flowers: the brides. Beautiful in their gowns, stepping delicately into the Krasberg Rose Garden or walking down toward the … gawk unabashedly…and let our thoughts turn to romance. Over the years, the Garden has been the site of many a romantic story for both staff and visitors. With summer in full swing—and romance … Garden that bears the dedication “Will you marry me?” (Scott asked Laura; she said yes) is still called the “marry me tree” by our staff. (Curious romantic? Find this unusual maple …
Type: Blog
… dyes instead. Dyes can be used on hard-boiled or fancy blown-out eggs. Most of what you need is probably already in your own kitchen and pantry. The tools you’ll need to create your own egg dyes Step 1: … which helps to set the color. Below are the dozen dyes and “recipes” that we tried, listed in order of color intensity (after about 20 minutes of steeping). Beets = Purple 1 large beet …
Type: Blog
… of the World Online hosted by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Centers of diversity are located in Mexico, China, and the Mediterranean nations. DNA research found that the European oaks are … oaks of China have diverged over very long time periods into several related genera. Quercus is the largest tree genus in the flora of North America (north of Mexico) with more than 90 species recorded. They range in …
Type: Blog
… environment and so involved with environmental issues. Her example inspired me to write Earth in the Balance. . . . Her picture hangs on my office wall among those of political leaders... … It all began with the book Silent Spring . My mother read about chemicals used in farming post-World War II and the decline of birds, and that was it; she had to take action. … Robert Frost’s familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end …
Type: Blog
… shears A large working surface Five heavier red-twig dogwood branches roughly 3/8 of an inch in diameter, cut into equal lengths. Heather recommends 30-inch lengths for a front door wreath. … 6-inch ties, but shorter ones will do) Five 1½-inch bundles of red-twig dogwood branches cut in roughly 22-inch lengths (or slightly more than two-thirds of the length of the base branches) … side of each star point. Next, position and secure shorter bundles of twigs until the base is completely covered. Cover the zip ties with raffia or ribbon. Knot in back. Add lights! You …
Type: Blog
… Boyce Tankersley, director of Living Plant Documentation, takes us on a tour of what’s blooming in the display gardens on the first day of fall. Sweeps of perennials on Evening Island, the cascading mums on the Visitor Center bridge, and masses of mums in the Crescent Garden are found in the boundaries of our formal garden areas. Our show doesn’t end there, however. Find gorgeous …
Type: Blog
… On a bright, sunny Saturday in June, more than 1,500 people came to see just what was happening inside the renovated paint store along Ogden Avenue in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. It was the opening weekend for the Farm on Ogden , … and jobs together under one roof. Visitors explored the 7,300-square-foot greenhouse, marveled in the blue-purple glow of the 50,000-gallon aquaponics system, and picked up vegetables grown in …
Type: Blog
… My Great Aunt Lila used to say that plants bring out the goodness in people. Her house in the Hudson Valley was full of exotic tropicals and orchids that she cared for meticulously. And yet she was always ready to give them away when anyone showed an interest in one, which for me was every visit. She would carefully divide an established plant that she …
Type: Blog
… While stores can’t keep Halloween and fall decorations in stock this year—supply chain issues or maybe gremlins—we’ve got some DIY ideas. With a little … that I’ve worked on over the years. These ephemeral projects celebrate what’s happening now in gardens and then fade as the wonders of the next season take over. Decorate it! Pumpkin Project Get the whole family involved in this fun activity. Give pumkins a quick coat of non-toxic water-based paint; then glue on …
Type: Blog
… getaway. Seeking a seasonal and local bouquet? Consider some of the dormant shrubs growing in your yard, said Heather Sherwood, senior horticulturist. A little advance planning can produce … 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. The bright yellow forsythia flowers will begin blooming in roughly a week, …
Type: Blog
