… Chicago Botanic Garden turns its educational programming attention—as well as its decorations—to the only plants that stay green through the season: the evergreens. We teach class after class of school children how to identify different kinds of evergreens by their needles and cones. It’s a lesson in … found in many places around the Garden. Bald cypress ( Taxodium distichum ) is called “bald” for a reason—its needles change color and fall in autumn just like deciduous trees such as maples …
Type: Blog
… them in urns outside, or in baskets inside. Tuck in berries, dried grasses, and seed pods to add color and texture. Add shallow baskets of chestnuts, acorns, and pine cones. Stack it! … and hydrangea, embellished with ferns and rose hips, poppy pods and nuts. Afix a paper clip to the back of the leaf, and you’ve got a holiday ornament. Pumpkin stack Use a “cheese” pumpkin … slate of cool season crops, such as fall cabbage and brussels sprouts, as well as inspiration for your own garden. We’re harvesting Jerusalem artichokes, horseradish, and onion, and planting …
Type: Blog
… will see our butterflies flying, sunning themselves, or resting in the foliage. If you happen to come to the exhibition just after a rain shower, and the sun is shining, it’s your lucky day, because … almost every one of our 200-plus butterflies started flying. They had been waiting all morning for this. The air in the exhibition was laced with pheromones from many different butterfly …
Type: Blog
… Landscape Waste Program As manager of horticulture services, Cindy Baker is responsible for the care and maintenance of more than 100 acres of ornamental landscaping. She also manages … 250 college students and public garden professionals. She also was the first project manager for the Skokie River Restoration Project—an 11-acre transformation of an eroded stream bank zone … events, and classes at the Garden since 1988. She is a regular guest on the WGN-TV Morning News "Botanic Backyard" segments. Baker is also a frequent speaker at the American Public Garden …
Type: Staff bio
… Helen Bartlett is the horticulturist for Evening Island, which was designed in the New American Garden style of landscape design, … on the Green Roof and the Evaluation Gardens. Bartlett then was assistant horticulturist for the Graham Bulb Garden, Aquatic Garden, and Viburnum Walk. She has been fascinated with the …
Type: Staff bio
… working on conservation genomics of Amsonia tharpii and reconstructing the evolutionary tree for Amsonia . My graduate school work focused on the systematics, taxonomy, and biogeography of …
Type: Staff bio
… Lisa Hilgenberg searched out several practical, good-looking, decently-priced solutions for bringing veggie vininess under control in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden . Forget …
Type: Blog
… are biased toward larger moths, overlooking the multitude of tiny ones. Despite this tendency to favor larger species, the average moth is actually quite small, though far from nondescript! … , the largest genus within the family Momphidae. Mompha are tiny moths characterized by 4- to 8-millimeter tufted forewings and distinct color patterns. Specimens up close: Mompha … North America, there are approximately 40 described species, or taxa, of Mompha . In addition to these identified species, a number of undescribed taxa are located throughout the North …
Type: Blog
… I manage the Plants of Concern, a citizen science rare-plant monitoring program designed to gather standardized, long-term regional monitoring data to detect population trends. The program is a collaboration of trained citizen scientists, land managers, and researchers using science to best conserve rare plants and habitats. In addition to our regional monitoring work, Plants of …
Type: Staff bio
… this week, our favorite came from 8-year-old Prairie! In the video below, Prairie wants to know, in essence, if she can transport Spike’s malodorous odor from the Chicago Botanic Garden to her classroom. Good question, Prairie! Conservation scientist Dr. Shannon Still has a fascinating response. Dr. Still will attempt to pollinate Spike’s flowers during bloom with pollen shared by our friends from The Huntington …
Type: Blog
