… 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 … Aloe plant care: Keep your new pups in direct sunlight. Lightly water them once a week for two to four weeks. Plants in a newspaper pot can be transplanted directly into a larger pot full of …
Type: Blog
… and where they go by building our own model insect. It was really easy—a fun and funny way to teach our kids about the different parts. You can build your own model insect at home, too. … one kind of insect. Coffee filters —Cut these each into six pieces for wings. You can see how to cut them from the photo of our completed insect below. Pipe cleaners —Cut these into 3-inch pieces for legs. Craft supplies to decorate and color your insect —Use feathers, googly eyes, crayons, gems, and tacky glue. …
Type: Blog
… 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
… are bursting with birdlife. Our restoration ecologists mapped out a route for anyone looking to stretch their legs and see which birds are perched, paddling, or passing through. 1. … nature trail also becomes a prime perch for watching the warbler migration as the oaks begin to flower. 2. Malott Japanese Garden As you make your way down the bike path toward the lake … their nest in 2024. In 2025, they successfully fledged a young osprey: tagged and weighed on-site by Cook County wildlife biologist Chris Anchor, with Garden staff assisting. With luck, you …
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 or other squat squash to create a wide, solid base, and then stack away. Add unexpected tinges of blue with Australian …
Type: Blog
… will have the same heavenly memory of the fragrance and flower. Over the years I have tried to bring the bounty of this flower into my home and have often failed. The flowers would droop … I had them in a clean vase full of fresh water. Through trial and error I found the trick to help the blooms last as long as possible: Fill a bucket Fill a bucket half full of fresh, cool … Place stems in the water. Leave the bucket in a cool, dark place and allow the flowers to take up water for at least an hour. Remove leaves Remove all of the leaves from each stem. …
Type: Blog
… 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 ‘Northern Sun’) Want to remember Mom on Valentine’s Day? Fragrant and long-lasting carnations can denote love for a …
Type: Blog
… reason for a walk through the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden ? Many consider winter to be the Japanese Garden’s most beautiful season. Its design emphasizes nature’s forms like … lumps of yews and junipers, resemble white boulders or fluffy clouds. Open-pruned pines, wired to maximize long and borrowed views, are natural snow catchers, offering up their own cushions of snow. Even the lanterns are designed to catch and display light snowfall. …
Type: Blog
… When plants are introduced to a new location, either intentionally or accidentally, they can spread prolifically, … dominate the landscape. Biologists are studying the mechanisms underlying a taxon’s ability to become invasive, but it can be difficult to predict whether or not a species will become invasive in a new habitat. With an increased …
Type: Research
… of plants, my research uses phylogenomic, collections-based, and experimental field approaches to explore the evolution and genetic diversity of underutilized crops and their wild relatives, … biogeography, and taxonomic revisionary work. I am also interested in applying findings to conservation of plant genomic resources and more sustainable agriculture. …
Type: Staff bio
