… Kramer’s lab at the Chicago Botanic Garden. My work involves investigating functional traits and diversity in plant communities, rare species conservation, and restoration ecology. My current projects include research into intraspecific trait variation … of hierarchical trait variation in plant competition, root-shoot trait covariation, and conservation of rare and threatened plant species. I manage a microproagation lab focusing on …
Type: Staff bio
… the opening weekend for the Farm on Ogden , a joint project between the Chicago Botanic Garden and Lawndale Christian Health Center (LCHC) that brings food, health, 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 the corner Windy City Harvest Youth Farm. The new Farm on …
Type: Blog
… 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. McDonald Woods Start near the intersection of Lake Cook and Green Bay Road. From the bike path, you may catch the lively red-headed woodpecker community … 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
… Inspired by the amazing diversity and utility 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, pollination, biogeography, …
Type: Staff bio
… 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 … plant that she had nurtured for decades, wrap up a chunk of the roots in a wet paper towel, and send me home on the five-hour drive holding a new precious plant in my lap. Her generosity …
Type: Blog
… lilacs on our farm in Kansas. The scent carried across the yard as I played. When my husband and I started our family, planting a lilac in our garden was a priority so our children 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 within an hour of bringing them inside, even …
Type: Blog
… background for your family pictures! No. 1: Crescent Garden Works great for: groups large and small. Chrysanthemums and Japanese maples in shades of burgundy and wine. No. 2: English Oak Meadow Works great for: families. As our silhouette “family” …
Type: Blog
… I am the Managing Ecologist for the prairie and river at the Chicago Botanic Garden. The natural areas I maintain at the Chicago Botanic Garden, which includes the 12-acre Barbara Brown Nature Reserve, 15-acre Dixon Prairie and the 22-acre riparian buffer of the Skokie River. Management includes but not limited to, … burns, tree removal, planting local genotype plants, maintaining our native nursery, and seed collection and sowing. Through my efforts, I will promote more diversity in our natural …
Type: Staff bio
… orchids in this genus are among the easiest to grow. These orchids do well in low light and don’t need much fertilization; give them a bit of food once a week from April to October. Phalaenopsis orchids don’t need much water so go easy on the hydration. And stay away from a common misconception about care: do not use an ice cube to water these … plants. Dendrobium These orchids can be a bit tricky to grow. Dendrobium orchids loves heat and humidity, but also ventilation. They like bright sun, but not direct sun. In summer, you can …
Type: Blog
… 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 asters and sunflowers in the English Walled Garden, Japanese anemones and Endless Summer hydrangeas in the Waterfall Garden, mums mixed with later blooming annuals …
Type: Blog
