… This year, the Chicago Botanic Garden commemorates the 125th anniversary of the Chicago Horticultural … and manages it today. The roots of the Chicago Botanic Garden run deep. 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 …
Type: Blog
… A dozen red roses say, “I love you,” but horticulturists at the Chicago Botanic Garden transcend tradition on Valentine’s Day. Read on for thoughtful, … 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 … 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. …
Type: Blog
… Barbara Raue is the Plant Production department's nursery supervisor. Many of the Garden's more unique and difficult-to-source plants are grown in the nursery. Raue started working at the Garden in 1986, as a horticulture intern rotating …
Type: Staff bio
… Of all the summer evening sights 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 … we onlookers stop in our tracks, smile goofily, 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 …
Type: Blog
… My daughters love fresh grapefruit—and birds. So we decided to keep the rind and make a bird feeder. This is a fun, easy project. The grapefruit sections … grapefruit and drain the remaining liquid. Then, use the skewer or knife to poke three holes in the grapefruit. They should be about half an inch from the top edge and spaced evenly around …
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. Also, growing up near the Chain O'Lakes, she visited local nature preserves and grew to love the outdoors. …
Type: Staff bio
… Oh, we love Netflix’s blockbuster series, the steamy period romance Bridgerton . But we’ve barely noticed all the sex and scandals in the show’s depiction of early nineteenth-century London high society. Nope, we’re too busy … Chicago Botanic Garden. Or in the intimate spaces of our Thomas English Walled Garden . Want to experience a sense of the show’s dreamy romance? Inside the English Walled Garden, past the …
Type: Blog
… So thoughtfully did the team from the Development Department (spearheaded by Lisa Bakker) brainstorm, gather, and plan for their wreath that it took them just two lunch breaks to assemble and decorate it. Monica Vachlon (administrative assistant of horticulture) and Jacob … heads (Green Ball dianthus), and Engelmann creeper vine (for the bow) were all collected in the Fruit & Vegetable Garden. Circle, Ring, Wreath This is a BIG wreath—great for an outdoor …
Type: Blog
… Now that most of 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 … like to share one of my favorites: the hackberry, Celtis occidentalis . Hackberry may not be in the top ten trees you think of, but maybe it should be. Take a look at the interesting texture …
Type: Blog
… To most people, the word “pollinator” is synonymous with the word “bee,” but only a fraction of plants are pollinated by bees. In fact, many different insects and mammals are pollinators—bats, birds, beetles, moths, and … leaves, buds, and flowers. How does scent play a role in attracting hawkmoths? Do moths use it for pollination? Or do they use it to find host plants to lay their eggs? Or maybe both? Hawkmoth …
Type: Blog
