… Well, here we are with another titan arum in bloom at the Chicago Botanic Garden. (Java, the taller of our Titan Twins, began blooming at … might have two plants developing inflorescences at the same time. But it did not take too long to brainstorm some ideas on what we hope to learn from this rare possibility. The plants have …
Type: Blog
… iBudding and flowering trees and shrubs—redbud, plum, spirea, almond—are among the great joys of spring. Under the calm and creative eye of Field & Florist’s Heidi Joynt, we learned to turn those branches into lovely, living wreaths in a perfectly timed class at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Sterling Range heather ( Ciliatum …
Type: Blog
… Brian Clark is the manager of Plant Production, which includes nursery and greenhouse operations. He works with a talented team of growers to produce a complex and diverse range of plants for the Garden's programs, collections, and … since 1979, making him one of the Garden's longest tenured employees. He started as a grower in the greenhouses, became plant propagator, and ultimately moved on to manage the department. He …
Type: Staff bio
… Leo Melecio joined the Horticulture department as a seasonal employee in 1980. He grew up on a farm near Celaya, Guanajuato, Mexico, where he learned how to operate equipment and take care of plants. Within a few months, Melecio was promoted to …
Type: Staff bio
… How did the Chicago Botanic Garden end up sharing one of the most sought-after strawberry plants in the world with a three-star Michelin restaurant? The collaboration and conservation initiative began after Garden horticulturist Lisa Hilgenberg happened to meet Aaron Keefer, the culinary gardener for the renowned French Laundry restaurant in …
Type: Blog
… When spring unfurls, the trillium are among the stars of the native wildflowers—and in coming years, the show at the Chicago Botanic Garden will be even more spectacular. A … Timber Press, Portland, Oregon, 1997. The rhizomes were grown out in the nursery, and in two to three years, the Trillium plants will be replanted in areas to be determined throughout the …
Type: Blog
… As director of horticulture, Tim Johnson oversees and directs operations in the Horticulture division, which includes 27 display gardens, plant production, plant … for the Chicago Tribune and a weekly gardening tips column for the Daily Herald , and responds to other media request. He is a regular speaker at the American Public Garden Association's …
Type: Staff bio
… Spring is done and we’ve finally moved into summer bulb season! The annual beds have been replanted with sweeps of dahlias, cannas, caladium, and begonias to showcase these nonstop workhorses of the summer garden. Caladium bicolor ‘Raspberry Moon’, … garden because they provide both structure and color at a time when little else is blooming in the shade. The leaves emerge in a layered whorl, giving the plants a pagoda-like structure. …
Type: Blog
… Most people recognize a squirrel nest, called a drey , when they see one. The eastern gray squirrels in our region build dreys in trees for shelter and protection from the elements. What you see as … is actually a structure formed from sticks and then lined with leaves and other materials to make it a dry and cozy home. This month I was walking around my neighborhood in Chicago, and I …
Type: Blog
… Two tales of love, both about the same ravishingly beautiful flower, commonly called the lady’s slipper orchid. The first story has its roots in the ancient Greek myths. Flower legend says that the goddess Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) was out hunting with the handsome mortal Adonis, when a powerful storm forced them …
Type: Blog
