Month: April 2016

Healthcare Garden Design Certificate Program

In the summer of 2002, a large, multidisciplinary group of professors, healthcare providers, and design professionals gathered at the Chicago Botanic Garden to help form the curriculum of a new, original certificate program.

The goal of the Healthcare Garden Design Certificate Program was, and remains, to provide a useful, up-to-date, and engaging professional development opportunity in healthcare garden design that reflects the multidisciplinary nature of this emerging field, and allows participants the opportunity to focus their learning on topics of particular relevance to each person.

PHOTO: 2015 Healthcare Garden Design class.
The 2015 Healthcare Garden Design class
Photo by Carissa Ilg
PHOTO: Participants rest in the shade of a garden during a site visit as part of the Healthcare Garden Design course.
Gwenn Fried, a program instructor, having a conversation with 2015 program participant during a site visit to a healing garden as part of the Healthcare Garden Design Certificate course. Photo by Carissa Ilg

From the start, evidence-based design has been the core of this program, with a focus on using research results to design garden facilities that allow for and make possible specific health and wellness outcomes, while encouraging the design team’s creativity and the application of professional insight.

What you can expect to learn from attending this course:

  • Learn from key industry leaders why healthcare gardens constitute an essential component of customer-centered environments of care. Learn how these gardens positively impact patient health outcomes, stress reduction, and satisfaction, as well as employee retention, marketing activities, philanthropy, accreditation, and the bottom line.
  • Gain a more thorough understanding of how evidence-based design is fueling growth in healthcare gardens and restorative environments, and how research informs the design process.
  • Define best practices in this emerging field through collaboration with colleagues from a variety of professions.
  • Discover how healthcare gardens can lead to increased levels of outside funding and contribute to successful marketing activities.
  • Learn about the full range of benefits that therapeutic gardens make possible when used by health professionals including doctors, nurses, and horticultural, art, music, physical, occupational, and recreation therapists.
  • Engage in case studies, multidisciplinary group projects, field trips, and other learning activities that focus on the unique characteristics of healthcare gardens and their design for specific populations and facilities.
PHOTO: Splitting into teams, each group designs their own Healthcare Garden Design project to present at the end of the program.
Splitting into teams, each group designs their own healthcare garden design project to present at the end of the program. Photo by Carissa Ilg
PHOTO: Another team sketches out their Healthcare Garden Design.
Another team sketches out their healthcare garden design. Photo by Mark Epstein

The Healthcare Garden Design (HGD) program at Chicago Botanic Garden was one of the most information-packed programs I have ever attended. Every speaker was at the top of their field and imparted practical, useful information that I was able to take back to my special-needs school to use. I loved that the speakers had diverse backgrounds—which gave a well-rounded view of what healthcare gardens should entail. Because of what we learned at the HGD program, we were able to design a wheelchair-accessible therapy garden that meets the needs of all our students. The program gave us insight to avoid problems, add security and safety, and create a useful, beautiful garden for students with very complex needs. I can’t say enough about how valuable the HGD program was for my professional career as a special-needs educator with an extreme interest in horticulture therapy.
—Janel Rowe, Bright Horizons Center School, Bright Garden Project co-chair

Each cohort is composed of up to 24 professionals and students from throughout the United States and abroad.

Past participants include:

  • Healthcare executives, administrators, and facility managers
  • Landscape architects, architects, and garden and interior designers
  • Nurses, doctors, horticultural and other adjunctive therapists, and other medical professionals
  • Graduate students in degree programs in these fields

Upon completion of this program, the participant’s ability to design and promote healthcare gardens will be markedly improved. Someone who has completed the program will be capable of applying their knowledge, skills, and insight to the design of healthcare gardens for any population or facility.

What you won’t find in the marketing material—the exclusive intangibles of this course—is the experience of immersive learning from the broad range of distinguished instructors, in a spectacular setting. The Chicago Botanic Garden itself is a masterpiece of great design, and the classroom feels like an illustrious museum. The curriculum and instructors provide personalized and customized learning. Participants have created enduring friendships and professional relationships in this course.

There is no other course like this one; the Healthcare Garden Design certificate program provides a unique and extraordinary experience.

PHOTO: Final 2015 Healthcare Garden Design group presentations.
Final 2015 Healthcare Garden Design group presentations
Photo by Carissa Ilg.

Our next program begins May 11, 2016. Register for the Healthcare Garden Design certificate program today.

©2016 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org

You’ve Never Seen a Baptisia Like This Before

Be the first to grow these ten new plants—including Lunar Eclipse false indigo—just patented via the Chicagoland Grows, Inc. plant introduction program and on sale for the first time.

Purchase these new Baptisia and more online at Sooner Plant Farm and Bluestone Perennials.

Look for them at Chicago-area garden centers, said Jim Ault, Ph.D., who manages the program for the Chicago Botanic Garden. He’s proud of all of them, but two are special, said Ault, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Director of Ornamental Plant Research: Baptisia ‘Lunar Eclipse’, for its flowers that change from creamy white to deep violet as the plant ages, and Baptisia ‘Sunny Morning’, for its profusion of yellow flowers on dark charcoal stems.

PHOTO: Blue Mound false indigo.
Blue Mound false indigo
Baptisia australis ‘Blue Mound’
PHOTO: Lavender Rose false indigo.
Lavender Rose false indigo
Baptisia ‘Lavender Rose’
PHOTO: Lunar Eclipse false indigo.
Lunar Eclipse false indigo
Baptisia ‘Lunar Eclipse’
PHOTO: Mojito false indigo.
Mojito false indigo
Baptisia ‘Mojito’
PHOTO: Royal Purple false indigo.
Royal Purple false indigo
Baptisia ‘Royal Purple’
PHOTO: Sunny Morning false indigo.
Sunny Morning false indigo
Baptisia ‘Sunny Morning’
PHOTO: Sandstorm false indigo.
Sandstorm false indigo
Baptisia ‘Sandstorm’
PHOTO: Tough Love spiderwort.
Tough Love spiderwort
Tradescantia ‘Tough Love’
PHOTO: Pink Profusion phlox.
Pink Profusion phlox
Phlox × procumbens ‘Pink Profusion’
PHOTO: Violet Pinwheels phlox.
Violet Pinwheels phlox
Phlox ‘Violet Pinwheels’

Read more about these cultivars on the Chicagoland Grows website.

©2016 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org

Do-It-Yourself Seed Balls

Spring is seed season—and a good time to think about gifting seeds to gardeners, friends, and green-thumbed moms (think Mother’s Day, May 8).

Musing about how to share some of the seeds that she gathered at February’s Seed Swap, horticulturist Nancy Clifton got interested in the guerrilla gardening-inspired idea of “seed balls” (or seed bombs, as they’re sometimes called). While the guerrilla gardening movement leans toward stealth seeding, Nancy thinks seed balls make an ideal gift item—they’re easy to make, easy to “plant,” and an easy way to teach kids about germination.

PHOTO: Seed balls made with different recipes.
Clay powder gives seed balls a reddish color and even texture; using clay chips makes a slightly chunkier, greenish seed ball. Both work equally well.

Here’s the easy seed ball recipe:

  • 1 cup powdered clay or potter’s clay (can be purchased online)
  • ½ cup dried compost (the finer, the better—Nancy used a pre-bagged compost mix)
  • 2 tablespoons desired seeds (see seed choice section below)
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (to deter critters from eating the sprouts)
  • Water

Mix the dry ingredients; then add ½ cup water. Stir, then begin to judge the consistency. Wearing gardening or plastic gloves, roll a teaspoon-sized ball in your hands (size can vary). Think “mud pie”—the ball should hold together when you squeeze it, without crumbling or dripping water.

Roll all of the mixture into balls; then let the balls dry on newspaper or waxed paper for two or three days. Don’t worry about smoothness—rustic-looking seed balls are as interesting as marble-smooth. The color will change to dark red/terra cotta as the balls dry. This recipe yields about 24 seed balls.

About Your Seed Choice

  • Less is more. You only want a few seeds to sprout from each seed ball. Too many seeds mean too many sprouts, resulting in too much competition for nutrients and water.
  • All sun. All shade. All herbs. All spring. Choose seeds with similar needs to maximize success in their container or garden spot. Nancy’s variations:
    • All summer annuals
    • All lettuces
    • All cool-season herbs
  • Use organic, non-treated seeds from your own garden or from trusted sources.
  • Choose native species for flowers and perennials that will grow successfully in our USDA Zone 5 region. Be responsible: do not use seeds from invasive species.
PHOTO: Nancy handles finished seed balls using plastic gloves.
Wear plastic or latex gloves when making seed balls. The mixture tends to be very sticky, and clay can dry out your hands very easily.

Seed balls can be set into a container of potting soil (sink it down just a bit into the soil), or placed, randomly or intentionally, on bare soil in the garden. A rainy day is the perfect day to “plant” seed balls—rain helps to break down the clay and compost, giving seeds a good dose of food and water to get started growing.

Throw one in your garden. Fill an empty space. Gift a brown- or green-thumbed friend. And happy spring, everyone!

©2016 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org

Bonsai Master Walter Pall visits the Chicago Botanic Garden

It is with great pleasure that I announce that international bonsai master Walter Pall will be at the Chicago Botanic Garden, performing a demonstration on the collection’s oldest tree.

PHOTO: Bonsai Master Walter Pall contemplates his work.
Bonsai master Walter Pall contemplates his work.

Pall has performed on many international stages, and is one of the world’s most popular bonsai artists. He has visited the vast majority of European countries as well as South Africa, Australia, Canada, Israel, Argentina, Brazil, and the United States.

His lectures are a treat. Pall’s philosophy about bonsai demonstrations is first and foremost to provide a basis for high-quality bonsai work. He adds a substantial amount of explanation so that the audience can clearly understand his development process, and he tells amusing anecdotes along the way.

Please join us for Pall’s demonstration on Wednesday, April 13, from 6 to 9 p.m. Find additional information about Pall and see pictures of his amazing trees and work on his website at www.walter-pall.de.

Pall will work on a limber pine (Pinus flexilis) that was donated by Gerald Weiner in 2007. This tree was collected in Estes Park, Colorado, at about 10,000 feet in the early 1980s by Harold Sasaki, and is estimated to be around 800 years old.

PHOTO: The Garden's Pinus flexilis, or Limber Pine, estimated at 800 years of age.
The Garden’s limber pine (Pinus flexilis), estimated to be about 800 years old

Though he initially was looking for landscape material, Weiner could not resist purchasing this tree for a bonsai in 1987 on a collecting trip to the Rocky Mountains. This is the largest and oldest tree in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s collection, and it is an absolute honor to have Walter Pall come and work on it. This is a must-see event!

PHOTO: Bonsai master Walter Pall in the greenhouse.
Bonsai master Walter Pall in the greenhouse

©2016 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org

All-Season Nature Crafts for Kids

As a mom and working artist, I try to think of ways I can introduce my 3-year-old daughter to the outdoors and the power of imagination through craft projects. And as an employee at the Chicago Botanic Garden, I am inspired by all sorts of family programs and drop-in activities for kids and families that celebrate the outdoors.

What’s fun about nature art is that it starts with an adventure and ends with a surprise. For instance,  the “family of owls” that we created may appear in story time later.

Here are some of the nature-inspired activities and kid-friendly crafts that have come out of my journey as a mother and continue to get the best reviews from Laila, my toughest little critic.

Dirt is cool

Even when she was a baby, my daughter was intrigued by dirt. She is still fascinated by it, in any form. In the long winter, when we’re tired of being cooped up, we bring a little of the outdoors inside and put together a mud pie prep kitchen. Supplies include dropcloth, potting soil, spray bottle, pouring cups, pie plates, and sticks, rocks and/or sand for decorating.

PHOTO: Mudpie in progress.
Don’t forget to have an old towel underneath your creation station.
PHOTO: Laila holds her finished mudpie.
The finished muddy treat

Happiness is when mom says it’s OK to play with your food

This is the best way to distract a picky eater, or wow guests with an inexpensive dish you can design with your kids. Laila and I made these creations out of various fruits, vegetables, herbs, and cheeses.

PHOTO: A cheese and fruit plate in a holiday theme is fun for kids to graze.
Bite-sized holiday snacks are great for kids who graze.
PHOTO: A vegetable butterfly makes for delicious, healthy snacking.
A vegetable butterfly makes for delicious, healthy snacking.

It’s an outdoors treasure hunt

Laila and I start by taking adventure walks and filling our pockets or a basket with sticks, leaves, flowers, and other found art objects. Everywhere you look, there are free art supplies.

PHOTO: Laila through the year, enjoying the outdoors.
Every season has something outside to explore.
PHOTO: Sticks and grass make a portrait of our house; Laila works on a mulch sun.
We made a portrait of our house. Sticks and grass set the scene; Laila works on a mulch-made sun.
PHOTO: Onion skins provide the fall leaves for our tree painting.
Take gatherings inside to make nature scenes or collages inspired by the seasons. Here, onion skins provide the fall leaves for our tree painting.

Rock ’n’ roll with it

Hand-picked rocks can be collected, cleaned, painted, and polished to transform into precious stones with a story attached. Even little nature lovers can apply homemade or washable paint to their rocks before an adult adds a clear topcoat finish. The rock art can be used as a paperweight or embellishment to a potted plant. Add a pipe cleaner and clothespin to make it a photo holder.

PHOTO: Laila collects stones on the beach; the painted stones below.
Every child likes to collect rocks.
PHOTO: A photo holder made from a painted stone, clothespin, and colorful pipe cleaner.
Collected stones can be painted or polished as keepsakes. Here, we’ve added a pipe cleaner and clothespin for a photo holder.

Impromptu art

One day we found pine cones and added fabric, buttons, and ribbon to create a family of owls that found a new home in our Christmas tree. Another time we used sticks, wire, glitter, and beads to build a twinkling mobile.

PHOTO: A family of hand-made pinecone owls using buttons for eyes and ribbon feet.
A family of pine cone owls made great Christmas ornaments.

When the projects are done, we talk about what we made, where our supplies came from, and who we can share our creations with.

Some of my favorite childhood memories are of outdoor exploration with my mom. I hope Laila someday will feel the same way.

Want to get more nature into your child’s education? Learn about our Nature Preschool program.

©2016 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org