A Way to Brighten Your Birch Trees

As you walk near McGinley Pavilion this winter, you may notice that the white stems of the birch trees are especially clean and bright. That’s thanks to six Chicago Botanic Garden volunteers who rolled up their sleeves and gently scrubbed the lower limbs of 30 whitespire birch trees to reveal their brilliant stems. While it’s not necessary for the health of the trees, the task does make the trees more beautiful — and luckily, it is very easy to do at home. Read more here and watch a video on how to do clean your trees.

Winter Pruning with Dave Cantwell

As Horticulturist Dave Cantwell demonstrates, winter is a great time to prune trees and shrubs. Follow his tips to make all the right cuts. Want to learn more? Tim Johnson, Director of Horticulture teaches “Pruning Principles” each March, before trees come out of dormancy. For more information on this and other classes, visit the Joseph Regenstein Jr. School at chicagobotanic.org/adult_education.