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.
Category: Horticulture & Display Gardens
Learn more about the plants and gardens at the Chicago Botanic Garden.
Fall Color Alert
Boyce Tankersley, Director of Living Plant Documentation, shows us some of the best places to see fall color at the Chicago Botanic Garden right now. Come see the ever-changing fall display soon! Visit chicagobotanic.org/calendar for more information on fun fall events.
First Signs of Fall: Mums and Other Annual Displays
Tim Pollak shows us some of the plants he and his team grew in Production for the fall displays. The hanging mum hayracks have already been hung on the bridge from the Visitor Center. The mum ball containers will soon be moved to the Esplanade and the Crescent will soon be planted with the annuals Tim shows you in this video.
How to Create Lily Hybrids At Home
The Chicago Botanic Garden’s plant breeder, Jim Ault, shows you how he hybridizes lilies in his backyard. You can learn more about lilies at the Wisconsin-Illinois Lily Society Show on July 10 and 11 at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Visit chicagobotanic.org/plantshows for more information.
How to Identify and Pull Garlic Mustard
Joan O’Shaughnessy, ecologist at the Chicago Botanic Garden, shows us how to identify garlic mustard and explains the importance of removing it and other invasive plants to protect our native habitats. You can learn about this and so much more at World Environment Day at the Chicago Botanic Garden on June 5, 2010. Visit chicagobotanic.org/wed for more information.