How do you decide what to plant in a green roof bed? What will grow best? What will grow at all? We asked Richard Hawke, the Garden’s plant evaluation manager, about the plants they selected to evaluate in the Green Roof Garden. Talking in the shade of mature trees near the Plant Science Center, where … Continue reading Selecting and Evaluating Green Roof Garden Plants
It’s finally going to happen! Check out the many varieties of plants that will soon be planted in the Green Roof Garden. They are patiently waiting in the shade of mature trees near the building until important monitoring equipment arrives. The Green Roof Garden will be a living laboratory outfitted with equipment to monitor moisture levels in the growing … Continue reading Green Roof Garden plants in waiting…
Emily Shelton, who is the horticulturist for the Green Roof Garden, talks about the installation process of the green roof garden beds. Crews are still preparing the planting beds, but will be planting next week! Here we learn about the different layers of materials used to build the beds.
We dreamed green, from the moment we started planning the Learning Center on the Regenstein Learning Campus—in every solar panel we placed, in every window we installed, in every cleaning product we used. Recently, the hard work brought us national recognition. The Chicago Botanic Garden is pleased that the U.S. Green Building Council has awarded … Continue reading How We Dreamed Green: Platinum LEED Honor
Most perennials are deciduous. They go dormant when their above-ground parts die in the fall and then they rely on the energy and nutrient reserves stored in underground roots during the winter. But without a pretty blanket of snow all season, a garden can look drab and dead. Fortunately, there are some perennials with attractive … Continue reading Add green to winter drab—plant evergreen perennials
