On a bright, sunny Saturday in June, more than 1,500 people came to see just what was happening inside the renovated paint store along Ogden Avenue in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago. It was the opening weekend for the Farm on Ogden, a joint project between the Chicago Botanic Garden and Lawndale Christian Health … Continue reading A Celebration for the Farm on Ogden
The hand-carved Buddha is in the house. A circa-1850 glazed Chinese jar is filled with green Cymbidium orchids native to Asia. And we’re pampering 10,000 other orchids so they’ll be in full flower for Asia in Bloom: The Orchid Show. Lighting crews, horticulturists, and dozens of other staff members are putting the finishing touches on Asia … Continue reading Behind the Scenes at Asia in Bloom: The Orchid Show
Gerit Quealy is passionate about the Bard of Avon. Her latest book, Botanical Shakespeare: An Illustrated Compendium of All the Flowers, Fruits, Herbs, Trees, Seeds, and Grasses Cited by the World’s Greatest Playwright (HarperCollins), is beautiful proof. She will talk Shakespeare at a lecture and book signing at 1 p.m. Sunday, October 15, at the … Continue reading Shakespeare’s Botanical Feast
While working out in the woods this winter, a small lump on the branch of a young elm tree caught my attention. At first I thought it might be a gall, or an injury that had healed-over. On closer inspection, the lump turned out to be a ruby-throated hummingbird nest from last summer. Although I see hummingbirds … Continue reading For Some Birds, Constructing a Nest Could Be a Stretch
Late summer was a great time for a visit to Windy City Harvest’s Legends South incubator farm. This summer, we hosted Katie Wilson, Ph.D., USDA deputy under secretary for food, nutrition, and consumer services (FNCS), who walked the entire two-acre site with us in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood. Dr. Wilson marveled at all the organic greens—kale, collard, lettuce, … Continue reading The Freshest Food for the Neediest Neighbors
