Keep Growing Spring 2014

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Keep Growing SPRING 2014

Member Magazine and Program Guide



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We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life.

OFFICERS

Robert F. Finke, Chair Timothy A. Dugan, Vice Chair, and Co-Chair, Science & Education

John L. Howard, Vice Chair Thomas E. Lanctot, Vice Chair, Government Affairs Catherine M. Waddell, Vice Chair, Nominating & Governance Nicole S. Williams, Vice Chair, Finance & Investment Susan A. Willetts, Vice Chair & Immediate Past Chair,

Dear Garden Member, As the earth renews itself this spring, so too the Chicago Botanic Garden enters a time of new growth—for our hundreds of acres of plants and for our ambition to improve the Garden campus for your benefit. The facilities and infrastructure that support the Garden are a critical and often unsung part of our success. We strive to make sure Garden roads, walkways, bridges, and buildings are safe and provide the foundation for an enjoyable visit.

and Chair, Audit

Peter M. Ellis, Secretary Sophia Siskel, President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas F. Aichele Brayton Alley, ex officio Lindsey Axel, ex officio Sharon Brady Neville F. Bryan John H. Buehler Michael J. Busch Susan Keller Canmann David R. Casper Robin Colburn John C. Connery II Peter R. Crane John V. Crowe Jill M. Delaney James W. DeYoung Timothy A. Dugan Anthony L. Farino Peter B. Foreman John D. Fornengo Steve Fradkin Thomas C. Freyman Dorothy H. Gardner Steven J. Gavin Nancy Gidwitz Sue L. Gin James J. Glasser Ellis M. Goodman John K. Greene Charles V. Greener William J. Hagenah Caryn L. Harris Robert D. Hevey, Jr. Thomas B. Hunter III Jane Irwin Gregory K. Jones Todd Kaplan M. James Leider Benjamin F. Lenhardt, Jr. Laura M. Linger Daniel I. H. Linzer Alec Litowitz Josephine P. Louis Barbara A. Lumpkin Jeanne K. Mason Molly C. McKenna Michael J. McMurray Jeanine McNally Barbara J. Metzler, ex officio William E. Moeller Homi B. Patel George A. Peinado Janet Meakin Poor Anne Pramaggiore Toni Preckwinkle, ex officio Arnold Randall, ex officio Susan L. Regenstein John Rugel Ryan S. Ruskin Robert E. Shaw Tom Skilling Maria Smithburg Harrison I. Steans Pam F. Szokol Collette Taylor Richard L. Thomas Arthur M. Wood, Jr.

LIFE DIRECTORS

Marilynn B. Alsdorf J. Melfort Campbell Barbara Whitney Carr Gary P. Coughlan Suzanne S. Dixon Thomas A. Donahoe Ralph F. Fujimoto Florence S. Hart Pamela K. Hull Posy L. Krehbiel Bill Kurtis Donna La Pietra Mary Ann S. MacLean Robert H. Malott Mary L. McCormack Mary Mix McDonald Peter H. Merlin Jane S. O’Neil William A. Osborn John E. Preschlack Anne O. Scott David Byron Smith Susan Stone Howard J. Trienens Ernest P. Waud III

We would like to hear from you! Please direct comments or questions to editor@chicagobotanic.org.

Most recently, this winter, we improved dining by renovating the Garden Café. Beginning in April, in partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the Forest Preserves of Cook County, we will construct a bike trail connecting the Garden to the North Branch Trail System and the Green Bay Trail. Throughout 2014 we will continue to raise funds for major projects. These include the Education Center and garden on the Learning Campus and, on the Kris Jarantoski Campus, updated and expanded greenhouse and nursery facilities and an innovative new garden. Ultimately, we will all benefit from these important new Garden resources. So many of you have helped us achieve our fundraising goals to date, and for that I am extremely grateful. Yet, more financial support is essential. To learn why, please visit a new web page on our strategic plan website: chicagobotanic.org/projects. You will see a list of the projects, including the cost of each and how our fundraising has progressed so far (we won’t begin construction until we have raised 80 percent of the cost for each). The page also has links to more detailed descriptions. I hope you will consider making a contribution. This issue of Keep Growing announces one of my favorite spring events, the Antiques & Garden Fair, which this year features a presentation by renowned interior designer and Honorary Chair Miles Redd. We also highlight native orchid research at the Garden, describe the Chicagoland Grows™ program, and offer a comprehensive overview of our Science Career Continuum. With the beginning of spring, our urban agriculture jobs training programs will be in full swing. Inside this issue are two articles about Windy City Harvest: one describes our newest site atop McCormick Place, and one profiles a pair of hardworking interns. Closer to home, master gardeners and longtime Garden volunteers oversee a flourishing community garden that provides fresh produce to a local food pantry. Finally, you’ll meet one of the Garden’s most dedicated supporters, Marci Holzer, and one of the Garden’s best tellers of tales: Ed Valauskas, who writes monthly profiles of the Garden’s Rare Book Collection. Looking forward to seeing you at the Garden this spring, and with best regards,

Sophia Siskel photo by Richard Shay

DIRECTORS

Sophia Siskel President and CEO


Antiques & Garden Fair

Spring 2014 Features 2 Letter from President and CEO Sophia Siskel 6 Antiques & Garden Fair Highly anticipated spring event returns 8 Spring Events Japanese Garden Spring Festival, holiday brunches, and more‌ 16 McCormick Place Rooftop Farm Partnership creates largest in Midwest 18 Windy City Harvest Interns give as much as they get 21 From the Garden to the Community Cultivating plants, enhancing lives 22 Science Career Continuum Mentoring future plant scientists 26 Supporting the Garden Garden and Holzer family paths converge 28 Ask the Experts Easter lilies, starting seeds indoors 31 Meet Ed Valauskas Rare book sleuth and teller of tales 32 Plant Breeding Program Creating perennials for the Midwest 34 Saving Orchids with Science Expecting the unexpected 88 This Season in the Garden Spring means drama

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Keep Growing

Spring 2014

The Chicago Botanic Garden is one of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County. The Chicago Botanic Garden is smoke-free.

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Keep Growing is a registered trademark of the Chicago Botanic Garden and is a copyright of the Chicago Botanic Garden. No portion of this magazine can be used without written permission.

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Keep Growing (USPS 130) is published four times per year by the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022-1168. Volume 5, Issue 1, February 2014. Periodical Postage Paid at Glencoe, IL, and at an additional entry office in Pontiac, IL. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Keep Growing, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022. Carol Abbate Wendy Griffiths Amy Spungen Will Haffner and Kathe Stoepel Fran Sherman Julianne Beck, Nina Koziol, Tracy Marks, Helen K. Marshall, Adriana Reyneri, and Rochelle Rubinoff Bill Bishoff and Robin Carlson

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For more information, please visit Keep Growing online. keepgrowing.com ON THE COVER

Tower of Jewels (Echium wildpretti) adds springtime drama to the English Walled Garden. INSIDE COVER SPREAD

Springtime tranquility prevails at the Serpentine, a bridge curving gently between Evening Island and the west Lakeside Garden of the Great Basin.

Gail McGrath - Publisher & President Sheldon Levin - Publisher & Director of Finance Account Managers Elyse Auslender - Associate Marketing Director Sheryl Fisher, Arnie Harris, Mike Hedge Sales & Marketing Consultants: East Coast - Sandra Ourusoff & Associates Southwest - Betsy Gugick & Associates Midwest - David L. Strouse Ltd. Art & Production: Lauren Kurtz - Director Graphic Design: Lory Richards Operations: A.J. Levin - Director Willie Smith - Supervisor, Earl Love

Accounting: Josie Negron, Mary Ann Zawacki Web & Social Media: Steve Dunn, Melissa Gohde Published by Performance Media/Gail McGrath & Associates, Inc. All contents are copyrighted Š2014. All rights reserved. Nothing can be reproduced in any manner, whole or part, without written permission from the publisher. Performance Media/Gail McGrath & Associates, Inc. is a woman owned business. Advertising Terms & Conditions available at www.performancemedia.us

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Antiques & Garden Fair

Celebrate s p r i n g a t the 14th Antiques & Garden Fair. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s highly anticipated annual spring event, held indoors, welcomes fairgoers from Friday, April 11, through Sunday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A special Preview Evening is set for Thursday, April 10, from 6 to 10 p.m. Develop the unique character of your garden and home with garden furniture, antiques, vintage décor, and botanically themed merchandise offered by more than a hundred dealers at the Antiques & Garden Fair. Items suit every style and budget, from casual to formal. “Whether you are buying your first home, building your first garden, or looking to liven up what you already have, there’s something for everyone,” said Jodi Zombolo, director of visitor events and programs for the Garden. Popular vendors are returning this year, and new vendors will debut. In addition to unique antiques, items available for purchase include botanical prints, garden statuary, home accessories, and much more. Looking for garden inspiration? Explore exquisite indoor displays featuring the unique style of guest landscapers and designers, including Artemisia with Manfredini Landscaping & Design, Craig Bergmann Landscape Design, William Heffernan Landscapes, Schmechtig Landscape, and the Schwebel Company.

Miles Redd 6 chicagobotanic.org

This year’s Antiques & Garden Fair is highlighted with a presentation by Honorary Chair and guest lecturer Miles Redd. An interior designer and creative director of Oscar de la Renta Home, Redd is the author of

The Big Book of Chic. Copies will be available for sale during a book signing after the lecture. Redd’s lecture is set for Friday, April 11, at 11 a.m. Guest lecturer Danielle Rollins, preeminent hostess and tastemaker, shares her insight and expertise on Saturday, April 12, at 11 a.m. Rollins will sell and autograph her book, Soiree: Entertaining with Style, following her lecture. Complimentary wine tasting by Bonterra Organic Vineyards is available throughout the weekend. Attend the exciting Preview Evening on Thursday, April 10, and be among the first to shop. Details and tickets are available at www.chicagobotanic.org/antiques/preview or by calling (847) 835-6958. A weekend pass to the fair is included with each ticket purchase, proceeds benefit the Garden’s conservation, education, and research programs. Fair tickets may be purchased online or at the Visitor Center. One-day tickets purchased on or before April 10 are $12 for Garden members and $15 for nonmembers. Tickets pur- Danielle Rollins chased on or after April 11 are $15 for members and $18 for nonmembers. Children under 16 are free with an adult. A three-day fair pass is $20 for all. Lecture tickets include a three-day fair pass. Tickets purchased for the Miles Redd lecture on or before April 10 are $85 each. Tickets for the Danielle Rollins lecture purchased on or before April 10 are $75 each. A combined ticket to attend both lectures is available for $135. Garden members receive a $5 discount per ticket. The Antiques & Garden Fair is produced with Stella Show Management. Co-producers are Cathy Busch, Susan Canmann, Jen Kasten, Donna LaPietra, Jane O’Neil, Peggy Swartchild, and Artistic Director Bill Heffernan.

The official airline of the Chicago Botanic Garden


Antiques & Garden Fair

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Spring Events

Swing Into Spring with Special Events Malott Japanese Garden Spring Weekend Saturday and Sunday, March 22 and 23, and

Malott Japanese Garden Children’s Festival Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18 Experience Japanese culture as a family on these two special weekends. During Spring Weekend, enjoy an interactive suminagashi (marbleized paper) demonstration, traditional storytelling, and a koto harp performance in the Alsdorf Auditorium and Fairchild Room from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Children’s Festival demonstrations and performances include a tea ceremony, shakuhachi flute, traditional storytelling, and koto harp in McGinley Pavilion. Enjoy related activities from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Be sure to tour the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden during your visit.

Easter Day Brunch Saturday, April 20, and Mother’s Day Brunch Sunday, May 11 Gather with your loved ones for celebratory meals in a setting like no other. Easter Egg Brunch participants enjoy a buffet meal in Nichols Hall and an Easter egg hunt in the Krasberg Rose Garden. Adult tickets are $30 for members and $38 for nonmembers. Children’s member tickets are $24 and nonmember tickets are $29; children 3 and under are free. A sumptuous brunch on Mother’s Day offers abundant selections and includes a carving station. Adult tickets are $54 for members and $60 for nonmembers. Children ages 3 to 12 are $25 for members and $28 for nonmembers. Children under 3 are free. Reserve your preferred seating time for either event today! Parking is included in both event fees. 8 chicagobotanic.org

Chicago Flower & Garden Show: “Do Green Do Good” Saturday, March 15 – Sunday, March 23 Chicago Botanic Garden experts lead a variety of gardening demonstrations in addition to answering questions at a plant information booth during this year’s Chicago Flower & Garden Show, which is themed “Do Green Do Good.” This weeklong event at Navy Pier features more than 25 indoor display gardens. Garden members receive a $4 discount per ticket by presenting their membership card at the show’s box office (no other discounts apply). See chicagoflower.com for more information.

Tram Tours Begin Saturday, April 19 Set off on a Garden adventure with a choice of two narrated 35-minute tram tours! Learn the history and science of the Garden as you tour its periphery on the Grand Tram tour. Optional stops allow riders to walk selected areas. Sit back and relax during the Bright Encounters Tram tour, which carries you through the main island’s seasonally changing colors and landscapes. Adult tickets are $6 per nonmember or $5 per member. Senior tickets are $5 per nonmember or $4 per member. Children ages 3 to 12 are $4 per nonmember and $3 per members. Children under 3 are free. Trams are wheelchair accessible. Garden Plus members ride free on Wednesdays.



March Ongoing

Calendar

The Orchid Show through March 16, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, Regenstein Center; fee applies. Rare Book Exhibition: Exotic Orchids: Orchestrated in Print through May 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, until 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday to Sunday. Saturday, March 1 Weekend Family Class: Homemade Ice Cream 9:30 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Monthly Photo Walk 9 a.m.; meets in Alsdorf Auditorium. Sunday & Monday, March 2 & 3 2014 Volunteer Opportunity Fair 1 to 3 p.m., Fairchild Room. Mondays, March 3 – 31 Story Time 10 to 11 a.m. Mondays & Wednesdays, March 3 – April 9 Botany 1, Spring Session 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. or 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Tuesdays, March 4 & 11 Tuesday Morning Music 10 to 11 a.m., Alsdorf Auditorium.

Sunday, March 16 Weekend Family Class: Tropical Terrarium 9:30 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Thursdays, March 20 – May 1 Calligraphy and Floral Decoration 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Friday & Saturday, March 21 & 22 Behind-the-Scenes Greenhouse Tours 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Saturday, March 22 Exhibition: Nature in View through April 6, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, Joutras Gallery. Saturday & Sunday, March 22 & 23 Malott Japanese Garden Spring Weekend 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, March 24 Fergus Garrett: A Conversation on Color 2 to 4 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Saturday, March 29 Weekend Family Class: Gumballs & Superballs 9:30 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies.

Wednesday & Friday, March 5 & 7 ScreenBreak Family Activities 10 to 11 a.m.

Saturday – Sunday, March 29 – 30 Northern Illinois Gesneriad Show & Sale noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Saturday & Sunday, March 8 & 9 Illinois Orchid Society Show & Sale 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Burnstein and Nichols Halls.

Sunday, March 30 Midwest Fruit Explorers Grafting Workshop 1 to 4 p.m.

Sunday, March 9 Free Library Talk: “Exotic Orchids: Orchestrated in Print” 2 p.m.

Monday, March 31 – Friday, April 4 Spring Break Camp 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies.

Wednesday, March 12 Tai Chi 8 to 9 a.m. or 9:15 to 10:15 a.m.; preregistration required; fee applies.

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Saturday, March 15 – Sunday, March 23 Chicago Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier Members enjoy discounted admission at the box office with proof of membership.


Calendar &&Garden Antiques FairFair Antiques Garden

April Ongoing

Thursday, April 17 Getting the Most Out of Your CSA 10 to 11:30 a.m.; preregistration required; fee applies.

Rare Book Exhibition: Exotic Orchids: Orchestrated in Print through May 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, until 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday, April 19 Exhibition: The Hidden Beauty of Moths through August 17, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Joutras Gallery.

Saturday, April 5 Small-Space Food Gardens 1 to 3 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Monthly Photo Walk 9 a.m.; meets in Alsdorf Auditorium. Sunday, April 6 Weekend Family Class: Gumballs & Superballs 9:30 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Mondays, April 7 – 28 Story Time 10 to 11 a.m. (No Story Time on April 1.) Mondays, April 7 – May 12 Colored Pencil Drawing Course 6 to 9 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies.

Scout Seasonal Workshop: Earth Day 12:45 to 3 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Tram Tours begin 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily (weather permitting); fee applies. Sunday, April 20 Easter Egg Brunch 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., or 1 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Saturday, April 26 Earth Day Walk to McDonald Woods 1 p.m.; meet at the What’s in Bloom cart in front of the Visitor Center. Saturday & Sunday, April 26 & 27 Midwest Daffodil Society Show noon to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday.

Antiques & Garden Fair Friday – Sunday, April 11 – 13 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

Preview Evening Thursday, April 10 6 to 10 p.m.

Lectures Friday, April 11: Miles Redd 11 a.m. Saturday, April 12: Danielle Rollins 11 a.m. See pages 6 and 7 or visit chicagobotanic.org/ antiques for more information about the Antiques & Garden Fair. Fees apply for all events.

Wednesday, April 9 Member Event in Garden Café 5 to 7 p.m.; complimentary, but preregistration required.

The Forest Preserves Connection Most visitors to the Chicago Botanic Garden don’t realize that it occupies 385 acres of land owned by the Forest Preserves of Cook County and receives millions of dollars of support from the Forest Preserves each year. Throughout the past four decades, this successful public-private partnership has grown, inspiring and educating millions of visitors and contributing to vital research on the plants and ecosystems on which we all rely.

Sandhill cranes, Deer Grove East Forest Preserve, Palatine, Illinois

The Forest Preserves is celebrating its 100th anniversary through 2015. The agency is marking this important milestone with events, long-term planning efforts, program innovations, outreach to new audiences, and ambitious “legacy projects” designed to benefit the Preserves for decades to come. Watch future issues of Keep Growing for the latest news from the Forest Preserves. And be sure to stay connected with the Centennial Celebration at fpdcc.com/100. www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar 11


Calendar

May Ongoing Rare Book Exhibition: Exotic Orchids: Orchestrated in Print through May 11, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, until 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Exhibition: The Hidden Beauty of Moths through August 17, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Joutras Gallery. Saturday & Sunday, May 3 & 4 Central States Dahlia Society Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Glenview Northshore African Violet Show & Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 3 Meditation Walk: The Cycles of Life 8 to 10 a.m.; departs from Visitor Center. Preregistration required; fee applies. Monthly Photo Walk 9 a.m.; meets in Nichols Hall. Sunday, May 4 Farmers’ Market 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays, May 3 – 17 Spring Garden Walk 1 p.m.; meets at the What’s in Bloom cart in front of the Visitor Center. Saturday, May 10 State of the Garden Address Join President and CEO Sophia Siskel for an informal address and review of the Garden’s accomplishments, goals, and expectations for the future. 11 a.m. to noon. Model Railroad Garden: Landmarks of America opens 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (weather permitting); fee applies. Saturday & Sunday, May 10 & 11 American Rhododendron Society—Midwest Chapter Show and Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

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Sunday, May 11 Mother’s Day Brunch 9 a.m., 11 a.m., or 1 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies.

Friday & Saturday, May 16 & 17 Behind-the-Scenes Greenhouse Tours 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Wednesday, May 14 Gardens That Heal: A Prescription for Wellness, Healthcare Garden Design Certificate Seminar 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies.

Saturday, May 17 Edible Gelatin Art: Rose and Daisy 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies.

Discovery Programs in the English Walled Garden, Malott Japanese Garden, and Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Plant Giveaway 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday to Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden. Friday, May 16 Rare Book Exhibition: Moku Hanga: the Art of Japanese Woodblock Printing through August 10,10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, until 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, noon to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday & Sunday, May 17 & 18 Malott Japanese Garden Children’s Festival 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Midwest Bonsai Society Spring Exhibition 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, May 22 Grapevines & Wines 6 to 8 p.m., McGinley Pavilion; fee applies.



Looking Ahead

Three Friends of Winter

Emerald Ash Borer Update and Free Seminars The emerald ash borer’s impact has been far-reaching both within the Chicago Botanic Garden and in the region. Already, the Garden has lost more than 85 trees in the ornamental collection, and another 1,400 trees are infested in McDonald Woods. The Garden, in partnership with SavATree, presents two free seminars for members on May 16 and 17 to explain the Garden’s emerald ash borer management plan and advise on what you can do to preserve your trees. To register, see page 45.

Grapevines & Wines Bottoms-up for the second annual tasting event on Thursday, May 22. Sip samples of wines from around the world and enjoy light fare and wine by the glass for purchase. This event takes place in the scenic McGinley Pavilion from 6 to 8 p.m. Tickets purchased in advance are $25 for members and $30 for nonmembers. Day-of tickets are $28 for members and $33 for nonmembers. Tickets are on sale at chicagobotanic.org/wines.

Butterflies & Blooms Awakening butterflies stretch their wings before your eyes in this vibrant exhibition. Located in a white mesh tent on the lawn of the Learning Campus, the display includes butterfly gardens and fluttering insect species from around the world. Open from May 24 to September 1, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (weather permitting). Free for Garden Plus members on Wednesday.

World Environment Day Enrich your world and awareness of current environmental topics with a panel discussion, special programs, and fun activities for all ages at the Garden on Saturday, June 7. Bring plastic plant containers and electronics for recycling from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Educational displays and activities take place from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tom Skilling, WGN-TV’s chief meteorologist and a Garden board member, will give a keynote presentation. Generously supported by Baxter International, Inc., Illinois Tool Works, UL, Acme Refining, American Airlines, and Bartlett Tree Experts.

Evenings Linger longer at the Garden during extended summer hours from Saturday, June 7, to Monday, September 1. Strike up the fun with special live music performances for all ages, four nights a week. Generously supported by Make It Better. Hot Summer Nights and Music on the Esplanade are generously supported by Lagunitas Brewing Company.

Show of Summer Six Chicago-area garden clubs affiliated with the Garden Club of America present the competitive exhibition My Kind of Town at the Garden on Saturday and Sunday, June 21 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The event includes classes and an exhibit on seed banking and conservation. The event includes exhibits on horticulture, floral design, and conservation, plus lectures by experts on garden history and design, as well as botanical art. 14



Garden Launches Largest

Something big is growing in just 4 inches of soil on the roof of McCormick Place: the largest farm-to-fork rooftop garden in the Midwest. During its first year in 2013, the 20,000-squarefoot garden yielded two tons of produce, with future output expected to as much as triple.

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at McCormick Place The operation atop the west building of the Chicago convention center enters its second year as one of two new additions to programs managed by Windy City Harvest, the Chicago Botanic Garden’s urban-agriculture jobs-training program (see right sidebar on the second program, incubator farms). The vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers are purchased by SAVOR...Chicago, the convention center’s food service provider, which uses them in catering and restaurant operations. “For me, nothing beats fresh produce. Something ripened on the vine always tastes better than something ripened on the truck,” said an enthusiastic Vincent Lai, SAVOR’s director of culinary services at McCormick Place. “If our own staff says ‘This is good!’ it must be really good, because they deal with food every day.” A driving force behind the project is Angela Mason, the Garden’s director of urban agriculture, who envisions all three acres of what originally was designed as a green but nonproductive roof eventually converted to farming, making it the largest rooftop farm in the nation. Mason showed her talent for carpe hortum when Connie Chambers, general manager of SAVOR…Chicago at McCormick Place, approached her with a proposal for the concrete display planters on the fifth floor Terrace Garden. “I said, ‘This is great, we can do this, but what about that?’ I pointed to the shallow space (planted with sedum) and she said ‘OK, we can do that too!’” The rooftop farm advances the Garden’s ongoing priority of promoting local, sustainable agriculture, provides handson training for Windy City Harvest students, and offers employment to participants in its transitional jobs program for ex-offenders. Windy City Harvest is developing a new certificate in rooftop farming to join its established urban agriculture certificate program. The requirements of serving more than 3 million people a year outstrip the rooftop’s output, Chambers acknowledged. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t grow enough to make an impact,” she said. Plus, she and Lai agreed, “It’s the right thing to do.”

Creating the Next Generation of Farmers: Legends Farm Windy City Harvest is growing farmers on Chicago’s South Side. The program’s new Legends Farm site at 45th and Federal Streets lies within the footprint of what was the old Robert Taylor Homes public housing project. Legends takes its name from the adjacent Legends South mixed-income development, where Windy City Harvest already manages a successful community garden. Two beginner or “incubator” farmers started growing their crops in raised beds at the two-acre site early this spring. These Windy City Harvest graduates have completed the nine-month certificate program; taken another required course, Business and Entrepreneurship for Local Foods; and are working toward careers in urban agriculture. Each received a quarter-acre of land to work, along with shared tools, cooler space, and the guidance of an on-site farmer. Come harvest, they will receive help marketing their crops. The three-year training and incubator project is funded by a $750,000 grant from the Beginning Farmers and Ranchers Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA. It is another example of opportunity seized by Angie Mason when she was approached by Legends South development company Brinshore-Michaels about operating a community garden on the property. “I said that we can do the community garden, but wouldn’t it be great if we also had a farm,” said Mason. “They loved the idea.” Visit chicagobotanic.org/windycityharvest for more information. Many dedicated supporters make Windy City Harvest possible. For a complete listing of donors, see page 86.

Crops grown at the McCormick Place rooftop garden in 2013 included kale, collards, Swiss chard, bok choy, romaine lettuces, baby greens, hot peppers, sweet peppers, bush beans, yard-long beans, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, carrots, golden beets, turnips, cippolini onions, radishes, bulb fennel, garlic, chives, dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, nasturtium, fennel flower, alyssum flower, lavender, rosemary, mint, and thyme. chicagobotanic.org 17

Garden News/Urban Agriculture

Rooftop Farm in Midwest


Urban Agriculture

Windy City Harvest Interns Give as much as They Get The three-month internship taught them to grow beautiThe plants grown in the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable ful, functional gardens, said Vazquez, who worked in an Garden represent much more than food. The crops show after-school drug-prevention program before enrolling in visitors a range of growing techniques and prove the posWindy City Harvest as part of a midlife career change. sibility of organic farming. The fruits and vegetables are Vazquez said she learned “something new every day,” sold at farmers’ markets, supply fresh produce to people including beekeeping, natural pest control, and native living in Chicago’s food deserts and, at the same time, plant gardening. provide support for the Chicago Botanic “When I watch the stuGarden’s urban agriculdents stretch and strive “When I watch the students stretch and strive and take ture initiatives. and take on new reon new responsibilities, it’s clear to me we are growing sponsibilities, it’s clear The produce also more than just edible plants.” to me we are growing inspires interns in the more than just edible Windy City Harvest — Lisa Hilgenberg, Garden horticulturist plants,” said Fruit & program. Vegetable Garden hor“Food is more than a ticulturist Lisa Hilgendaily life necessity, it is berg, who supervised a link to our cultures, the students. “It’s also economies, industries, clear that the interns and environments,” give much back to the said Sophie Krause. Garden as they take She is a recent graduate their classroom experiof the Garden’s accredence and apply it to this ited nine-month urban living laboratory.” agriculture certificate Windy City Harvest program, offered in students are placed in partnership with the internships matching Richard J. Daley their professional goals College, one of the and interests. Krause City Colleges of Chiand Vazquez acquired cago. Krause earned Windy City Harvest interns Sophie Krause (left) and Myrna Vazquez (right) market-management her undergraduate practice their market-management skills at the Garden’s Farmers’ Market. skills by staffing the degree from the Garden’s bimonthly University of California Farmers’ Market. “Nothat Santa Cruz. ing feels better than working hard to harvest for market, Krause and fellow intern Myrna Vazquez began interning where I get to see the whole system come full at the Fruit & Vegetable Garden last summer, after comcircle—from planting a seed to feeding a customer to helppleting the first six months of the certificate course at the ing the Windy City Harvest program grow,” Krause said. Daley College’s Arturo Velasquez Institute. The women “Today’s food system demands a revival, and it feels food built on urban farming techniques they had learned, such good to be part of that process.” as testing soil, prepping raised beds, starting seeds, and Many dedicated supporters make Windy City Harvest possible. planting, as they began growing, harvesting, and marketing For a complete listing of donors, see page 86. produce alongside the Fruit & Vegetable team. 18 chicagobotanic.org/windycityharvest


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Cultivating Plants, Enhancing Lives Since its inception in 2006, the Moraine Township “Pantry Plants Garden Project“ has provided freshly grown produce to 130 local families each summer. It thrives due to one ground-breaking concept, two talented and dedicated master gardeners who honed their skills at the Chicago Botanic Garden, and three municipal agencies working cooperatively together. Sandra Washburn and Linda Mihel are neighbors, friends, and volunteers who coordinate and oversee the Pantry Plants Garden Project. After retiring from teaching high school, both women completed the University of Illinois Extension master gardener program at the Garden. They have spent much time volunteering at the Garden, but volunteer director Judy Cashen is excited to see them volunteering “beyond the Garden walls, and giving back to the community in a way that is extraordinary and meaningful.”

County; the North Shore Health Center; and the Park District of Highland Park, which donates and tills the land in Woodridge Park. The garden consists of a large plot for growing produce for the pantry and 20 family plots. Since it began, the program has grown and improved and is generously supported by local businesses, nonprofits, and community members who donate plants, seeds, and time. Washburn and Mihel lead the way. “They just keep giving and giving and giving,” Moraine Township Supervisor Anne Flanigan Bassi said. “Weeding, watering, harvesting—they do it all. It definitely wouldn’t be the garden it is without them.” The garden’s bountiful harvest—bushels and bushels of various lettuces, broccoli, beans, tomatillos, kale, swiss chard, tomatoes, zucchini and more— provides healthy options not always affordable to food pantry clients and the participating families who opt to grow their produce from planting to harvest.

Their work ties in perfectly with the mission of the Garden: “We cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life.”

“Sandy and Linda make a real difference in the lives of our food pantry users, and we are grateful to the Chicago Botanic Garden for sharing these amazing volunteers,” said Bassi. “I am not sure we would be able to supplement our pantry with the quantities of fresh produce we offer without their help.”

While both Washburn and Mihel have been gardening all of their lives, the master gardening program offered at the Garden took their skill set to a whole new level. They credit the program for giving them a new appreciation of the artistry involved in gardening. “We received so much information, especially about the importance of native plants,” Mihel said. The project is a joint venture involving Moraine Township, which serves residents in need within southeast Lake

If you would like more information about the Pantry Plants Garden Project, contact Anne Flanigan Bassi at (847) 432-3240 or super@morainetownship. org. Visit chicagobotanic.org/school/mastergardener/ for information about the master gardener program.

Volunteers extraordinare Sandra Washburn (left) and Linda Mihel. 21

chicagobotanic.org 21

Community Gardening

Antiques & Garden Fair

Taking lessons from the Garden into the community


AntiquesCareer Science & Garden Continuum Fair

Enriching the Lives of Future Plant Scientists Science Career Continuum

Earth is home to all of us.

The Science Career Continuum consists of five programs:

Protecting natural resources,

•S cience First, a four-week enrichment program for students in grades 8 through 10.

promoting sustainability and conserving

endangered

plants calls for training talented scientists from wide-ranging ethnic and cultural

Science Career Continuum. This innovative

• Conservation and Land Man-

program engages Chicago Public School

agement (CLM) internship,

Chicago Botanic Garden developed a multifac-

students from diverse backgrounds in meaningCollege First

ful scientific research, and mentors them from CLM

middle school REU through college andInternship beyond. Through this initiative, the Garden is

Sci

helping to produce the next genera-

irst ce F n e

tion of dedicated land stewards

You

and conservation scientists.

ea est L rners g n

The

Garden’s

learners

youngest

begin

attending

nature-based programs as babies

with

caregivers,

move into Camp CBG and other educational programs and

family

activities

as

toddlers, and continue their nature-based

learning

through

camp, after-school, and family programs as children and teens.

22 chicagobotanic.org/continuum chicagobotanic.org

offered through the Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management,Graduate and held in 13 western states. Program

Co

eted, plant-based education program called the

• Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU), a ten-week summer science research-based internship supervised by a Garden scientist and funded through a National Science Foundation grant. In 2014, three College First graduates will participate.

experiences. To help address this need, the

tinuum

•C ollege First, an eight-week summer internship for high school juniors and seniors with monthly meetings during the school year.

e First lleg

•G raduate programs in plant biology and conservation offered jointly with Northwestern University for masters and doctoral students.

All interested students must first apply to the various programs within the Continuum. “We encourage the most interested and talented students to move through the program from Science First to College First, then to the very competitive Research Experiences for Undergraduates program, then to the post-college Conservation and Land Management internship, and on to graduate school,” said Kathy Johnson, director of teacher and student programs. “Each level of the Continuum challenges students to improve their science skills, building on what was learned at the previous level and preparing them for the next.” The Science First program offers 40 middle school students a chance to explore the Garden’s natural areas, learn about


C

Internship M L

plants, learn how to conduct scientific research, and develop a presentation. College First is a paid eight-week summer internship for up to 20 qualiExperien h c fied students. r c ea The program immerses them in field ecology and conservation science as they work alongside the Garden’s research, horticulture, and education staff. During the school year, College First students also attend monthly meetings that help them select colleges, complete applications, and find financial aid to continue their education.

Arellano and Robert Harris III, received full scholarships to universities beginning last fall [fall 2013].

Res

nde for U rgrad es

Arellano is a freshman at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina. She took part in the College First summer program in 2011 and 2012, assisting in the Harris Family Foundation Plant Genetics Laboratory and learning how to extract DNA from leaves. “The program enabled me to meet new friends who were interested in the same things,” she said. “Also, I learn by seeing, and in class they’d discuss the concepts, such as how local resources like coal-burning plants affect our environment, and then we would take field trips.”

tes ua

One excursion was to a coal plant near her home in Chicago. “The scientists make you aware of issues close to home. We talked about alternative sources of energy and the associated costs,” she said. “It was an aspect of science that made me love the topic more than ever before.”

Real-world learning in a living laboratory

Harris is a freshman at Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota. He attended the College First program during his junior and senior years at Lane Tech High School in Chicago. Part of his internship involved extracting plant DNA and looking at genetic markers in the genus of plants called Artocarpus, which includes breadfruit and jackfruit.

“Students aren’t just learning from a book or a prescribed Science indoor lab experiment,” said Johnson. “They are learning Science fromCareer the real world, from professionals who Career put into practice the scientific methods that students read about in Continuum school.” Spending summer outdoors among the Garden’s 385 Continuum acres of plants or in its sophisticated laboratories with like-minded students is a plus. “The Garden is a learning laboratory with a restored prairie and a woodland, and scientists who are advancing biological and ecological research,” said program specialist Jorie Glassner. Science Career Continuum

SCC

“We also took field trips to places like Argonne National Laboratory and to a high-ropes obstacle course,” Harris said. “The point was teaching people how to navigate obstacles and work together.” The program also provided field trips to universities in Wisconsin, Michigan, and elsewhere.

SCC

More than 94 percent of College First graduates attend two- or four-year colleges, and many are the first in their family to attend college. Three students, including Marlene

Science First

College First

Harris characterizes his internship as a great experience despite a three-hour daily round-trip commute to the (Continued on page 25)

REU

CLM Internship

Graduate Program

chicagobotanic.org 23

Science Career Continuum

am

duate Prog Gra r



Below: CLM interns gather for training in 2013.

The rewards are evident. “The Science Career Continuum opens the door to a lot of opportunities for students who might not otherwise have them,” Glassner said. “It sets them on a path that is engaged with science.” Garden. “You get out of the city and experience nature close up,” he said. “The Garden itself is one big laboratory, and it was a lot more hands-on than in high school.” Isobel Araujo is a senior at Whitney Young High School in Chicago. She attended the College First program in 2011 and 2012. “I spent some days doing orchid research with undergraduate and graduate students in the science labs,” said Araujo. “I had no idea that orchids grew in Illinois, and I didn’t ever think I’d be handling lab equipment or analyzing soil samples. It was definitely challenging, but it was awesome.” Araujo was also introduced to writing formal reports, estimating budgets to fix hypothetical ecological problems, and honing her negotiation skills. “We might talk about how to restore degraded dunes or how to take care of pollution runoff from a stream,” she recalled. “There’s a lot more you have to know. For example, there are policy and economic issues to consider.” Araujo plans on majoring in environmental studies.

Mentoring is key “Perhaps the most meaningful aspect of our program is the mentoring component,” Johnson said. “Many teen programs pair students with adults, but ours is unique in that we have students working with professionals in research, horticulture, collections, and education for a summer.” The students do their own research project, usually related to what their mentors are doing. The mentoring doesn’t end there. College First students interact with the younger Science First students to share their experiences and encourage them to advance in the program. Likewise, college and graduate students work side by side with the high-school students so that the younger set are mentored by their slightly older peers. This way, the Science Career Continuum keeps students looking ahead to their potential at each level, encouraging them forward into science, technology, engineering, or math careers.

Three of the Continuum’s college students will begin The Science Career receiving REU internships Continuum opens the this summer, and the first door to a lot of opportu- college graduate will begin a CLM internship. As the nities for students who program matures, more will move might not otherwise participants through Science First and have them. It sets them College First into college, on a path engaging REU internships, post-college CLM internships, and the them in science.” joint graduate program in —Jorie Glassner plant biology and conservation with Northwestern University. With each step these future scientists take along the Continuum, prospects for plants—and our planet—grow brighter. Due to restrictions on funding supporting these programs, enrollment is limited to students from Chicago Public Schools. For more information about these programs, please call (847) 835-6871 or visit chicagobotanic.org/ctl/ teacher_students. Many dedicated supporters make the Science Career Continuum possible. For a complete listing of donors, see page 86.

Science Career Continuum

Left: Science First participants present their research about sweeteners.


Supporting the Garden

A Perfect Union

The Holzer Family and the Chicago Botanic Garden Gardens flourish thanks to the camaraderie of flower and bee. Indeed, countless species depend upon a mutually beneficial relationship to thrive. Nature may abhor a vacuum, according to Aristotle, but it adores symbiosis. The Chicago Botanic Garden is fortunate to enjoy such a relationship with Marci and Ron Holzer. Treasures from the Garden’s Antiques & Garden Fair and A Rare Affair enhance the Holzer family’s lovely North Shore house and garden; at the same time, the Holzer family’s supportive presence is felt at the Garden.

and Ron are members of the President’s Circle and the Garden Heritage Society. As an estate planner, Ron has included the Garden in their planned giving. The couple regularly attends the Harvest Ball, A Rare Affair, and the Antiques & Garden Fair. Many “finds” from these Garden events provide focal points within the Holzer residence.

Just as Garden mementos grace the Holzer family house, the Holzer The Holzer Mondell Great Basin Lotus Garden family is honored at the Garden. The honors the memory of Marci Holzer’s father, Jeffrey Mondell. Holzer Mondell Great Basin Lotus Garden pays tribute to the Mondell (Marci’s maiden name) and Holzer families. Her father, Jeffrey Mondell, was a larger-than-life, Seeking sources for her creativity first drew Marci to the vital presence, and when he passed away in 2001, she and Garden in the 1980s. She was captivated by the exquisite her family wanted to honor his memory in a way that house and garden accessories she found at the Antiques & captured his exuberance. “I find myself coming here, rather Garden Fair. Later, when the Holzer family moved to their than the cemetery, when I think of my dad,” said Marci. “It current address, Marci wanted to landscape in a way that fills me with joy instead of sadness.” “respected the land’s unique beauty,” so she took classes at the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic The Chicago Botanic Garden and Holzer family paths have Garden. Her keen and creative eye is evident in every detail converged time and again, a close collaboration benefitof the Holzer house and garden. The need to nurture plants ting both. “We are proud to be a cherished part of the and people is Marci’s passion. Holzer home and to honor their family at the Chicago Botanic Garden,” said Sophia The Holzers’ involvement Siskel, the Garden’s president with the Garden has flourand CEO. ished, and today both Marci The Canada goose sculpture was a selling point for Marci when she and her husband Ron first decided to buy their home. It is by the same artists, William and David Turner, as the sculpture in the Native Plant Garden at the Chicago Botanic Garden. 26 chicagobotanic.org/donate

A “find” from the Garden’s Antiques & Garden Fair, this teapot fountain has been the centerpiece for many Holzer family celebrations.



Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts Do you have a question for our horticulture experts in Plant Information Service? If so, contact them at plantinfo@chicagobotanic.org or call (847) 835-0972. Visit chicagobotanic.org/plantinfoservice for more Q & As, gardening tips, and conservation topics. Q. I received a beautiful Easter lily. Will it bloom again if I grow it as a houseplant? A. White Lilium longiflorum are commonly called Easter lilies because they are a popular plant around the Easter holiday, often given as gifts and used for decorative purposes. They are also called trumpet lilies because of their trumpet-shaped flowers. These plants are difficult to bring into bloom indoors without optimum greenhouse conditions. They are best planted outdoors and will survive most cold winters of the Chicago area, though they might die during extremely cold winters. For outdoor planting after your lily has finished blooming, remove any brown foliage and the spent flower stems, to prevent it from producing seeds. After all danger of frost has passed, plant the bulb 4 to 6 inches deep in full sun or part shade in welldrained soil. Use a well-balanced fertilizer a few weeks after planting. The top of the plant may die back, but it will produce new shoots. Easter lilies normally bloom in July or August, but don’t expect the plant to bloom outside the first year, since they were forced for indoor blooming

Q. I’d like to start some seeds indoors for spring planting. Do you have any seed-starting tips? A. Starting seeds indoors is a good way to beat the winter blues and prepare your garden for spring. We recommend using a soilless potting mix, which is lightweight and allows for good germination and root development. Successful seed starting depends on the type of plants, as each has specific needs. Some seeds, such as impatiens, require light to germinate, so it’s best to plant them on the surface of the potting media instead of placing them under a fine layer of the mix. Most seeds will germinate better with bottom heat, which can be provided by a heat mat or by placement on a radiator or other heat source. Seeds can be sowed in rows in larger flat containers and separated and transplanted when they reach an adequate size, or sowed directly in individual peat or plastic pots. The seed-starting media should be watered well and not allowed to dry out. Spray bottles work well for watering, since they don’t dislodge the seeds. The trays or pots can then be covered with plastic, allowing some ventilation, to provide greenhouse conditions. Please contact Plant Information for seed-starting tips for specific plants.

Tool Time Senior Horticulturist Tom Soulsby describes his favorite tool Planting in small, intricately designed gardens like the Heritage Garden takes a delicate touch. Round-point shovels are just too large and disruptive, and hand trowels can be too small and inefficient. That’s why I love my handy floral shovel. With a blade only about 8 inches wide and 10 inches long, a floral shovel (sometimes also called a perennial shovel) digs just the right size hole for most plants in container sizes up to 2 gallons. Serious bulb planting and difficult weeding jobs are also no match for this versatile tool.

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Antiques & Garden Fair

Antiques & Garden Fair

Ed Valauskas, Rare Book Sleuth and Teller of Tales There is a hidden gem among the hidden treasures in the Lenhardt Library: his name is Ed Valauskas, and he is the curator of rare books at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Valauskas knows how to tell a tale, and he writes a fascinating column for the Garden’s website called Stories from the Rare Book Collection. Here, he highlights the stories behind many of the Library’s one-of-a-kind books, such as Ellen Robbins’s spectacular watercolor collection from the 1860s, said to be so realistic that the plates have been confused with actual specimens. Another column discusses the oldest book in the Rare Book Collection, Historia plantarum—the first great botanical work published by the ancient Greek polymath and Aristotelian student and successor, Theophrastus (371–287 B.C.). Valauskas has been at the Garden since 1998. In addition to his work here, he teaches library science and the history of the printed book at Dominican University. Part of the inspiration for Stories from the Rare Book Collection came from a colleague of his, Ben Williams, who wrote a similar column for the Field Museum, where he was the head librarian. And part of the inspiration came when Valauskas saw that “every time I was asked to speak about the rare books, I realized that almost every book had a story. It might be about the author, or what kind of paper it was printed on—there was always some aspect that intrigued me.” He said that his students play a crucial role in researching the books and doing the “detective work.”

These valuable books are housed in the pristine, locked, temperature-controlled June Price Reedy Rare Book Room within Lenhardt Library. In fact, Valauskas has been instrumental in helping the library’s collection grow to one of the most impressive botanical libraries in North America. In 2002, several staff members alerted Valauskas that the Massachusetts Horticultural Society was looking for a buyer for its collection, considered to be the best of its kind. Ultimately, the Garden purchased the entire collection, moving more than 50,000 pounds of books, including 2,000 rare books and 2,000 rare journals. What makes this online column so much fun for Valauskas? “You never know what you’re going to come up with,” he said. “You think you may know, but frequently you’re surprised. There are many clues about the stories of the books themselves—book plates and signatures of previous owners, notes in the margins, bindings and stamps...it all adds up.” He hopes that by reading some of the interesting stories he tells, readers will have a different appreciation for books when they come across them. “The old adage is true,” he said. “You really can’t judge a book by its cover.” Stories from the Rare Book Collection are part of a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Support for rare book acquisition is made possible in part by the June Price Reedy Endowment for the Rare Book Collection.

chicagobotanic.org/library/stories

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Plant Breeding Program Left to right: Art’s Pride coneflower (Echinacea ‘Art’s Pride), Twilite false indigo (Baptisia x variicolor ‘Twilite’), pollinating Baptisia

Plant Breeding Program Takes Perennials to New Heights

Come spring, garden centers often boast many perennials—plants for sun and shade that typically return each year in our home landscapes. Some of the more coveted new perennials in recent years, such as Echinacea ‘Art’s Pride’, the first orange coneflower to appear in garden centers, and the Prairieblues™ series of Baptisia (false indigo), were the result of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s remarkable perennial plant breeding program. Breeding and selecting new perennials is a long, intense process that begins with cross-pollinating two plants, or moving pollen by hand from the flowers of one plant to the flowers of another plant with different traits. The two related plants—which ideally will produce exceptional offspring—are selected for breeding based on various noteworthy attributes, such as their flower color and quantity, drought tolerance, ability to resist diseases or pests, and their overall growth habit, while eliminating less desirable characteristics, such as disease susceptibility or short bloom season. Thousands of seeds are collected and germinated in the Garden’s Plant Production Facility. Then, the waiting and watching begins.

Timing is everything

Jim Ault, Ph.D., with Symphyotricum (aster) hybrids developed at the Garden.

32 chicagobotanic.org

“From those seeds, we select the best plants for further breeding and evaluation,” said Jim Ault, Ph.D., plant introduction manager and Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Director of Ornamental Plant Research. “In the best-case scenario, from the first cross to the final plant worthy of introduction, it takes about seven years, maybe eight to ten. I have to think long-term in generation time, from seed to first bloom to maturity.”


Plant Breeding Program

Left to right: Richard Hawke at work, Forever Pink phlox (Phlox ‘Forever Pink’), Tidal Pool prostrate speedwell (Veronica ‘Tidal Pool’)

Flowers are carefully monitored to see when they are ready for pollination and later to determine when the seeds are ripe for harvest. During pollination, flowers on some of the plants must be protected with bags or screens to prevent insects or the wind from depositing more pollen from other plants, and later to preserve the seeds from blowing away or being eaten by birds. Once the hybrid seeds germinate and the resulting plants are planted out, the process of breeding begins again. The best specimens are selected and additional crosses are made, until a generation of plants is produced that features the most desirable traits from the original parents. All of this involves meticulous record-keeping and thousands of new plants being grown annually, all of which must be carefully labeled, nurtured, and evaluated. For example, Art’s Pride coneflower was selected from a second-generation cross and was one of 400 plants evaluated from its parent cross. The most promising new plants are propagated by cuttings or tissue culture, then scrutinized by the Garden’s Plant Evaluation Program, managed by Richard Hawke. He compares the plants to cultivars and species already in the trade to ensure that the plants from the Garden’s breeding program are unique and worthy of introduction. Hawke also recommends plants for use as parents in the breeding program. “The public can see about 80 percent of the breeding-program plants as we are growing them in the ground in the evaluation gardens,” Dr. Ault said. Plants with the highest marks move to licensed commercial nurseries that also conduct field and container trials, then propagate the new plants for sale to home gardeners and the horticultural trade. Ault has been researching several groups of plants native to North America and, through the breeding program, has developed many popular perennials, including the Meadowbrite™ series of hybrid coneflowers and the Prairieblues™ series of hybrid false indigos, all of which have been introduced to consumers through Chicagoland Grows®, a partnership between the Garden, the Morton Arboretum, and

the Ornamental Growers Association of Northern Illinois (OGA). All of the plants introduced through Chicagoland Grows, from trees and shrubs to perennials and ornamental grasses, are well-adapted to the Midwest and other areas with similar growing conditions.

A shift from university breeding programs “This type of plant breeding was once done by universities, but that’s not the case now,” Ault said. “The Garden’s ornamental plant research and breeding is unique at botanic gardens, plus we have the advantage of the country’s best plant evaluation program here.” Sales of the plants generate royalties that help support the Garden’s breeding and research efforts. The three most recent introductions from the breeding program are Veronica ‘Tidal Pool’ (2011), Echinacea ‘Burgundy Fireworks’ (2012) and Phlox ‘Forever Pink’ (2013). “The interest in ‘Forever Pink’ has exploded,” Ault said. “It has three weeks of peak bloom in late May to early June and then it repeat-blooms on about 10 percent of the plant all summer and fall. It’s compact and, unlike other summerblooming phlox, has had no powdery mildew whatsoever.” You can expect to see more noteworthy perennials in coming years. Ault is currently hybridizing several types, including ground-cover phlox, asters, and other genera. “Something really wonderful should bloom this spring out of the hundreds of new seedlings that we’re growing,” said Ault. We can’t wait! Visit chicagobotanic.org/research/environmental/breeding for a full list of the perennials released commercially through the Garden’s Plant Breeding Program. Support for the plant evaluation program is provided by the Bernice E. Lavin Evaluation Garden Endowment, the Woman’s Board Endowment for Plant Evaluation Research and Publication, and the Sally Meads Hand Foundation. chicagobotanic.org 33


Antiques & Garden Fair

Expecting the Unexpected The Orchid Show at the Chicago Botanic Garden dazzles visitors with the tropical beauty of its greenhouse-grown orchids. Many people don’t know that the Midwest is home to native orchids, and that the Garden has scientists researching endangered species among them. A bright purple orchid in Maine captured the attention of Pati Vitt, Ph.D., when she was an undergraduate student participating in a summer project at the Wild Gardens of Acadia. She became enthralled with the site’s naturally occurring orchids and a temporary display garden of the varied species. The diverse plants were full of secrets she was eager to learn. Dr. Vitt, now the Susan and Roger Stone Curator of the Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank and a conservation scientist at the Chicago Botanic Garden, has grown her love of orchids into a lifelong passion. Many orchid species are quietly struggling to survive, she explained recently. “To understand how the specialized aspects of their biology affect their population dynamics and what we need to do to manage these populations is an important need,” said Vitt. “For a population to function and be viable, every part of its biology has to work.” She has used her expertise in population biology, or the study of intertwined life 34 chicagobotanic.org/research

systems involving chemistry, genetics, and pollination, to make some important discoveries. In graduate school, Vitt studied an endangered woodland orchid, Isotria medeoloides. Did something differentiate this species from other orchids, she wondered, that challenged its survival, and what could be done to help? Its small green flowers and powdery pollen helped lead her to discover a characteristic that set it apart: Isotria medeoloides is selfpollinated. This was an unlikely conclusion, as orchids essentially evolved to prohibit self-pollination. Her finding, after years of research, has positively influenced the orchid’s management ever since.

Illinois native orchid takes center stage Vitt continued to study related questions as a doctoral student. When she arrived at the Garden after completing her Ph.D., she began to explore the federally threatened eastern prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera leucophaea), one of 47 orchid species native to Illinois. The tall plant with delicate white flowers was threatened by habitat conversion from its native prairie to developed areas, mostly agricultural. Infrequent visits by its insect pollinators—as many as five species of hawk moths—and a relatively short lifespan of up to five years compounded the struggle. Could she find a way to improve its level of pollination?


Plant Conservation Science

Saving Orchids with Science Vitt rolled up her sleeves and conducted a hand-pollination study with the help of volunteers. The group mimicked three levels of pollination intensity over a three-year period. The surprising result showed the middle level of hand pollination, which was more than would naturally occur, had the best outcome. It resulted in increased seed set, more genetic diversity, and stronger plants the following year. In most other orchids, Vitt explained, increased hand pollination would overtax the herbaceous plant, causing it to weaken or even lose its ability to reproduce. However, this species possessed unique life systems that all responded positively to the experiment. Vitt then conducted the same experiment on the closely related western fringed prairie orchid (Platanthera praeclara), hoping to improve its seed production. Once again, the orchid surprised her. The enhanced level of pollination depleted its resources—much as she had earlier predicted would occur with the eastern orchid—resulting in fewer and weaker plants the following year. Why did this orchid respond differently? Did it have something to do with the natural level of pollination by hawk moths?

Some unusual findings In a nine-year study conducted with researchers at North Dakota State University, Vitt examined the patterns of

pollination from native and nonnative hawkmoth species. They found that “the principal pollinator of the western fringed prairie orchid, in this region during some seasons, is not a native hawkmoth but a species introduced as a biological control.” These unexpected findings were published recently in the Journal of Biological Conservation, and are expected to positively impact the management and future of the orchid. Especially remarkable is the fact that often, species introduced as biocontrols are more damaging than beneficial; in this case, not only was the nonnative moth a pollinator, it was a very useful one. Vitt’s extensive experience is now playing a role in the growth of new professionals. Currently, she is mentoring Anne Nies, a master’s degree student in the Chicago Botanic Garden and Northwestern University joint program in plant biology and conservation. Under Vitt’s supervision, Nies is searching for the optimal soil and nutrient structure for white lady slipper orchid (Cypripedium candidum) in Illinois prairies. Vitt is also involved in the North American Orchid Conservation Center (NAOCC). Established by the Smithsonian Institution and the United States Botanic Garden, NAOCC supports the conservation and restoration of native orchids throughout North America through hands-on preservation and management of naturally occurring populations. chicagobotanic.org/research 35


Adult Education: Regenstein School

Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School Adult Education An extensive schedule provides a wealth of choices; instruction by Garden staff and experts in their field ensures every class, workshop, or symposium is an exceptional learning experience.

A “Peek” into Garden Design Classes at the Chicago Botanic Garden Patricia Kowalczyk (everyone calls her PK) is from a family of prolific gardeners and early on, she marveled that a seed could transform into something beautiful or delicious. Visually creative by nature and training, PK is a graphic designer and owner of Chicago-based Peekstudio. It was a visit to the Chicago Botanic Garden around ten years ago that inspired PK to blend her love of plants with her eye for aesthetics. “I was amazed not only by the Garden’s breathtaking natural beauty, but also the keen design,” she recalls. “I wanted to take this genius back to my own backyard!”

In 2011, PK began the Garden Design Certificate program at the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School and immediately began incorporating lessons into her own home garden. “The teachers were so excited to share their knowledge and made learning so accessible,” she recalls. “I felt newly empowered to try largerscale plantings, like deciduous shrubs.”

Graphic designer Patricia Kowalczyk found her niche in the Garden Design Certificate program.

36 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

PK also was happily surprised to find camaraderie among her classmates. “I was so focused on what I’d be learning that it didn’t occur to me I’d also find a whole new set of friends,” she said. “Though we have different backgrounds, I feel like I’ve found my people!”


Adult Education: Highlights

Highlights Fergus Garrett: A Conversation on Color Monday, March 24 See page 52.

Soil Basics 6 Thursdays, March 27 – May 8, and Saturday, April 5 See page 48.

Section and Elevations 3 Mondays, April 21 – May 5 See page 52.

Gardens That Heal: A Prescription for Wellness Wednesday, May 14 See page 53.

New! iPhone Photography

New! Faerie Cottage Workshop

2 Saturdays, May 31 & June 7 See page 61.

Saturday, April 26 See page 58.

New! Tai Chi Sessions

Crabapples

Beginning Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, June 3, 4 & 5 See page 66.

Saturday, May 3 See page 48.

Opening My Medicine Bag: Therapeutic Touch Saturday, May 10 See page 65.

New! Fizzy Drinks: Healthy Alternatives to Soda Tuesday, June 10 See page 65.

Visit chicagobotanic.org/school/registration_policies for information on registration procedure and policy. 37


Adult Education: Overview Regenstein School

Overview of Courses and Programs General Interest Courses Courses cover myriad topics and provide high-quality learning opportunities for beginning and more advanced gardeners. For specific program questions, contact the registrar at registrar@chicagobotanic.org or (847) 835-8261.

Professional Programs

Professional programs are intensive studies in a particular area of interest for the advanced student. These courses routinely carry continuing education units for various professional organizations. Please direct comments or topic suggestions to Jill Selinger at (847) 835-6849.

Symposia

Symposia, offered throughout the year, provide an in-depth look at a variety of topics. Regional, national, and international speakers provide new perspectives for amateur gardeners, professional horticulturists, landscape designers and architects, scientists, conservationists, and other green-industry professionals. Please direct comments or topic suggestions to Beth Pinargote at (847) 835-8278.

Master Gardener Training Program

In conjunction with University of Illinois Extension, the Garden offers the Master Gardener Training Program. The program covers the basics of horticulture, including classes on woody and herbaceous ornamental plant materials, fruit and vegetable crops, entomology, and pathology. After completing the training program and 60 hours of volunteer service, participants become certified University of Illinois Extension Master Gardeners. The next on-site program will be in January 2015. Please visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school/ mastergardener or call Jill Selinger at (847) 835-6849. Interested in a customized class? Contact the registrar at registrar@chicagobotanic.org for more information.

See plants in a new way with Botany 1.

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Certificate Programs

Learn how a certificate of merit can help you fulfill a dream, start a new career, or delve more deeply into an area of interest. Look for these codes after a course listing, and find a course that may be a new beginning for you! Certificate programs are offered at many levels to give both beginners and professionals opportunities to improve their expertise and marketability. Details about all of the certificate programs are available at www.chicagobotanic.org/school/ certificate. Contact Amelia Simmons-Hurt at certificateprogram@chicagobotanic.org or (847) 835-8293 for further information. • Botanical Arts (ART) Engage your senses, discover hidden talents, and explore a more personal relationship with plants in this studio art program.

• Horticultural Therapy (HTC) This 12-credit-hour accredited program combines online learning with hands-on training, allowing students to gain experience and skills in the use of plant, garden, and nature activities to achieve measurable physical and mental-health outcomes for clients. • Focus on Photography (FPC) This certificate program enables photographers of all levels to experience the wonders of the natural world, develop and sharpen their powers of observation, and master their technical skills in the studio. This program is your unique opportunity to discover and enhance your creativity, learn from outstanding photography professionals, and enjoy the Garden as your studio. Contact Jill Selinger at certificateprogram@chicagobotanic.org or (847) 835-6849 for more information about the photography certificate.

• Garden Design (GDC) Create successful gardens with a solid foundation in plantsmanship and science-based gardening techniques. • Midwest Gardening (MGC) Discover practical, learner-friendly training on growing plants, plant propagation, and home garden design and you will become a more successful home gardener. • Ornamental Plant Materials (OPC) Avid amateur gardeners and aspiring horticulture professionals alike will learn identification, cultural requirements, and landscape use for more than 500 ornamental plants that are well suited for northeastern Illinois. • Professional Gardener Level 1 and 2 (PGL 1 and 2) Hands-on learning can lead to a new career or advancement in the industry, with science-based gardening techniques, plantsmanship, and training in sustainability and planning. • Healthcare Garden Design (HGD) In this professional development program, attendees will discover the many ways gardens provide verifiable health benefits for patients, staff, and visitors.

One-stop registration online. It’s so easy! Register for classes, camps, kids’ programs, yoga, and more!



Adult Education: Professional Programs and Bonsai Workshops

Professional Development Programs Professional development opportunities and inspiration are yours here at the Garden. Landscape design, horticulture, and conservation professionals and others are welcome to attend these outstanding programs.

Mantenimiento de Jardines Finos en Español

New! SketchUp Fundamentals

Bonsai Workshops

Professionals in the landscape architecture, construction, and related industries choose SketchUp because it’s the most intuitive, most cost-effective tool of its kind. This course will help participants with SketchUp commands and with developing their own 3D models. Personal laptop required; software available to download from web at no cost. Try our short course to get the basics and fundamentals.

All bonsai workshops are taught by bonsai artist Ivan Watters. Workshops are held in the Production Headhouse.

Gary Lehman, RLA, G Studio $149 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 3 Mondays, March 17 – 31, 6 – 9 p.m. Design Studio

Fine Garden Maintenance in Spanish Esta clase cubrirá los métodos prácticos usados para mantener un jardín perenne en condiciones óptimas. Aprenda cómo y cuando desflorar, podar, estacar, sacar las malas hierbas, fertilizár, poner mulch y regar. También, aprenda a hacer borde apropiado y como mantener el diseño intentado por el deseñador. Vestir apropiadamente para el tiempo ya que parte de la clase puede ser afuera. This class will cover the practical methods used to keep a garden in peak condition. Learn how and when to deadhead, pinch back, stake, weed, fertilize, mulch, and water. Proper edging and the importance of maintaining the original design intent will also be discussed. Dress for the weather, as part of the class may be outdoors. Jose Mercado, residential maintenance manager, CLT installation and maintenance, and Gabriel Mercado, senior construction foreman, CLT installation and maintenance, Rosborough Partners, Inc. $74 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Friday, March 7, 8 a.m. – noon Annex 2

Spanish for Landscape Professionals OPC elective Have you ever wondered how or what to say to your Spanish-speaking crew in order to get certain tasks done? Do you have problems finding the right Spanish words? Moshe Pinargote will take you through a journey of the culture of Spanish-speaking countries from South America to Mexico. You will learn Spanish vocabulary and the most common phrases for landscape professionals. Time for practice will be available. A Spanish/English translation booklet is included in the fee. The School’s CEUs=1.2 Moshe Pinargote, horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $249 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Wednesdays, March 26 – April 30, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 2

Bonsai: Beginner – Basics and Fundamentals During this six-week course, discover principles and techniques to appreciate and participate in the art of bonsai. Each session includes a detailed lecture and assistance with design, styling, and wiring. $229 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Sundays, April 6 – May 25, 1 – 4 p.m. (no class April 20 & May 18)

Bonsai: Novice – Development Techniques Ideal for those with considerable familiarity and experience with the fundamentals of bonsai, each session in this six-week course includes a brief lecture, supervised work on trees, and a review and critique of work undertaken. $269 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Wednesdays, April 9 – May 14, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.

Bonsai: Intermediate – Refinement Techniques Appropriate for those with knowledge of bonsai concepts and experience with the art beyond the novice level, each session in this six-week course includes a brief lecture, supervised work on trees, and a review and critique of work undertaken. $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Saturdays, April 12 – May 24, 9 a.m. – noon (no class May 17)

Bonsai: Advanced – Presentation-Quality Efforts For the student who has completed the beginner, novice, and intermediate courses, this six-week course focuses almost exclusively on supervised work on trees. $319 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Sundays, April 6 – May 25, 9 a.m. – noon (no class April 20 & May 18)

Learn from bonsai artist Ivan Watters.



Adult Education: Weekend Regenstein Gardener School

Weekend Gardener Series Are you a new homeowner baffled by your landscape? Are you a beginning gardener who wants to learn basic horticultural skills? This series answers gardening questions and introduces techniques for gardening success. Each course investigates a different topic related to your own lawn and garden.

Success with Trees and Shrubs Learn all you need to know about growing trees and shrubs and how to be consistently successful in growing all types of woody plants (both deciduous and evergreen). Specific discussion includes matching plants to the site, planting practices, first-year maintenance, and long-term care. This session is of value to all skill levels. Glenn Grosch, horticulturist and agronomist $45 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 8, 9:30 a.m. – noon Annex 1

Pruning Principles Learning the correct technique for pruning is key to maintaining healthy plants. Tim Johnson will introduce you to the principles of pruning, including proper tool use, techniques for pruning trees and shrubs, and the best time to prune both evergreen and deciduous plants. He will also display a variety of good tools for pruning. Tim Johnson, director of horticulture, Chicago Botanic Garden $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Sunday, March 16, 1 – 3 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Spring Lawn Care for Homeowners Here’s your chance to learn the basics of lawn care. Using the Garden’s holistic turf management program as a model, Tom Fritz explains how to cultivate a thriving lawn while lessening pesticide use. He’ll cover turf culture, mowing, aerating, watering, fertilizing and weeding, and insect and disease control. Please dress for the weather. Tom Fritz, plant healthcare specialist, Chicago Botanic Garden $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 29, 9 – 11 a.m. Seminar Room, Plant Science Center

Visit www.chicagobotanic. org/school/faculty for faculty biographies. Chicago Botanic Garden members receive a 20 percent discount on classes.

Even beginners can grow their own vegetables, learn how!

Get Started with Perennials

Summer Garden Maintenance

Learn about choosing the right perennial for the right garden location, and how to combine different perennials to create a lovely and interesting garden that blooms throughout the growing season. Mike Kwiatek discusses pruning and pinching techniques, deadheading and dividing, and other cultural methods to help you keep your garden growing healthy and strong. Come with your questions, because there will be time to discuss any unique situations you have encountered in your perennial garden. A Garden walk is included, so please dress for the weather.

Proper watering, fertilizing, pruning, edging, deadheading, staking, and mulching practices can make the difference between a healthy, well-kept garden and a landscape that gets ahead of you. You will have a hands-on opportunity to practice what you learn, so bring along a pair of pruners, and dress for the weather.

Mike Kwiatek, assistant horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $55 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, April 5, 12:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. Annex 2

Vegetable Gardening Basics Join horticulturist Lisa Hilgenberg to learn the basic techniques and tools required to grow your own vegetables. Site selection, bed and soil preparation, seed sowing, transplanting, and harvesting techniques are just part of what will be covered in this class. This introductory vegetable-growing class is best suited for those with little or no vegetable growing experience. Each student will receive a packet of seeds to grow at home. Lisa Hilgenberg, horticulturist, Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, Chicago Botanic Garden $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, April 26, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Fruit & Vegetable Learning Center

Gardening in Containers Learn how to design and create container gardens for sun and shade, vegetables and herbs, and many others. You will also learn how to keep them healthy and lush all summer long. Each student will receive a plant to try in your containers at home. Dress for the weather, as part of the class will be outdoors. Heather Sherwood, senior horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $45 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, May 3, 1 – 3 p.m. Annex 1

42 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

Tim Johnson, director of horticulture, Chicago Botanic Garden $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Sunday, May 11, 1 – 3 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Get Started With Roses This is a great course for the first-time rose grower, or a refresher for the enthusiast. General planting, pruning, protection, and care will be discussed, along with examples of low-maintenance rose varieties suitable for the Chicago area. Dress for the weather, as part of the class will be a Garden walk and talk. Thomas Soulsby, horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, May 17, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Annex 2

Get Started with Annuals Annuals can be used in many ways to provide constant color in your flower beds, containers, window boxes, and perennial borders. Learn the most dependable varieties as well as the new and unusual. Topics include soil preparation, plant selection, care and maintenance, and some propagation techniques. Tim Pollak, outdoor floriculturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Sunday, June 1, 1 – 3 p.m. Linnaeus Room



Adult Education: Horticulture

Horticulture Horticulture courses help students acquire the information and techniques needed to grow ornamental plants and maintain a healthy garden or lawn.

Orchids: Beyond the Basics Take an in-depth look at orchid history, diversity, and nomenclature. In addition, Jerry Garner will suggest how to build your orchid collection and will teach some of the finer points of cultivation. Participants are encouraged to bring a few of their plants. This is geared to anyone with some orchid-growing experience. Jerry L. Garner, Ph.D., horticulturist, consultant, and retired professor of horticulture $54 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 8, 1 – 4 p.m. Annex 2

The Story of Vanilla As the most popular flavor in the world, vanilla is at once rich, sweet, and sophisticated, with a flavor and fragrance that sends pure joy to the pleasure centers of the brain. To the Nielsen family, third-generation owners of Nielsen-Massey Vanillas based in Waukegan, Illinois, crafting fine vanillas and flavors since 1907 is their ultimate passion. The Nielsen family will talk about the origin of vanilla; growing, harvesting, and curing vanilla beans; and more. Their presentation includes a smell test of various origins and concludes with a tasting. This course is presented with support from Nielsen-Massey Vanillas. The Nielsen Family, Nielsen-Massey Vanillas $12 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, March 13, 1 – 2 p.m. Linnaeus Room

POULTRY PALOOZA!

Hydrangeas

Join urban chicken consultant Jennifer Murtoff for a day of workshops on how to successfully raise and enjoy chickens in your backyard!

Learn all you ever wanted to know about hydrangeas! This program will cover all aspects of successfully growing hydrangeas. A detailed discussion will include hardiness issues and pruning techniques by species, as well as how to manage bloom color—plus you’ll see some great photos of each of the species in full bloom.

Register for both sessions at once and receive a ten percent discount.

Raising Backyard Chickens This class is designed for curious people who are considering raising backyard chickens, as well as for those who already have their own birds and who want to learn more! Come learn about local laws, how to raise chicks, care for adult birds, and keep your neighbors happy! Jennifer Murtoff, Home to Roost Urban Chicken Consulting $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Sunday, March 23, 10 a.m. – noon Annex 2

Chicken Coop Basics If you’re getting chicks this spring, you will need to know how to build a safe and comfortable home for them! In this class, you’ll learn about the basic needs of backyard birds (they’re not fussy, really, but there are some things you need to know!). Discover the essential components of a coop, learn what to avoid when choosing construction materials, get important construction tips, and see examples of different coop styles. Jennifer Murtoff, Home to Roost Urban Chicken Consulting $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Sunday, March 23, 1 – 3 p.m. Annex 2

Chronicle of a Vegetable Garden

Pansy Baskets

Experience a full season of a Chicago vegetable garden with the focus on what to do, why, and when. During the session, you will follow a successful home vegetable gardener from plant selection all the way through harvest (and everything in between). Join us for a great opportunity to sharpen existing gardening skills and perhaps learn some new ones.

In this popular workshop, make two moss-lined wire baskets filled with pansies and other spring beauties to brighten your porch or patio. Pansies can withstand cool spring temperatures and provide an early splash of color in your garden. Please bring gloves. All other materials are provided.

Glenn Grosch, horticulturist $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 22, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Annex 2

Heather Sherwood, senior horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $59 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Wednesday, March 26, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 1

Backstage Pass: Flowering Spring Celebrities Join Tim Pollak for an exclusive tour through the Chicago Botanic Garden’s greenhouses and nursery. Be the first to see which spring annuals will appear in the 2014 annual display beds, hanging baskets, containers, and hanging hayracks. You will also preview some of the indoor displays for the Antiques & Garden Fair and glimpse the start of fall mums.

Start your garden plants early by seed.

Tim Pollak, outdoor floriculturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 22, 1 – 3 p.m. Meet at Rice Plant Resource Center

44 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

Glenn Grosch, horticulturist and agronomist $45 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, March 27, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Seed Starting Primer Seed starting is a fun way to expand your garden’s potential. In this class, we will go over all the basics, including what seeds to start, choosing the proper location, lighting, containers, and soil mixes to ensure your success. Bill Shores will also cover the importance of keeping heirloom and unique plant varieties going through seed saving and starting, and will offer resources on this aspect for participants. Demonstration and hands-on activity are included. Bill Shores, professional grower and garden consultant $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Wednesday, April 2, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Brushwood House, Ryerson Woods, Deerfield, Illinois

Growing Salads Indoors Learn to grow organic salad greens at home, whether you have garden space or not! Professional gardener Bill Shores, who has grown specialty greens for more than a decade and currently manages chef Rick Bayless’s market garden, will treat participants to a visual feast of microgreens. Then he will demonstrate how to plant the seeds in growing trays, and discuss maintenance and harvesting techniques. Bill Shores, professional grower and garden consultant $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, April 5, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Seminar Room, Plant Science Center


Tired of the same old annuals? Join us for a discussion and colorful demonstration of many different and rare annuals worthy of our gardens and containers. Join Tim Pollak as he talks about the best plants to try and where to find some of these distinctive annuals. Many are heirlooms from our grandparents’ gardens, all of which are fantastic additions to complement the tried-and-true annuals available in the spring and summer. Pollak also demonstrates how to care for and overwinter some of these plants so you can enjoy them year after year. Tim Pollak, outdoor floriculturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, May 8, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center

New! Made for the Shade Hanging Basket Bill Shores demonstrates growing salad greens indoors.

Small Space Food Gardens

Growing a Cook’s Garden

Bill Shores will offer an overview of techniques to produce food organically in small urban/suburban spaces. Through photos and garden planting graphics, you will gain an understanding of the process of designing a successful food garden. Topics include efficient use of in-ground space, intensive and succession planting techniques, raised bed gardens, season extension, indoor gardens, and building and maintaining healthy soils.

If you have a spot in your garden, balcony, or deck that receives more than six hours of direct sunlight, you can grow fresh herbs and vegetables. We’ll cover how to grow the best essential ingredients for your kitchen: tomatoes, onions, peppers, squash, garlic, and leafy greens. In this class, you’ll learn the basics of soil preparation, planting in pots, plant selection, protecting your harvest from pests, extending the crops from spring through fall, and ideas for food preparation.

Bill Shores, professional grower and garden consultant $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, April 5, 1 – 3 p.m. Seminar Room, Plant Science Center

Living Pansy Wreath Workshop Welcome the arrival of spring with a pansy wreath to brighten your front door! In this class you will create a lush, colorful living wreath by planting a moss-lined wire frame with pansies and ivy. Please bring an apron, rubber gloves, and scissors. All other materials are included in the fee. Karen Thomson, topiary designer, Thomson Topiaries $79 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Wednesday, April 16, 9:30 a.m. – noon Annex 2

Organic Gardening: A Fresh Approach Are you interested in organic gardening? This fresh approach to organic gardening will focus on fundamental horticultural practices as they apply to a successful organic garden experience. The presentation will cover the “what and why” of organics followed by a detailed discussion of specific horticultural practices both in the area of plant nutrition and pest management. There will also be a brief discussion of organics from a retail consumer perspective.

Nina Koziol, garden writer $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, May 3, 10 a.m. – noon Fruit & Vegetable Learning Center

Ireland’s Generous Nature: The Past and Present Uses of Wild Plants in Ireland Born in Kilkenny, Ireland, Peter Wyse Jackson, Ph.D., has undertaken extensive research on the use of wild plants in Ireland. His new book, Ireland’s Generous Nature, is the first-ever comprehensive account of the historical and present-day uses of wild plant species in Ireland. It records a wealth of traditional knowledge that has largely been lost or is quickly disappearing. This lively and scholarly lecture shows how plants have been used in virtually every aspect of human life: food, clothes, medicine, construction, drinks, veterinary medicine, human health and beauty, and even death. Scientific and historical facts are intertwined with myth, superstition, and tales that offer an unrivaled account of the rich heritage of Irish plants. Books will be available for purchase and signing after the lecture. Peter Wyse Jackson, Ph.D., president, Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, Missouri $19 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Tuesday, April 29, 4 – 5 p.m. Fairchild Room

Do you admire those fabulous hanging baskets you see at the Chicago Botanic Garden? Learn some tricks of the trade during a discussion of different styles, materials, and plant ideas used at the Garden. Maintenance tips will also be discussed. Then you’ll plant your own basket to enjoy at home. Bring gloves, if you prefer. All other materials are included in the fee. Heather Sherwood, senior horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $87 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, May 15, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 1

The Emerald Ash Borer: What You Need To Know 2014 Emerald Ash Borer Management Partnership By now, you’ve likely heard about the emerald ash borer and the disastrous impacts the insect is having on trees throughout our region. But how can you identify an ash tree? And what exactly is this tiny insect doing to cause such a big problem? Join us for a no-nonsense look at the emerald ash borer. Using the Chicago Botanic Garden’s multiple-phase emerald ash borer management plan as a case study, we’ll consider what you can do to preserve your trees. An outdoor demonstration of tree treatment will be included as part of the class. Tom Tiddens, plant healthcare supervisor, Chicago Botanic Garden, and Dan Klindera, district manager, SavATree Registration is free; register in advance to reserve your space. Friday, May 16 10 a.m. – noon Fairchild Room or Saturday, May 17 10 a.m. – noon Garden View Room, Visitor Center Registration fee is waived and refreshments provided thanks to the generous support of SavATree.

Glenn Grosch, horticulturist and agronomist $45 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, April 26, 12:30 – 3 p.m. Fruit & Vegetable Learning Center

Visit chicagobotanic.org/school/registration_policies for information on registration procedure and policy. 45

Adult Education: Horticulture Highlights

Distinctive Annuals


Adult Education: Horticulture Regenstein School

Four Seasons of Beauty 2014: The Chicago Botanic Garden Container Series

Horticulture Certificate of Merit Program

Hardy Bulbs

This series of workshops and Garden walks features the diversity and creativity of four seasons of Chicago Botanic Garden container gardens. Each season you will explore the Garden grounds with Nancy Clifton and discover an array of striking plants, interesting color and texture combinations, and unique container arrangements. Clifton will then help you create a seasonal container for your sun or partial shade patio or porch.

FREE Information Session

Explore the many bulbs that brighten the spring, summer, and fall garden. You will learn to identify more than 60 hardy bulbs, corms, and tubers. Bloom sequences, cultural requirements, and bulb selection will also be discussed. After completing this course, you will have the confidence and knowledge to use a wide variety of bulbs to enhance your clients’ gardens or your own.

All workshops are taught by Nancy Clifton, program specialist at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Register for all four sessions at once and save ten percent.

Spring Containers at the Garden Tour the Garden’s spring containers and collect ideas for your own. Then create a container with plants that can tolerate the varying spring temperatures and a full-sun to partial-shade location. Pansies, forced bulbs, and other spring treasures may be used. A spray of branches gives them a finishing touch. Please bring gloves. $87 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Tuesday, April 22, 10 a.m. – noon or 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 1

Summer Containers at the Garden Enjoy a tour featuring the summer containers at the Garden. Then prepare a warm-season mixed container suitable for a sun or partial shade location. Your container may include annuals, perennials, herbs, and decorative foliage. Please bring gloves. $87 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Tuesday, June 17, 10 a.m. – noon or 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 1

Autumn Containers at the Garden Take a Garden walk to view the Garden’s fall containers. Then create a cool-season mixed container with a variety of plants suitable for a full-sun or partial-shade location. Your container may include annuals, perennials, herbs, decorative foliage, cool-season vegetables, ornamental grasses, a decorative vine, and gourds. Please bring gloves. $87 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Tuesday, September 9, 10 a.m. – noon or 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 1

Winter Containers at the Garden

Curious about our certificate programs? Want to learn how our programs can help you fulfill a dream, start a new career, or simply enjoy a new interest? Bring your questions to this FREE session. This session will cover Midwest Gardener, Ornamental Plant Materials, Professional Gardener, and Garden Design programs. First-time students attending this session will receive $20 off their first Certificate core course (restrictions apply). Please register in advance to save your space. Wednesday, June 25, 7 – 8 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Botany 1, Spring Session OPC, MGC, PGL 1, PGL 2 and GDC requirement Why, botanically speaking, is a tomato a fruit? What is the difference between a fern and a moss? Come join us in Botany 1 to learn the answers to these questions and more! In this course we will explore such subjects as the importance of plants to our lives; plant taxonomy and classification; and the life cycles, distinguishing features, diversity, and identification of major groups of plants. TBD $337 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Mondays and 6 Wednesdays, March 3 – April 9 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. or 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

Growing Ornamental Plant Materials MGC requirement Learn the basic techniques and some special tips needed for establishing and maintaining a healthy garden in the Midwest. Some of the many topics to be covered include planting, pruning, water and turf management, weed and pest control, maintenance of new landscapes, and specific methods for growing herbaceous and woody plant groups such as bulbs, ericaceous plants, container plants, and others. Gain hands-on experience in the Garden. Tim Johnson, director of horticulture, Chicago Botanic Garden $312 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 7 Tuesdays, March 18 – April 29, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 2 and 2 Saturdays, March 22 and April 26, 9 a.m. – noon Annex 1

Explore the winter containers at the Garden and learn ways to extend your own containers into the winter season. Then prepare a container with fresh-cut evergreen boughs and berried or brightly colored branches. Please bring gloves and pruners. $87 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Tuesday, December 2, 10 a.m. – noon or 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 1

Learn to incorporate bulbs into your landscape.

46 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

OPC, PGL 1, PGL 2, GDC requirement

Jill Selinger, manager, continuing education, Chicago Botanic Garden $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 7 Tuesdays, March 18 – May 6, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. (no class April 8) Alsdorf Auditorium Garden Walks (select one) 6 Thursdays, March 20 – May 1, 9 – 11 a.m. (no class April 10) or 6 Saturdays, March 22 – May 3, 9 – 11 a.m. (no class April 12) Optional Study CD $20

Chic New Perennials OPC elective Perennial lovers are always on the lookout for what is on the gardening horizon. This lecture will introduce you to many striking newcomers, as well as to underused knockouts that will steal the show. The School’s CEUs= 0.3 Kerry Mendez, garden designer and lecturer $74 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 22, 9 a.m. – noon Linnaeus Room



Adult Education: Horticulture

Spanish for Landscape Professionals OPC elective See page 40 for details. The School’s CEUs=1.2 6 Wednesdays, March 26 – April 30, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 2

Soil Basics, Spring Session MGC, PGL 1, PGL 2, GDC requirement Soil is an irreplaceable natural resource that affects plant selection and growth. Learn to maintain healthy soil; use compost, fertilizers, soilless and potting mixes, and other amendments. Discover how water cycles through a garden and affects soils and plants. Course fee includes a professionally analyzed test of your garden soil. Ellen Phillips, horticulture educator $337 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Thursdays, March 27 – May 8, 6:30 – 9 p.m. (no class April 10) Annex 2 and Saturday, April 5, 1 – 4 p.m. Annex 1

Gardening Techniques: Session C PGL 1, PGL 2, GDC requirement Students will be introduced to professional gardening through a combination of lecture and hands-on activities. Focus is on acquiring solid gardening skills, learning about a variety of techniques, and developing the ability to determine best practices. Topics range from plant selection to the identification and control of weeds and other horticultural practices. Prerequisite: Botany 1. John Eskandari, horticulture educator, Urban Plantsman LLC $312 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Saturdays, March 29 – May 3, 7:30 – 10:30 a.m. (April 12 off-site) Annex 2

Vibrant Viburnums OPC elective Viburnums are great multi-season plants that have grown in popularity. Discover what species and varieties might be right for your landscape. Care and potential problems will also be discussed. The School’s CEUs=0.3 Sharon Yiesla, horticulturist, owner, Sharon Yiesla Horticultural Presentations $62 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Wednesday, April 16, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

Flowering trees capture the magic of spring.

Botany 2

Crabapples

PGL 2 and GDC requirement

OPC elective

How do seeds germinate and develop into mature plants? How do plants move water up through their roots to their topmost branches? This course will explore subjects such as the plant cell; anatomy and growth of roots, stems, and leaves; photosynthesis; and the symbiotic association of plant roots with beneficial fungi and bacteria. Prerequisite: Botany 1.

There is a crabapple for nearly every situation imaginable. This course focuses on several different Malus species and numerous cultivars for the Chicago area, including proven performers and the newest introductions. In addition to characteristics such as size, form, flower color and fruit set, topics will include cultural requirements, pests, diseases and landscape use. Dress for the weather, as a Garden walk is planned. The School’s CEUs=0.3

TBD $337 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Mondays and 6 Wednesdays, April 21 – June 2 (no class May 26) 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

Magnolias OPC elective The genus Magnolia is a complex group of plants with a large native range. Several of the species readily hybridize, producing new and interesting selections. The newest group of hybrids is the hardy yellow magnolia. New hybrids pop onto the market each year, creating an increasing palette of beautiful flowering trees for the Midwest. Learn more about the genus Magnolia and the best choices for the Midwest garden. The School’s CEUs=0.3 Mark Zampardo, Ph.D., horticulture educator, Chicago Botanic Garden $74 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Wednesday, April 23, 9 a.m. – noon Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

48 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

Mark Zampardo, Ph.D., horticulture educator, Chicago Botanic Garden $74 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, May 3, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

Small Flowering Trees OPC, PGL 1, PGL 2, GDC requirement Small flowering trees are a critical component of nearly every garden and landscape. This course covers approximately 40 genera and many more species and cultivars that thrive in our region. Identification, cultural information, aesthetic qualities, and landscape uses will be emphasized. After completing this course, you will be able to select appropriate trees to add interest and depth to your garden and landscape projects. Mark Zampardo, Ph.D., horticulture educator, Chicago Botanic Garden $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 7 Tuesdays, May 13 – July 1, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. (no class May 20) Garden Walks (select one) 6 Thursdays, May 15 – June 26, 9 – 11 a.m. (no class May 22) or 6 Saturdays, May 17 – June 28, 9 – 11 a.m. (no class May 24) Alsdorf Auditorium Optional Study CD $20



Adult Education: Horticulture Regenstein School

Ornamental Grasses OPC elective Ornamental grasses can provide beauty nearly all year long. The variety of size, shape, and color make them a wonderful additional to any garden. Learn how you can incorporate these successfully into your landscape. The School’s CEUs=0.3 Sharon Yiesla, horticulturist, owner, Sharon Yiesla Horticultural Presentations $62 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, May 15, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

Lilacs OPC elective Learn more about the genus Syringa. The species ranges from small shrubs to medium-sized trees. The beautiful flowers are generally fragrant and plants are hardy and easy to grow. Lilacs are tolerant of a wide range of soil types including alkaline soils. A walk around the Garden to view lilacs in bloom is included. The School’s CEUs=0.3 Mark Zampardo, Ph.D., horticulture educator, Chicago Botanic Garden $62 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Tuesday, May 20, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center

Growing Fruit Trees and Berries MGC requirement Discover new as well as traditional fruit trees and berries suited for the Midwest. Learn techniques and tips to produce a bountiful harvest, whether your garden is large or small. Choice of varieties, site selection, soil preparation, and planting will be discussed. Explore ways to integrate the beauty of fruit trees and berries into any garden area. Ellen Phillips, horticulture educator $224 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Thursdays, May 29 – July 10, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Saturday, June 28, offsite, 1 – 4 p.m. Annex 2

Learn to grow beautiful fruit and berries at home.

Healthy Gardens

Ground Covers and Vines

OPC elective

OPC, PGL 1, PGL 2, GDC requirement

Would you like to create a landscape that is more resistant to insect and disease challenges? Come learn how to build up your soil organically. Regardless of whether you are starting from scratch with new construction or working with an older, existing landscape, come explore a guaranteed approach to building your soils in a healthy, environmentally friendly, and sustainable way! The School’s CEUs=0.3

Learn more about the fascinating world of climbers, trailers, and spreaders. This course will focus on identification techniques, ornamental qualities, and cultural traits of nearly 60 ground covers and vines. Plants studied will include the common English ivy and vinca as well as lesser-known cultivars of clematis and coral-bells.

Lynn Bement, The Organic Garden Coach $62 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Wednesday, June 11, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center

Recognizing Sedges in the Field OPC elective See details on page xx. The School’s CEUS=0.6 Saturday, June 21, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Annex 1

William Moss, horticulture educator $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 7 Tuesdays, July 8 – August 19, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Alsdorf Auditorium Garden Walks (select one) 6 Thursdays, July 10 – August 14, 9 – 11 a.m. or 6 Saturdays, July 12 – August 16, 9 – 11 a.m. Optional Study CD $20 Alsdorf Auditorium

Organic Pest and Disease OPC elective Are you looking for an environmentally friendly and sustainable way to treat pest and disease challenges in your garden? Come learn about handling common pest and disease issues that you may encounter in your ornamental plantings and vegetable garden. You will come away with possible new ways to observe and identify what might be “bugging” your landscape and corrective steps that you can take to minimize or eliminate the issues. The School’s CEUs=0.3 Lynn Bement, The Organic Garden Coach $62 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Wednesday, June 4, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center

50 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

Visit www.chicagobotanic. org/school/faculty for faculty biographies. Chicago Botanic Garden members receive a 20 percent discount on classes.


The Chicago region contains a wide range of plants and animals living in different types of natural communities, from woodlands to wetlands, from prairies to savannas.

Spring Bird Walk Join bird expert Alan Anderson to explore the best spots in the Garden for locating late-winter bird residents and the early migrants of spring. Each walk is approximately one to two hours long. Dress for the weather, and bring binoculars and a field guide, if you have one. Alan Anderson, research committee chairman, Chicago Audubon Society $19 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 22, 7:30 – 9 a.m. or Saturday, April 19, 7:30 – 9 a.m. or Saturday, May 24, 7:30 – 9 a.m. Meet at Visitor Center

Woodcock Walk! American woodcocks have been called sky dancers, because the males perform an interesting display in the air during breeding season. A short presentation about these interesting birds will include a close-up look at woodcock specimens and a special demonstration of woodcock young when alarmed. We will then walk to the forest preserve to watch and listen for woodcocks and other birds that are active at dusk. Bring a flashlight and wear appropriate clothing. Please pencil in March 23 as a rain date. A map will be sent. Steve Bailey, ornithologist, Illinois Natural History Survey, and Sheryl DeVore, author, Birds of Illinois, and chief editor, Meadowlark, journal of the Illinois Ornithological Society $24 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 22, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Middlefork Savanna, Lake Forest, Illinois

New! Marsh Bird Walk This program will introduce you to the more common and uncommon species of marsh birds, including rails, bitterns, gallinules, snipe, marsh wrens, and other marsh-dwelling birds that can be found in the wetland-rich areas of the greater Chicago area. If you have never heard or seen many of these secretive and interesting birds, this is the program and hike to introduce you to them. You should wear a pair of hiking boots to walk over to the edge of the marsh. A map will be sent. Steve Bailey, ornithologist, Illinois Natural History Survey $24 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, April 12, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. Almond Marsh Forest Preserve, Grayslake, Illinois

New! Learning Spring Bird Song There are many bird species that you almost never see, but you can hear virtually all of them. The evening program will show you a sampling of various spring bird species, as well as let you hear some of the more common and likely birds that we will hope to see and hear on the morning bird walk. We will also offer some common mnemonic phrases to assist you in learning the calls/songs of some of the species, like the Eastern towhee’s “drink-your-tea.” Wear hiking shoes and clothes for wandering the trails at Ryerson. Steve Bailey, ornithologist, Illinois Natural History Survey, and Sheryl DeVore, author, Birds of Illinois, and chief editor, Meadowlark, journal of the Illinois Ornithological Society $74 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, May 1, 7 – 9 p.m. and Saturday, May 3, 7:30 – 9 a.m. Brushwood House, Ryerson Woods, Deerfield, Illinois

A Walk in the Wildflowers Learn about our native flora while enjoying the beauty of Reed-Turner Woodland Nature Preserve. Class starts indoors with an overview of spring wildflowers and an emphasis on those species that are most adaptable for use in the home garden. We’ll then head outdoors for a stroll to see what’s blooming along the preserve trails. Please dress for the weather and feel free to bring a notebook, camera, and/or binoculars. A map will be sent. Sarah Schultz, steward, Reed-Turner Woodland $24 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Sunday, May 4, 1 – 3 p.m. Reed-Turner Woodland Nature Preserve, Long Grove, Illinois

Introduction to Bird-Watching If you want to become a birder, join this class to learn the basics. On Thursday, you will learn about binoculars, how to use a field guide, and the field marks used to identify common birds of the Chicago area. During the Saturday bird walk, participants will try out their newly acquired skills. Bring binoculars, if you have them, and dress for the weather. Jim Steffen, ecologist, Chicago Botanic Garden $74 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, May 15, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Annex 2 and Saturday, May 17, 7:30 – 9 a.m. Meet at McDonald Woods Entrance Shelter

New! Natural History of the Spring Oak Woodland On this walk, participants will learn about the plants and animals found in oak woodlands in spring. Go off trail to learn something about the common spring wildflowers, sedges, common mosses, and trees and shrubs, along with animals great and small. Dress for possible brambles and poison ivy. Jim Steffen, ecologist, Chicago Botanic Garden $24 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, May 15, 9 a.m. – noon Meet at McDonald Woods Entrance Shelter

Landscapes for Nature and Wildlife Learn to attract wildlife with design ideas and plants selected for use as food, shelter, and water for birds, butterflies, and small mammals. Discussion will include specific plants that may be introduced into a traditional landscape to attract and support wildlife in your garden. A Garden walk will be included, so please dress for the weather. John Raffetto, horticulture educator $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, May 29, 1 – 3 p.m. Annex 2

The Native Oaks The mighty oaks (Quercus) have been a signature species in Midwest landscapes for thousands of years. This class covers the different species and varieties within their respective ecosystems along with their landscape usage and culture. Oak morphology and physiology of the various species will be covered along with basic identification of the varieties. John Raffetto, horticulture educator $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Tuesday, June 10, 1 – 3 p.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center

Recognizing Sedges in the Field OPC elective Many of the grasslike plants you encounter in native habitats in the Chicago region and elsewhere are not actually grasses. Although similar looking, they are members of an entirely different family of plants. In this course you will study Carex, the largest and most diverse genus of the sedge family. Learn about the taxonomy, structure, and ecology of this challenging group. This advanced course is for students who have already completed Botany I or are familiar with the use of taxonomic keys. Students must have a 10X loop, hand lens, and small millimeter ruler. Be prepared for walking in the woods; wear long sleeves and long pants, and bring insect repellent and sunscreen. You may wish to purchase a copy of Field Guide to Wisconsin Sedges by Andrew Hipp. Please bring a sack lunch. The School’s CEUS=0.6 Jim Steffen, ecologist, Chicago Botanic Garden $124 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, June 21, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Annex 1

Visit chicagobotanic.org/school/registration_policies for information on registration procedure and policy. 51

Adult Education: Nature Highlights Studies

Nature Studies


Adult Education: Garden Regenstein Design School

Garden Design With a variety of courses ranging from site analysis and construction to garden art and history, students learn the principles of garden design and how design relates to the environment.

New! Design Tips for Knockout, Easy-Care Gardens Gorgeous, low-maintenance gardens are no accident. Learn proven design tricks for sensational gardens that will be the talk of the neighborhood. Topics include selecting great plants, incorporating focal points, vertical interest, sustainable practices, natural repellants, the how and when of using fertilizer, and more. Kerry Mendez, garden designer and lecturer $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 22, 1 – 3 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Fergus Garrett: A Conversation on Color Join us for a rare opportunity to hear Fergus Garrett, renowned plantsman and head gardener at Great Dixter, as he discusses the thought process involved in putting together vibrant plant combinations where saturated and unsaturated colors are mixed and contrasting colors are used to give maximum effect. This along with undulating shapes, contrasting textures, strong architectural features, and a sense of adventure result in highly stimulating gardens that make Great Dixter a powerful and vibrant experience. After his presentation, local plantsman Roy Diblik will join him to further the discussion. Fergus Garrett, head gardener and CEO at Great Dixter, United Kingdom $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Monday, March 24, 2 – 4 p.m. Alsdorf Auditorium

Painting Your Garden with Plants: Sun and Shade Register for both sessions at once and save ten percent.

Designing the Sunny Border

Garden Design Certificate of Merit Program FREE Information Session

The well-designed border wears a combination of perennials, annuals, and shrubs that provide three seasons of color and winter interest. This class will discuss how to artfully combine plants with an emphasis on the use of color, texture, and form. Whether you are a new gardener or have an established border that could use updating, this class is for you.

Curious about our certificate programs? Want to learn how our programs can help you fulfill a dream, start a new career, or simply enjoy a new interest? Bring your questions to this FREE session. This session will cover Midwest Gardener, Ornamental Plant Materials, Professional Gardener, and Garden Design programs. First-time students attending this session will receive $20 off their first Certificate core course (restrictions apply). Please register in advance to save your space.

Nina Koziol, garden writer $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 29, 10 a.m. – noon Linnaeus Room

Wednesday, June 25, 7 – 8 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Designing the Shade Garden A garden shaded by trees or buildings is often a challenge for the gardener who is faced with low light levels, tree roots, and soil that is often dry. This class provides solutions and ideas for artful plantings that can help you create effective combinations that consider color, texture, and form. Nina Koziol, garden writer $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 29, 1 – 3 p.m. Linnaeus Room

The “Know Maintenance” Approach to Perennial Gardens Roy Diblik connects well-performing perennials for our region to maintenance and planting style. His design concept includes stylized perennial garden grids placing plants that live well together. Diblik calls this style “Know Maintenance” gardening, a fresh and innovative approach to easy-care gardens. He has put this style into place in his designs for many influential gardens, including the Sullivan Arch at the Art Institute and the Oceanarium at the Shedd Aquarium. Diblik will discuss his concepts and share images of plants and gardens that illustrate this style. His new book will be available for sale and signing. Roy Diblik, plantsman and co-owner, Northwind Perennial Farm $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, April 24, 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center

Garden Walk with Roy Diblik Join Roy Diblik for an exclusive walk and talk as he discusses the concepts of plant communities, the best performing perennials for our region, and the importance of proper planning to assure a successful garden experience. Please dress for the weather. Class size will be limited. Roy Diblik, plantsman and co-owner, Northwind Perennial Farm $27 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, April 24, 1 – 2:30 p.m. Meet at the Visitor Center

52 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

New! SketchUp Fundamentals GDC elective See page 40 for details The School’s CEUs=0.9 $149 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 3 Mondays, March 17 – 31, 6 – 9 p.m. Design Studio

Principles of Garden Design, Spring Session PGL 2 and GDC requirement Apply knowledge and skills developed in previous design courses toward an in-depth understanding about spatial properties of landscape materials and their application to design principles. Weekly discussions and projects will emphasize the components of three-dimensional spaces and their application to the development of refined concept design plans and construction level drawings. Prerequisites: Graphics, Introduction to Professional Practice. Tony Wasemann, ASLA, senior landscape designer, Scott Byron & Co. $337 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 8 Wednesdays, April 16 – June 4, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Design Studio and 2 Saturdays, April 19 and 26, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Section and Elevations GDC elective This course will focus on the development of section and elevation drawings that may be used to complement plan drawing presentations. Sections and elevations are useful presentation tools that communicate design intent. This course will focus on the development of hand-drawing techniques to measure, draw, and embellish presentation-quality section and elevation drawings. The School’s CEUs=0.75 Jodi Mariano, RLA, senior associate, Teska Associates, Inc. $149 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 3 Mondays, April 21 – May 5, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Seminar Room, Plant Science Center


Healthcare Garden Design Certificate Seminar GDC elective In a healthcare environment, gardens provide a sense of order, safety, and privacy for those coping with illness. During this seminar, industry leaders will present the latest research demonstrating the benefits of healthcare gardens, while providing an introduction to the tools needed to effectively design, manage, and evaluate such gardens. Fee includes morning coffee and lunch. This program is registered with the American Society of Landscape Architects for continuing education credit. *Registrations made after Thursday, May 8, are not eligible for the lunch option. ASLA CEUs=0.625 or 6.25 hours $149, or $129 before April 4 Wednesday, May 14, 9 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. Alsdorf Auditorium

Introduction to Grading and Drainage PGL 2 and GDC requirement Apply knowledge and skills toward a working understanding of basic grading and drainage concepts as they relate to design. Discussions and projects will include basic earth forms and drainage patterns in residential landscapes. Prerequisites: Graphics, Introduction to Professional Practice, Principles of Garden Design. Tony Wasemann, ASLA, senior landscape designer, Scott Byron & Co. $337 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 8 Wednesdays, June 11 – July 30, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Design Studio and 2 Saturdays, July 12 and 19, 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

Healthcare Garden Design Professional development certificate program GDC elective

Hardscape Basics

Throughout history, plants and images of plants have been woven into the arts—painting, literature, and photography. The beauty of botanical arts courses is that they encompass a wide variety of topics, from photography to calligraphy, botanical illustration to papermaking. In introductory and higher-level courses, students have the opportunity to express their creative flair while sharing time with others in an enjoyable setting.

Treewhispers: Handmade Paper Art Workshop Spend the day exploring the artistic papermaking process used in the Treewhispers exhibition. You will begin the workshop with an introduction to the stunning handmade paper rounds used in the Treewhispers project. Then, roll up your sleeves and create your own paper rounds under the guidance of the visionary for the exhibit, artist Pamela Paulsrud. This will be a fun and invigorating workshop suitable for all. Pamela Paulsrud, artist and creator of Treewhispers $125 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Friday, March 7, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

This eight-day program includes case studies, group projects, field trips, lectures, and instruction from experts from healthcare garden-related professions. Working in multidisciplinary teams that reflect the real world of healthcare garden design, your learning will be reinforced through tours of healthcare facilities in greater Chicago. Registration includes eight-day program fees, course materials, seminar program, transportation to field sites, and select meals. The Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden is registered with the American Society of Landscape Architects as an LA CES™-approved provider. ASLA CEUs=4.0 or 40 hours Wednesday – Wednesday, May 14 – 21 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. (ending times may vary) Linnaeus Room Early registration fee paid/postmarked by April 4: $2,995 Fee after April 4: $3,495

Botanical Arts and Humanities

Tile Garden Marker Workshop Create six personalized garden markers embellished with identifying plant images and names. Janet Austin will guide you through an artistic process using high fire stoneware slabs, plant pressings, and lettering to make these unique and durable markers. Finished pieces will be glazed in a lovely verdigris finish then kiln-fired and ready for you to pick up in several weeks. Janet Austin, artist $124 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Tuesday, March 18, 10 a.m. – noon Annex 2

Create six original plant markers for your garden.

PGL 2 and GDC requirement

Beginning Watercolor

Apply knowledge and skills toward a working understanding of hardscape elements as they relate to garden design. Discussions and projects will focus on basic elements of hardscape structures, including paving, landscape lighting, garden walls and structures, and their application to landscapes. Prerequisites: Graphics, Introduction to Professional Practice, Principles of Garden Design.

Visit www.chicagobotanic. org/school/faculty for faculty biographies.

Watercolor is a delightfully fun medium! In this class, you’ll learn a variety of watercolor techniques, including washes and how to make a range of textures on paper, plus some color theory to get you started. No prior experience is necessary. A supply list will be sent.

Paul Laiblin, project manager and senior estimator, Scott Byron and Co. $337 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Thursdays, May 22 – July 31, 6:30 – 9 p.m. (no class July 3) Design Studio Saturday, June 14, offsite, 1 – 4 p.m.

Chicago Botanic Garden members receive a 20 percent discount on classes.

Patsy Welch, artist and educator $237 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Tuesdays, March 18 – April 29, 1 – 3:30 p.m. (no class April 8) Design Studio

Visit chicagobotanic.org/school/registration_policies for information on registration procedure and policy. 53

Adult Education: Botanical Arts & Humanities

Gardens That Heal: A Prescription for Wellness




Adult Education: Botanical RegensteinArts School & Humanities

Edible Gelatin Art Called “the new cake,” this popular, 100 percent edible dessert is exciting, delicious, light, beautiful, and gluten-free. In these workshops, you will learn to transform clear, glass-like gelatin into stunning 3D floral designs that are gorgeous enough to put on display, but are actually edible art made to enjoy and share. All instruction, recipes, and supplies provided, including ideas for adapting the dessert to sugar-free and/or lactose-free lifestyles.

Edible Gelatin Art: Orchids This workshop will provide you with ample time to practice and perfect two realistic orchid designs, one Phalaenopsis and one Cattleya, suspended into individual gelatin molds that you will take home. The vibrant colors and stunning details of these flowers create an effect that tastes as good as it looks. Bring a sack lunch to enjoy during break. Registration also includes entrance to the orchid show after class. Angelica Aguilar, gelatin artist and owner, Blossoms By Angelica $149 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 15, 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

Edible Gelatin Art: Rose and Daisy

Edible Gelatin Art: Butterfly and Sunflower

This workshop will provide you with ample time to practice and perfect an elegant rose in full bloom and a cheerful daisy design that is suspended into individual gelatin molds you will take home. This art form is a unique way to enjoy a delicious and light dessert as we welcome the summer months. Bring a sack lunch to enjoy during break.

In this class you will create a refreshing, 100 percent edible, gelatin “cake” featuring a delicate butterfly and striking sunflower design. Your finished product would be a perfect addition to a Father’s Day picnic or party! Please bring a butane hand torch for creating the butterfly. Bring a sack lunch to enjoy during break. Registration also includes entrance to the Butterflies & Blooms exhibition after class.

Angelica Aguilar, gelatin artist and owner, Blossoms By Angelica $149 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Seminar Room, Plant Science Center

Angelica Aguilar, gelatin artist and owner, Blossoms By Angelica $149 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, June 14, 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Seminar Room, Plant Science Center

Pop-Up Paper Orchid Workshop

Pop-Up Paper Veggies Workshop: Part 1

Pop-Up Paper Veggies Workshop: Part 2

Celebrate the 2014 Orchid Show by making gorgeous pop-up orchids! After creating a simple pop-up card with white card stock, you will visit the Orchid Show and take photos or make quick sketches of a specific orchid you would like to recreate in pop-up. With photo or sketch in hand, you will return to the workshop. Using card stock in a wide range of colors, you will build a second card, customizing the shapes and using color to make the bloom your own. No experience necessary; just bring a camera or sketchbook, any dry media (colored pencil, pastel, etc.) you might like to use, and your love of orchids! All tools are supplied for this workshop, but feel free to bring your own if you prefer working with them.

Do you love the beauty of an heirloom vegetable as much as the taste? Here’s your chance to create a gorgeous collection of pop-up vegetable cards, just in time for the planting season. Featured vegetables include the Jackson wonder bush bean, golden stem chard, and the beefsteak tomato. All participants will leave with a collection of five or six cards, as well as an introduction to the fundamentals and materials of pop-up engineering. No experience is necessary, but binding and/or sewing skills will speed your progress. All tools are supplied for this workshop, but feel free to bring your own if you prefer working with them.

Return for a second day of beautiful (and more complex!) heirloom vegetables. Featured among the more sophisticated structures are the Minnesota sweet pumpkin, golden bantam twelve-row sweet corn, and Brunswick cabbage. Students may register for part two if they have had any previous pop-up classes with Sheehy. All tools are supplied for this workshop, but feel free to bring your own if you prefer working with them.

Shawn Sheehy, pop-up engineer and author $62 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, March 8, 9 a.m. – noon Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

Shawn Sheehy, pop-up engineer and author $125 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, April 5, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Green Roof Conference Room, Plant Science Center

56 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

Shawn Sheehy, pop-up engineer and author $125 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Sunday, April 6, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Green Roof Conference Room, Plant Science Center



Adult Education: Botanical Arts & Humanities

Fiber Arts Workshops Come learn how to felt while hearing stories of a knitter, shepherd, and small business owner! Natasha Lehrer, of Esther’s Place Fiber Arts Studio in Big Rock, Illinois, will share her love of fiber arts and inspire you to create! Register for both sessions at once and receive a ten percent discount.

New! Needle-Felted Mother Sheep and Lamb

Mosaic Workshop Discover the joy and beauty of mosaic art in the pique assiette tradition. Pique assiette, or “broken plates,” incorporates a wonderful blending of color, form, and texture. This mosaic folk art can be found in many cultures and is popular today as a way to recycle a favorite piece of china or broken heirloom. Work under the guidance of Bonnie Arkin to complete a unique mosaic from shards of china, ceramic, or glass. A supply list is given at the first class, but you can start collecting dishes now! Bonnie Arkin, artist and designer $149 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Tuesdays, March 18 – May 6, 7 – 9 p.m. (no classes April 15 & 22) Annex 1 or 6 Tuesdays, May 13 – June 17, 7 – 9 p.m. Annex 1

Calligraphy and Floral Decoration Learn the art of beautiful writing and the flourishes of botanical illustration: it’s a match made in heaven! Beginners, start with the basics of calligraphy and floral decoration for invitations and cards. More experienced students, polish your skills and complete a project. A supply list will be sent. Judith Joseph, artist and educator $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Thursdays, March 20 – May 1, 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. (no class April 10) Design Studio

Rejuvenated Jewelry Inspired by the little treasures you save and love, we will cleverly combine old and new elements to create spectacular jewelry. Bring your special and sentimental keepsakes, single earrings, buttons, charms, chains, family photos, and found objects and let Bonnie Arkin inspire your creativity. We can create wonderful new designs from vintage treasures. You will learn to solder, wire wrap, and string. Arkin has many examples to share and resources for treasure hunting. A supply list will be sent.

Celebrate spring with this sweet felted pair that makes a wonderful Mother’s Day gift! A mother and her lamb, complete with cute spring bows and lots of character! Transform locally produced wool into adorable three-dimensional figurines using needle-felting techniques. $49 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Monday, March 31, 10 a.m. – noon Linnaeus Room

New! Needle-Felted Flower Fairy Join us to make a 4-inch fairy that is full of charm, complete with beautiful alpaca hair, sparkly wings, and your choice of color. $49 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Monday, March 31, 1 – 3 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Japanese Ink Painting Sumi-e, the ancient art of Japanese ink painting, requires no previous painting experience. Individualized instruction will be provided for students of all levels. Beginners will learn to use Oriental painting equipment to paint classic nature subjects. A supply list will be sent.

New! Drawing & Painting our Way Through History In this class we will study and explore the history of botanical art. We will put into practice what we learn from the masters and the significant historical trends of this exquisite art form. This will be a studio class of drawing and painting, and each student will have the opportunity to explore the various media and techniques involved. This class is open to beginning, intermediate, and advanced students. Derek Norman, artist and director, Midwest Center for Botanical Documentation $312 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Fridays, May 2 – June 13, 1 – 4 p.m. (no class May 23) Design Studio

New! The Art of the Wildflower Take advantage of the spring woodland wildflower setting at the beautiful Reed-Turner Preserve. Students (beginning, intermediate, and advanced) will learn how to make traditional botanical field sketchbook studies using the medium of their choice (pencil, pen and ink, colored pencil, watercolor, and/or gouache). Students will learn to capture botanical detail and characteristics as a preliminary step to creating more finished botanical works of art. Students will also learn how to use a microscope (for botanical detail) and proportional dividers (for accuracy). Since this class will be conducted in the field, please dress accordingly. A supply list and map will be sent. Derek Norman, artist and director, Midwest Center for Botanical Documentation $249 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Wednesday & Thursday, May 7 & 8, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Reed-Turner Woodland Nature Preserve, Long Grove, Illinois

Kay Thomas, artist $249 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 8 Thursdays, April 3 – May 22, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Design Studio

New! Cigar-Box Faerie Cottage Workshop Do you believe in faeries? Make your own cigar-box faerie house in this whimsical workshop. We will be making a room that has all of the comforts your faerie friend might want, including a bed, dining area, cabinets, sink, books, windows, and anything else your imagination dreams up. Bring things that inspire you to add and trade, like fabric, lace, beads, buttons, tiny images and views (for your window), shells, etc. All other materials will be supplied. Tatiana Katara, artist and educator $149 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, April 26, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center

Bonnie Arkin, artist and designer $149 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Thursdays, March 20 – May 1, 7 – 9 p.m. (no class April 10) Annex 1 or 6 Thursdays, May 22 – June 26, 7 – 9 p.m. Annex 1

58 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

Make a cigar-box faerie house in a whimsical workshop.



Adult Education: Botanical RegensteinArts School & Humanities

Watercolor: Painting the Natural World This course addresses ways to express the beauty of nature in watercolor. Each week will focus on a specific technique, such as ways to mix greens or show natural textures, with a goal of a more satisfying painting experience. In the last two weeks, we will focus on such landscape techniques as how to use composition, color, and focus to create the impression of a beautiful natural place. A supply list will be sent. Judith Joseph, artist and educator $299 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Thursdays, May 8 – June 12, noon – 3 p.m. Design Studio

Adventure, Travel, Plein Air Painting! Full-day Watercolor Workshop Have you found yourself in some breathtaking location, clicking your camera, while thinking to yourself, “I should be painting this right now”? This class will build your confidence to capture the magical beauty of the great outdoors through plein-air painting. Whether you are a highly accomplished painter or just beginning, you will get helpful advice on technique, composition, and equipment. David Dallison will share his specific color palette and methods for building up a painting through composition, tone, color, and layering. In addition, you will learn how to develop a lightweight, portable system that will allow you to paint anywhere, anytime. Lunch is on your own. David Dallison, professional artist $99 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Tuesday, June 3, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Meet at Visitor Center

Watercolor 2 For students who have completed Beginning Watercolor, we will continue to learn various techniques and color theory while exploring different ways to combine light, composition, color, and textures in watercolor painting. A supply list will be sent.

Botanical Arts Certificate of Merit Program

Color Mixing

Annual Student Botanical Arts Exhibition

Learn to mix accurate, exciting color including the vivid, specific hues of flowers, the bright and subdued greens of leaves, and the deep, subtle colors in shadows. We’ll make charts for permanent reference and then apply this knowledge to paint flowers and leaves from live specimens. We will work in watercolor, but exercises apply to all media.

Registration Deadline Monday, July 28 Get your paintbrushes ready and your pencils sharpened! Registration is now open for the 2014 Student Botanical Art Exhibition. Students of all levels are welcome, but you must register and submit your entries by July 28 to participate. Please review detailed information on requirements, procedures, and submission due dates prior to registration. chicagobotanic.org/school/botart_exhibition

ART requirement

Marlene Hill Donnelly, scientific illustrator, Chicago Botanic Garden and The Field Museum $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Sundays, March 2 – April 6, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. or 6 Tuesdays, March 4 – April 8, 6 – 9 p.m. Design Studio

Botanical Drawing 2 ART requirement Continue to build your drawing skills with advanced graphite techniques, light and dark media on toned paper, and carbon dust. Prerequisite: Botanical Drawing 1. Marlene Hill Donnelly, scientific illustrator, Chicago Botanic Garden and The Field Museum $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Saturdays, March 1 – April 5, 9 a.m. – noon Design Studio

Expressive Watercolor ART requirement, expressive track Explore the fluid beauty of the watercolor medium. Each session will progress to a more controlled “found” finish. There will be a strong emphasis on values and design. Prerequisite: Watercolor 1 or equivalent. Thomas Trausch, artist, TWSA master status $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Saturdays, March 1 – April 5, 1 – 4 p.m. Design Studio

Patsy Welch, artist and educator $237 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Wednesdays, June 18 – July 23, 1 – 3:30 p.m. Design Studio

Colored Pencil Drawing Course ART elective Start with the fundamentals then delve into working with dry and wet media of colored pencil. Develop your drawing skills through extensive color exploration of value, intensity and temperature. Learn dry applications, layering, washes, and color mixing techniques. Work from real life and nature rather than from photographs. Demonstration and explanations are presented at the start of each class. Individual guidance and instruction is given to each student. The School’s CEUs=1.8 Priscilla Humay, freelance artist, CPSA $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Mondays, April 7 – May 12, 6 – 9 p.m. Design Studio

Color Mixing 2 ART elective Through exercises and demonstrations, this class will explore the more advanced aspects of color such as simultaneous contrast, color vibration, composing with color, mixing neutrals, and atmospheric perspective. Watercolor will be the primary medium but students may also work in hard pastel or colored pencil. The School’s CEUs=1.2 Marlene Hill Donnelly, scientific illustrator, Chicago Botanic Garden and The Field Museum $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Tuesdays, April 15 – May 20, 6 – 9 p.m. Design Studio

The Chicago Botanic Garden has a practice carillon in the Regenstein Center, which makes it possible for the Garden to offer instruction in carillon performance. Wylie Crawford, the Garden’s resident carillonneur, will begin teaching in late March. For more information, please call (847) 835-8261.

60 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.


Visiting artist program ART elective Join Wendy Hollender to learn the techniques outlined in her book Botanical Drawing in Color: A Basic Guide to Mastering Realistic Form and Naturalistic Color. Students will learn how to use a grisaille technique for undertones in a neutral color and then how to layer color on top to create depth, using watercolor pencils in combination with dry colored pencils. This technique is very immediate and materials are simple, allowing the artist to work easily in multiple locations, and it is especially useful for work in the field. Students will become familiar with the techniques and practice on simple forms such as fruits using colored pencils. Then they will progress to more complex forms such as flowers. The School’s CEUs=1.2 Wendy Hollender, botanical artist, author, and instructor $312 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday & Sunday, April 26 & 27, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Design Studio

Composition ART requirement Students at all levels will learn the components of fine botanical composition in this studio class. Students will explore composition, design, and execution. Derek Norman, artist and director, Midwest Center for Botanical Documentation $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Mondays, June 2 – July 7, 6 – 9 p.m. Design Studio

Watercolor 1 ART requirement Students will build skills, starting with basic color mixing and paint-handling exercises. Students will progress to rendering textures and form in color and using paint-layering techniques to achieve a naturalistic style. Nancy Halliday, freelance artist and naturalist $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Tuesdays, July 22 – August 26, 6 – 9 p.m. Design Studio

Pen and Ink Scientific Illustration

Photography

Adult Education: Photography Highlights

Grisaille Technique in Botanical Painting: A Workshop with Wendy Hollender

Discover the joy of nature and garden photography with the Garden as your studio! Advance your artistic and technical skills in classes and workshops for students of all levels led by outstanding photography professionals.

Garden and Travel Photography The best souvenirs of your trip are photographs of the buildings and gardens you visit no matter where your travels take you. Combining buildings and gardens often presents a challenge. Learn how to create lead-lines in addition to using light, angle, and time of day to optimize your pictures. Classes will be held at the Garden and other locations. A checklist and syllabus will be sent before the first class. Prerequisite: Beginning Photography class or general camera competence. Requirements: Digital camera (no tablets or cell phones, please) and tripod strongly encouraged. Jack Carlson, certified professional photographer $225 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 4 Tuesdays, May 13 – June 3, 9 a.m. – noon Design Studio

New! iPhone Photography

ART elective Learn the basic steps to create an accurate scientific illustration using natural plant materials together with the relevant herbarium sheets. Learn to understand the structure of the subject specimen and its plant parts, and then to draw and then ink. Explore the creation of an aesthetically pleasing and readable composition. The School’s CEUs= 1.8

Visit www.chicagobotanic. org/school/faculty for faculty biographies.

Derek Norman, artist and director, Midwest Center for Botanical Documentation $287 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 6 Saturdays, May 3 – June 7, 1 – 4 p.m. Design Studio

Chicago Botanic Garden members receive a 20 percent discount on classes.

There are hundreds of photography apps available for iPhones, and many of them have similar features. This class will explore some of the better-known apps along with instruction on how to use them for nature photography. The first class will go over the basics of iPhone photography along with fieldwork for a portion of the day. The second class will examine the photos taken during week one and how they can be enhanced, manipulated, or altered to create a personal statement. iPhones are mandatory. Tobin Fraley, photographer $79 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 2 Saturdays, May 31 & June 7, 10 a.m. – noon Garden View Room, Visitor Center

Sharpen your photography skills with expert instructors.

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Adult Education: Photography

Intermediate Photography Portfolio Workshop FPC requirement, fine art track The Garden will serve as a natural laboratory as we explore a variety of photographic techniques to take you from an ordinary snapshot to botanic art. Heavy emphasis will be put on finding your own artistic style while advancing your photographic skill set and beginning to create your own botanic art portfolio. This course is designed for intermediate photographers. You will walk away with your own set of professionally produced images. Digital SLR cameras are mandatory.

Capture the beauty of early spring with your camera.

Dianne Kittle, fine art photographer $374 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 8 Mondays, March 24 – May 12, 9 – 11:30 a.m. Design Studio

Adult Education:

New! Basics of Editing – Advanced Photoshop New! Intro to Photography for Persons with Limited Mobility Limited mobility should not impede your pursuit of this engaging hobby. Learn the basics of working with your individual camera, along with ways to adapt your equipment and methods to compensate for your physical disability. The first class will focus on camera basics in addition to specific suggestions for adaptive devices. The following two classes will combine classroom instruction with field experience. The instructor will contact each student in advance of the class to assess individual needs and answer questions. Requirements: Digital camera (no phones or pads, please). Class size limited to eight students. Note: A limited number of ECVs (motorized scooters) are available for rental at the Garden; reservations should be made in advance by calling the Information Desk at (847) 835-8208. Manual wheelchairs are also available at no charge. Jack Carlson, certified professional photographer $119 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 3 Mondays, June 9 – 23, 10 a.m. – noon Garden View Room, Visitor Center

Focus on Photography Certificate of Merit Program Macro Photography in the Greenhouse FPC elective Get away from the winter blues and come explore the Greenhouse. This class will introduce you to a world of detail often not noticed. The succulents, tropical blooms, and Greenhouse color will serve as our natural laboratory. Each class will consist of learning new macro techniques followed by trips into the Greenhouses to practice new skills and artistic elements. Designed for intermediate photographers comfortable with basic photography techniques. Digital SLR, macro lens, and tripod required. The School’s CEUs = 1.25

New! Photographing Wildflowers

FPC elective

FPC fundamental course, nature and wildlife track

Take your Photoshop skills to the next level and learn some more exciting editing techniques. This class is project-oriented, learning black and white with color accents, HDR, panorama, and people extraction. There will also be more digital photography tips. Requirements for the course are a laptop computer with Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop CS5 installed and a digital camera. Prerequisite: Photoshop 1& 2, or approval of instructor. The School’s CEUs = 1.0

Students will learn about capturing images of both native wildflowers and garden flowers. The emphasis will be on color and tonal balance, close-ups, backgrounds, natural lighting, and composition. Wildflowers change quickly in the spring, so each week will offer a new array of subjects. A portion of each class will be held outside, so please dress for the weather. Digital SLR cameras plus a standard and macro lens are mandatory along with a general working knowledge of your camera’s functions. Tobin Fraley, photographer $229 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 5 Thursdays, March 20 – April 24, 9:30 a.m. – noon (no class April 10) Design Studio

Photographing Signs of Spring FPC elective Spring is often subtle in its arrival. This class will present the camera and lens settings that are best to use when capturing those small hints of the changing season. Learn to recognize which perspectives will best highlight these small-scale buds and shoots. Macro or close-focusing lens quite helpful, but not required. Prerequisites: Beginning Digital Photography or approval of instructor. Class limited to digital cameras only. No phones or pads, please. The School CEUs=1.2 Jack Carlson, certified professional photographer $225 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 3 Sundays, March 23 – April 6, 8 a.m. – noon Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

Julia Franzosa, fine art photographer $225 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 5 Wednesdays, March 19 – April 23, 2 – 4:30 p.m. (no class April 9) Design Studio

62 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

Iris Allen, freelance photographer and instructor $187 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 4 Mondays, March 24 – April 14, 1 – 3:30 p.m. Annex 2

Beginning Digital Photography FPC requirement This course will help beginners and enthusiasts grasp the techniques and principles of photography. By the end of class, participants will be confident in using their camera’s manual settings. Course requires a digital SLR camera. No previous experience is required. Jack Carlson, certified professional photographer $225 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 4 Wednesdays, March 26 – April 23, 9 a.m. – noon (no class April 9) Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center or 4 Saturdays, May 10 – June 7, 9 a.m. – noon (no class May 24) Design Studio



Adult Education: Photography

New! Visual Storytelling and Bookmaking

Documenting Nature

Advanced Photography Portfolio Workshop

FPC elective

FPC requirement, nature and wildlife track

FPC requirement, fine art track

Learn the art of creativity, writing, and storytelling in the Garden. Begin the day with an inspirational exercise. Write a themed-approach photography book comprised of your portfolio of connected images. Develop a style of design and write poetically about your photographic art. We will review prizewinning blurb photography books and then design a book, step by step, that can be published for others or treasured by your family. You will need a laptop computer and have a portfolio ready for critique. The School’s CEUs=1.2

The emphasis of this class will be on composition and storytelling through the use of still photography in a natural setting. We will cover depth of field, offset imaging, cropping, and the use of triptychs. We will also take comprehensive look at understanding what the camera sees compared with our own natural visual biases. A portion of each class will be held outside, so please dress for the weather. Digital SLR cameras are mandatory along with a general working knowledge of your camera’s functions.

This course is designed for photographers comfortable with the skills and techniques necessary to produce portfolio-quality images. Must be comfortable with aperture and shutter speed. With skills honed, the class will explore art direction, composition, and elements within the art of photography. Time in the classroom is immediately followed by time outdoors dedicated to practicing new artistic components. You will walk away with your own set of professionally produced images, which will be ready to submit for the 2014 Student Botanical Photography Exhibition. Digital SLR mandatory. Prerequisite: Intermediate Photography Portfolio Class.

Dianne Kittle, fine art photographer and Jeri Love, professional writer $225 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 4 Wednesdays, April 16 – May 7, 9 a.m. – noon Garden View Room, Visitor Center

Black-and-White Photography: A Study of Shadows and Texture FPC elective In addition to a brief study of the history of black-and-white photography, students will explore the digital creation of images beyond color, looking into the shadows and textures that lay beneath nature’s color spectrum using plants and objects found at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Tonality and dynamic range will be the main topics although we will also review the use of black-and-white imaging in mainstream photography. Digital SLR cameras are mandatory. A portion of each class will be held outside, so please dress for the weather. The School’s CEUs=1.25 Tobin Fraley, photographer $229 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 5 Thursdays, April 17 – May 15, 1 – 3:30 p.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center

Tobin Fraley, photographer $229 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 5 Thursdays, May 1 – June 29, 9:30 a.m. – noon Garden View Room, Visitor Center

New! Capturing Sunrise Scenes with Your Camera

Dianne Kittle, fine art photographer $374 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 8 Mondays, June 2 – July 21, 9 – 11:30 a.m. Design Studio

FPC elective

Basics of Editing – Photoshop 2

Photographs taken at sunrise are some of the most romantic and dramatic of their kind due to the clear, clean light. Though it means getting out very early in the morning, students will learn how to use our largest direct source of light to create photographs with the highlights, angles, and shadows found only at this time of day. A checklist will be sent before class. Students should bring tripod. Class limited to digital cameras; no phones or pads, please. The School’s CEUs = 0.6

FPC elective

Jack Carlson, certified professional photographer $119 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 2 Saturdays, May 10 & 17, 5 – 8 a.m. Design Studio

Textures and Patterns in Nature Photography

Take the next step and learn even more about Abobe Photoshop. This more advanced class will further your knowledge of selections and layers, allowing you to do some serious photo enhancement and manipulation. We will tackle some interesting projects such as black and white with color accents, old photo restoration, and abstract art creation. Requirements for the course are a laptop computer with Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop CS5 installed and a digital camera. Prerequisite: Photoshop 1, or approval of instructor. The School’s CEUs = 1.0 Iris Allen, freelance photographer and instructor $187 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 4 Mondays, June 2 – 23, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center

FPC fundamental course, fine art track

Basics of Editing – Photoshop I FPC requirement option The Chicago Botanic Garden is a spectacular place to take photographs. Make your photographs even better with Adobe Photoshop Elements—a user-friendly photo editor that uses the same concepts as the full version of Photoshop. Learn how to make your images better through the use of selection tools, layers, and smart brushes. Play with some artistic options that can inspire abstractions. Requirements for the course are a laptop computer with Adobe Photoshop Elements or Adobe Photoshop CS5 installed and a digital camera. Iris Allen, freelance photographer and instructor $187 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 4 Mondays, April 28 – May 19, 6:30 – 9 p.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center

Develop your artistic vision by using natural and artificial light to discover textures and patterns at the Chicago Botanic Garden. With your SLR camera’s flash, flashlights, the sun, and other light sources, you will capture textures to create a 3D world showing the rhythm of nature. This intermediate class will include an opportunity to use strobe lighting, light tables, and backdrops for the study of textures in composition. Class will include lecture, critique, and time in the Garden. Dianne Kittle, fine art photographer $225 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 4 Wednesdays, May 14 – June 4, 1 – 4 p.m. Design Studio

64 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

New! Photographing Butterflies and Blooms FPC elective Join Jack Carlson for a rare opportunity to capture the colorful world of the Butterflies & Blooms exhibition. This intermediate – advanced level class meets before the exhibition opens to the general public, so cameras and tripods are most welcome. Participants should have a working knowledge of camera controls and lens settings. Close-focusing/macro lens and tripod strongly suggested. We will meet for a brief orientation, and then proceed to the exhibition. The School’s CEUs=0.25 Jack Carlson, certified professional photographer $59 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, June 5, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. or Sunday, June 8, 7:30 – 9:30 a.m. Garden View Room, Visitor Center


Opening My Medicine Bag: Therapeutic Touch

Discover the many possibilities offered at the Chicago Botanic Garden for nurturing and healing the body, mind, and spirit.

Getting the Most Out of Your CSA

New! Sugar Busters

Have you signed up for a CSA, (community supported agriculture), and you are not sure how to work with the produce you receive? Are you worried you might get too many vegetables? Learn how to maximize your CSA bounty and not to waste a single fruit or vegetable so you get the most for your money while supporting your local farmer. You will also receive a handout with recipes, tips, and tricks for using and preserving your CSA bounty.

Do you crave sweets? You’re not alone! The average American consumes 30 teaspoons of the sweet stuff every day without even realizing it! Sugar can pack on the pounds, zap your energy, run down your immune system, make you moody, and more. Wouldn’t you love to kick the sugar habit once and for all? Join us for the Sugar Busters workshop and change your life for the better! Tamara Mannelly will show you simple steps and proven strategies to help you understand why you crave sugar (hint: it’s not your fault!) and how you can break sugar’s hold on you. This is a positive and uplifting class where all are welcome.

Tamara Mannelly, M.Ed., HHC, certified healing foods specialist and holistic health coach $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, April 17, 10 – 11:30 a.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

New! Holistic Health and Wellness: A Healthier You Are you busy with your family, your career, and your life? Do you tend to neglect your health? Do you think it is normal to gain weight, have a sore back, lack energy, etc.? Well, it doesn’t have to be that way! You can get your body back in balance and start to feel great! Learn some easy techniques to nourish and balance your body to a healthier and happier you. You will leave this positive and uplifting class feeling empowered and ready to take back your health and restore balance and vitality to your life! Tamara Mannelly, M.Ed., HHC, certified healing foods specialist and holistic health coach $19 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Thursday, May 1, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Design Studio

Tamara Mannelly, M.Ed., HHC, certified healing foods specialist and holistic health coach $19 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Wednesday, June 4, 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. Annex 2

New! Fizzy Drinks: Healthy, Probiotic-rich Alternatives to Soda Are you looking for healthy ways to quit the soda habit? In this class, Tamara Mannelly will demonstrate several different recipes for making healthy, probiotic-rich, fizzy drinks that your whole family will enjoy! She will have plenty for you to taste and will show you how easy it is to make these in your own home! You will be able to take home notes, recipes, and a kombucha SCOBY (to make your own kombucha tea...one of the recipes she will demo).

Marilyn Johnston-Svoboda, Ed.D., R.N., writer, and counselor $37 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, May 10, 1 – 3 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Reiki for You Reiki is a complementary healing practice that can be used for self-care as well as care of others. Reiki is helpful in promoting relaxation, managing stress, and enhancing one’s overall health and well-being. Reiki works holistically to bring balance to the body, mind, and spirit. In this two-class series, you will learn about working with Reiki and how to offer Reiki to yourself every day. Completion of both classes is required to receive your Level I certificate. Ellani Maurides and Mary Lynn Carver, Instructors, The Reiki Share Project $187 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 2 Thursdays, June 19 & 26, 1 – 5 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Tamara Mannelly, M.Ed., HHC, certified healing foods specialist and holistic health coach $49 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Tuesday, June 10, 10 a.m. – noon Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center

Fitness Walks

Meditation Walk: The Cycles of Life

Maximize the benefits of walking for exercise by learning about proper posture, muscle strengthening, and stretching. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s outdoor environment is a unique alternative to a health club, offering fresh air and a place where beautiful scenery changes weekly. All fitness levels are accommodated. Dress for the weather; wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes. The incremental multi-session pass allows the walker to choose which sessions to attend during the season.

What better way to enjoy the seasonal weather and nourish your spirit at the same time than an early morning meditation walk at the Chicago Botanic Garden! Come prepared to relax and renew as we slowly walk around the Great Basin, making four stops for guided meditation. The four life-cycle images we will focus on are creation/birth, growth, pain and loss, and new life. Each image will be linked to our own life experiences, and you will have private time to contemplate, journal, wander, and breathe. This event will take place rain or shine as we can utilize covered spaces if needed.

Esther Gutiérrez-Sloan, certified personal trainer and president, SALSArobics, Inc. # of Sessions Nonmember Fee (members receive 20% discount) 4 Sessions $63 nonmember 8 Sessions $119 nonmember 12 Sessions $166 nonmember Drop-in Rate $15 Saturdays, April 12 – November 15, 8 – 9 a.m. Meet in Visitor Center

From the instructor’s Native American background comes the idea that all of us carry special medicine that can help another person in need. In this workshop, Marilyn Johnston-Svoboda will share one of the healing tools from her medicine bag. This technique is an energetic healing modality called Therapeutic Touch (TT). The natural compassion we have for those we love is the motivating force of TT. Part of the practice includes relaxation and guided imagery. By the end of this workshop, you will have learned the basic steps and principles of TT and be able to use it in a simple way to help yourself, your family, and your friends.

Mary Ann Spina, teacher, writer, and counselor $25 nonmember; members receive 20% discount Saturday, May 3, 8 – 10 a.m. Meet at Visitor Center

Visit chicagobotanic.org/school/registration_policies for information on registration procedure and policy. 65

Adult Education: Wellness Highlights& Fitness

Wellness


Adult Education: Wellness Regenstein & Fitness School

Tai Chi Classes

Simplified Yang-Style Tai Chi Chuan

New! Tai Chi: Advanced Yang-Style

Tai chi’s fluid movements make the Chicago Botanic Garden an ideal location for classes. People of all ages and physical conditions can learn these movements. Tai chi is best practiced in loose clothing and stocking feet or comfortable flat shoes. On occasion, when weather permits, class will occur outdoors in one of the beautiful areas of the Chicago Botanic Garden. One-time class trial fee: $20.

We will practice all 24 postures of tai chi chuan and the technique for each movement will be discussed. The routine may be completed in less than ten minutes. Members will build a solid foundation for balance and coordination. Qigong exercises will also be introduced to improve overall fitness.

This course continues with in-depth study of the Yang-style for students who have completed the intermediate class level and feel comfortable advancing. Some qigong exercises, such as the Eight Pieces of Brocade, will also be practiced. In session we will emphasize the ABCs—alignment, breathing, and concentration.

Tai Chi 101 This course will introduce students to Sun-style and Yang-style tai chi chuan. We will focus on basic principles to improve your balance and relaxation, and also increase your range of motion and reduce stress. This class of gentle movements is recommended for beginners and provides you with a solid foundation for choosing future studies. No previous tai chi experience is required, and all are welcome. Gordon Lock, instructor $165 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Wednesdays, March 12 – May 21, 8 – 9 a.m. (no class April 23) Burnstein Hall

Tai Chi: Traditional Yang-Style Long Form This course continues with in-depth study of the Yang style. Some qigong exercises, such as the Eight Pieces of Brocade, will also be practiced. In session we will emphasize the ABCs—alignment, breathing, and concentration. Tai Chi 101 or some tai chi experience is recommended. Gordon Lock, instructor $165 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Wednesdays, March 12 – May 21, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. (no class April 23) Burnstein Hall

Tai Chi: Traditional Sun-Style Long Form This course continues with in-depth study of the Sun style. Some qigong exercises, such as the Eight Pieces of Brocade, will also be practiced. In session we will emphasize the ABCs—alignment, breathing, and concentration. Tai Chi 101 or some tai chi experience recommended. Gordon Lock, instructor $165 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Thursdays, March 13 – May 22, 8 – 9 a.m. (no class April 24) Burnstein Hall

Gordon Lock, instructor $165 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Thursdays, March 13 – May 22, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. (no class April 24) Burnstein Hall

New! Tai Chi For Beginners: Sun-Style This course will introduce students to Sun-style tai chi chuan with a few Yang-style concepts as well. Sun-style is the most modern form of tai chi and the movements are very gentle in nature. We will focus on basic principles to improve your balance and relaxation, and also increase your range of motion and reduce stress. This class of gentle movements is recommended for beginners and provides you with a solid foundation for choosing future studies. No previous tai chi experience is required, and all are welcome. Gordon Lock, instructor $119 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 7 Tuesdays, June 3 – July 22, 8 – 9 a.m. (no class July 8) Burnstein Hall

New! Tai Chi For Beginners: Yang-Style This course will introduce students to Yang-style tai chi chuan with a few Sun-style concepts as well. Tai chi from the Yang family is a beautiful, slow-moving meditation in motion. We will focus on basic principles to improve your balance and relaxation, and also increase your range of motion and reduce stress. This class of gentle movements is recommended for beginners and provides you with a solid foundation for choosing future studies. No previous tai chi experience is required, and all are welcome. Gordon Lock, instructor $119 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 7 Tuesdays, June 3 – July 22, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. (no class July 8) Burnstein Hall

New! Tai Chi: Intermediate Sun-Style Further your study of the Sun-style form of tai chi. Consistent practice of tai chi helps us to relax from the fast pace of multitasking and recognize the moment at hand. The movements help to reconnect us to mind-body awareness and restore harmony and balance into our daily routines. Prerequisite: Tai Chi for Beginners or some tai chi experience. Gordon Lock, instructor $165 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Wednesdays, June 4 – August 13, 8 – 9 a.m. (no class July 9) Burnstein Hall

66 To register, visit chicagobotanic.org/school or call (847) 835-8261.

Gordon Lock, instructor $165 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Wednesdays, June 4 – August 13, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. (no class July 9) Burnstein Hall

New! Tai Chi: Advanced Sun-Style This course continues with in-depth study of the Sun-style for students who have completed the intermediate class level and feel comfortable advancing. Some qigong exercises, such as the Eight Pieces of Brocade, will also be practiced. In session we will emphasize the ABCs—alignment, breathing, and concentration. Gordon Lock, instructor $165 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Thursdays, June 5 – August 14, 8 – 9 a.m. (no class July 9) Burnstein Hall

New! Tai Chi: Intermediate Yang-Style Further your study of the Yang-style form of tai chi. Consistent practice of tai chi helps us to relax from the fast pace of multitasking and recognize the moment at hand. The movements help to reconnect us to mind-body awareness and restore harmony and balance into our daily routines. Tai Chi for Beginners or some tai chi experience is recommended. Gordon Lock, instructor $165 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Thursdays, June 5 – August 14, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. (no class July 9) Burnstein Hall

Visit www.chicagobotanic. org/school/faculty for faculty biographies. Chicago Botanic Garden members receive a 20 percent discount on classes.


Gentle Yoga

Yoga Flow Beginner

Yoga is an ancient practice that unites body, mind, and spirit. For all sessions, wear comfortable clothing (sweats, shorts, or yoga pants) with socks or bare feet. Yoga mats are required. It is also suggested that you bring a towel with you, as well as a sweatshirt for cool-down. All yoga classes last approximately 60 minutes. On occasion, when weather permits, class will occur outdoors in one of the beautiful areas of the Chicago Botanic Garden. One-time class trial fee: $20.

A series of yoga poses and breathing exercises designed and adapted for a tranquil, relaxing yoga experience. In this course, we will take a gentle, restorative approach to the practice. All students are welcome. Come and enjoy a sense of peace and balance.

The Yoga Flow series combines movement linked to the breath, working the body and engaging the mind. This is a moderately challenging course for students with some yoga experience.

Gentle Yoga and Meditation All levels of fitness and experience are welcome in this class, which will include meditative movement and contemplative stillness. We will focus on the breath and relieving stress. Steve Nakon, Whole Journey $170 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Wednesdays, April 16 – June 18, 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Linnaeus Room

Yoga Master Class This class is designed for the student who is looking for a deeper understanding of the principles of movement and alignment. Join us for engaging practices in a welcoming, accepting, and encouraging environment. Be ready to explore your whole body through carefully designed sequences, gaining understanding of movement in more depth and detail. Don’t miss the opportunity to emerge from this experience with a new knowledge set, a deeper understanding of your practice, and a stronger relationship with your essential self. Class size is limited so sign up soon. Steve Nakon, Whole Journey $125 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 5 Fridays, May 23 – June 20, 9 – 10:30 a.m. Linnaeus Room

Steve Nakon and Patricia Nakon, Whole Journey Spring session: $170 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Mondays, April 14 – June 16, 9 – 10 a.m. or 5:15 – 6:15 p.m. Linnaeus Room or Summer session: $150 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 8 Mondays, July 7 – August 28, 9 – 10 a.m. or 5:15 – 6:15 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Introductory Yoga This is a course for the newer student focusing on yoga movement and breathing basics. We will investigate how the principles of yoga help support health and well-being. All are welcome. Join us as we explore the yoga basics. Steve Nakon, Whole Journey Spring session: $170 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Wednesdays, April 16 – June 18, 5:15 – 6:15 p.m. or 7 – 8 p.m. Linnaeus Room or Summer session: $150 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 8 Wednesdays, July 9 – August 30, 5:15 – 6:15 p.m. or 7 – 8 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Adult Education: Wellness Highlights& Fitness

Yoga Classes

Steve Nakon, Whole Journey Spring session: $170 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Tuesdays, April 15 – June 17, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. or 6 – 7 p.m. Linnaeus Room or Summer session: $150 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 8 Tuesdays, July 8 – August 29, 9:15 – 10:15 a.m. or 6 – 7 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Yoga Flow Intermediate The Yoga Flow series combines movement linked to the breath, working the body and engaging the mind. This is a more exhilarating, challenging Flow series for students who have taken Beginner Flow or have comparable experience. Steve Nakon, Whole Journey Spring session: $170 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 10 Tuesdays, April 15 – June 17, 8 – 9 a.m. or 10 Thursdays, April 17 – June 19, 9 – 10 a.m. or 6 – 7 p.m. Linnaeus Room or Summer session: $150 nonmember; members receive 20% discount 8 Tuesdays, July 8 – August 29, 8 – 9 a.m. or 8 Thursdays, July 10 – August 31, 9 – 10 a.m. or 6 – 7 p.m. Linnaeus Room

Wellness programming is generously supported by NorthShore University HealthSystem.

Yoga practice in a welcoming environment releases stress.

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Youth & Family Programs

Youth and Family Programs Early positive experiences in nature or other plant-rich environments can foster a lifelong appreciation of the natural world. That is why, with the support of the Guild of the Chicago Botanic Garden, we are deeply committed to engaging families and children of all ages with a year-round schedule of professionally designed, age-appropriate programs held throughout the Garden.

The Perfect Camping Trip! Roast marshmallows over a roaring campfire. Hike some of the Midwest’s best nature trails. Revel in gorgeous scenery. Drift off to sleep in your very own garden bed. Chicago Botanic Garden family campouts deliver all the fun, with none of the hassles of camping (hello, convenient electricity and indoor plumbing!). Activities are geared to children ages six and up. What happens if it rains? If inclement weather is forecasted, we’ll reschedule for our backup date. Unexpected showers? A covered shelter is available to keep you dry. Our 2014 schedule includes three springtime group campouts, one end-of-July campout specifically geared to families with younger or several children, and three September group campouts. Group campout admission is $45 per child and $15 per adult. Our July campout is $50 per child and $20 per adult. Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount. Please visit chicagobotanic.org/afterschool/campouts#family or see page 70 for schedule and call (847) 835-8239 to register. 68

chicagobotanic.org/forfamilies

Bring your tents, camping gear, flashlights, and a picnic dinner. We’ll provide s’mores fixings, breakfast, and nature!


Fee-based Programs

Free Programs

Weekend Family Classes

Discovery Backpacks Enliven your family’s Garden visit using tools to identify and observe plants and animals. Check out one of our free Backpacks, available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Information Desk in the Visitor Center. Visit chicagobotanic.org/forfamilies for more information.

Story Time Stop by the Lenhardt Library on Monday mornings for nature-themed stories and hands-on activities. Geared toward children ages 2 to 5 with a caregiver. No program April 14. Mondays, through May 19 10 – 11 a.m. Visit chicagobotanic.org/forfamilies for more information.

ScreenBreak Family Drop-in Activities Stop by for nature-themed stories and activities in the Lenhardt Library! Geared toward children ages 2 to 5 with a caregiver. No registration required. Parking is free from March 2 to 8 for those families with a ScreenBreak button, wristband, or card. Offered in collaboration with the Alliance for Early Childhood’s ScreenBreak. For information about ScreenBreak activities at other locations, visit winnetkaalliance.org. Wednesday, March 5 & Friday, March 7 10 – 11 a.m.

Malott Japanese Garden Spring Weekend Celebrate spring by writing a seasonal haiku and making a cherry blossom hanging scroll, or trying other hands-on activities. Enjoy suminagashi painting, storytelling, and musical performances, and take a walk in the Malott Japanese Garden. Saturday, March 22 & Sunday, March 23 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Visit chicagobotanic.org/forfamilies for more information.

Malott Japanese Garden Children’s Festival Learn about children’s celebrations in Japan during this special weekend of activities. Listen to shakuhachi and koto harp music, enjoy traditional folktales, and watch a tea ceremony. Kids of all ages can make projects to celebrate Girls’ Day and Boys’ Day—design a kimono paper doll, create a miniature carp kite, construct an origami samurai helmet, and more, at family-friendly hands-on stations. Saturday, May 17 & Sunday, May 18 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Visit chicagobotanic.org/forfamilies for more information.

Together, adults and children ages 4 – 10 can explore cool things about how plants connect to science, art, history, and culture. Each Saturday program includes a variety of hands-on activities and projects, as well as opportunities to bring the Garden home. 9:30 – 11 a.m. or 1 – 2:30 p.m. $22 nonmember per child Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount Visit chicagobotanic.org/familyprograms or call (847) 835-6801 for more information. Homemade Ice Cream Saturday, March 1 Get an up-close look at one of the world’s tiniest seeds from the vanilla orchid, make a batch of ice cream, and pot up a plant that can flavor ice cream. NEW! Tropical Terrarium Sunday, March 16 Gardens come in all shapes and sizes. Visit the Chicago Botanic Garden’s three Greenhouses, learn about what a plant needs to grow and thrive, and then make your own tropical terrarium to bring home. Gumballs & Superballs Saturday, March 29 & Sunday, April 6 Find out how people use parts of rainforest trees to make chewing gum and rubber. Create your own bouncing ball and flavorful gum to take home.

Nature Nights Bring a picnic dinner and spend an evening at the Garden! Children ages 4 –10 and their families will explore different areas of the Garden and enjoy a variety of discovery-based activities. Each Nature Nights also includes a tram ride, a planting project, and s’mores around the campfire. *Don’t forget to bring a picnic dinner! Dessert is provided. 5 – 7:30 p.m. $25 nonmember per child Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount Visit chicagobotanic.org/naturenights or call (847) 835-6801 for more information. Ready, Set, Garden! June 7 or 21 Discover what plants need to grow and learn some gardening basics as you plan, plant, mulch, and water in the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden. Then, pot up a plant to grow in your own garden at home.

NEW! Seed Safari July 5 or 19 From packing for your trip to identifying the mystery plant, you and your family will experience what it is like to be a plant hunter during this expedition around the Chicago Botanic Garden. At the end of the night, pot up the mystery plant for your botanical collection at home and share stories of your adventures while eating s’mores around the campfire. NEW! Leaping Lepidoptera! August 2 or 16 Butterflies and moths may look very similar, but there are several differences. Learn how to tell a moth from a butterfly, visit The Hidden Beauty of Moths exhibition, and look for moths and butterflies at the Garden. Then create a Lepidoptera haven to invite butterflies and moths to your yard. Harvest Hike September 6 or 20 Experience the beauty of the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden in the fall and see what fruit and vegetables abound at the end of the season. You and your child will explore the garden to find unique plants used for food, discuss composting plant material, and even plant and harvest some veggies to take home.

The Malott Japanese Garden Spring Weekend and Children’s Festival celebrate the culture of Japan. Here, a participant practices chopsticks skills with plastic sushi.

Youth & Family: Family Programs Camp CBG

Family Program


Youth & Family Programs

Birthday Parties Celebrate your child’s birthday with a garden-themed party! Choose from a variety of themes. All parties include educational, hands-on activities led by Garden staff. Every child takes home a plant plus additional items they’ve created. Parties can be scheduled year-round on Saturday or Sunday mornings or afternoons for children turning 4 and up. Garden Plus membership required. Visit chicagobotanic.org/birthdays or call (847) 835-8275 for more information.

Spring Break Camp

Groups can come pitch a tent in our Outdoor Classroom for a low-stress camping experience with flushing toilets and running water! We’ll play nature games, go for an evening hike through the prairie, and cook s’mores. Please plan to spend the night, as the Garden is unable to accommodate “under-night” or evening-only participants. Activities are geared for participants ages 6 and up. Please note the rain dates when registering for campouts. Campout fees will only be refunded if both the original date and the rain date are canceled by the Youth Coordinator.

Children in grades K – 2 and 3 – 5 participate in high-quality learning activities with experienced teachers who use inquiry-based, hands-on activities. This spring, children will dissect and plant seeds, explore fragrant herbs and flowers, search for birds and early spring plants on nature hikes, take a trolley ride around the Garden, create take-home sciencethemed projects, and much more!

Youth Programs

Group Campouts

Scouts

May 17 (rain date May 23) May 31 (rain date June 6) June 14 (rain date June 20) $45 per child $15 per adult 5 p.m. Saturday – 8:30 a.m. Sunday Visit chicagobotanic.org/afterschool/campouts or call (847) 835-8239 for more information.

Scout Badge Programs Scouts will complete badge requirements with challenging activities. Our wide range of scout programs takes children throughout the Garden, and can be scheduled after school on Mondays through Fridays and on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. 90-minute programs (ages 6 – 8): Deposit of $120 covers 10 Scouts; plus $10 per additional Scout, due on the day of the program. 2-hour programs (ages 9 – 12): Deposit of $170 covers 10 Scouts; plus $15 per additional Scout, due on the day of the program. Visit chicagobotanic.org/scout or call (847) 835-8239 for more information about these programs.

Scout Seasonal Workshop: Earth Day Celebration Celebrate Earth Day with hands-on activities! Scouts will discover signs of spring around the Garden on a scavenger hunt, give back to the earth with a project to help improve the Garden, and save resources by reusing items to make art inspired by the beautiful gardens. Adults should plan to stay with their Scouts for the duration of the program. If you are a leader registering a group, at least one adult chaperone for every five Scouts is required. Saturday, April 19 12:45 – 3 p.m. $14 per child Visit chicagobotanic.org/scout/seasonal or call (847) 835-8239 for more information.

Campers enjoy musical instruction with a Ravinia artist.

70

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For scout or other youth groups of 10 or more:

March 31 – April 4 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. $72 nonmember per child per day Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount Visit chicagobotanic.org/springbreakcamp to register or call (847) 835-6801 for more information.



Youth & Family: Family Programs Camp CBG

Camp CBG Camp CBG provides exciting and enriching summer learning experiences for your child, with programs for children ages 6 months to 12. All camps include nature exploration, inquiry-based activities, games, hands-on projects, and planting. The Garden offers weeklong morning, afternoon, and all-day camps from June through August. Visit chicagobotanic.org/camp for complete class descriptions, fees, and schedule with dates and times. Online registration is available at chicagobotanic.org/camp.

Ages 3 to 8 plus siblings; parents welcome $250 per nonmember family; Garden Plus and National Lekotek members receive 20 percent discount August 11 – 15, 9:30 a.m. – noon, or 12:30 – 3 p.m. Children with special needs or disabilities are invited to discover the sights, smells, and fun at the Garden. Lekotek is offering an all-inclusive, nature-inspired Plant ‘n’ Play day camp designed for children ages 3 to 8 years old and siblings. Parents and a sibling are welcome to join in our camp activities that foster social interactions, motor skills, and outdoor education. Plant the seeds that will grow in your backyard and in your child’s development! Parents/ caregivers are welcome to stay and participate, or drop-off is available during the camp week. Visit chicagobotanic.org/camp/plantplay or call (847) 835-8361 to register.

My First Camp Bloomin’ Garden Strollers Ages 6 months – 2 years $25 nonmember per child per week 9:45 – 11:15 a.m. Friday Caregivers are invited to join our social play program. You’ll enjoy a brisk walk through the Garden, talk with a Garden expert, get behind-the-scenes information, and finish your morning with activities designed for our smallest visitors. Every week we will explore a new Garden theme. Camp meets in the Visitor Center.

My First Camp Age 2 Born on or before September 1, 2012

2

Age

New! Plant & Play Lekotek

$42 nonmember per child per week Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount My First Camp Age 2 Information • Camp meets one Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 10 a.m. or 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. • An adult must accompany each registered child. • To make camp enjoyable and fair to all, do not bring unregistered children, including siblings, to camp. Nursing mothers may call (847) 835-8361 to make arrangements. • Camp meets in the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden, weather permitting. In the event of rain, camp will take place in the Learning Center. • Dress for the weather. • Pack a water bottle and peanut-free snack daily.

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Art & Music July 8 & 10 or August 5 & 7 Share the joy of creating garden-inspired art with your child. Have fun practicing fine and gross motor skills while developing your child’s appreciation of nature and the arts. Fantastic Foods June 25 & 26 or July 29 & 31 Is your tot interested in helping out in the kitchen, setting the kitchen table, or eating new foods? Discover new foods, prepare a tasty snack, and work on kneading, mixing, grating, and spreading skills. My First Garden July 15 & 17 or August 12 & 14 Your little gardener will dig, sow, and harvest with our child-sized tools! Grow those gardening skills by digging in the dirt and helping us create a garden! Small Scientists June 17 & 19 or July 22 & 24 You and your child will explore the world using magnets, water, sand, and the colors of the Garden. Discover textures and smells in nature, practice observation skills, and use scientific tools.


$64 nonmember per child per week Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount

Most children are 4 or 5

Jk-K

Grades

3

Age

Born on or before September 1, 2011

Green Sprouts

$210 nonmember per child per camp Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount

My First Camp Age 3 Information

Green Sprouts Information

Camp meets one Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 9 to10 a.m. or 10:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Camps meet Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to noon or 12:30 to 3 p.m.

• An adult must accompany each registered child.

• Dress for the weather.

• To make camp enjoyable and fair to all, do not bring unregistered children, including siblings, to camp. Nursing mothers may call (847) 835-8361 to make arrangements.

• Pack a water bottle and peanut-free snack daily.

• Camp meets in the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden, weather permitting. In the event of rain, camp will take place in the Learning Center. • Dress for the weather. • Pack a water bottle and peanut-free snack daily.

Art & Music July 7, 9, 11 or August 4, 6, 8 Preschoolers’ creativity will thrive with natureinspired art and music activities. Engage in clay work, movement, music, and interactive storytelling with your little one at the Garden. Fantastic Foods June 23, 25, 27 or July 28, 30, August 1 You and your preschooler will discover the different foods that come from plants. Plant an herb garden, practice slicing, pouring, and chopstick skills, and make a fruit salad! My First Garden July 14, 16, 18 or August 11, 13, 15 Your preschooler will create a garden and care for plants, from planting to watering to harvesting. Taste the bounty of the Garden and sell produce at our Farmers’ Market! Small Scientists June 16, 18, 20 or July 21, 23, 25 Preschoolers will be introduced to the parts of a flower; learn about ants and their body parts; and explore wind, water, and worms through developmentally appropriate activities.

Bug Brigade July 7 – 11, 9:30 a.m. – noon or July 28 – August 1, 12:30 – 3 p.m. Is your child fascinated by bugs? Children will get up-close and personal with butterflies and bees, learn how their favorite insects see, and make a bug sucker to collect and study insects. Fun with Physics June 16 – 20, 9:30 a.m. – noon SOLD OUT July 28 – August 1, 9:30 a.m. – noon Green Sprouts will perform basic physical science experiments and discover the laws that rule the natural world. They’ll explore why items sink or float, how magnets work, and learn about static electricity. Garden Expedition July 14 – 18, 9:30 a.m. – noon or August 4 – 8, 12:30 – 3 p.m. Young ecologists will investigate trees, leaves, prairie plants, and aquatic creatures, discovering all that the natural world of Illinois has to offer. They’ll learn how to preserve these wonders for future generations. Habitat Hunters June 23 – 27, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or July 21 – 25, 9:30 a.m. – noon or August 4 – 8, 9:30 a.m. – noon Habitat Hunters will explore the different habitats the Garden has to offer, learn how to track animals, and make a habitat for one of the creatures that live here.

Hidden Treasures June 16 – 20, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or July 7 – 11, 9:30 a.m. – noon or August 4 – 8, 9:30 a.m. – noon Campers will use a map to find their way, create a treasure chest, and dig up a treasure to keep. They’ll also bring home a plant with a hidden treasure to share. Mad Scientists June 23 – 27, 9:30 a.m. – noon or July 21 – 25, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or August 11 – 15, 9:30 a.m. – noon For young explorers who have ever wondered how fireflies glow, why leaves change, whether fish sleep, or just WHY? They’ll find these answers and many more as they become not-so-mad scientists. Nature Art June 23 – 27, 9:30 a.m. – noon SOLD OUT July 14 – 18, 9:30 a.m. – noon or August 11 – 15, 12:30 – 3 p.m. Explore all the ways to make art from nature! Green Sprouts will use the sun’s power to make prints and dyes, use clay for sculpture, and become inspired by flowers with watercolor painting. Salad Science June 16 – 20, 9:30 a.m. – noon or July 21 – 25, 12:30 – 3 p.m. We eat parts of plants every day. Young food scientists will explore the Garden to discover how foods grow. We’ll discover how plants change the sun’s energy into energy for our bodies, prepare our own snacks, and plant a salad to take home! Sprouting Wizards July 7 – 11, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or August 11 – 15, 9:30 a.m. – noon Kids become science wizards as they explore basic chemistry and the properties of solids, liquids, and gases through experimentation. No need to bring magic wands…we’ll make our own! Super Seedlings July 14 – 18, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or July 28 – August 1, 9:30 a.m. – noon Campers will dig, plant, water, weed, and sow in the Garden. Working together, they’ll create a garden, practice seed dissection, and become true gardeners!

Youth & Family: Camp CBG

My First Camp Age 3


Most children are 6 or 7

1-2

Grades

$210 nonmember per child per camp Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount

Green Thumbs Information: Camps meet Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to noon or 12:30 to 3 p.m. • Dress for the weather. • Pack a water bottle and peanut-free snack daily.

Art in the Garden June 23 – 27, 9:30 a.m. – noon SOLD OUT July 14 – 18, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or August 11 – 15, 9:30 a.m. – noon Green Thumbs discover different natural artistic styles while they explore the Garden. They’ll sculpt with clay, make plant dyes, and create their own paper. Incredible Edibles June 16 – 20, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or July 28 – August 1, 9:30 a.m. – noon Young chefs will explore the Garden with their taste buds and find out how plants turn the sun’s energy into fuel for our bodies! We’ll explore how we eat plant parts every day, harvest food grown in the Outdoor Classroom, make our own tasty snacks, and plant an herb garden to take home. Kinetic Kids July 7 – 11, 9:30 a.m. – noon or July 21 – 25, 9:30 a.m. – noon

Expert Wizardry July 7 – 11, 9:30 a.m. – noon or August 11 – 15, 12:30 – 3 p.m.

Alfresco Art July 7 – 11, 9:30 a.m. – noon or July 28 – August 1, 9:30 a.m. – noon

Young wizards will discover the magic of science as they create strange potions and perform unbelievable experiments while learning basic chemistry. No book of spells necessary—we’ll make our own.

Campers will be artistically inspired by the Garden and try their hand at botanical illustration, sculpture, printmaking, and painting. We’ll explore new techniques each day of this outdoor art program.

Explore Your World July 14 – 18, 9:30 a.m. – noon August 4 – 8, 9:30 a.m. – noon

Botany in the Kitchen June 23 – 27, 9:30 a.m. – noon or July 21 – 25, 12:30 – 3 p.m.

Curious campers will learn about the natural world through guided exploration and discovery by visiting the many habitats at the Garden. They’ll also learn how to help preserve these habitats.

Young chefs will discover how fruits, vegetables, herbs, and nutrients make cooking fascinating. They’ll harvest vegetables and plant an herb garden.

Plant People June 16 – 20, 9:30 a.m. – noon or July 28 – August 1, 12:30 – 3 p.m. Young horticulturists will explore the fascinating life cycle of plants with plenty of opportunity for scientific discovery, hands-on experiments, and garden cultivation. Grossology June 23 – 27, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or July 21 – 25, 9:30 a.m. – noon or August 4 – 8, 9:30 a.m. – noon Campers will uncover the science behind “gross” things around and inside them as they explore slimy and smelly natural phenomena. They’ll use their observation skills along with scientific tools. Wildlife Wanderers June 23 – 27, 9:30 a.m. – noon or July 21 – 25, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or August 11 – 15, 9:30 a.m. – noon

Budding physicists will discover cool science tricks, explore the laws of motion, and perform physical science experiments with toys.

Junior ecologists will study creatures on the ground, in the air, and in the water. Create a science kit, plant a terrarium, identify trees and animal tracks, and record everything in your journal.

Treasure Hunt June 16 – 20, 9:30 a.m. – noon or July 14 – 18, 9:30 a.m. – noon or August 4 – 8, 12:30 – 3 p.m.

Insect investigation July 7 – 11, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or July 28 – August 1, 9:30 a.m. – noon

Campers will develop map-reading skills, use compasses, and discover how archeologists excavate sites. They will create a hidden treasure map and find secret plant treasures, too.

Bug lovers, unite! Green Thumbs will search for insect homes, make insect display cases, and create insect-vision glasses to take home..

Explorers Most children are 8 or 9

3-4

Grades

Youth & Family: Family Programs Camp CBG

Green Thumbs

$210 nonmember per child per camp Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount

Explorers Information Camps meet Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to noon or 12:30 to 3 p.m. • Dress for the weather. • Pack a water bottle and peanut-free snack daily. Young horticulturists explore soil and plants at Camp CBG.

Camera Craft July 7 – 11, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or August 4 – 8, 9:30 a.m. – noon Campers will learn the elements of composition and framing snapshots, and practice shooting photos around the Garden. They’ll create a pinhole camera and rediscover the magic of nineteenth-century photography. Each camper must bring two disposable film cameras on the first day of camp. Dirty Jobs June 23 – 27, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or July 21 – 25, 9:30 a.m. – noon Have you ever wondered how dirty, grimy, and grubby you can get working in a garden? Campers see what is in a day’s work at the Garden. Keep our worm bins healthy, learn about the importance of compost, design and plant a garden, and meet a Garden scientist! Forensic Investigators June 16 –¬ 20, 9:30 a.m. – noon or July 28 – August 1, 12:30 – 3 p.m. This year’s all-new mystery will require young CSI team members to try investigative techniques used by the pros to help us get to the bottom of this summer’s hot case. Garden Caching July 14 – 18, 9:30 a.m. – noon SOLD OUT August 4 – 8, 12:30 – 3 p.m. A new Garden adventure awaits! Explorers will search for hidden caches using compasses, maps, and GPS as they learn the etiquette of geocaching. They’ll also create a cache for others to find. Konnichiwa Japan June 16 – 20, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or August 11 – 15, 12:30 – 3 p.m. Time for immersion in Japanese culture as we explore Sansho-En, learn the art of bonsai, create sushi-inspired snacks, discover the art of calligraphy, and visit the Shoin House. Surviving Outdoors July 14 – 18, 12:30 – 3 p.m. or August 11 – 15, 9:30 a.m. – noon Explorers will discover the secrets pioneers used to find water, make a collection of safe and useful plants, create a shelter, and learn about how to predict weather and storms.


5-7

Grades

Most children are 10 to 12

Youth & Family: Family Programs Camp CBG

Adventurers

$430 nonmember per child per camp Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount Adventurers Information Camps meet Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. • Dress for the weather. • Pack a water bottle and peanut-free snack daily. • Campers must bring a peanut-free lunch that does not require refrigeration.

Art June 16 – 20, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. July 21 – 25, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Chemistry June 23 – 27, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. July 28 – August 1, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Who knew chemistry could be so cool? Adventurers will explore the basics of chemistry and chemical reactions. By performing simple experiments, they will develop a basic understanding of acids and bases, fine-tune measurement skills, and understand the importance of accurate data observation and recording. Cuisine July 14 – 18, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. or August 4 – 8, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Calling all aspiring chefs! Campers will discuss menu techniques and preparation; learn principles of cooking with fruits and vegetables; improve basic chopping skills; and learn the importance of kitchen safety, setting a table, plating dishes, and creating a healthy meal. We’ll use our harvest in simple summer recipes—ice cream, pasta, and more! Ecology July 7 – 11, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. or August 11 – 15, 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. What does an ecologist do at the Garden? Adventurers will discover what scientists do as they explore the Garden’s native Illinois habitats. Campers will conduct studies in our prairie, wetland, and woodland habitats, becoming familiar with native species. They will perform their own surveys, identifications, and field observations.

Two-week Camps NEW Camp Group – Rovers Most children are 7 to 9

2-4

Grades

Artists will introduce Adventurers to the use of various media to create their own art. Using the Garden as a backdrop, students will develop their photography, sculpture, and drawing skills. They’ll will explore the use of natural materials and learn various tricks of the trade used by professional artists.

$860 nonmember per child per camp Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount

Science Explorer June 16 – 22 or July 21 – August 1 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Explorers will investigate plant, animal, and human adaptations, while utilizing the scientific process. Ecology, botany, physics plus chemistry equals a whole lot of fun in this exciting two-week camp.

Rovers Information Camps meet for two weeks from Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. • Dress for the weather. • Pack a water bottle and peanut-free snack daily. • Campers must bring a peanut-free lunch that does not require refrigeration. It is a whole new adventure at Camp CBG in our two-week, full-day camps for kids entering grades 2 to 4! Campers will explore all the Garden has to offer, make new friends, and jump into a fun-filled, outdoor, and educational camp program. Create & Grow July 7 – 18 or August 4 – 15 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Does your child enjoy the arts? Campers will explore the Garden with art, music, cooking, yoga, and planting activities that encourage creative multimedia expression. Spend two weeks of your summer being inspired by the Garden.

Don’t forget a t-shirt for your child! New for 2014, preordered shirts are 20 percent off. Price is $15 after May 1. Visit chicagobotanic.org/camp/tshirt to order your shirt online.

chicagobotanic.org/camp

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Youth & Family: Family Programs Camp CBG

Camp Registration and Cancellation Policies Registration Deadline

Please Do Not Bring To Camp

Membership

Camper Code of Conduct

Registration is open until camps fill or one week prior to the start date of camp. You will receive an automated reply immediately upon completion of your online registration.

Garden Plus and above members receive a 20 percent discount on all Camp CBG programs! Those holding individual Garden memberships will not receive this discount. Please call (847) 835-8215 if you would like to upgrade your membership in order to receive the discount. You will need to provide a member ID number at the time of camp registration. Please note that Garden membership is nontransferable.

Age Limits

Please note the age groupings for each camp group. Campers must be entering the listed grade in fall 2014. We regret that we cannot make any exceptions to this policy. Campers in the Green Sprouts group and above must be toilet trained.

Online Emergency Forms

Camp CBG does not require a medical examination to attend camp; however, we ask that you fill out our Online Emergency Form as soon as you complete your online registration. In order for your child to attend camp, we must have a completed health form on file by June 1, 2014. Visit chicagobotanic.org/camp to find the form.

Extra-Special Attention

Please let us know on your child’s Online Emergency Form, if your child has physical, emotional, educational, or medical special needs. Advise us of any severe allergies or chronic illness. This includes information regarding food or airborne allergies. If your child will require special accommodations, please call (847) 835-8361 to discuss your situation prior to registering.

Pick-Up/Drop-Off

Camper drop-off and pick-up take place in our Learning Campus entry drive. You may park and walk your child to camp, or take advantage of our direct car drop-off/pick-up. Details will be communicated via e-mail to all registrants by June 1, 2014. Morning drop-off is 9:15 to 9:30 a.m. Morning pick-up is at noon. Afternoon drop-off is 12:15 to 12:30 p.m. Afternoon pick-up is at 3 p.m. Camp groups will leave the drop-off area promptly at 9:30 a.m. for morning camps and 12:30 p.m. for afternoon camps. If a child misses the departure of his or her camp group, it is the responsibility of the caregiver who brings that child to check in, and then escort the camper to his/her camp location for that day.

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chicagobotanic.org/camp

The Garden is NOT responsible for any item lost or broken during camp. Please leave the following items at home: personal video game players, cellphones, and MP3 players/iPods.

You will be asked to review the CBG Camper Code of Conduct upon completion of the Online Emergency Form: • Campers will treat their fellow campers, instructors, and volunteers with respect. • Campers will follow directions and stay with their group. Please read and discuss these expectations with your child. In the event that a camper does not follow the Code of Conduct, or his or her behavior endangers other campers or interferes with an instructor’s ability to provide programming, the coordinator of Camp Programs or camp instructor will inform the parent at pick-up or through a phone call. If a second incident occurs, parents may be asked to withdraw their child from camp. Refunds will not be given for behaviorrelated withdrawals.

Cancellation Policy

You may cancel your child’s Camp CBG registration up to two weeks before the first day of that camp. We are not able to give refunds for cancellations with less than two weeks’ notice. Transfers will be granted up to one week before the start of a camp. A ten percent administrative handling fee per child per camp will be assessed for all cancellations. To cancel, please call (847) 835-6801. If your child is unable to attend camp due to medical reasons, you may receive a refund (less a ten percent processing fee) at any time prior to the start of camp by providing a doctor’s note. We are unable to refund for missed days of camp. Camp CBG registration fees are nontransferable. Camps canceled by the Garden because of low enrollment or Garden closure will be automatically fully refunded. The Garden reserves the right to cancel a camp due to low enrollment.

Before- and After-Care

We are happy to offer before- and after-camp care for your camper. The program will be supervised by Camp CBG staff. Activities will include games, art projects, and gardening. Pack an extra snack for your camper for after-care. Fees are per week, and cannot be prorated for partial use; no discount for Garden Plus members is available. Comprehensive guidelines, including late fees, are available on the Camp CBG webpage. Grades preK to 7 June 17 – August 16 Morning Care: 7:30 – 9:30 a.m.; $50 per week per camper Afternoon Care: 3 – 5:30 p.m.; $63 per week per camper

Lunch

Camp CBG offers a supervised lunch period for Green Sprouts, Green Thumbs, and Explorers campers for $10 per child per week. Pack a peanut-free lunch for your child that does not require refrigeration, and we will supervise your child during lunch (noon to 12:30 p.m.) and escort your child to his or her afternoon camp.

Leader in Training

Our Leaders in Training (LITs), ages 13–15, will help prepare for camps, assist teachers during the day, and learn life skills in our two-week program. These skills will help LITs in future job searches and college preparation. For an application and further information regarding the LIT program, please contact the camp manager at (847) 835-8361. Visit chicagobotanic.org/camp for complete program descriptions and information on availability.


July 21-25

My First Camp

9:45 – 11:15 a.m.

Friday Bloomin’ Strollers

Friday Bloomin’ Strollers

Friday Bloomin’ Strollers

Friday Bloomin’ Strollers

My First Camp

9 – 10 a.m. T Th 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. T Th

Small Scientists

Fantastic Foods

Art & Music

My First Camp

9 – 10 a.m. M W F 10:30 – 11:30 a.m. M W F

Small Scientists

Fantastic Foods

9:30 a.m. – noon

Salad Science

July 28August 1

August 4-8

August 11-15

Friday Bloomin’ Strollers

Friday Bloomin’ Strollers

Friday Bloomin’ Strollers

Friday Bloomin’ Strollers

My First Garden

Small Scientists

Fantastic Foods

Art & Music

My First Garden

Art & Music

My First Garden

Small Scientists

Fantastic Foods

Art & Music

My First Garden

Mad Scientists

Bug Brigade

Nature Art

Habitat Hunters

Super Seedlings

Hidden Treasures

Sprouting Wizards

Green Sprouts

July 14-18

9:30 a.m. – noon

Fun with Physics

Nature Art

Hidden Treasures

Garden Expedition

Salad Science

Fun with Physics

Habitat Hunters

Mad Scientists

Green Sprouts

July 7-11

12:30 – 3 p.m.

Hidden Treasures

Habitat Hunters

Sprouting Wizards

Super Seedlings

Mad Scientists

Bug Brigade

Garden Expedition

Nature Art

Green Thumbs

June 23-27

9:30 a.m. – noon

Treasure Hunt

Wildlife Wanderers

Expert Wizardry

Treasure Hunt

Grossology

Insect Investigation

Explore Your World

Art in the Garden

Green Thumbs

June 16-20

Green Sprouts

Camp CBG Schedule

9:30 a.m. – noon

Plant People

Art in the Garden

Kinetic Kids

Explore Your World

Kinetic Kids

Incredible Edibles

Grossology

Wildlife Wanderers

12:30 – 3 p.m.

Incredible Edibles

Grossology

Insect Investigation

Art in the Garden

Wildlife Wanderers

Plant People

Treasure Hunt

Expert Wizardry

6 mos to 2 yrs

Rovers

FULL-DAY TWO-WEEK 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Explorers

9:30 a.m. – noon

Explorers

12:30 – 3 p.m.

Adventurers

5-7

Grades

3-4

Grades

Grades

2-4

Green Thumbs

1-2

Grades

Grades

Jk-K

Age

3 2

Age Age

Time

9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Science Explorers

Create & Grow

Science Explorers

Create & Grow

Forensic Investigation

Botany in the Kitchen

Alfresco Art

Garden Caching

Dirty Jobs

Alfresco Art

Camera Craft

Surviving Outdoors

Konnichiwa Japan

Dirty Jobs

Camera Craft

Surviving Outdoors

Botany in the Kitchen

Forensic Investigation

Garden Caching

Konnichiwa Japan

Chemistry

Ecology

Cuisine

Art

Chemistry

Cuisine

Ecology

Art

chicagobotanic.org/forfamilies

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Teacher & Student Programs

Teacher and Student Programs Understanding the role of plants in an ecosystem is a fundamental part of every child’s education. We make learning about plants an exciting and enjoyable experience. Through our field trips, teacher workshops, and student internships, educators and students will gain botanical knowledge and a deeper appreciation for the natural world. All programs support Common Core standards, Illinois state goals for learning, and Next Generation Science Standards.

Training Educators to Help the Littlest Learners Babies and toddlers are innately curious about science and the world around them, and they are “naturals” at exploring, forming predictions about what will happen, and experimenting to find out. When we lead children through this process, we encourage their curiosity and prepare them for future educational endeavors. Chicago Botanic Garden workshops for early childhood educators (preK teachers, occupational therapists, hospital employees, informal educators, parents, and more) provide important training in how to help the littlest learners explore nature purposefully and build strong science-processing and inquiry skills—experimenting with objects that float and sink, making bird feeders, investigating colors in nature, and more! Our next early intervention workshop will focus on experiencing nature in new ways both outside and indoors. The workshop will be offered August 6 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Participation is $85 and participants may earn 7 CPDUs and 6.5 Early Intervention Credits. 78 chicagobotanic.org/ctl

Visit chicagobotanic.org/ctl/teacherprograms or call (847) 835-6801 for more information, or to register. Parents and educators: Chicago Botanic Garden early intervention workshops provide safe and fun nature experiences that foster inquiry, nurture science skills, and encourage compassion for nature.


We invite you to increase your understanding of plants and nature, build your repertoire of teaching techniques, and enliven your grades preK – 12 classrooms, while earning professional development and graduate credit. Visit chicagobotanic.org/ teacherprograms for more detailed program descriptions and to register for classes. Unless otherwise indicated, all programs are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Garden. Become a teacher member and receive a 20 percent discount on all professional development courses over $100.

Spring 2014 New! Introduction to Green Technology Join us in exploring green technologies and concepts in environmental science geared to engage students in inquiry learning and engineering. Learn to integrate issues that have strong technology and engineering connections such as resource use, alternative energies, green roofs, water conservation, and more into your existing curriculum. Discover how you and your students can make your classroom and school more environmentally friendly. Saturday, March 15, at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Discovering Aquatic Ecosystems

School Garden Road Trip

Explore the amazing aquatic ecosystems found right here in the Chicago region. From rivers to wetlands, ponds to lakes, learn about the adaptations, life cycles, and interactions of aquatic plants and animals, the importance of aquatic ecosystems, and the impacts that humans have on them. Discover simple techniques and easy-to-make tools while sampling the waters at both the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Grove and comparing what you find.

Pack a lunch and join us on a tour of school gardens in the Chicago area. Learn directly from the schools about their challenges and success and how their teachers use the gardens to enliven their curriculum. Explore school garden themes and techniques and ideas for using school gardens to make cross-curricular connections. The bus will leave from the Garden at 8 a.m. and make stops in the city to pick up other participants.

Saturday, May 10, at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Saturday, July 13, leaving from the Chicago Botanic Garden

Saturday, May 17, at the Grove National Historic Landmark $150 (20 percent discount for Educator Members) Grade level: K – 12 CPDU credit: 15, Lane credit: 1 (pending CPS approval), Graduate credit (additional fee): 1

Illinois Department of Natural Resources ENTICE: Schoolyard Wildlife Habitat Development How’s your habitat? Join us to learn how you and your students can take action to improve wildlife habitat on your school grounds. Learn basic habitat design and development techniques and assess what is already on the school grounds and what might be missing. We’ll discuss utilizing the habitat to the support the school curriculum. Become aware of grant opportunities and obtain supplemental materials to help you get started with your own schoolyard habitat development. Saturday, May 31, at the Chicago Botanic Garden 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Teachers who attend both the School Gardening Conference and the School Garden Road Trip are eligible 1 Graduate credit (additional fee).

Investigating Plants and Gardens with Students with Special Needs Come join us for a two-day workshop focused on how to engage students with developmental differences in plant exploration. Learn about topics like horticultural therapy, plant adaptations, pollination, and more using multisensory, cross-curricular activities and lessons. Special attention will be given to adapting the Common Core standards and Next Generation Science Standards for special education. Tuesday, July 22, and Thursday, July 24 $150 (20 percent discount for Educator Members)

$10 Grade level: K – 12 CPDU credit: 6

Celebrate Nature with Infants and Toddlers

Summer 2014 One- and Two-Day Programs

Grade level: 3 – 12 CPDU credit: 7

16th School Gardening Conference: The Next Generation of School Gardening

The Green & Growing Classroom

Whether you’re just getting started or working with an established school garden, this conference is for you. Presenters will provide tips on plant selection and care, with hands-on demonstrations of techniques for working with soil and plants while making connections to your curriculum. This year’s conference will highlight ways to use gardening to support Common Core and Next Generation Science Standards across grade levels.

Saturday, April 5, at the Chicago Botanic Garden

Grade level: K – 12 CPDU credit: 7

Grade level: K – 12 CPDU credit: 15, Lane credit: 1 (pending CPS approval), Graduate credit (additional fee): 1

$80

Growing plants in the classroom provides a variety of ways to make interdisciplinary connections and to incorporate Next Generation Science Standards. Learn a variety of tips, techniques, and tools for easy indoor gardening and discover activities and ideas for using the plants you and your students grow across the curriculum.

$75

$80

Saturday, June 28, at the Chicago Botanic Garden $110

Grade level: PreK – 12 CPDU credit: 7

Grade level K – 12 CPDU credit: 7

Nature education for our youngest explorers includes bringing the outside in and experiencing the outdoor environment in new ways. Come enjoy a day of indoor and outdoor fun. Participate in a scavenger hunt, take nature objects apart, put objects together in new ways, and explore nature with new eyes. This class is designed for early-intervention providers, day-care providers, parents, and anyone who works with infants to 3-year-olds, and is adaptable for preK educators. Wednesday, August 6, at the Chicago Botanic Garden $85 Grade level: Birth – PreK CPDU credit: 7, Early Intervention credit: TBD

Lane & Graduate credit available if combined with School Garden Road Trip (below)

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Teacher & Student Programs

Teacher Professional Development


Teacher & Student Programs

Weeklong Summer Institutes “STEMs” in Your Neighborhood Local ecosystems provide a wealth of opportunities to address the Next Generation Science Standards with students. Join us for a weeklong exploration of how to use the urban environments, prairies, woodlands, and wetlands in this area to investigate topics such as plant needs, plant and animal interactions, adaptations, human impacts on the environment, and more. Monday – Friday, June 23 – 27 at the Chicago Botanic Garden $285 (20 percent discount for Educator Members) Grade level: K – 12 CPDU credit: 35, Lane credit: 2 (pending CPS approval), Graduate credit (additional fee): 2

Field Research for Educators What is it like to work as a field biologist? Spend four days on an overnight field research trip where you’ll learn from scientists about the environmental and human factors that affect local plant communities at Pierce Cedar Creek Institute in Michigan. Then spend three days at the Garden working with our education staff to translate your experiences into inspired science lessons for the classroom. The bus leaves the Garden at 8 a.m. on Monday and returns Thursday afternoon. The workshop continues the following week at the Garden. Travel, accommodations, and meals during the research trip portion are covered by the fee. Monday – Thursday, July 7 – 10, leaving from and returning to the Chicago Botanic Garden Monday – Wednesday, July 14 – 16, at the Chicago Botanic Garden $685 Grade level: 4 – 12 CPDU credit: 45, Lane credit: 3 (pending CPS approval), Graduate credit (additional fee): 3

Solving Problems with Native School Gardens: Earth Partnership for Schools Summer Institute Earth Partnership for Schools (EPS) is an in-depth, hands-on curriculum that explores local ecosystems and the creation of a native school garden using cross-curricular activities and lessons. Learn about plant identification, native ecosystems, garden design, habitats, data collection and more. Registration preference is given to teacher teams of two or more participating staff from a school or school district. Tuition scholarships may be available to interested teachers. For more information and to request registration and tuition scholarship materials, please contact Becky Ammann at (847) 835-8253, or by e-mail at rammann@chicagobotanic.org. July 21 – 25 and November 15 at Fullersburg Woods Nature Education Center Monday – Friday & Saturday $250 Early-bird registration before February 15 $285 February 15 and later Lunch (optional): $10 Grade level: K – 12 CPDU credit: 45, Lane credit: 3 (pending CPS approval), Graduate credit (additional fee): 3

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Other Teacher Programs Custom Workshops Increase your understanding of plants and nature, build your repertoire of teaching techniques, and enliven your classrooms! The Chicago Botanic Garden offers a variety of standards-based professionaldevelopment workshops scheduled specifically for your group. Perfect for teacher institute days, curriculum meetings, or professional development, workshops can be held at your school or at the Garden. Teachers, administrative staff, and parent or neighborhood volunteers can all participate through active learning that models grade-appropriate techniques for integrating plant-based learning into the curriculum. Workshop topics include Botany Basics, Schoolyard Ecology, Experimenting with Plants, Science and Literature, Kitchen Science, and Midwest Ecosystems, or suggest your own. Custom workshops are a minimum of two hours long and cost $200 per hour for up to 30 teachers or $300 per hour for 30 to 60 teachers. Please call Teacher Programs at (847) 835-8253 for more information or to schedule a custom workshop.

Gardening Courses Windy City Harvest offers half-day and full-day workshops on growing plants indoors and outside. It’s a great way to improve your home or school gardening skills. Visit chicagobotanic.org/windycityharvest/ courses for a complete list of topics and other information.

Free Classroom Resource Kits for Loan The Regenstein School offers a variety of resource kits of learning materials from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) for educators to use in the classroom. Kits include Illinois Wild Mammals, Illinois Birds, Illinois Trees, Illinois Prairies, Illinois Insects and Spiders, Aquatic Illinois, and more. Borrowing a kit requires a $50 deposit, which is refunded upon the return of the complete kit. For a list of all resources kits, kit availability, and/or to arrange for kit pickup, call (847) 835-8253.

Student Field Trips Enrich your students’ educational experience with a visit to the Garden. Choose from a variety of programs that feature plant and nature topics appropriate for specific grade levels. Guided and self-guided options are available. Visit chicagobotanic.org/ctl/ fieldtrips for complete program information and to schedule your visit.

New! Orchid Winter Programs From Valentine’s Day to St. Patrick’s Day, all guided programs will be immersed in the science and splendor of orchids and will visit the Garden’s annual Orchid Show. Age-appropriate program topics range from plant parts to pollinators and meet the new Next Generation Science Standards. See grade level program listings for more information.

Homeschool Groups We welcome you to register for field trips to the Garden. If your homeschool group includes a range of ages, please review our complete program descriptions online and select a program that best matches your group’s grade level and knowledge base.

Guided Field Trips Unless otherwise stated, programs cost $120 per class of 30 students. Available dates and times vary with the program. Guided programs are led by trained facilitators who will engage your students with hands-on activities. Students will learn about plants and habitats found at the Garden. Field trips include outdoor exploration activities, so please dress for the weather. Visit chicagobotanic.org/ctl/fieldtrips for more detailed grade-specific program descriptions, applicable state standards, and to schedule your visit.

Teachers make amazing discoveries about plants and nature during summer institutes.



Teacher & Student Programs

Guided Programs PreK – K

Insect Investigations

Pondering the Prairie

$120 per class of up to 25 PreK students Available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m – noon A 1:5 ratio of chaperones to students is required.

There is more to life in the garden than just plants. Come see the Garden through insect eyes, learn about insect characteristics, and observe unique relationships between plants and insects. Students will pot a plant to take home.

Students explore the prairie, focusing on plant adaptations and ecosystem interactions, by comparing two prairie types. Prairie programs take place outdoors in the Dixon Prairie.

Discovering Plants Become a junior botanist as you learn about the roles of plant parts! To experience plant parts in action, students will explore the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden (Early Fall/Spring), the Greenhouses (Late Fall/ Winter), the new Orchid Show (Midwinter), or the Fruit & Vegetable Garden (Spring). Each student will pot a plant to take home. Early Fall, Late Fall, Winter, Spring

New! Outrageous Orchids: Sensational Explorers 10 – 11:30 a.m. Students will use their five senses to fully immerse themselves in the enchanting world of orchids. Through hands-on experiments, students will investigate orchid shape, color, and texture while also learning about the origins of chocolate and vanilla. Each student will leave with an orchid-themed craft or plant. Admission to seasonal orchid show is included. February 17 – March 14

Guided Programs PreK – 2 $120 per class of up to 25 PreK or 30 K – 2 students Available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – noon A 1:5 ratio of chaperones to students is required.

Trees and Trains Learn how to identify evergreen tree families by touch and sight. Learn about their special adaptations to the change in seasons. Visit the enchanting Wonderland Express exhibition to see the trees and trains. Students will take home a special holiday craft. Holiday

Guided Programs K – 2 $120 per class of up to 30 students Available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – noon A 1:5 ratio of chaperones to students is required.

Surprising Seeds What is inside a seed? As junior botanists, students learn about seed parts and how they work together to produce a new plant. After dissecting a seed, students will explore the Garden and pot their own seed to take home. Early Fall, Late Fall, Holiday, and Winter

A Walk in the Woods Students will learn about woodland habitats and survey the Garden’s woodland using their senses and will record their observations in a field book. Woodland programs take place outdoors in McDonald Woods. Please prepare your students for the weather.

New! Expedition Ecosystem: The Wonders of Soil What roles does soil play in an ecosystem? Students will identify the components of healthy soil and come face-to-face with common soil-dwelling critters. Each student will leave with a potted plant. Holiday and Winter

New! Outrageous Orchids: Plant Part Investigation Discover why orchids are considered to be one of the most unique flowers in the world. Students will explore the life cycle of an orchid and discuss the scientific reasons behind the flower’s shape, size, and color. Each student will leave with an orchid-themed craft or plant. Admission to seasonal orchid show is included. February 17 – March 14

Spring Garden Explorers Discovery stations around the Learning Campus make your visit an exciting outdoor experience investigating plants and creatures living in the Garden and in our lakes. Design and plant a garden bed in the Growing Garden and pot a plant to take home. Spring

Guided Programs 3 – 5 $120 per class of up to 30 students Available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – noon A 1:7 ratio of chaperones to students is required.

Flower Lab Why do plants make flowers? As junior botanists, students learn about flower parts and how flowers, with pollinators’ help, produce seeds. Students will pot a flower to take home and also look for flowers in the Garden. Early Fall, Late Fall, Holiday, and Winter

Students will discover the relationship between plant parts and the foods we eat. A Garden exploration to study living examples that are in season is included. Students pot an edible plant to take home.

Edible Botany How are plant parts and their functions related to the foods we eat? A Garden exploration to study living examples that are in season is included. Students pot an edible plant to take home. Early Fall

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Forest Fundamentals Students find evidence of food chains and food webs throughout the woodlands, and learn about common woodland trees. They record their observations in a field journal. Woodland programs take place outdoors in McDonald Woods. Early Fall and Late Fall

Early Fall and Late Fall

Garden Groceries

Early Fall

Early Fall

Early Fall

Plant Propagation Clone a new plant from part of another one! Compare and experiment with some different methods of propagating plants as you learn about various ways plants reproduce. Plant a stem cutting to take home and watch the roots grow. Late Winter

New! Outrageous Orchids: Peculiar Pollinators From deceptive scents to vibrant colors, orchids have evolved to attract a wide variety of pollinating creatures. Through hands-on activities, students will experience a day in the life of an orchid pollinator as they test nectar sugar levels and identify attractive petal colors and scents. Each student will leave with an orchid-themed craft or plant. Admission to seasonal orchid show is included. February 17 – March 14

Spring Garden Explorers Discovery stations around the Learning Campus make your visit an exciting outdoor experience investigating plants and creatures living in the Garden and in our lakes. Design and plant a garden bed in the Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden and pot a plant to take home. Spring


Photosynthesis Lab

Self-Guided Field Trips

$120 per class of up to 30 students Unless otherwise stated, available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – noon A 1:10 ratio of chaperones to students is required.

Students will explore photosynthesis, investigating how and where it takes place, how plants obtain the materials necessary for it to occur, and its products.

Self-guided field trips allow students to explore while you lead them through the Garden. Register in advance and Garden staff will be available to discuss areas suited for any curricular topic, and reserve a self-guided activity backpack for your group.

Ecosystem and Plant Adaptations

Students will use scientific equipment to measure gas exchange in plants. Holiday and Winter

How do plants fit their place? Discover how plants have adapted to abiotic factors in an ecosystem. Student investigations include learning about the unique abiotic conditions that define many of the ecosystems of the world, including Illinois.

Green Buildings Visit the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center to learn about the conservation features of this remarkable building. Students will explore the green roof and create their own roof design.

Early Fall, Late Fall, and Winter

Spring, Tuesdays and Thursdays

New! Outrageous Orchids: The Mighty Rainforest Step out of the classroom and into the rainforest! Using a variety of scientific tools, students will take an in-depth look at rainforest plant adaptations and critically analyze the relationships between biotic and abiotic factors within the biome. Each student will leave with an orchid-themed craft or plant. Admission to seasonal orchid show is included. February 17 – March 14

Guided Programs 6 – 12 $120 per class of up to 30 students Unless otherwise stated, available Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. – noon A 1:10 ratio of chaperones to students is required.

Water Quality

Guided Programs for Children with Special Needs Bring your students to the Chicago Botanic Garden for a customized therapeutic program in the Buehler Enabling Garden outdoor classroom. These one-hour programs provide a guided, structured experience with nature and are designed for youth with special needs. If you find it difficult to travel with your students, please contact us to discuss possible programs delivered in your school. Call (847) 835-6801 to learn more about horticultural therapy for your students or to schedule a program. K – 12 Monday through Friday $120 (includes all materials) Maximum number of children: 15

Year-round Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. $30 per classroom (maximum 30 students) No additional parking fee required

Self-Guided Activity Backpacks Self-guided activity backpacks provide hands-on activities for teachers to lead while visiting the gardens. Reserve activity backpacks to enhance sensory experience in the Sensory Garden, explore Japanese culture and garden design in the Malott Japanese Garden, study plant adaptations in the Greenhouses, or to investigate the world of pollinators throughout the Garden. Each backpack includes all supplies for the activities for a group of 30 and can be checked out for either the morning (9 a.m. to noon) or the afternoon (12:30 to 3:30 p.m.). Year-round Monday through Friday $10 per class Visit chicagobotanic.org/ctl/fieldtrips/selfguide.php for more information.

Students will learn about the aquatic ecosystem by collecting and testing water samples, identifying organisms that indicate water quality, and conducting a chemical assessment. Please prepare your students to be outside. Early Fall and Spring

School Field Trips at a Glance Age Group

PreK-K PreK - 2 K-2 Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grades 6-12

Program

Discovering Plants Outrageous Orchids Trees and Trains Garden Groceries Insect Investigations A Walk in the Woods Surprising Seeds Ecosystem: The Wonders of Soil Outrageous Orchids Spring Garden Explorers Pondering the Prairie Edible Botany Forest Fundamentals Flower Lab Plant Propagation Outrageous Orchids Spring Garden Explorers Ecosystems and Plant Adaptations Outrageous Orchids Water Quality Green Buildings Photosynthesis Lab

Early Fall 9/3-10/11/13

Late Fall 10/14-11/8/13

Holiday 12/2-12/20/13

Winter 2/14-4/11/14

Spring 4/21-6/6/14

2/17 – 3/14 only

2/17 – 3/14 only

2/17 – 3/14 only

2/17 – 3/14 only

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Teacher & Student Programs

Guided Programs 6 – 8



Wonderland Express Visit an enchanting winter wonderland with twinkling lights and a magical indoor train. Model trains travel over bridges, under trestles, past waterfalls, and through more than 80 miniature versions of Chicago landmarks. Visit chicagobotanic.org/wonderland for more information about Wonderland Express. November 28 – January 4 $3 per person

Guided Walking Tours Explore the Garden with an expert. Tours allow students to explore one garden in more depth. Choose from one of the following: English Walled Garden, Greenhouse (select one), Malott Japanese Garden, or the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center (recommended for high school students only). Spring: April 21 through June 6 Tuesdays and Thursdays 30 minutes $80 classroom (maximum 30 students) A 1:7 ratio of chaperones to students is required.

School Tram Tours Embark on a delightful journey around the Garden. Your tram tour guide will show you things you might not notice on your own and invite you to search for clues to nature’s secrets. April 22 through October 25 $2.50 per person Offered at 10:30 and 11:15 a.m., noon, and 12:45 p.m. Grades PreK, K – 2, or 3 – 6 30 minutes Grades 7 – 12 35 minutes Climb aboard for a narrated tram tour around the 2.6-mile perimeter of the Garden. Your tour guide will present highlights and history of this living museum, and share information about our research projects and conservation efforts.

Model Railroad Garden Guide your students around our popular model railroad exhibition, where 7,500 square feet of miniature gardens and unique settings delight students and chaperones alike. Visit chicagobotanic.org/railroad for more information. May 10 through October 26 $3 per person

Butterflies & Blooms Summer groups, visit our outdoor, screened butterfly exhibition, where students can encounter hundreds of live tropical butterflies from South America, Asia, North America, and Africa, as well as native species from Illinois. Visit chicagobotanic.org/butterflies for more information about Butterflies & Blooms.

Traveling Plant Teacher Enrich your curriculum and have the Chicago Botanic Garden come to you! Choose from a variety of programs that feature plant topics appropriate for specific grade levels, including Trees in the Classroom in January and February for grades preK – K. All programs support Illinois Science Standards and include live plants brought from the Garden to study, as well as a plant for each student to keep. December 2 – 20 January 27 – April 4 $120 per class (maximum 30 students) $100 for each additional class on the same day

June 1 through September 2 $3 per person

Schools located more than 20 miles from the Chicago Botanic Garden will be charged a $50 mileage fee.

The Orchid Show

Trees in the Classroom

Enjoy an eye-popping walk through the tropical and semi-tropical greenhouses and galleries to experience a colorful display of hundreds of different orchids.

January & February

February 17 through March 14 $3 per person (fee for self-guided groups only; fee is covered in the program fee for guided groups)

Through the use of scientific tools and hands-on exploration, students will discover the important role trees play in forest ecosystems right from their own classroom. Students will pot a plant to keep. Visit chicagobotanic.org/ctl/outreach/ for more information about programs and scheduling.

Real-World Science Investigations in the Classroom Project BudBurst Join students and communities from across the country in collecting plant life-cycle data and entering it into our user-friendly database. Details, curriculum materials for grades K through 12, and data from past years are available at budburst.org. Project BudBurst is a collaboration between the Chicago Botanic Garden and the National Ecological Observatory Network. It is supported by grants from the National Geographic Education Foundation and National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Teacher & Student Programs

Additional Field Trip Experiences


Teacher & Student Programs

Science Career Continuum Great Summer Science Experiences for Students

The Garden is committed to encouraging interest in the natural sciences and promoting careers in botany, horticulture, ecology, and conservation science. The Science Career Continuum offers qualified students in middle school through college a series of ageappropriate opportunities to learn about science and conservation at the Garden.

Science First

Science First is a free four-week summer program for Chicago Public School students currently in grades 7 through 9. While enjoying hands-on, nature-based science activities, indoor and outdoor investigations, and exposure to real scientists who work at the Garden, students improve their understanding of the scientific method and careers in science. Transportation and free lunch are provided. CPS teachers are encouraged to share registration materials with promising students. Visit chicagobotanic.org/sciencefirst for more information. Applications for summer 2014 are due on April 25.

College First

College First is an internship and field ecology course for CPS School students entering their junior or senior year in fall. Students get paid and earn college credit while studying field ecology, conducting a research project, and working with scientists at the Garden. Students meet monthly during the school year to learn more about preparing for college. Transportation is provided. CPS teachers are encouraged to share registration materials with promising students. Visit chicagobotanic.org/collegefirst for more information. Applications for summer 2014 are due on April 11. Science First and College First are made possible by the generous support of an anonymous donor, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, Discover Financial Services, William J. Clancy Foundation, Institute of Museum and Library Services, ITW Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Bertha Lebus Charitable Trust, Colonel Stanley R. McNeil Foundation, Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation, Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, Trillium Foundation, and the W.P. & H.B. White Foundation.

Research Experiences for Undergraduates

The Garden’s Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program is a full-time, ten-week research internship for college undergraduates conducting research in plant biology and conservation. Students earn a stipend and money for living expenses while they work with research scientists and graduate students from the Garden and Northwestern University. Professional-development and social activities are also included. Please visit cbgreu.org for more information. The Garden’s REU program is made possible by the generous support of the National Science Foundation.

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Urban Agriculture Growing Food and Opportunities for the Future Teens and young adults in Cook and Lake County communities benefit from organic gardening programs that teach useful skills, encourage healthy living practices, and improve self-esteem.

Green Youth Farm / Urban Garden Lab

Each year, 70 students, ages 15 to 18, learn and practice sustainable urban agriculture year-round, while earning money for their efforts! Through this youth-development and work-readiness program, participants practice teamwork, gain job skills, and learn about science and the food system. Students from throughout Chicago are eligible to participate in programs based in the city, while students from low-income communities in Lake County are eligible for the Green Youth Farm,Lake County. Visit chicagobotanic.org/greenyouthfarm for more information.

Windy City Harvest

Windy City Harvest trains adults in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture. Both are dimensions of the urban greening and healthy, affordable, local food movements to which the Chicago Botanic Garden has an institutional commitment. Certificate Training This nine-month college-credit certificate in organic vegetable production enrolls 15 to 20 students annually. Delivered by Garden staff at the Arturo Velasquez Institute, a Daley College campus, Windy City Harvest trains students in best practices for year-round gardening and sales of fresh vegetables. Graduates are now working in a range of full-time and seasonal jobs in the local horticulture and urban agriculture industry. Visit chicagobotanic.org/ windycityharvest for more information. Transitional Jobs The transitional jobs component provides opportunities for individuals with multiple barriers to employment. Intended especially for VRIC graduates, this workforce training program is based in the social-enterprise model and trains approximately 30 adults annually in sustainable urban agriculture practices, work readiness and literacy skills, and green careers. Participants complete the Roots of Success job readiness curriculum and are encouraged to apply for the WCH certificate program. Windy City Harvest seeks out employment partners, such as Midwest Foods and FarmedHere, whose hiring practices consider VRIC graduates. Major support for the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Urban Agriculture programs is provided by the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, USDA as well as the following: anonymous donors, After School Matters, J.R. Albert Foundation, Alvin H. Baum Family Fund, The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, BMO Harris Bank, Brinshore Development, City of Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, Elizabeth Morse Genius Charitable Trust, The Grainger Foundation, Leo S. Guthman Fund, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, ITW, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Kraft Foods Group, Midwest Foods, Polk Bros. Foundation, Prince Charitable Trusts, Savor Inc., Howard and Jackie Shapiro Foundation, Spear Family Charitable Fund, Steans Family Foundation, and the Woman’s Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society.

Additional support is provided by anonymous donors, Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation, George and Amanda Hanley Foundation, Kaplan Foundation Fund/Carol and Ed Kaplan, Lake Forest Garden Club, Walter S. Mander Foundation, Northern Trust Charitable Trust, the Albert Simon III Charitable Family Foundation, and the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. Also contributing are the Albers/Kuhn Family Foundation, Laurance Armour Memorial Trust at the Chicago Community Trust, Benefit Magic, LLC., Tom E. Dailey Foundation, First Bank of Highland Park Foundation, North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program, North Shore Garden Club, Inc., Northfielders Garden Club, The Outdoor Foundation, Kathy and Grant Pick Fund, State Farm, Takiff Family Foundation, Walgreens, and three individual donors.

Horticultural Therapy Cultivating Health and Well-being Horticultural Therapy Services

Since 1977, the Garden’s Horticultural Therapy Services Program has supported the establishment of horticultural therapy programs at healthcare and human service agencies serving schools, VA hospitals, people with disabilities, and older adults in the Chicago region. The program serves as a primary regional, national, and international resource for information while offering a full range of professional training opportunities. Also available are consulting services in barrier-free garden design, sensory landscaping, and horticultural therapy program planning. Visit chicagobotanic.org/therapy for more information. Horticultural Therapy is supported by an endowment from the Buehler Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Abra Prentice Foundation, After School Matters, Albers/Kuhn Family Foundation, Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation, and the Edmond and Alice Opler Foundation, as well as endowments established by the estate of Florence Rantz, the Kenilworth Garden Club, the Julien H. Collins and Bertha M. Collins Fund, and the Helen and Maurice Weigle Fund at the Chicago Community Trust. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s education and community programs are generously supported by The Brinson Foundation, HSBC, and Kemper Educational and Charitable Foundation.



This Season&inGarden the Garden Antiques Fair

This Season in the Garden Kris Jarantoski, executive vice president and director Spring is the most dramatic and spectacular season at the Chicago Botanic Garden. To watch the plant world erupt from dormancy into wave after blooming wave of new growth is a wonder to behold. Flowering can begin in February with the earliest bulbs, such as snowdrops, and with hybrid witch hazels, like those in the Bernice E. Lavin Plant Evaluation, Dwarf Conifer, and English Walled Gardens. Garden horticulturists planted more than 168,000 bulbs throughout the Garden last autumn for this spring’s show. One of my favorite bulbs is the tiny Katharine Hodgkin reticulata iris. You will find this minute gem, with its unusual light blue-and-yellow flowers, in the rock garden within the Landscape Garden. Our Production Greenhouse staff has also started more than 73,000 annuals for spring. Planted the second week in April, these annuals will become more beautiful as spring progresses. Spring brings so many colors, shapes, and textures. Watch for African daisies in salmon, yellow, and lavender; blue echium; and blue-and-white lupines in front of the Visitor Center. After enjoying the pink, salmon-orange, and yellow-green tulips in the Crescent, visit the pink azaleas and sweet peas, orange snapdragons and ranunculus, and purple stocks at the north entrance to the Regenstein Center. The English Walled Garden will be filled with stately foxgloves and delphiniums, broom (Cytissus), and wallflowers (Erysimum). One of the last shrubs to flower in spring and one of the most endearing flowers in gardens is the lilac. There are many new varieties of lilac available, a number of them bred for their dwarf size. My favorites remain the older varieties, with their large, lush flowers—especially the vulgaris species and x hyacinthiflora hybrids. To me, these have the best fragrance: the true lilac essence many of us remember from childhood. You can see the wonderful blue- (with a tinge of pink) flowered ‘Blanche Sweet’ along the connecting path between parking lots 1 and 2, double-flowered magenta ‘Evangeline’ along the entrance road before the gatehouse, sky-blue ‘Little Boy Blue’ past the gatehouse, and double pale-violet ‘Marechal Lannes’ near the back of the Krasberg Rose Garden. The tree section of the nursery is being moved to a location near the landscape waste area in the southwest corner of the Garden. This is the first stage in the creation of our new Nursery and Production Greenhouses, for which fundraising is ongoing and essential. With the trees relocated this spring, we will have room to expand the Quonset huts, growing benches, and cold frames needed for overwintering plants in containers and hardening off plants that will be moving from greenhouses to the outdoors. Barb Raue has been our nursery supervisor for 13 years, and she is helping to make the transition go smoothly. After joining the Garden 27 years ago as an intern, she moved through a number of display gardens as horticulturist and has been in Plant Production since 1996. Barb grows all the plants that are part of the permanent collections; she thrives on the diversity of both the people and the plants she works with, and the challenges associated with growing a wide range of plants with different requirements. Enjoy the amazing array of plants in bloom at the Chicago Botanic Garden this spring. Once the lilacs have flowered, you’ll know we are heading into summer!

Foxglove (Digitalis) is one of many statuesque plants raised each year in the production greenhouses for a dramatic spring show. 88 chicagobotanic.org


Antiques & Garden Fair

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For more information, please visit Keep Growing online. keepgrowing.com

The Chicago Botanic Garden is one of the treasures of the Forest Preserves of Cook County.

Celebrate spring at the 14th Antiques & Garden Fair. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s highly anticipated annual spring event, held indoors, welcomes fairgoers from Friday, April 11, through Sunday, April 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.


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