Keep Growing FALL 2011
Member Magazine and Program Guide
Susan A. Willetts, Chairman Robert F. Finke, Vice Chairman Thomas E. Lanctot, Vice Chairman Benjamin F. Lenhardt, Jr., Vice Chairman William E. Moeller, Vice Chairman John L. Howard, Vice Chairman Sophia Siskel, President & CEO DIRECTORS Thomas F. Aichele Andrew Armishaw Sharon Brady Neville F. Bryan John H. Buehler Michael J. Busch Susan Keller Canmann Timothy C. Coleman Peter R. Crane John F. Cregan John V. Crowe Christopher A. Deveny James W. DeYoung Suzanne S. Dixon Timothy A. Dugan Peter M. Ellis Anthony L. Farino Peter B. Foreman John D. Fornengo Thomas C. Freyman Dorothy H. Gardner Nancy Gidwitz Sue L. Gin James J. Glasser Ellis M. Goodman John K. Greene Joseph A. Gregoire William J. Hagenah Caryn L. Harris Edward Hines Thomas B. Hunter III Jane Irwin Joan M. Johnson Gregory K. Jones Robert H. Jordan, Jr. Catherine C. Kirby, ex officio Posy L. Krehbiel Donna La Pietra Eric C. Larson M. James Leider Laura M. Linger Alec Litowitz Josephine P. Louis Barbara A. Lumpkin Mary Ann S. MacLean Jeanne K. Mason Gloria Masterson, ex officio Michelle McKenna Jeanine McNally Edward Minor Jane S. O’Neil Riley O’Neil, ex officio Homi B. Patel George A. Peinado Janet Meakin Poor Anne Pramaggiore Toni Preckwinkle, ex officio Arnold Randall, ex officio Susan L. Regenstein Harrison I. Steans Susan Stone Pam F. Szokol Richard L. Thomas Howard J. Trienens Catherine M. Waddell Nicole S. Williams Arthur M. Wood, Jr. LIFE DIRECTORS Marilynn B. Alsdorf William T. Bacon, Jr. J. Melfort Campbell Barbara Whitney Carr Kent Chandler, Jr. Gary P. Coughlan Thomas A. Donahoe Ralph F. Fujimoto Florence S. Hart Pamela K. Hull Bill Kurtis Robert H. Malott Mary L. McCormack Mary Mix McDonald Peter H. Merlin William A. Osborn John E. Preschlack Anne O. Scott Dain Searle David Byron Smith William P. Sutter Ernest P. Waud III
The mission of the Chicago Botanic Garden is to promote the enjoyment, understanding, and conservation of plants and the natural world. Dear Members, While summer is coming to a close, the growing season continues and, as you will read in “This Season in the Garden” by Kris Jarantoski, autumn provides many beautiful reasons to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden. No matter where you stroll, you will enjoy the season’s best fall-blooming plants, but I encourage you to make a special visit to the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden. This special place reminds us of the power that plants have to nourish our bodies and nurture our sense of well-being—and to transform lives. Early this summer, the Garden celebrated the opening of the Kraft Foods Garden at Kraft’s 70-acre corporate headquarters in Northfield. This 8,000-square-foot garden—created and managed by the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Windy City Harvest program—is addressing two critical needs of our community. In addition to providing 14,000 pounds of fresh produce to hungry families, this innovative program creates jobs in sustainable agriculture. Kraft Foods is one of many influential participants the Garden welcomes to our Corporate Roundtable on Sustainability. The Corporate Roundtable comprises corporate leaders responsible for ensuring that their company’s business strategies reflect the best in environmentally conscious practices. This issue of Keep Growing features stories on how the Garden is fulfilling its own mission to promote the enjoyment, understanding, and conservation of plants and the natural world. The first article explores why the Garden will resume its nationally recognized program in shoreline restoration this fall. The second reviews the research Garden scientists and interns conducted in the Garden’s own 100acre McDonald Woods; this research demonstrates the important benefits of restoring woodlands dominated by invasive plants. In addition to being committed to improving the health and well-being of the natural world, the Garden hopes to be part of your own path to “keep growing.” In this back-to-school season, please take a minute to explore the breadth of classes, certificate and wellness programs, and symposia offered by the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. Fall also sets a colorful stage for a number of the Garden’s most popular events. In this issue is information on the Fall Bulb Festival, HallowFest, the Spooky Pooch Parade, Trains, Tricks & Treats, and our newest celebration of the season: Autumn Brews: Seasonal Beer Tasting in the Garden, inspired by Oktoberfest and celebrated with Garden style. As you will see, fall at the Chicago Botanic Garden is as beautiful and inspiring as it is rewarding and fun for people of all ages and interests. Please join us in celebrating this season—and every season! All the best,
Sophia Siskel President & CEO
Keep Growing FALL 2011
Features
6 Fall Bulb Festival
President’s Letter
2
Fall Bulb Festival
6
HallowFest
8
Fall Events
8
Calendar
14
Looking Ahead
16
Garden News
18
Community News
20
Garden Research
22
Plant Tips
24
Awards and Honors
27
This Season in the Garden
72
Programs Adult Education Classes through early November 28
8 Autumn Brews: Seasonal Beer Tasting in the Garden
Youth and Family Programs
60
Teacher and Student Programs 64
For more information, please visit Keep Growing online. www.keepgrowing.com
ON THE COVER
8 HallowFest
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) in bloom on Evening Island. Surrounded by lakes, Evening Island features lush landscapes filled with perennials, grasses, trees, shrubs, and inspiring vistas that change from season to season.
16 Fine Art of Fiber
34 Vertical Garden: An Afternoon with Patrick Blanc
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Keep Growing The Chicago Botanic Garden is one of the treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. The Chicago Botanic Garden is smoke-free. 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. Keep Growing (USPS 130), Volume 2, Issue 3, September 2011, is published four times per year by the Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022-1168. Periodical Postage Paid at Glencoe, IL, and at an additional entry office in Mendota, IL. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to Keep Growing, Chicago Botanic Garden, 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022. Visit us In Person
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Fall Bulb Festival Celebrate the harvest, and plan ahead for spring
Friday, September 30, noon to 4 p.m. Members-only bulb preview sale, 10 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday, October 1 and 2, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. With more than 200 varieties of daffodils, tulips, alliums, and other specialty bulbs, the only difficulty is deciding which to bring home. The Garden’s Fall Bulb Festival is a celebration of local goods and the Midwest harvest, with the annual bulb sale presented by the Woman’s Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society. 6 www.chicagobotanic.org/bloomin
Fall Bulb Festival
A season for all senses Amid the trees of the Esplanade, midwestern vendors offer the season’s best for purchase: produce (including pumpkins), baked goods, cheeses, honey, herbs, sauces and salsas, and handmade soaps. Enjoy a festive gourd display and the sounds of strolling musicians. Children can wind their way through a straw bale maze—a fall family favorite—located center stage on the Esplanade.
Handmade pottery and other local goods can be purchased at the Fall Bulb Festival.
Bulbs and blooms Inside the Regenstein Center’s Burnstein Hall, choose from among 200 colorful, hardy, classic, and new varieties of spring-flowering bulbs. Also featured are 300 mums in a myriad of colors, only $7 each. Have questions or need advice? Garden horticulturists and staff will be on hand to offer useful tips and make suggestions about bulb selection and planting.
Catalog and advance website sales The Woman’s Board offers an online presale of ten eagerly anticipated bulb varieties selected by a Dutch grower. Don’t miss such hot, new, hard-to-find items as double hyacinth and Darwin Impression Series. A color catalog and rich details are available on the Garden’s website at www.chicagobotanic.org/bulb beginning September 1. Order bulbs online from September 8 to 22, while supplies last. All bulbs must be picked up in the Regenstein Center during the Festival weekend.
The straw bale maze is a family favorite at the Fall Bulb Festival.
An investment in your home garden supports the Chicago Botanic Garden Thanks to the generous support of the Woman’s Board, each purchase at the bulb sale supports the Chicago Botanic Garden’s initiatives in conservation, education, and horticulture.
Supported by Enjoy the bounty of the season and a festive gourd display. www.chicagobotanic.org/bulb 7
Fall Events
Fall at the Garden offers a treat for everyone HallowFest: A Garden of Good… and Evil Friday to Sunday, October 21 to 23. Friday and Saturday, 6 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday, 4 to 6:30 p.m. Have a Halloween that is spooky, fun, or both. Don a costume and take the frightful or friendly path to activities in the Regenstein Center and McGinley Pavilion, including a show and tell featuring live reptiles, amphibians, and birds of prey with local herpetologist Rob Carmichael! Enjoy family shows, ask a fortuneteller to predict your future, participate in cool crafts and fun face painting, and be bewitched by a ghostly Model Railroad Garden. Pick a Halloween pumpkin in the South Greenhouse Gallery, then stroll through the Bat Cave to the place where glowing jack-o’-lanterns are inspiration for your own. Stop by the Spooky Snack Shack for complimentary treats and the Garden Café for monster meals. Tickets go on sale August 22 on the Garden’s website and at the Visitor Center. Tickets are $14 for members and $16 for nonmembers. Children ages 2 and under are free. Model Railroad admission is included with your HallowFest ticket. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/hallowfest for more information and to purchase tickets. Left: New at HallowFest this year is a show and tell with a local herpetologist.
HallowFest is generously supported by Kim & Scott’s Gourmet Pretzels.
New
Autumn Brews: Seasonal Beer Tasting in the Garden Thursday, October 6, 6 to 8 p.m. Raise a glass to a new Chicago Botanic Garden autumn celebration inspired by Germany’s Oktoberfest. Guests ages 21 and older may sample an array of seasonal beers brewed right here in the Midwest, including selections from the Metropolitan Brewing Company, the Left Hand Brewing Company, the Finch Beer Company, and many more. Held in McGinley Pavilion, this event offers ticket holders a tasting glass and beer guide. Tickets are $15 for members and $17 for nonmembers. Light fare and beer by the glass are available for purchase. Tickets go on sale beginning August 22 on the Garden’s website and at the Visitor Center Information Desk. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/beer.
8
Autumn Brews: Seasonal Beer Tasting in the Garden, inspired by Oktoberfest, is our newest celebration of the season.
Antiques & Garden Fair
Fall events continued Spooky Pooch Parade Saturday, October 29, 1 to 3 p.m. Every dog has its day, and this year, that day is Saturday, October 29. Enter costumed pooches in a contest and parade or simply enjoy the show. Judging begins at 1:30 p.m., the parade begins at 2 p.m., and winners are announced at a 2:30 p.m. award ceremony. New this year, participant registration forms are available both on the Garden’s website and at the Visitor Center Information Desk. Advance tickets go on sale for parade/contest participants on August 22 and are $14 for members and $17 for nonmembers. No additional fee is required for spectators. This event often fills to capacity, but if space permits, day-of, on-site registration and tickets will be available beginning at 1 p.m. for $20. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/dog for more information, including contest rules and photos of last year’s highlights. Member Discounts The Chicago Botanic Garden website now offers a new system for purchasing tickets to events and programs and enrolling in classes and camps. Members must log in to this system to receive their member discount. To ensure your account is activated, log in at: https://register.chicagobotanic.org Member discounts are applied at checkout.
Above: Everyone gets into the act at the Spooky Pooch Parade. Right: Trains, Tricks & Treats gives families a special reason to celebrate the season in the Model Railroad Garden.
Trains, Tricks & Treats Saturday and Sunday, October 29 and 30 (weather permitting), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Model Railroad Garden makes its last station stop of the season. See it decorated for Halloween! Children may gather treats and treasures throughout the exhibit and plant their own Chimes Bronze snapdragon (Antirrhinum majus ‘Chimes Bronze’). Tickets are available at the Model Railroad Garden booth on the day of the event: $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for youngsters 2 and under. Members save $1 per ticket.
11 www.chicagobotanic.org/antiques
9
Fall Events
A cornucopia of fall programming: art, craft, and learning Illustration: Students in Regenstein School botanical arts courses submit their work for the Student Botanical Art Exhibition. © Barbara Klass
Ro a d si d e Flowe r Sale and Workshops Workshops: Tuesday, August 30, through Friday, September 2, 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sale: Friday, September 9, through Sunday, September 11, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Hosted by the volunteers of the Chicago Botanic Garden, the 31st Roadside Flower Sale offers one-of-a-kind driedflower arrangements for purchase. Create a piece for the sale during a free two-hour workshop in Burnstein Hall. Preregistration is required to attend workshops. Call (847) 835-8392. All arrangments created at the workshops become property of the Chicago Botanic Garden and will be sold at the Roadside Flower Sale. All proceeds from the sale support Garden programs, services, and research.S
Journey of the Universe Screening Saturday, September 17, 4 p.m. The Garden hosts a screening of Journey of the Universe, a documentary film that connects scientific discoveries with human insights on the nature of the universe. Mary Evelyn Tucker, executive producer and historian of religions at Yale, will answer questions following the showing. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to purchase tickets.
12 www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar
Student Botanical Art Exhibition Friday, September 30, through Saturday, October 16 Each year, students currently enrolled in Regenstein School botanical arts courses submit their best work for the Student Botanical Art Exhibition. More than 75 botanically themed pieces representing a variety of media including oils, acrylic, pen and ink, watercolor, pastels, and more, will be on display in the Joutras Gallery. Select pieces are available for purchase. Please visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school/botart for more information.
Chicago Regional Forum on Ethics and Sustainability—Lifeways and Greenways: Social and Ecological Connectivity Friday, October 28, 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. In collaboration with the Center for Humans and Nature, this year’s Janet Meakin Poor Symposium explores the ethical content of conservation work. Keynote speaker Peter Forbes is renowned for conservation projects that emphasize equality in the health of land and people. Program and parking is $10. The $30 fee includes a boxed lunch. For more information visit www.chicagobotanic. org/school/symposia for more information and to register. Reduced registration fees have been made possible by financial support from the Center for Humans and Nature. Partial funding provided by the Janet Meakin Poor Research Symposium Endowment.
Fall Calendar
Weekly Events Mondays – Thursdays Summer Evenings Enjoy late-summer evenings at the Garden through Sept. 5 with live musical performances. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/ evenings for more information and a complete schedule. Wednesdays – Fridays Discovery Programs Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, English Walled Garden, and Malott Japanese Garden through Oct. 2, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
August
Malott Japanese Garden Family Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday, August 27
Northeastern Illinois Rose Society Show & Sale noon to 4:30 p.m.
Windy City Harvest Short Courses in Gardening: Cover Cropping offsite, 9 a.m. to noon; preregistration required; fee applies; See page 59. Heirloom Tomato Weekend Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lakeshore African Violet Society Show & Sale noon to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, August 28
Saturdays & Sundays Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden Family Drop-in Programs through Sept. 25, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Discovery Programs Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, English Walled Garden, and Malott Japanese Garden through Oct. 2, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Garden Chef Series Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden through Oct. 2, 1:30 and 2:30 p.m.
Daily Events
Heirloom Tomato Weekend Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Lakeshore African Violet Society Show & Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Roadside Flower Sale Workshops 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; call (847) 835-8392 to register for workshops in advance.
Library Exhibition: Genus Rosa through Nov. 13, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays; noon to 4 p.m. weekends; closed holidays.
September
Garden Trolley Service to Glencoe Metra Station Sundays only through Oct. 30; free for Garden members and children 5 and under. Tram Tours offering a 35-minute narrated tour of the main island or the perimeter of the Garden, through October 30. The wheelchairaccessible Bright Encounters tram is equipped with solar panels, thanks to the generous support of the Josephine P. & John J. Louis Foundation. Fee applies.
Farm Dinner Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, 5 to 8 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Friday – Sunday, September 9 – 11 Roadside Flower Sale Burnstein Hall, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Health Through Horticulture: Pressed Flower Bookmarks Buehler Enabling Garden, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, September 12
Wednesday, August 31
Exhibition: Ruth Duckworth: Shaping Chicago Joutras Gallery through Sept. 25, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
The official airline of the Chicago Botanic Garden
Regenstein School: Vertical Garden: An Afternoon with Patrick Blanc 2 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 34.
Saturday & Sunday, September 10 & 11 Tuesday & Wednesday, August 30 & 31
Kids Dig It Challenge submission deadline Aug. 31; visit www.chicagobotanic.org/challenge for more information.
Model Railroad Garden: Landmarks of America through Oct. 30; special hours 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Sept. 5; weather permitting; fee applies. Free for Garden Plus members on Wednesdays.
Wednesday, September 7
Regenstein School: Dixon Prairie Walk 10 to 11:30 a.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 47. Friday – Sunday, September 16 – 18 Regenstein School: Gourd Art Workshops 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 53.
Thursday & Friday, September 1 & 2 Roadside Flower Sale Workshops 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.; call (847) 835-8392 to register for workshops in advance.
Saturday, September 17
Saturday, September 3
Regenstein School: Journey of the Universe, a documentary film 4 to 6 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 34.
Monthly Photo Walk begins at Alsdorf Auditorium, 9 a.m. Nature Nights: Prairie Prowl 5 to 7:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies.
Illinois Gourd Society Show & Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Nature Nights: Prairie Prowl 5 to 7:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Sunday, September 18
Sunday, September 4 Farmers’ Market Esplanade, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; free demonstration at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the critical role pollinators play in sustainable agriculture. Illinois Mycological Association Mushroom Show & Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Farmers’ Market Esplanade, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; free demonstration at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on raising backyard chickens and ducks. Illinois Gourd Society Show & Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
We would like to thank the following sponsors and funders for generously supporting select events at the Garden: Garden Chef Series
Farm Dinners
Summer Evenings
Presenting Sponsor
Presenting Sponsor
Supporting Sponsors
Major Sponsor
The Mead Flower Show Endowment for partially funding all plant shows at the Garden. The Harriet Kay and Harold R. Burnstein Fund for Exhibits for partially funding exhibitions in the Lenhardt Library and Joutras Gallery.
Calendar
Malott Japanese Garden Family Sunday 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays, September 20 – November 8 Regenstein School: Beginning Photoshop 1 to 4 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. See page XX. Wednesday, September 21 Regenstein School: An Afternoon with Michael Van Valkenburgh 11 a.m. to noon; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 34. Thursday, September 22 The Great Perennial Divide Plant Drop-Off parking lot 3; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, September 24 Windy City Harvest Short Courses in Gardening: Tools for the Small Farm and Harvesting Techniques offsite, 9 a.m. to noon; preregistration required; fee applies; See page 59.
October Saturday, October 1 Monthly Photo Walk begins at Alsdorf Auditorium, 9 a.m. Fall Bulb Festival Esplanade and Burnstein Hall, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Kids Dig It Challenge Garden View Room, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, October 2 Fall Bulb Festival Esplanade and Burnstein Hall, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Farmers’ Market Esplanade, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; free demonstration at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on extending the growing season.
Fall Wellness Classes at the Garden Yoga Gentle Yoga Series Mondays, Sept. 12 to Nov. 14, 9 to 10:15 a.m. or 5:15 to 7 p.m.; fee applies. Yoga Flow Beginner Series Tuesdays, Sept. 13 to Nov. 15, 9:15 to 10:30 a.m. or 6 to 7:15 p.m.; fee applies. Yoga Flow Intermediate Series Tuesdays, Sept. 13 to Nov. 15, 8 to 9:15 a.m. or Thursdays, Sept. 15 to Nov. 17, 9 to 10:15 a.m. or 6 to 7:15 p.m.; fee applies. Introductory Yoga Series Wednesdays, Sept. 14 to Nov. 16, 5:15 to 6:30 p.m. or 7 to 8:15 p.m.; fee applies. ExerScape Classes
Kids Dig It Challenge Garden View Room, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
ExerScape Basics Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Aug. 30 to Sept. 24, 9 to 9:50 a.m.; fee applies.
Regenstein School: Adventure, Travel, Plein Air Painting: Full-day Watercolor Workshop 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 54.
Thursday, October 6
ExerScape Intermediate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, Aug. 30 to Sept. 24, 10 to 10:50 a.m.; fee applies.
Midwest Dahlia Conference & Show noon to 4:30 p.m.
Saturday, October 15
Harvest Ball 6 p.m.; ticket required; call (847) 835-6830 for more information. Sunday, September 25 Fall Migration Bird Walk 7:15 to 9 a.m.; meets at the Visitor Center. Midwest Dahlia Conference & Show 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday, September 30 Fifth Annual Student Botanical Art Exhibition Joutras Gallery through Oct. 16, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; opening reception 6 to 8 p.m. Members-only Fall Bulb Festival Bulb Preview Sale Burnstein Hall, 10 a.m. to noon. Fall Bulb Festival Esplanade and Burnstein Hall, noon to 4 p.m.
Autumn Brews: Seasonal Beer Tasting in the Garden McGinley Pavilion, 6 to 8 p.m.; ticket required; fee applies.
Teacher Programs: Soil Studies: A Look at the Underground 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies; visit www.chicagobotanic.org/ctl/teacherprograms/fall for more information. Windy City Harvest Short Courses in Gardening: Season Extension Part 2 offsite, 9 a.m. to noon; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 59. Wisconsin-Illinois Lily Society Lily Bulb Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Illinois Orchid Society Fall Orchid Show & Sale 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Midwest Daffodil Society Bulb Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Midwest Fruit Explorers Show & Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
To register for wellness classes, visit www.chicagobotanic.org/wellness or see pages 57 and 58 for more information. Look for more health and wellness options in spring 2012. Sunday, October 16 Farmers’ Market 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.; free demonstration at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on backyard composting basics. Wisconsin-Illinois Lily Society Lily Bulb Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Illinois Orchid Society Fall Orchid Show & Sale 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Midwest Daffodil Society Bulb Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Midwest Fruit Explorers Show & Sale 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sukkot Family Drop-in Activities Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar 15
Antiques & Garden Fair Calendar
October continued Friday – Sunday, October 21 – 23 HallowFest: A Garden of Good…and Evil Fri. and Sat., 6 to 8:30 p.m.; Sun., 4 to 6:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Saturday, October 22
November Saturday, November 5 Members-only Double Discount Day Garden Shop; members receive 20 percent off regular-priced merchandise. Monthly Photo Walk begins at Alsdorf Auditorium, 9 a.m.
Teacher Programs: Soil Studies: A Look at the Underground 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies; visit www.chicagobotanic.org/ ctl/teacherprograms/fall for more information.
Weekend Family Classes: Bathtub Botany 9:30 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies.
Regenstein School: Preserving Your Family Archives: Getting Started 1 to 3 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 55.
Sunday, November 6
Friday, October 28
Saturday, November 12
Chicago Regional Forum on Ethics and Sustainability–Lifeways and Greenways: Social and Ecological Connectivity A Janet Meakin Poor Symposium, 9 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.; preregistration required by Oct. 24; fee applies.
Regenstein School: Fall Bird Walk 7:30 to 9 a.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 47.
Saturday, October 29 Trains, Tricks & Treats Model Railroad Garden, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weather permitting; fee applies. Spooky Pooch Parade 1 to 3 p.m.; preregistration encouraged; fee applies.
Winter Farmers’ Market Garden View Room, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Regenstein School: Introduction to Vertical Gardening 10 a.m. to noon; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 51. Tuesday, November 15 Regenstein School: Rustic Urn Arrangement 10 a.m. to noon; preregistration required; fee applies. See page 56. Friday, November 18
Sunday, October 30 Trains, Tricks & Treats Model Railroad Garden, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; weather permitting; fee applies.
Library Exhibition: Highgrove Florilegium continuing through Feb. 12, 2012; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays; noon to 4 p.m. weekends; closed holidays. Saturday, November 19 Weekend Family Classes: Play with Plants 9:30 to 11 a.m. or 1 to 2:30 p.m.; preregistration required; fee applies. Sunday, November 20 Winter Farmers’ Market Garden View Room, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free Library Talk: “Highgrove Florilegium” 2 p.m.
Fine Art of Fiber Thursday, November 3 Fine Art of Fiber Opening Night 6:30 to 9 p.m. Friday – Sunday, November 4 – 6 Fine Art of Fiber 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Fine Art of Fiber, the area’s most celebrated fiber art show, features 150 handmade pieces and includes quilts, artwear, and beadwork. Select pieces are available for purchase. Women’s Journeys in Fiber—Aprons: Myth, Memory, Fantasy pays tribute to an underappreciated cultural mainstay on Saturday, November 5. Exhibitions are in Nichols Hall and Krehbiel Gallery. The Fine Art of Fiber is hosted by Illinois Quilters, Inc., North Suburban NeedleArts Guild, and the Weavers Guild of the North Shore.
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Looking Ahead Wonderland Express November 25, 2011, through January 1, 2012 A holiday classic returns to the Chicago Botanic Garden. Advance ticket sales begin Wednesday, October 19, on the Garden’s website and at the Visitor Center Information Desk. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for children ages 3 to 12, and free for children 2 and under. Members receive a $2 per ticket discount. Holiday Meals Join us for holiday meals during Wonderland Express, including Christmans with Santa, Hanukkah Dinner, Christmas Supper with Santa, and Hot Chocolate with Mrs. Claus. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/wonderland for more information and to purchase tickets for Wonderland Express and holiday meals.
All Aboard! The Woman’s Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society presents its sixth annual All Aboard! Wonderland Express dinner on Thursday, December 1. Cocktails begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 7:30 p.m. Tickets and table packages are available after October 7. Call (847) 835-6944 for more information and tickets. Proceeds from All Aboard! will support the Garden’s Green Youth Farm and Windy City Harvest community education programs. Wonderland Express is made possible by the generous support of ComEd, Discover Financial Services, Drinker Biddle, and Grainger. 16
Garden Antiques News & Garden Fair
Eroded shorelines around the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden.
Restoring shorelines protects the natural world The Chicago Botanic Garden is an outdoor classroom in which visitors can study different landscape design styles and learn about plant selection and maintenance techniques. When the Garden’s nationally recognized shoreline restoration program resumes this fall, our visitors will enjoy a new opportunity to learn about creating healthy aquatic habitat by restoring shorelines. When the Garden’s nine islands were built, knowledge about the buffer between water and land was not as well understood as it is today. As a result, our initial construction and landscaping approaches created unanticipated erosion problems along our lakeshores. In 1998, the Garden adopted a new shoreline philosophy that was first applied to designing Spider Island and later to the Gardens of the Great Basin and the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden. These projects demonstrated that addressing shoreline erosion problems with environmentally sensitive solutions helps to restore the services that an intact ecosystem provides. The more than quarter-million plants installed along Garden shorelines since 2000 help improve lake water
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quality. Unlike the lawns with shallow-rooted turfgrass they are replacing, shoreline plants—some with roots more than six feet deep—reduce erosion by anchoring soil. Shoreline plants also help filter excess nutrients and other contaminants, and provide shelter and food for a large variety of wildlife that lives in shallow water zones. The Garden’s 81 acres of water are part of an expansive watershed in which water flows through the Chicago River and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico. The Garden’s programs to reduce soil erosion and nutrient runoff (particularly phosphorous and nitrogen) have a positive impact on water quality in our downstream watershed. The plants used to restore the Garden’s shorelines are native species that tolerate occasional flooding (the Garden’s lakewater levels can rise up to five feet after significant storms). The Garden uses a broad range of plants to establish a matrix of interwoven roots and enhance plant diversity. Plants are installed in “drifts” to demonstrate for visitors and landscape designers, as well as for facility and natural resource managers, how to integrate an attractive shoreline design into the surrounding landscape.
This fall’s new shoreline project will enhance one and onequarter miles of the North Lake near the Esplanade, including the entire perimeter of the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden. Next spring, in addition to creating a new shoreline profile, another hundred thousand shoreline plants will be added around the North Lake. When the project is completed next summer, more than three-quarters of the Garden’s nearly six miles of shoreline will be restored. The mission of the Chicago Botanic Garden is to promote the enjoyment, understanding, and conservation of plants and the natural world. The Garden’s commitment extends to water, and to the healthy habitat on which aquatic plants depend. The 2011–12 shoreline restoration project is made possible by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Ecosystem Restoration Program, the State of Illinois, and John and Mary Helen Slater. Note to members and visitors: The shoreline restoration project begins this fall. The North Lake will be drained until the project is completed in 2012.
AntiquesNews Garden & Garden Fair
The shoreline restoration program addresses erosion problems with environmentally sensitive solutions that improve water quality and increase habitat for wildlife.
New learning opportunity for children The Kleinman Family Cove, opening at the Chicago Botanic Garden in 2012, will give children a new outdoor classroom for learning about healthy aquatic habitats and the plants and wildlife that depend on them. A component of the first phase of building a larger Children’s Learning Campus, the Cove will greatly expand educational opportunities for student field trips, after-school and weekend youth programs, and summer camps. Programs for teachers and adult-education students will be offered as well. The Kleinman Family Cove is generously supported by the Annette and Bernard Kleinman Family.
Above: The Kleinman Family Cove will feature an observation deck and a shallow-water area for guided investigations. www.chicagobotanic.org/antiques 19
Antiques & Garden Fair
Innovative solutions for meeting shared commitments Garden and Kraft Foods growing together In June, the Chicago Botanic Garden and Kraft Foods celebrated the opening of the Kraft Foods Garden, an 8,000-square-foot food garden at the company’s global headquarters in Northfield. Designed, installed, and maintained by the Garden’s Windy City Harvest community education program, the three-season garden is the result of an innovative partnership between a botanic garden and a major corporation. The partnership was founded to achieve the mutual goals of each organization. Kraft, which sells its products in 170 countries, promotes its sustainability mission worldwide, and is a global leader in community involvement. Kraft has donated more than $1 billion in cash and food to hungerrelief organizations over the past 25 years. The Garden, as recently affirmed in its “Keep Growing” strategic plan, is committed to serving the needs of its diverse audiences. That commitment includes increasing access to fresh produce for people who need it most and building job opportunities through training and
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education. In 2010, participants in Garden programs harvested more than 40,000 pounds of produce that was then sold at farmers’ markets or donated to food pantries serving low-income neighborhoods in Cook and Lake Counties. This year, the Kraft Foods Garden is donating 14,000 pounds of locally grown fruits and vegetables to families in need. Produce is being delivered to local shelters and nonprofit agencies including the Greater Chicago Food Depository, and to Woman, Infant and Children centers throughout the Chicago region. The new corporate garden is creating jobs for skilled workers in urban horticulture. The foreman of the maintenance crew, a 2010 graduate of the Garden’s Windy City Harvest certificate program in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture, supervises three crew members, each a graduate of the Cook County Sheriff’s Boot Camp. Windy City Harvest works in partnership with the Boot Camp, an alternative sentencing program run by the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. The Kraft Foods Garden is providing employment for crew members at a critical point on their paths to better lives.
Community News Fair Antiques & Garden
The new Kraft Foods Garden provides jobs in sustainable agriculture.
Members of the Garden’s Corporate Roundtable on Sustainability share information.
Corporate Roundtable setting future course
landscaping—are important elements for achieving corporate sustainability goals. Many companies encourage environmental stewardship through volunteerism, including HSBC – North America and Motorola, two of many roundtable participants whose employees volunteer at the Chicago Botanic Garden on company time.
Corporations in Chicagoland and throughout the world are adopting sustainability and environmental programs as part of their business strategy and to fulfill their corporate and social responsibilities. With this growing trend, the Chicago Botanic Garden is bringing companies together to share best practices and to take action. More than 40 local executives are currently attending the Garden’s Corporate Roundtable on Sustainability. Participants represent such corporations as Baxter International, ComEd, Discover Financial Services, Illinois Tool Works, Kraft Foods, Walgreens, and W.W. Grainger. Everyone invited to attend is responsible for some aspect of his or her employer’s corporate sustainability program. Each 90-minute meeting begins with presentations on topics related to sustainability. Topics of past discussions have ranged from the importance of establishing commitment to sustainability at the corporate level to tools for increasing a single employee’s awareness of the impact his or her job has on the environment.
No matter what topic is discussed, a lively, informal discussion follows. Participants with relevant experience offer their perspective in response to questions asked by their sustainability colleagues. These discussions often give those who attend several new ways to frame an issue or solve a problem. Participants report that the time they spend at the Garden is as productive as it is energizing. Despite the responsibilities awaiting them back at the office, many remain fully engaged until the last moment, hoping to meet one more person, ask one more question, or find one more future-focused way for their company to contribute to a healthier world. For more information on the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Corporate Roundtable on Sustainability, call Steve Ball at (835) 847-8342.
New approaches to facility management—including energy usage, water consumption, interior design, maintenance, and
www.chicagobotanic.org/roundtable 21
AntiquesResearch Garden & Garden Fair Before and after the restoration of McDonald Woods. Left: Before its removal, a thicket of common buckthorn reduced biodiversity. Right: Reseeding and woodland management provide a carpet of native forbs, grasses, and sedges, which improve carbon storage.
Garden research: restoring and managing our woods In intact woodlands, generations of native trees grow side by side. Beneath their canopy, a carpet of diverse native plants is rejuvenated periodically by wildfires and replenished annually by spent leaves and vegetation. Unfortunately, few remnant woodlands exist today. Changes began when settlers cleared timber, grazed livestock, and introduced exotic species from Europe, and accelerated when cities and suburbs flourished. Nonnative plants that have adverse effects often dominate the remaining fragments. As woodlands diminished in size and health, the ecosystem services they provided diminished as well. These services include carbon sequestration, in which atmospheric carbon dioxide taken up during plant growth is stored in plant material and transferred to the soil as carbon-storing organic matter. To determine if restoring woodlands returns lost ecosystem services, Dan Larkin, Ph.D., the David Byron Smith Family Curator of Native Habitats, and Jim Steffen, the Garden’s woodland ecologist, conducted a two-year research project in the Garden’s McDonald Woods. With the assistance of high-school and college research interns, they looked at the effects of removing common buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica) from the Woods; reseeding with native forbs, grasses, and sedges; and reintroducing fire through controlled burning. They suspected buckthorn—a highly aggressive shrub—might impair carbon storage be-
cause the areas it dominates lack healthy understory vegetation and leaf litter. They also wanted to know whether buckthorn’s nutrient-rich leaves, which decompose rapidly, short-circuit opportunities for longer-term carbon storage in soil. Larkin and Steffen found that, after six to 14 years of active management, restored woodland areas did provide substantially greater carbon storage than unrestored areas still dominated by buckthorn. The diversity and abundance of understory plants was doubled, and the amount of fallen leaves on the woodland floor (which help return carbon to the soil) was nine times higher. In the key finding of the research, the amount of carbon stored in slow-to-decompose soil pools that can persist for hundreds of years was significantly higher following restoration. The results of this Chicago Botanic Garden research show that removing invasive buckthorn and actively restoring and managing McDonald Woods increased ecosystem services by enhancing carbon storage—all while providing Garden visitors the pleasures of a healthy woodland habitat rich in plant and animal life. Research funding from the Nicole S. Williams and Lawrence Becker Endowment for Native Habitats Restoration and the Negaunee Foundation Endowment for Invasive Plant Research made this important research possible.
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Antiques & Garden Fair
Rain gardens offer beautiful benefits
A rain garden helps to improve the environment and reduce flooding.
For homeowners who enjoy gardening, their garden is a year-round source of beauty, providing color and texture, fragrance, and movement, as well as habitat for birds, butterflies, and other wildlife. A rain garden offers these many pleasures plus the opportunity to have a positive impact on water quality.
Know why they work When properly placed, installed, and planted, a home rain garden can reduce the amount of annual stormwater runoff from a home landscape by up to 25 percent. Instead of rainfall being diverted to storm sewer systems or contributing to flooding, a rain garden captures and stores rain for a few hours or several days, providing time for it to soak into the soil. Allowing rainfall to be absorbed by the soil benefits the environment. Landscapes have greater access to soil moisture, and local and regional groundwater supplies are recharged. A rain garden helps filter pollutants, including fertilizers and pesticides, before stormwater reaches nearby lakes, rivers, and streams.
Select a site Rain gardens can be installed in front of or behind a house or any structure with a roof that has gutters and downspouts. They should be located on a gentle slope no closer than ten feet from the building—but not placed over a 24 www.chicagobotanic.org/raingarden
septic system, directly under the canopy of a large tree, or where rainfall already ponds because of tight, slow-draining soils.
Make it “just right” For the average landscape, a rain garden from 100 to 300 square feet in size and four to eight inches deep will capture significant rainfall and accommodate a pleasing variety of plants. A simple soil drainage test is helpful in determining the ideal size. Rain gardens can be smaller in fast-draining soils but should be larger in slower-draining clay soil. The depth of a rain garden will depend on the slope of the land. A rain garden’s berm on its downhill side should be high enough to match the elevation of the uphill side.
Incorporate new beauty While rain gardens provide important water-quality and flood-control services, they can use the same design principles as any other attractive home garden. Before selecting a site, consider the view from inside the house or from a patio or deck. Create a design using groups of plants offering a variety of colors, heights, and textures with a variety of bloom times and winter interest. By incorporating elements of the existing landscape or such features as paths, benches, and fences, the rain garden becomes an element of a cohesive design that both homeowners and their neighbors enjoy.
Plant Tips
Native plants like Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans) thrive in rain gardens.
Sweet coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa) is another good rain garden option.
Choose resilient natives
Start planning
Before urban development, intact ecosystems had floodplains for capturing and storing rainfall until it could be fully absorbed. The native plants growing in these floodplains were able to tolerate flooding as well as extended periods of drought. Plants with similar characteristics are ideal for today’s rain garden.
To learn more about rain gardens, visit the Woman’s Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society Rainwater Glen, a large-scale rain garden adjacent to the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center at the Chicago Botanic Garden. A recommended publication from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Rain Gardens: A How-To Manual for Homeowners, is available on the Garden’s website at www.chicagobotanic.org/ raingarden. Contact the Plant Information Service for more information on plants recommended for rain gardens.
Plants to consider include wild geranium (Geranium maculatum), great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica), obedient plant (Physotegia virginiana), Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium reptans), sweet coneflower (Rudbeckia subtomentosa), and golden Alexander (Zizia aurea). Create diversity by including a mixture of deep-rooted grasses, sedges, and rushes. Good options for rain gardens include bur sedge (Carex grayii), fox sedge (C. vulpinoidea), Torrey’s rush (Juncus torreyi), and prairie cord grass (Spartina pectinata). Always select plants according to their sun and soil preferences, and place those plants preferring more moisture toward the deeper portion of the rain garden.
Begin planning now to create a rain garden next spring— for a beautiful future with cleaner water and less flooding.
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Following a tradition established by the Chicago Horticultural Society in 1894, the Chicago Botanic Garden honors contributions to horticultural excellence, conservation of plants and the natural world, and education for students of all ages with prestigious medals and awards.
Chicago Horticultural Society Medal Oehme, van Sweden & Associates, architects of the Gardens of the Great Basin; the Arch, Serpentine, and Trellis Bridges; and the Kleinman Family Cove, opening in 2012, received the Chicago Horticultural Society Medal at the Board of Directors Annual Meeting in June. The medal, established in 1980, recognizes outstanding service of enduring benefit to the Chicago Horticultural Society, involving leadership, devotion, and courage.
Distinguished Service Award Lois Morrison Steans was the first recipient of the new Woman’s Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society Distinguished Service Award. The award, presented at A Rare Affair™, an event sponsored by the Woman’s Board, was established to recognize leadership in advancing the Garden’s mission to promote the enjoyment, understanding, and conservation of plants and the natural world. Steans has been a dedicated friend of the Garden since it opened in 1972. She was among the Garden’s first volunteers and has served as a member of the Woman’s Board for 31 years. The Steans Family Foundation has actively supported Garden initiatives, most notably the North Lawndale Green Youth Farm and Windy City Harvest, two of the Garden’s community education programs serving youth and young adults in low-income neighborhoods.
Hutchinson Medal Created in 1894, today the Hutchinson Medal recognizes outstanding leadership or professional accomplishment that has been significant in furthering horticulture, plant science, or conservation. In October, medals will be awarded to George B. Rabb, Ph.D., and to Bob and Charlene Shaw. As the director of the Brookfield Zoo and president of the Chicago Zoological Society from 1976 to 2003, Dr. Rabb has been a successful proponent of conservation both on a national and local level. He was a leader in establishing Chicago Wilderness, a consortium established for preserving the flora and fauna of the Chicago region. Bob and Charlene Shaw, volunteers in Plant Collections Documentation since 2004, have long combined vision and passion with steadfast commitment. The Shaws helped facilitate the Garden’s partnership with Northwestern University as well as the joint master’s degree program in plant biology and conservation.
The Serpentine Bridge was designed by Oehme, van Sweden & Associates, which received the Chicago Horticultural Society Medal. www.chicagobotanic.org 27
Antiques&&Honors Awards Garden Fair
Service to Garden and its mission honored
Adult Education: Regenstein School
Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School Adult Education An extensive schedule provides a wealth of choices. Instruction by Garden staff and other experts ensures that every class, workshop, or symposium is an exceptional learning experience.
ExerScape: a new view of fitness Sweat in peace. Change your view. Connecting with nature improves body, mind, and spirit, and Chicago Botanic Garden wellness programs inspire rejuvenation with an incomparable 385-acre view. Better than boot camp, ExerScape is the newest Garden wellness program, designed to improve health and fitness through energizing strengthening and flexibility practice. Instructor Angelo Miranda is a muscle activation technique specialist, and all workout routines are customizable to each student’s unique fitness goals and needs. Choose a basic or intermediate level and then select a four-week session. Meet once, twice, or three times per week. Dress for the weather in comfortable clothing and walking or running shoes and bring a yoga mat. Classes meet at McGinley Pavilion but take place throughout the Garden. There is still time to sign up for the next session, which runs August 30 through September 24. Use the one-time drop-in fee of $18 to try it out! See page 58 for more information.
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ExerScape programming is student-centered and flexible to accommodate a variety of abilities, goals, and ages.
Highlights Vertical Garden: An Afternoon with Patrick Blanc Wednesday, September 7 See page 34.
Gourd Art Workshops
Kakishibu: Japanese Persimmon Dye Workshop
Friday – Sunday, September 16 – 18 See page 53.
Two-day workshop Monday & Thursday, October 17 & 20 See page 55.
Low-Key Genius: The Life and Work of Landscape Gardener O.C. Simonds
Chicago Regional Forum on Ethics and Sustainability Friday, October 28 See page 34.
Includes book sale and signing with author Barbara Geiger Monday, September 19 See page 48.
An Afternoon with Michael Van Valkenburgh Wednesday, September 21 See page 34.
Holiday Lighting Techniques Thursday, November 3 See page 40.
The Landscape in Pastel Sundays, November 6 & 13 See page 56.
Prickly Subjects, Watercolor Workshop
Introduction to Vertical Gardening
Visiting Artist Program
Saturday, November 12 See page 51.
Friday – Monday, October 14 – 17 See page 56.
Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
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Botanical Arts & Humanities Adult Education: Highlights
Patrick Blanc’s stunning installation in Lisbon, Portugal, shows the endless possibilities of vertical gardening.
Botanical Arts & Humanities Adult Education: Overview
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 school@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 school@chicagobotanic.org or (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 school@chicagobotanic.org or (847) 835-8278.
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! • Botanical Arts (ART) Engage your senses, discover hidden talents, and explore a more personal relationship with plants in this studio art program. • 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.
• Healthcare Garden Design (HGD) In this professional development program in 2012, attendees will discover the many ways gardens provide verifiable health benefits for the patients, staff, and visitors. • Horticultural Therapy (HTC) This 12-credit-hour accredited program combines 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. Certificate programs are offered at many levels to give both beginners and professionals opportunities to improve their expertise and marketability. Prepare yourself for a rewarding career in landscape maintenance or garden design, discover the world of botanical art, or receive hands-on training from a Chicago Botanic Garden horticulturist. Details about all of the certificate programs are available at www.chicagobotanic.org/school/ certificate. Contact Amelia Simmons-Hurt at certificateprograms@chicagobotanic.org, or at (847) 835-8293 for further information.
• 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.
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 program will begin in January 2013. Please visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school/mastergardener or call Jill Selinger at (847) 835-6849.
Learn proper pruning techniques from Garden experts in the November 16 Pruning for Professionals class. See page 34.
For faculty biographies please visit www.chicagobotanic/ school/faculty. Chicago Botanic Garden members pay the lower of the two fees listed.
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Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school/registration_policies for information on registration procedure and policy.
Adult Education: Symposia & Professional Programs
Symposia & Special Programs Symposia allow participants to attend a single or multiday program on specific topics, ranging from general interest subjects to technical topics suited for practitioners and academicians.
Vertical Garden: An Afternoon with Patrick Blanc September 7 Wednesday 2 – 3:30 p.m. Alsdorf Auditorium Patrick Blanc, French botanist and designer $15 In partnership with Alliance Française de Chicago, we are thrilled to present Patrick Blanc of France in a discussion on his amazing living vertical gardens. Renowned for having injected biodiversity back into built-up areas, he has installed vertical gardens internationally in hotels, restaurants, lounges, museums, showrooms, and many other public buildings. A book signing will follow the lecture. This program is made possible by the generous support of Cultural Service at the Consulate General of France in Chicago.
Lawn and Turf Care Education Day September 16 Friday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Alsdorf Auditorium ILCA, IPLCA, or Garden member $90 Government (municipal, county, parks and recreation, and school districts) $100 Nonmember $130 Please register at www.ilca.net The Illinois Landscape Contractors Association (ILCA), Illinois Professional Lawn Care Association (IPLCA) and the Chicago Botanic Garden have come together to present this comprehensive seminar on lawn care education, products, and resources. Space is limited. Please register at www.ilca.net.
The Journey of the Universe Film Screening September 17 Saturday 4 – 6 p.m. Alsdorf Auditorium Mary Evelyn Tucker, executive producer $12/$15 The Chicago Botanic Garden, in partnership with the Center for Humans and Nature and the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, hosts a showing of this beautiful documentary film. Mary Evelyn Tucker, executive producer and senior lecturer and senior research scholar for the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, will be present for a lively discussion following the film. There will be a cash bar reception held at the conclusion of the program.
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An Afternoon with Michael Van Valkenburgh September 21 Wednesday 11 a.m. – noon Alsdorf Auditorium Michael Van Valkenburgh, landscape architect $35/$44 Landscape architect and designer Michael Van Valkenburgh demonstrates his passion for landscape as a living artistic medium that deepens and enriches people’s lives through the confluence of aesthetics, technology, and ecology. Join Van Valkenburgh as he looks back at the projects and experiences that led to his design of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Spider Island, and discusses how Spider Island influenced his later work.
Beyond Japan: Japanese Gardens in North America Through the Lens of the Midwest September 24 Saturday 7 – 8 p.m. Seminar Room, Plant Science Center Kendal Brown, Ph.D., professor, California State University Long Beach $19/$24 This lecture explores the 150-year history of Japanese gardens in North America by focusing on Japanesestyle gardens in Chicago and the Midwest. It explores gardens at world’s fairs, estates, and public institutions, and also analyzes the roles of American women and Japanese Americans in the construction of these gardens. It presents Japanese-style gardens in North America as a special type of American garden that signals how Americans have wanted to interpret Japanese culture.
Chicago Regional Forum on Ethics and Sustainability Lifeways and Greenways: Social and Ecological Connectivity A Janet Meakin Poor Research Symposium October 28 Friday 9 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. Alsdorf Auditorium $30 with lunch/$10 without lunch The Center for Humans and Nature and the Chicago Botanic Garden present this forum for the Chicago region that focuses on the ethical dimensions of conservation issues. The second of a minimum three-year initiative, this forum is designed for members, leaders, and volunteers in conservationminded organizations like Chicago Wilderness. Additionally, members of the public and academics/ practitioners with a focus on ethical issues will enjoy engaging with like-minded peers with the same goal of increasing sustainability in the environment.
Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
Professional Programs Professional development opportunities and inspiration are yours here at the Garden. Landscape design, horticulture, conservation professionals, and others are welcome to attend these outstanding programs.
Basic AutoCAD for Landscape Design November 7 – December 5 5 Mondays 7 – 9 p.m. Design Studio Maelo Maldanado ASLA, principal, Latitude Land Design, LLC $149/$187 See page 43 for details.
Pruning for Professionals November 16 Wednesday 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. Annex 1 Tom Tiddens, plant healthcare supervisor and certified arborist; Chris Henning, plant healthcare specialist; and Thomas Fritz, plant healthcare specialist, Chicago Botanic Garden $69/$87 This course is designed as a comprehensive review of basic pruning practices for landscape professionals. The afternoon session consists of demonstrations in the field that illustrate the techniques discussed during the morning session. There will also be a review of pruning tools and equipment care. Please dress for the weather, as the afternoon will be spent outdoors. Lunch is on your own.
Podando para Professionales Pruning for Spanish-Speaking Professionals November 17 Thursday 9 a.m. – noon Annex 2 Manny Sanchez, grounds foreman, Chicago Botanic Garden $39/$49 Este repaso de prácticas de podar para jardineros professionales incluirá técnicas, tiempo, y como escoger las mejores herramientas. Debido a que parte de la clase estará afuera se requiere que traigan tijeras y serrucho para practicar. Una discusión de cómo tartar con sus clientes y que información debe compartir con ellos antes de empezar un trabajo también sera incluido. This review of pruning practices will be taught in Spanish. An English description is listed above.
Adult Education: Bonsai Workshops & Weekend Gardener
Bonsai Workshops Ivan Watters has been a bonsai practitioner for 45 years, and has studied with bonsai master Susumu Nakamura of the Shonan School of Bonsai in Yokohama, Japan, as well as prominent bonsai teachers in the United States. He is curator of the Chicago Botanic Garden bonsai collection.
Bonsai: Intermediate – Refinement Techniques
All bonsai workshops are taught by Ivan Watters, bonsai artist and curator of the Chicago Botanic Garden bonsai collection. Workshops are held in the Production Headhouse.
Bonsai: Beginner – Basics and Fundamentals October 9 – November 13 6 Sundays 1 – 4 p.m. $179/$224 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.
Bonsai: Novice – Development Techniques October 12 – November 16 6 Wednesdays 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. $209/$262 Ideal for those with considerable familiarity and experience with the fundamentals of bonsai, this six-week course includes a brief lecture, supervised work on trees, and a review and critique of work undertaken in each session.
October 15 – November 19 6 Saturdays 9 a.m. – noon $229/$287 Appropriate for those with knowledge of bonsai concepts and experience with the art beyond the novice level, this six-week course includes in each session a brief lecture, supervised work on trees, and a review/critique of work undertaken.
Bonsai: Advanced – Presentation-Quality Efforts October 9 – November 13 6 Sundays 9 a.m. – noon $249/$312 For the student who has completed the beginner, novice, and intermediate courses, this course focuses almost exclusively on supervised work on trees.
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. Discover Ornamental Grasses September 10 Saturday 1 – 3 p.m. Linnaeus Room Heather Sherwood, senior horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $29/$37 Ornamental grasses have gained great favor due to their adaptability to many garden conditions, as well as their ornamental features. They reliably bloom in summer, adding unique texture to the garden. Later, they provide winter interest. Learn how to add these attractive yet undemanding selections to your home landscape. Dress for the weather, as part of the class may be outdoors.
Fall Lawn Care for Homeowners September 17 Saturday 10 a.m. – noon Seminar Room, Plant Science Center Tom Fritz, plant healthcare specialist, Chicago Botanic Garden $29/$37 If your lawn isn’t all you would like it to be, invest some time this fall so you can have a healthy and lush lawn next year. Learn the basics of lawn renovation and how to prepare your lawn for winter. Tom Fritz will discuss and demonstrate proper techniques for installing sod, seeding and overseeding, and aerating and fertilizing—all aimed at revitalizing your lawn. Dress for the weather, as part of the class will be outdoors.
Chicago Botanic Garden members pay the lower of the two fees listed.
Students in all levels of bonsai workshops practice design and styling of trees.
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Plant Propagation Made Easy
Basic Pruning for Homeowners
September 24 Saturday 1 – 3 p.m. Annex 2 Rachel Catlett, horticulturist $29/$37
October 22 Saturday 1 – 3 p.m. Annex 2 Glenn Grosch, horticulturist $29/$37
Fall is a great time to divide most perennial plants, a winning proposition for all involved. The plants are happier and will respond with great vigor the following spring, you gain more of the plants you love, and you usually end up with enough to share with friends! Join Rachel Catlett for this discussion and demonstration class, where you will learn how to divide plants and pick up propagation tips and techniques.
At last, a vegetative plant propagation course for the home gardener! Glenn Grosch will give you both the practical knowledge and the confidence needed to add vegetative propagation to your list of gardening skills. Specific areas to be covered include division, layering, leaf and stem cuttings, bulb division, and hardwood and softwood cuttings. Included in the discussion will be the plants best suited for each method of propagation.
November 19 Saturday 1 – 3:30 p.m. Annex 2 Tom Tiddens, plant healthcare supervisor and certified arborist, Chicago Botanic Garden $36/$45
Bulbs for Beginners
Houseplant How-Tos
October 1 Saturday 9 – 11 a.m. Linnaeus Room Jill Selinger, manager, continuing education, Chicago Botanic Garden $29/$37
November 5 Saturday 1 – 3:30 p.m. Linnaeus Room Jerry Garner, Ph.D., horticulture program advisor, Harold Washington College $36/$45
Flowering bulbs are the delight of the spring garden, providing vivid, colorful relief after the doldrums of winter. Learn how to select bulbs to enhance your garden and how to grow them successfully. Expert Jill Selinger will also discuss how to design with bulbs to extend the flowering season and how to interplant with perennials and shrubs for a spectacular display. For those students interested in attending the Fall Bulb Festival immediately after class, Selinger will be on hand at the event to answer students’ questions.
Learn to turn your struggling houseplants into a lush jungle of an indoor garden. Join Jerry Garner for a closer look at the needs of houseplants, including light, temperature, humidity, and water. You will also learn how to identify and treat common houseplant pests, the dos and don’ts of watering and repotting, how to choose the best plants for indoor conditions, and maintenance needs of common houseplants.
Adult Education: Weekend BotanicalGardener Arts & Humanities
The Great Divide
The best time to prune most trees and shrubs is quickly approaching. Proper pruning is the key to maintaining plant health and the desired form. Learn the basic techniques for dormant winter pruning. Basic pruning principles for trees and shrubs will be reviewed, as well as the application of various pruning tools. A portion of the class will consist of outdoor demonstrations, so please dress for the weather.
Preparing Roses for Winter December 10 Saturday 1 – 3 p.m. Annex 2 Heather Sherwood, horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $29/$37 Now is the time to start putting your roses to bed for the winter. Join Heather Sherwood and learn about the degrees of cold tolerance and the proper way to protect various types of roses. Grandiflora, floribunda, hybrid tea, shrub, miniature, and climbing roses will be discussed. A portion of the class will consist of outdoor demonstrations and hands-on practice, so dress for the weather and bring thorn-resistant gloves.
Orchids for Beginners October 15 Saturday 9:30 – 11 a.m. Linnaeus Room Lois Cinert, judge, American Orchid Society and past president, Illinois Orchid Society $24/$30 In this beginner’s course, you will learn how to select easy-to-grow orchids suitable for your home. Basic orchid physiology and general cultural information such as light, temperature, humidity, repotting, and media requirements will discussed. Popular orchid species and cultivars will be reviewed, and local sources for orchids and supplies will be provided. After class, plan on attending the Illinois Orchid Society Fall Show and Sale in the nearby Greenhouse Galleries.
In Bulbs for Beginners, students learn to design delightful spring gardens with bulbs.
Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
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Botanical Arts & Humanities 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.
Fall Annuals: Foliage and Flowers
Heritage Prairie Farm Trip
September 7 Wednesday 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 2 Tim Pollak, outdoor floriculturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $29/$37
Family Friendly
There is still time to add color and texture to your garden using annuals that will last through the beginning of winter. Learn about old favorites such as pansies and kale, as well as new or overlooked varieties that will enhance your garden. We will also discuss fall clean-up methods, bed maintenance, and overwintering practices. A walking tour will illustrate how different plant combinations can be used in your autumn garden. Please dress for the weather.
September 21 Wednesday 1 – 2:30 p.m. Meet at Heritage Prairie Farm in La Fox, IL Bronwyn Weaver, owner $15/$19 Join your friends and family for a private tour of Heritage Prairie Farm, a four-season, natural growing farm and honey apiary implementing sustainable and organic agriculture. Walk the farm with a grower and visit their honey farm. The tour ends with a seasonal drink and snack included in the fee. After the tour, feel free to shop in the store or relax and play a game in the open fields. Transportation is on your own. Children 6 years and older are welcome to register and attend with an adult.
Autumn Containers at the Garden September 14 Wednesday 10 a.m. – noon or September 15 Thursday 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 1 Nancy Clifton, program specialist, Chicago Botanic Garden $59/$74 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.
Preserving the Harvest: Preserves and Jellies September 20 Tuesday 9 a.m. – noon Fruit & Vegetable Garden Kitchen Nancy Clifton, program specialist, Chicago Botanic Garden $65/$80 Make preserves and jellies from fresh farm produce in this fun workshop with Nancy Clifton. Canning is in, so learn some easy and reliable, not to mention tasty recipes. It’s a great gift idea too, so plan ahead and can today for the gifts and goodies of tomorrow. Class is limited to ten people, so register early. Everyone will take home a jar of all recipes created.
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Early Morning Garden Stroll October 4 Tuesday 6 – 7:30 a.m. Meet at Visitor Center Nancy Clifton, program specialist, Chicago Botanic Garden $15/$19 Join Nancy Clifton and other early birds on an inspiring stroll and enjoy the private moments found in the Garden at the break of dawn. See the sunrise, the morning dew on flowers, and mist across the water. We will stop for special sites along the way and quietly talk about the benefits found when hardly anyone is around.
PLANNING YOUR GARDEN WITH NINA KOZIOL Vegetables and Shade
Register for both sessions at once and save ten percent. Please visit www.chicagobotanic.org/ school to note the refund policy for the series. $52/$65
Vegetable Gardens: Plan Now for Next Year’s Harvest October 22 Saturday 10 a.m. – noon Garden View Room Nina Koziol, garden writer $29/$37 Fall is a great time to start planning next year’s vegetable and herb gardens. Learn about soil preparation, soil tests, vegetable garden layouts, heirloom and modern cultivars, and when and how to plant for a continued, flavorful harvest.
Successful Shade Gardens October 22 Saturday 1 – 3 p.m. Garden View Room Nina Koziol, garden writer $29/$37 Shady sites present several challenges to the home gardener. There are tree roots to contend with and dry soil. There are varying degrees of shade cast by trees or buildings. And, in some gardens, Bambi comes in for lunch too often. Don’t despair. Shade gardens offer many opportunities. In this session, you’ll learn how to create artful perennial plant combinations that can add visual interest in difficult spots.
Holiday Lighting Techniques Garden Problem? Problem Solved! October 18 Tuesday 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Linnaeus Room Tom Soulsby, assistant horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $29/$37 Designed for a less-experienced gardener, this class will review common landscaping problems found in every neighborhood – mistakes that even professionals make! You will learn to recognize problem gardening techniques, understand why you should avoid these problems, and discover easy-to-understand tips and techniques to make you a better gardener and landscaping consumer. A portion of the class may be outside, so please dress accordingly.
November 3 Thursday 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 2 Heather Sherwood, horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $29/$37 Do you wish that your outdoor holiday lights could be as spectacular as the ones at the Garden? If so, join Heather Sherwood as she demonstrates the techniques used to decorate trees and shrubs with lights for the holiday season. Learn how to estimate equipment and time, install the lights, and maintain a beautiful show. You’ll learn the tricks of the trade and then apply what you learn to your own home holiday décor. Dress for the weather, as part of the class will be outdoors.
Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school/registration_policies for information on registration procedure and policy.
Learn to garden with confidence from a Garden horticulturist November 12 Saturday 1 – 3 p.m. Annex 2 Dave Cantwell, horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $49/$62 To cut or not to cut your woody plants? What you cut today affects what the plant will look like and how well it will grow for years to come. After a brief classroom discussion, you will have the opportunity to practice pruning small woody plants. Please dress for the weather and be prepared to get dirty, as most of the class will be spent outside, rain or shine.
Backstage Pass: Winter Floral Wonders November 20 Sunday 1 – 3 p.m. Meet at Rice Plant Resource Center Tim Pollak, outdoor floriculturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $29/$37 The Chicago Botanic Garden’s production department produces nearly half a million plants a year. In the fall, the greenhouses are brimming with poinsettias and other holiday plants of many hues. Join Tim Pollak to see how it’s all done. You’ll learn about propagation techniques, greenhouse environmental and computer systems, watering and fertilizing equipment, and how the growing space is managed throughout the year. In addition, you’ll be dazzled by the colors and beauty of all the plants, and get a sneak preview of the plants that will be on display at Wonderland Express in the coming weeks.
Bulbs for Winter Indoor Color November 21 Monday 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 2 William Moss, horticultural educator $49/$62 To add a breath of spring to your home this winter, join William Moss as he demonstrates the proper techniques for forcing bulbs such as tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, and minor bulbs. Learn how to choose varieties that are good performers as well as how to combine them in one pot for a mini-garden effect. You will then pot up some bulbs to take home. The fee includes all materials.
Winter Containers at the Garden
Hydrangea and Hibiscus
December 7 Wednesday 10 a.m. – noon or December 8 Thursday 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 1 Nancy Clifton, program specialist, Chicago Botanic Garden $59/$74
September 10 Saturday 9 a.m. – noon Linnaeus Room Mark Zampardo, horticulture educator $59/$74
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.
HORTICULTURE CERTIFICATE OF MERIT PROGRAM Certificate Graduation If you will be completing your certificate program you must register with the continuing education office to be considered for the 2011 Autumn Certificate Programs Graduation. Graduation will be held Friday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Alsdorf Auditorium. Please register no later than October 1 at www. chicagobotanic.org/school/certificate/graduation.
Conifers and Broad-leaved Evergreens September 6 – November 1 7 Tuesdays (no class September 27 & October 4) 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Garden walks (select one) September 8 – October 27 6 Thursdays (no class September 29 & October 6) 9 – 11 a.m. or September 10 – October 29 6 Saturdays (no class October 1 & 8) 9 – 11 a.m. Alsdorf Auditorium Mark Zampardo, horticultural educator $229/$287 Optional Study CD $20 OPC, PGL 1, PGL 2, GDC requirement This course covers more than 60 outstanding conifers and broad-leaved evergreens for the Midwest. Students will learn identifying characteristics, cultural requirements, and landscape uses of conifers and broad-leaved evergreens ranging from shrubby dwarfs to towering trees.
Adult Education: Horticulture Botanical Arts & Humanities
Hands-On Gardening – End-of-Season Pruning
OPC elective This specialty course focuses on Hydrangea and Hibiscus, two genera of beautiful and hardy summer-flowering shrubs with blooms that last well into autumn. Exciting new cultivars and several lesser-known species will be presented. The School’s CEUs= 0.3
Soil Basics Intensive Autumn Session September 10 – October 1 3 Saturdays (no class September 24) 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Annex 2 Ellen Phillips, educator, University of Illinois Extension $269/$337 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. Begin to appreciate the circle of life within our soils. Course fee includes a professionally analyzed test of your garden soil. Prerequisite: Botany 1.
Botany 1 Autumn Session September 12 – October 24 7 Mondays & 5 Wednesdays (no class September 28) 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. or 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center Richard D. Hyerczyk, botanist $269/$337 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 subjects such 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.
Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
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Botanical Arts & Humanities Adult Education: Horticulture
Introduction to Midwest Gardening
Trees and Shrubs with Attractive Fruits
Botany 2
September 13 – October 11 5 Tuesdays 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Linnaeus Room Sharon Yiesla, horticulture educator $119/$149
October 6 Thursday 9 a.m. – noon Linnaeus Room Mark Zampardo, Ph.D., horticulture educator $59/$74
Autumn Session
MGC requirement
OPC elective
Are you a new gardener or new to the region? If so, this course will help you understand the basics of gardening in the Midwest. Learn about critical factors that affect the success of your garden, such as soil conditions, weather patterns and extremes, common gardening techniques and tools, and diseases and pests.
Selection of trees and shrubs for the landscape is often based upon their flowering characteristics and to a lesser degree their fall color. Colorful fruit should more often be considered. Many plants have attractive fruit that are persistent and are not messy. Learn more about those plants that provide showy fruit in the fall and early winter. The School’s CEUs= 0.3
Ornamental Grasses with Gusto!
Gardening Techniques: Session A
October 1 Saturday 1 – 4 p.m. Linnaeus Room Greg Stack, extension educator $59/$74
October 15 – November 19 6 Saturdays 7:30 – 10:30 a.m. Annex 2 Liz Feldner, horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $249/$312
OPC elective
PGL 1, PGL 2, GDC requirement
At one time the only grasses home gardeners planted were in their lawn. Now, ornamental grasses are showing up as part of the landscape and providing for stunning visual and architectural appeal as well as four-season interest. The palette of sizes, shapes, forms, and foliage color are wide and varied, offering something for everyone. Sedges, rushes, and non-hardy grasses that can be used in annual borders will be covered, as well as planting and maintenance. The School’s CEUs= 0.3
Students will be introduced to professional gardening through a combination of lecture and hands-on activities. They will focus on acquiring solid gardening skills, learning about a variety of techniques, and developing the ability to determine best practices. Topics range from general grounds maintenance, winterization, plantings, and other horticultural practices. This is a pre-professional class designed for students entering the green industry.
Espalier Basics October 5 Wednesday 9 a.m. – noon Linnaeus Room Heather Sherwood, senior horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $59/$74
Plant Health 1 Autumn Session November 3 – December 15 (no class November 24) 6 Tuesdays & 6 Thursdays Please note that course begins on a Thursday 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center
OPC elective
Winter Session
In espalier, a woody plant is trained as a vertical trunk with horizontal branches in a single plane. This technique exemplifies the art and science of horticulture, for it is both beautiful and productive. Topics include espalier history, contemporary applications for fruit trees, tools and supplies. Existing pruning knowledge is necessary. Dress for the weather. The School’s CEUs= 0.3
January 17 – February 23 6 Tuesdays & 6 Thursdays 6:30 – 8:30 pm Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center Tom Tiddens, plant healthcare supervisor and certified arborist, Chicago Botanic Garden, and Chris Henning, plant healthcare specialist, Chicago Botanic Garden $269/$337
November 7 – December 14 6 Mondays & 6 Wednesdays 2:30 – 4:30 p.m. or 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center Richard D. Hyerczyk, botanist $269/$337 PGL 2 and GDC requirement How do seeds germinate and develop into mature plants? How do plants move water up through their roots to their topmost branches ground? 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.
Hardy Dwarf Plants November 12 Saturday 1 – 4 p.m. Linnaeus Room John Eskandari, arborist and plant acquisitions, Gethsemane Gardens $59/$74 OPC elective Discover the evolution of evergreens from simple foundation plantings of yews and boxwoods to new collections found in a variety of colors and sizes that can be used as living art in the garden. Learn the art of mixing evergreens to create a specimen collection, how to add a few interesting conifers for specialty interest, and growing techniques for ornamental conifers in containers on terraces, front porches, or roof decks. We will also discuss the ideal candidates for urban microclimates. The School’s CEUs= 0.3
MGC, PGL 1, PGL 2, GDC requirement Learn to identify, diagnose, treat, and prevent some of the most important diseases, insects, animal pests, and environmental problems commonly encountered by our region’s landscape industry. Topics include Integrated Pest Management (IPM), cultural care, basic entomology and pathology, pesticides and alternatives, and animal management.
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Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
The Dixon Prairie’s highlights are revealed for students on the Dixon Prairie Walk. See page 47.
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.
Wild Mushrooms: A Fall Foray in the Forest Family Friendly September 4 Sunday 1 – 4 p.m. Meet at McDonald Woods Entrance Shelter Gregory M. Mueller, Ph.D., author, mycologist, and vice president of Science and Academic Programs, Chicago Botanic Garden $19/$24 Feast your eyes on the rich diversity of fungi that appear as if by magic in Illinois woodlands and meadows in the fall. Join us for a fun and educational mushroom hunt through McDonald Woods. After the hunt we’ll head over to the Illinois Mycological Association show and sale at the Chicago Botanic Garden to check out many additional varieties of mushrooms, books, and other mushroom items. Please remember to dress for the weather and the woods. Children over 6 are welcome to register with an attending registered adult. One child free with each adult registration; each additional child registration is $10.
Dixon Prairie Walk September 12 Monday 10 – 11:30 a.m. Meet at Rice Plant Resource Center David Sollenberger, seed conservation specialist and ecologist, Chicago Botanic Garden $15/$19 Come out and experience the radiance of Dixon Prairie at its prime! See plant species such as compass plant, lead plant, goldenrods, asters, and the bottle gentian, and their pollinators in action! We will walk through this diverse grassland and discuss family relationships and the natural history of major species present. Please dress for being in full sunlight and for walking on a gravel path.
Prairie Plant Identification in the Field September 21 Wednesday 8 a.m. – noon Horticulture Conference Room, Rice Plant Resource Center Dave Sollenberger, seed conservation specialist and ecologist, Chicago Botanic Garden $59/$74
Fall Bird Walks
Landscapes for Nature and Wildlife
September 24 Saturday or October 15 Saturday or November 12 Saturday 7:30 – 9 a.m. Meet at Visitor Center Alan Anderson, research committee chairman, Chicago Audubon Society, and/or Chris Van Wassenhove, president, Chicago Audubon Society $15/$19 each walk
October 12 Wednesday 1 – 3 p.m. Linnaeus Room John Raffetto, horticulturist, Garfield Park Conservatory $29/$37
Take a walk in the Garden and learn to identify birds in their sometimes-confusing fall plumage. Earlier bird walks will highlight warblers, vireos, and flycatchers, while later ones will feature ducks, sparrows, and hawks. Dress for the weather and bring binoculars and a field guide if you have them.
A Walk in McDonald Woods September 27 Tuesday 10 – 11:30 a.m. Meet at McDonald Woods Entrance Shelter Joan O’Shaughnessy, ecologist, Chicago Botanic Garden $15/$19 Join Joan O’Shaughnessy for a tour through McDonald Woods, as she discusses what makes this resource so precious, introduces you to the concept of natural areas as communities, and presents the Garden’s efforts to improve the health of this woodland community. Please dress for the weather and wear walking shoes.
Earth Words October 1 Saturday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Design Studio Carol LaChapelle, teacher, writer, and author of Finding Your Voice, Telling Your Stories $95/$119 Earth Words is designed for those who want to write about their experiences in nature--with particular places and animals. In the workshop, you’ll learn a variety of writing techniques to help you better observe and describe the natural world; tell the stories of your encounters there; and explore the meaning these encounters have for you. We’ll read some wonderful nature essays and poems and take advantage of the Garden’s many diverse landscapes to inspire us in our writing. All levels of writers welcome.
Adult Education: Nature Studies
Nature Studies
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.
Chicago Regional Forum on Ethics and Sustainability Lifeways and Greenways: Social and Ecological Connectivity A Janet Meakin Poor Research Symposium October 28 Friday 9 a.m. – 3:15 p.m. Alsdorf Auditorium $30 with lunch/$10 without lunch See page 34 for details.
Creating Native Eco-gardens in Your Community November 5 Saturday 1 – 3 p.m. Garden View Room Dennis Paige, environmental educator and restorationist $29/$37 More than 40 million acres of lawn are cultivated in the United States, covering more American land than any single crop. Most lawns today are composed of gas-guzzling, high-maintenance, ecologically degrading, nonnative species. In short, they are a biologically sterile landscape. One suburban community became the first residential association to become a member of Chicago Wilderness by transforming their lawn with an unfolding range of colorful prairie, woodland and wetland wildflowers, forbs, sedges, and grasses. Learn how this remarkable transformation occurred and what it means for you.
Learn to identify individual prairie species and the most common plant families. After a brief discussion, Dave Sollenberger will lead you on a tour of the Garden’s Dixon Prairie to view many of the plants in the field. There will be some instruction and practice using taxonomic keys, and good field guides will be recommended. Please dress for the weather and wear comfortable shoes to walk the prairie.
Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school/registration_policies for information on registration procedure and policy.
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Botanical Arts & Humanities Adult Education: Garden Design
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.
Moonlight Garden Walk September 12 Monday 8 – 9:30 p.m. or October 11 Tuesday 8 – 9:30 p.m. Meet at Visitor Center Heather Sherwood, senior horticulturist, or Corri White, horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $19/$24 per walk Join us for a stroll after dark and see the Garden in a whole new light. Under the cover of night, explore the Garden’s shapes and forms and learn how night lighting can enhance your garden design and illuminate the play of light and shadow. The architecture of more formal gardens is showcased and natural areas can show their dramatic sides. Please dress for the weather and bring a flashlight.
Low-Key Genius: The Life and Work of Landscape Gardener O.C. Simonds September 19 Monday 7 – 9 p.m. Linnaeus Room Barbara Geiger, MALA, landscape historian and adjunct professor, Illinois Institute of Technology $29/$37 Chicago landscape-gardener O.C. Simonds became a seminal figure in the naturalistic landscape movement as a designer, author, and teacher as the Victorian age gave way to the Progressive Era. Landscape historian Barbara Geiger, author of Low-Key Genius, the first comprehensive biography of Simonds, discusses his influential career and the challenges of researching this relatively unknown but highly significant designer. The book will be available for purchase and signing.
An Afternoon with Michael Van Valkenburgh September 21 Wednesday 11 a.m. – noon Alsdorf Auditorium Michael Van Valkenburgh, landscape architect $35/$44 See page 34 for details.
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Beyond Japan: Japanese Gardens in North America Through the Lens of the Midwest
Path Making: Experimental and Practical Design Workshop
September 24 Saturday 5 – 6 p.m. Seminar Room, Plant Science Center Kendal Brown, Ph.D., professor, California State University Long Beach $19/$24
October 22 Saturday 9 a.m. – noon Design Studio Julie Siegel, principal, J. Siegel Designs, Inc. $39/$49
See page 34 for details.
Landscapes for Nature and Wildlife October 12 Wednesday 1 – 3 p.m. Linnaeus Room John Raffetto, horticulturist, Garfield Park Conservatory $29/$37 See page 47 for details.
Memorable garden paths merge literal and imagined experiences, making their combined steps more than the sum of their parts. In this workshop, Julie Siegel will explore the process of path design and how to make the resulting passages more dimensional. Through images, exercises, and discussion, we will examine techniques for creating paths that work on multiple levels. Figurative concepts include entrances/departures, pacing/balance, and mystery/ culture/environment. Formal, functional concepts include plant placement, scale/proportion and formal versus informal styles. An integral part of the process will be addressing the idiosyncrasies of different material choices in terms of design, installation, and maintenance.
For faculty biographies please visit www.chicagobotanic/ school/faculty. Learn why a memorable garden path is more than the sum of its parts in the Path Making Workshop.
Introduction to Vertical Gardening
Graphics
November 3 Thursday 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Annex 2 Heather Sherwood, horticulturist, Chicago Botanic Garden $29/$37
November 12 Saturday 10 a.m. – noon Fairchild Room Claire Kettelkamp, principal, Kettelkamp & Kettelkamp Landscape Architects Scott Mehaffey, executive vice president, Sage Botanic Media/Biotile Vertical Garden Systems $29/$37
Autumn Session
See page 40 for details.
Basic AutoCAD for Landscape Design November 7 – December 5 5 Mondays 7 – 9 p.m. Design Studio Maelo Maldanado ASLA, principal, Latitude Land Design, LLC $149/$187 This course will cover the basic tools, techniques, and use of the AutoCAD program to make the new and intermediate user comfortable with the most popular and highly technical program available. Exercises, lectures, and demonstrations will focus on immersing the student in the AutoCAD language. Students will gain confidence in using, learning, and applying the software. This basic course will help users comprehend all the basic commands and tricks to manage the most technical tool available to landscape designers.
Vertical gardening has existed in many forms throughout history, primarily in warmer climates. Recent technological advances in growing systems, coupled with an increased desire for energy-efficient eco-conscious buildings, allow green walls to exist in northern climates. This survey of vertical gardening systems, proposals, and completed projects will inspire broader thinking about the benefits and opportunities of vertical gardening on large and small scales. Product and material samples will be available so participants can see how various systems work, and both set and variable costs will be discussed. A list of suggested plants will be provided, as well as a resource list for ongoing study.
GARDEN DESIGN CERTIFICATE OF MERIT PROGRAM Certificate Graduation If you will be completing your certificate program, you must register with the continuing education office to be considered for the 2011 Autumn Certificate Programs Graduation. Graduation will be held Friday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Alsdorf Auditorium. Please register no later than October 1 at www. chicagobotanic.org/school/certificate/graduation.
Discover how the Garden achieves its spectacular holiday lighting effects, then apply the techniques at home.
Adult Education: Garden Design
Holiday Lighting Techniques
September 8 – November 17 (no class September 29) 10 Thursdays 6:30 – 9 p.m. Design Studio R. Thomas Selinger, director of design, Hursthouse, Inc. $269/$337 PGL 2 and GDC requirement Come learn the basic principles of landscape design illustration. This balanced and rewarding class provides an exciting introduction to the three basic areas of drawing communication: plans, elevations, and perspectives. Discover how to express your ideas using effective and enriched presentation techniques. Professional time-saving shortcuts, the importance of lettering, and the excitement of color are included. Recommended to take concurrently with Introduction to Professional Practice.
Introduction to Professional Practice Autumn session September 14 – November 9 (no class September 28) 8 Wednesdays 6:30 – 9 p.m. and September 17, 24 (Annex 2), November 5, 12 4 Saturdays 9 a.m. – noon Linnaeus Room Sean M. Kelley, BLA, head designer and project manager, Chicago Specialty Gardens $269/$337 PGL 2 and GDC requirement Apply skills learned in Graphics toward a working understanding of the initial phases of a landscape design project. Lectures will focus on the preliminary steps necessary to begin a landscape design project and carry the project through the conceptual design phase; including site measurements, base maps, site analysis, programming, functional use diagrams, conceptual design plans and preliminary cost estimates. Prerequisite: Graphics (courses can be taken concurrently).
Chicago Botanic Garden members pay the lower of the two fees listed.
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Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
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Adult Education: Botanical Arts & Humanities
Planting Design
The Art of Graphics
September 14 – November 16 (no class September 28) 9 Wednesdays 6:30 – 9 p.m. Design Studio and October 29 & November 5 2 Saturdays 9 a.m. – noon Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center Shawn Weidner, ASLA, director of design, EcoGardens $269/$337
November 14, 21, and December 5 3 Mondays (no class November 28) 6:30 – 9 p.m. Linnaeus Room Timothy Lally, ASLA, RLA, principal Timothy Lally Design $179/$224
GDC requirement Apply knowledge and skills developed in previous design courses toward a working understanding of planting design. Weekly discussions and individual projects will focus on basic elements of planting design, including an understanding of color and texture, plant combinations, planting bed layout, installation techniques, and maintenance practices. Prerequisites: 4 OPC core courses, Graphics, Introduction to Professional Practice, Principles of Garden Design, Hardscape Basics.
Garden design certificate courses prepare students for real-world landscape design, bringing inspiration to the classroom.
OPC elective This workshop serves to complement the required Graphics course in the Garden Design Certificate. Continuing to build upon skills, this workshop will present additional techniques used for rendering design plans as well as landscape elevations and perspectives. Media such as pastels and watercolors will be explored to further broaden the design pallet. Prerequisite: Graphics or commensurate experience. The School’s CEUs= 0.75
Botanical Arts and Humanities 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.
Beginning Frame Loom Weaving September 13 – November 15 10 Tuesdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Annex 2 Pamela Feldman, artist and educator $379/$474 In this beginning level class, we examine the many possibilities of creating woven forms using a simple frame loom. Students begin by experimenting with the basic techniques of tapestry and plain-weave, and then explore ways of creating surface, image, and text within a woven form. Each student will weave both a sampler and final project. Visual presentations and demonstrations are included. Basic supplies for the sample project are included in the class fee. Students are expected to purchase additional materials for the final project.
Frame Loom Weaving September 14 – November 16 10 Wednesdays 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. Annex 2 Pamela Feldman, artist and educator $379/$474 This class will focus on students’ individual weaving projects and skill building. We will begin the class by assessing student levels, and then design a skill-building outline that will help students express themselves through the tapestry medium. Visual presentations and demonstrations are included. Basic supplies for the samples are included in the class fee. Students are expected to purchase additional materials for the final project. Prerequisite and requirements: Beginning Frame Loom Weaving and consent of instructor.
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Gourd Art Workshop: Family Gourd Project
Gourd Art Workshop: Silk Fusion on Gourds
During one special weekend this fall, the Illinois Gourd Society will hold their state show at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Realize your own creativity as you take a workshop from quality, knowledgeable instructors who belong to the Illinois Gourd Society. All workshops are appropriate for the beginner and can be tailored to accommodate more advanced students.
Family Friendly
September 17 Saturday 1 – 4 p.m. Annex 1 Sue Cutter, artist, Illinois Gourd Society $59/$74
Gourd Art Workshop: Woodburned Gourd Vase September 16 Friday 9 a.m. – noon Annex 1 Jackie Kendall, artist, Illinois Gourd Society $45/$57 Enjoy working with gourds and create a natural vase to complement your home or office decor. Students will use colored pencils and woodburners to enhance hard shelled gourds with fall flowers and leaves. Some woodburners will be available to use during class, or you may bring one. All supplies included in the workshop.
Gourd Art Workshop: Gorgeous Gourd Vessel September 16 Friday 9 a.m. – noon Annex 2 Sandy Bulgrin, artist, Illinois Gourd Society $45/$57 Starting with a gourd that has been cleaned, dyed, and drilled, you will learn to coil with Danish cord and waxed linen to create a one-of-a-kind gourd vessel. Add embellishments like yarn, feathers, and dried materials to the finished project. We will also discuss growing, cleaning, and dying of the gourds. All supplies included in the workshop.
Gourd Art Workshop: Autumn Leaves September 16 Friday 1 – 4 p.m. Annex 2 Sandy Bulgrin, artist, Illinois Gourd Society $50/$63
September 17 Saturday 9 a.m. – noon Plant Science Lab Rhonda Adair, artist, Illinois Gourd Society $25/$32 What a gift to give – or keep! Bring your family and decorate a gourd vase with your handprints. Add your names with markers. Each family or group will get a large cut/cleaned gourd for your project and a gourd-shaped hangtag made from gourd shell as the finishing touch. Your vase will only take about an hour to decorate, so your start time can vary a bit from stated start time. Keep in mind the end time is as stated. Please wear sleeves that can be pushed up. All supplies included in the workshop. Price is based on the project, not the number of family members attending.
Gourd Art Workshop: Gourd Birdhouse September 17 Saturday 9 a.m. – noon Design Studio Jackie Kendall, artist, Illinois Gourd Society $45/$57 Your yard will be a welcoming sight for the birds with this great birdhouse. Using an apple-shaped gourd, you will paint the perfect place for your backyard friends to move right into. Complete with hanger. Please bring some paintbrushes.
Adult Education: Botanical Arts & Humanities
GOURD ART WORKSHOPS
Colorful dyed silk can be fused to gourds to create a beautiful new surface, which can then be further embellished if you wish. This class will teach the fusion process as students complete a bangle bracelet, a shard for use as pin or pendant, and a small whole gourd ornament. Your color choice of mawatas (opened out silk cocoons) will be available, as well as the gourd pieces. There will be a handout for you to take home. All materials will be provided. No previous experience with gourds is necessary.
Gourd Art Workshop: Memory Gourd September 17 Saturday 1 – 4 p.m. Design Studio Linda Eichwald, artist, Illinois Gourd Society $40/$50 In this class, we will make a container gourd to hold items that have special connections to a loved one or pet. We will be applying photos of the person or pet you are commemorating on the outside of the gourd using a water slide paper. These are wonderful gifts for someone who may have a friend or family member in the service, or to hold mementos of those we have lost. Please bring two photos and any trinkets or other small items you would like to attach to the outside of the gourd. All other supplies will be provided.
Gourd Art Workshop: Embroidering a Gourd September 17 Saturday 1 – 4 p.m. Plant Science Lab Bonnie Cox, artist, Illinois Gourd Society $50/$63 Using basic embroidery stitches on a gourd, create an unusual and beautiful bowl. The instructor provides a cut and cleaned gourd, embroidery thread, a tapestry needle, written instructions, and use of an awl. Please bring scissors.
Students will select a cleaned gourd and transfer a beautiful leaf design onto it. We will add color and texture to the leaf designs using a variety of tools such as a mini saw or wood burner. Students will create a wonderful fall motif. Come, enjoy and create! All supplies included in the workshop.
Gourd Art Workshop: Gourd Roll Bowl September 18 Sunday 9 a.m. – noon Plant Science Lab Rhonda Adair, artist, Illinois Gourd Society $20/$23 A gourd roll bowl is a shallow gourd bowl for dinner rolls or even keys and pocket change. You’ll learn about gourds and get the feel of them as you decorate your bowl with a seagrass rim. There will be gourd seeds and colorful gourd pieces to decorate with if you want to add them. All the time-consuming prep work is already done!
Chicago Botanic Garden members pay the lower of the two fees listed.
Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
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Adult Education: Botanical Arts & Humanities
Landscape Watercolors
Wet Carved Concrete Workshop
Calligraphy and Floral Decoration
September 14 – October 19 6 Wednesdays 1 – 3:30 p.m. Design Studio Patsy Welch, artist and educator $189/$237
September 23 Friday 6 – 9 p.m. September 24 Saturday 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. September 25 Sunday 1 – 3 p.m. Annex 1 Elder Jones, artist and skilled craftsman $325/$405
October 6 – November 17 (no class October 27) 6 Thursdays 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Design Studio Judith Joseph, artist and educator $229/$287
What could be a better spot to paint watercolor landscapes than the Chicago Botanic Garden? Both beginners and experienced painters are welcome. Beginners will learn various watercolor techniques, from washes to dry brush. Veterans will concentrate on composition, color, and exploring ways of combining watercolor techniques. Above all, we will relish the luxury of painting outside amid such a stunning array of landscapes. A supply list will be sent.
Beginning Photoshop September 20 – November 8 8 Tuesdays 1 – 4 p.m. Design Studio Iris Allen, freelance photographer and instructor $249/$312 The Chicago Botanic Garden is a spectacular place to take photographs. Learn how to photograph nature where nature is at its best. Then when you are excited about your shots, learn how to make them even better with Abobe Photoshop. Basic computer skills and a digital camera required.
Plein Air Watercolor: In the Greenhouse and Gardens September 22 – November 17 (no class September 29) 8 Thursdays 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Annex 2 Michelle Kogan, artist and instructor $299/$374 Working from the grounds of the Chicago Botanic Garden, we will create finished compositions using your choice of watercolor pencils, cakes, and tubes. Both beginners and seasoned artists are welcome. Beginners will focus on exercises starting with monochromatic paintings and build up to full-color compositions. Seasoned artists will be given criticism in composition, color, and materials. Some prior drawing experience would be helpful. Come prepared for the weather. A supply list will be sent.
Wet carved concrete is a technique used in the Arts & Crafts period and involves carving concrete before it hardens. In this hands-on workshop you will work with respected artist Elder Jones to create a planter or small sculpture for your home that is approximately the size of a 5-gallon bucket. Participants will be able make and keep a set of the most functional sculpting tools designed by the artist. No power tools, or hammer and chisel are used in the process because the carving is done while the mixture is soft and still curing. Participation is limited to eight people and the workshop requires three meeting times. A detailed schedule is available upon request.
Adventure, Travel, Plein Air Painting! Full-day Watercolor Workshop September 24 Saturday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Meet at Visitor Center David Dallison, professional artist $79/$99 Have you found yourself in some breathtaking location, clicking your camera, while thinking to yourself, “I should be painting this right now”? This art class will build your confidence to capture the magical beauty of the great outdoors through plein-air painting. Feel the light, the energy, and the ambiance, and learn how to translate these elements into a great watercolor wherever you find yourself. Whether you are a highly accomplished painter or just beginning, you will get helpful advice on technique, composition, and equipment. 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.
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.
Egg Tempera Painting October 6 – November 17 (no class October 27) 6 Thursdays 1 – 4 p.m. Design Studio Judith Joseph, artist and educator $249/$312 Artists as different as Sandro Botticelli and Andrew Wyeth exploited the jewel-like qualities of this detail-loving medium. Paint from flower cuttings as you learn to create your own paint from the yolk of an egg and pure, powdered pigments in the Renaissance fashion. Class fee includes a set of 16 pigments in 2-ounce jars. A supply list for other materials will be sent.
KURTIS CONSERVATION FOUNDATION The Kurtis Conservation Foundation (KCF) has invited the Chicago Botanic Garden to offer courses set on the extensive grounds of the Foundation and at Mettawa Manor & Gardens, built in 1927 and now the part-time residence of Bill Kurtis and Donna La Pietra. KCF and Mettawa Manor offer 75 acres of land with formal gardens, woodlands, ponds, and prairie, giving students exciting and diverse learning experiences.
Consciousness and Nature Retreat at Mettawa Manor October 7 Friday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Mettawa Manor, Kurtis Conservation Foundation Steve Nakon, director, Whole Journey Northwest Yoga $99/$124 Enjoy a state of relaxation and reconnecting with nature with activities like breathing exercises, gentle yoga, journaling, and meditation. Dress comfortably in weather-appropriate loose clothing and bring lots of water, as all activities will be outdoors. Bring a mat or chair. Lunch will be provided. A supply list and map will be sent prior to the program.
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Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school/registration_policies for information on registration procedure and policy.
Classic Fall Cornucopia
Acrylic Painting in the Studio
October 7 – 21 3 Fridays 9 a.m. – noon Design Studio Jack Carlson, certified professional photographer $99/$124
October 18 Tuesday 10 a.m. – noon Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center Nancy Clifton, program specialist, Chicago Botanic Garden $79/$99
October 24 – November 21 5 Mondays 1 – 3 p.m. Design Studio Melissa Pierson, artist and educator $129/$162
In autumn, the Garden becomes a patchwork quilt of color. Learn how to use your camera (film or digital) to capture these dramatic shadings through effective use of light and contrast. Join Jack Carlson as he introduces new perspectives to landscape photography. The images you will create will be stunning!
Garden Jewelry: a ‘Show and Tell’ Salon October 16 Sunday 1 – 2 p.m. Linnaeus Room Judith Mayzel, vintage costume jewelry collector and enthusiast $10/$12 Do you just love your garden-inspired jewelry? Does your favorite brooch represent a floral, tree, or insect design? During this session, we’ll discuss the appeal of garden jewelry, both vintage and contemporary, and share thoughts and perhaps a bit of history about our favorite pieces. Bring your favorite examples, along with a magnifying glass or jeweler’s loop, and join the fun as we explore the fascination with jewelry designs inspired by nature.
Kakishibu: Japanese Persimmon Dye Workshop Two-day Workshop October 17 & 20 Monday and Thursday 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Annex 2 Michelle Sales, visual artist $169/$212
Join Nancy Clifton for a fall classic; the traditional cornucopia. Using the horn-shaped basket that is the signature of this arrangement, you will then add dried pods, grasses, preserved flowers and nuts along with some fresh flowers, fruits, berries, gourds, and greens of the season. Simply refresh items to renew the arrangement to take this arrangement thru the season. All supplies are provided; please bring pruners, gloves, and a large shallow box to carry your completed project home.
Adult Education: Botanical Arts & Humanities
Photographing Autumn Color
Follow along as we create a painting with a botanical theme. Melissa Pierson will take you through the steps of crafting a painting from start to finish, over the course of five weeks. Along the way, we will explore the nuances of working with acrylic paint on canvas. From vibrant to subtle, washes to impasto, acrylic can do it all.
Preserving Your Family Archives: Getting Started October 22 Saturday 1 – 3 p.m. Design Studio James Twomey, book and paper conservator in private practice, and adjunct faculty member, Dominican University’s School of Library Science $149/$187 Join us for this hands-on practical workshop and learn how to care for and preserve your family treasures and historic documents using the same techniques utilized by professional book and paper conservators. Students will organize and transfer their own family archives using envelopes, sleeves, and mounting sheets and then place these into special binders for safe storage and easy access. Fee includes page protectors, archival storage boxes, folders, envelopes, photo album, and slipcase.
Chicago Botanic Garden members pay the lower of the two fees listed.
This exciting and unusual class will explore the ancient art of persimmon juice dyeing, known as kakishibu in Japan. Kakishibu is a nontoxic dye made from the juice of unripe persimmon fruit. It has been in use in Japan for about 3,000 years and has most recently enjoyed a revival. Students will enjoy a brief presentation and then will create an ikkanbari covered basket using Japanese kozo paper. Baskets will then be dyed using kakishibu. We will also explore and create stencils using various nontoxic modifiers to create unusual colors. These colors will be used to paint fabric, wood, and paper samples that may be incorporated into baskets or other objects. Please bring a sack lunch. Fee includes course materials; a supply list will be sent.
Experience the ancient art of Japanese persimmon dyeing in the Kakishibu workshop.
Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
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Adult Education: Botanical Arts & Humanities
Fifth Annual Student Botanical Arts Exhibition Opening reception September 30 Friday 6 – 8 p.m. Joutras Gallery, Regenstein Center
Outstanding works will be presented by students in the Botanical Arts Program at the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The exhibition will continue through October 16.
BOTANICAL ARTS CERTIFICATE OF MERIT PROGRAMS
Prickly Subjects, Watercolor Workshop
Botanical Drawing 1
October 14 – 17 Friday – Monday 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. Design Studio John Pastoriza-Piñol, artist and botanist $479/$599
Autumn session September 6 – October 25 8 Tuesdays 6 – 9 p.m. Design Studio Marlene Hill Donnelly, scientific illustrator, Field Museum $279/$349 ART requirement Strong drawing is the cornerstone of botanical art. In this class we will work in pencil covering the fundamentals of proportions, line, tone, dimensionality, and expression. We will work from live specimens, flowers, seeds, and fruit to learn to draw plants accurately and beautifully.
Visiting Artist Program
ART elective John Pastoriza-Piñol, an award-winning botanical artist with a doctorate in botany from the University of Vigo, Spain, is coming from Australia to teach a four-day workshop that focuses on unique botanical subjects. Student will hone their skills using subjects like the American chestnut burr and Liquidambar fruits while learning techniques to achieve spines and thorns that can be applied to all things prickly. The School’s CEUs= 2.4
Botanical Drawing 2 See the World from the Windows of Ryerson November 12 Saturday 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. Brushwood House, Ryerson Woods, Deerfield, IL. Derek Norman, artist and director, Midwest Center for Botanical Documentation $89/$112 In this unique one-day seminar of watercolor painting, drawing, and sketching, capture the many facets of the natural, ecologically-balanced landscape and find inspiration in the historical charm of an earlier age as you sit, draw, and paint in the cozy ambience of Brushwood House. Learn the basics and principles of English watercolor painting and further your own technique in defining the colors, forms, shapes, textures, and structures of the autumn landscape. Individual instruction will be given to all students. Bring a sack lunch. Materials list and a map will be sent. A reception and an exhibit will be held at the end of the day for students and their guests.
Rustic Urn Arrangement November 15 Tuesday 10 a.m. – noon Plant Science Lab, Regenstein Center Nancy Clifton, program specialist, Chicago Botanic Garden $79/$99 Join Nancy Clifton in creating a fall favorite; a rustic urn of fresh materials of the season. Using a small tabletop size, rustic-looking urn, you will add fresh flowers, berries, nuts, and foliage of the season in hues of autumn orange, red, brown, burgundy, and deep yellow. All supplies are provided; please bring pruners, gloves, and a sturdy box to carry your completed project home.
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English Watercolor Techniques September 12 – October 31 6 Mondays (no class September 19 and October 17) 6 – 9 p.m. Design Studio Nancy Halliday, freelance artist and naturalist $229/$287 ART requirement, traditional track Using live plant materials, students build upon techniques learned in Watercolor I. Emphasis is on realistic portrayal of botanical subjects and traditional methods of dry brush watercolor painting, with attention to detail and color accuracy. Demonstrations and individual instruction will be given. Prerequisites: Botanical Drawing 1, Color Mixing, and Watercolor 1.
Color Pencil Basics September 18 – October 2 3 Sundays Noon – 4 p.m. Design Studio Priscilla Humay, artist and educator $139/$174 ART elective Draw from botanical subjects and live plant materials to learn application methods of color gradation and layering on various drawing surfaces. Continuous demonstration and individual guidance given. Prerequisite: Botanical Drawing 1. The School’s CEUs= 1.2
Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
October 29 – December 17 6 Saturdays (no class November 26 & December 3) 9 a.m. – noon Design Studio Marlene Hill Donnelly, scientific illustrator, Field Museum $229/$287 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.
The Landscape in Pastel November 6 & 13 2 Sundays 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Design Studio Marlene Hill Donnelly, scientific illustrator, Field Museum $129/$162 ART elective In this workshop we will use the versatile and workable medium of pastel to paint powerful, evocative landscapes. We will learn to combine and edit photographs to create original compositions emphasizing lighting, strong shapes, and values. All levels are welcome. The School’s CEUs= 1.0
Certificate Graduation If you will be completing your certificate program, you must register with the continuing education office to be considered for the 2011 Autumn Certificate Programs Graduation. Graduation will be held Friday, November 11, at 6:30 p.m. in the Alsdorf Auditorium. Please register no later than October 1 at www.chicagobotanic.org/school/certificate/ graduation.
Discover the many possibilities offered at the Chicago Botanic Garden for growing and healing your body and spirit.
YOGA CLASSES 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. On occasion, when weather permits, class will occur outdoors in one of the beautiful areas of the Chicago Botanic Garden. All yoga classes last approximately 75 minutes. One-time class trial fee: $10.
Yoga Flow Beginner
Yoga Flow Intermediate
Fall session: September 13 – November 15 Winter Session: January 10 – March 13 10 Tuesdays 9:15 – 10:30 a.m. or 6 – 7:15 p.m. Garden View Room Steve Nakon, director, Whole Journey Northwest Yoga $135/$170
Fall session: September 13 – November 15 Winter Session: January 10 – March 13 10 Tuesdays 8 – 9:15 a.m. or Fall session: September 15 – November 17 Winter Session: January 12 – March 15 10 Thursdays 9 – 10:15 a.m. or 6 – 7:15 p.m. Garden View Room Steve Nakon, director, Whole Journey Northwest Yoga $135/$170
The Yoga Flow series combines movement linked to the breath, working the body and engaging the mind. A moderately challenging course for students with some yoga experience.
Adult Education: Wellness & Fitness
Wellness & Fitness
The Yoga Flow series combines movement linked to the breath, working the body and engaging the mind. A more exhilarating, challenging Flow series. For students who have taken Beginner Flow or have comparable experience.
Gentle Yoga Fall session: September 12 – November 14 Winter Session: January 9 – March 12 10 Mondays 9 – 10:15 a.m. or 5:15 – 7 p.m. Garden View Room Steve Nakon, director, and Patricia Nakon, co-director, Whole Journey Northwest Yoga $135/$170 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.
Introductory Yoga Fall session: September 14 – November 16 Winter Session: January 11 – March 14 10 Wednesdays 5:15 – 6:30 p.m. or 7 – 8:15 p.m. Garden View Room Steve Nakon, director, Whole Journey Northwest Yoga $135/$170 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.
Yoga classes at the Garden allow participants to practice movements and breathing in beautiful surroundings.
Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
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Adult Education: Wellness & Fitness
FITNESS WALKS
EXERSCAPE FITNESS PROGRAMS
ExerScape Basics
Walking is a great cardiovascular workout for all fitness levels. 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. Classes are conducted in the Regenstein Center courtyard during inclement weather. All fitness levels are accommodated. Dress for the weather; wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes. A water bottle will help keep you refreshed. The incremental multi-session pass allows the walker to choose which sessions to attend during the season. All passes expire on Saturday, November 19, 2011.
Come enjoy the friendly atmosphere and healthful benefits of a good workout surrounded by the beauty of the Chicago Botanic Garden. Class meets three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. ExerScape Basic is a nurturing class for workout beginners and ExerScape Intermediate is a more intense workout that includes circuit training for strength and cardiovascular fitness. Flexible pricing options allow you to purchase as many sessions as you like. One time, drop-in class fee is $18.
9 – 9:50 a.m. This class will focus on strength and conditioning amid the scenic beauty of the Garden. When possible, we will incorporate the surroundings and terrain to maximize your fitness experience. The goal of this class is to improve your health by giving you the tools and techniques that will help reduce your weight, improve your muscle tone, help increase your bone density, and broaden your flexibility and range of motion. This class is designed for beginners as an introduction to our ExerScape program. It is offered three times a week, emphasizing different muscle groups every visit. Save money and see results quickly by joining us as often as possible.
April 2 – November 19 Saturdays 8 – 9 a.m. Meet in Visitor Center Esther Gutiérrez-Sloan, certified personal trainer and president, SALSArobics, Inc. # of Sessions 4 Sessions 8 Sessions 12 Sessions 16 Sessions Season Pass Drop-in Rate
Member/Nonmember $38/$46 $76/$92 $114/$138 $152/$184 $285/$345 $10
Session 1: August 30 – September 24 Session 2: October 4 – October 29 Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays Meet at McGinley Pavilion Angelo Miranda, fitness and wellness expert, Custom Fitness, Inc. Package options
Member/nonmember price per session Package 1: once a week $79/$99 Package 2: twice a week $135/170 Package 3: three times a week $179/$224
ExerScape brings the best of strength training and conditioning to the Garden’s magnificent outdoor environment.
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Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school to register.
ExerScape Intermediate 10 – 10:50 a.m. This class moves beyond ExerScape I by incorporating Garden runs. Designed for the intermediate to advanced fitness levels, this class will increase the duration and intensity of the toning exercises and add run/walk interval training. When possible, the class will incorporate the beautiful surroundings and many alluring trails of the Garden. This calorie-blasting class will put your cardiovascular endurance to the test, and help improve it over time. While this class shares similar goals with ExerScape I, it has a heightened focus on weight management and muscle tone. It is offered three times a week and we encourage you to take advantage of every class in this program to reach your goals, while saving money per class.
Adult Education: Community Gardening
Community Gardening 2011 Workshops in Sustainable Vegetable Production Windy City Harvest trains adults in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture. All courses are held on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon in the greenhouse and classroom at the Daley College/Arturo Velasquez Institute, 2800 S. Western Ave. (enter the south parking lot from 31st Street). All materials and handouts are provided. Courses are taught by Chicago Botanic Garden and Windy City Harvest staff. Each workshop is $39. Registration for each class ends a week before the class begins. There is a minimum of five students required to run the program and a maximum of 15 students. Read more about Windy City Harvest on page 71.
New mini-certificate programs will begin in 2012. Check the website at www.chicagobotanic.org/ windycityharvest and future issues of Keep Growing for details.
Cover Cropping August 27 Discover the best cover crops to use for the fall and winter months. This is a follow-up to spring’s Building Healthy Soil workshop.
Tools for the Small Farm and Harvesting Techniques September 24 Learn what small tools are essential for your backyard farm and how to properly use them. Best practices for small-scale post-harvest handling will also be covered.
Workshop participants learn best practices from Garden experts.
Season Extension Part 2
Fruit Tree Pruning
October 15
November 19
This is the hands-on component of our March workshop. Build a low tunnel on site. Bring in photos to plan specific extension for your site.
A farmer’s work is never done. Now is the time to prune your fruit trees. Learn about proper pruning techniques to maximize fruit production.
Call (847) 835-8261 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/windycityharvest to register.
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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.
Little Diggers: small hands, big fun Combining children’s curiosity and creativity, love of play, and desire to be outside, Little Diggers invites children ages two through four to discover nature with their caregivers. Each class begins with an interactive group period, followed by hands-on activities (including potting a plant) and an outdoor adventure. Classes correspond to the season: September celebrates butterflies and caterpillars; October investigates fruits and vegetables; November explores birds; and December revels in winter and Wonderland Express. Participants should plan to attend four one-hour monthly classes. Choose Thursdays or Fridays beginning September 8 or 9 from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m., or Saturdays beginning September 10 from 11 a.m. to noon. Program fees per child and adult pair for a four-class series are $56 for Garden Plus members and $64 for individual members and nonmembers. Parking is free for program participants. Preregistration is required. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/littlediggers to register or for more information. 60
www.chicagobotanic.org/forfamilies
At each session of Little Diggers, instructors help parents and children pot up a plant to take home.
Fee-based Programs
Weekend Family Classes
Free Programs
Nature Nights: Prairie Prowl
Saturdays 9:30 – 11 a.m. or 1 – 2:30 p.m.
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.
Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden Family Drop-in Activities Saturdays & Sundays through September 25 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Get close to nature and discover where food comes from. Pollinate flowers, dissect seeds, see roots growing, compost with worms, create a rainbow for healthy eating, and more. Activities vary from week to week. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/familyprograms/ dropin for more information.
Malott Japanese Garden Family Sundays Sundays, September 4 & 18 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Saturday, September 3 or 17 5 – 7:30 p.m. $20 Garden Plus member per child $23 Nonmember per child Bring a picnic dinner and spend an evening in the Garden! Children ages 4 to 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. In September, explore the Dixon Prairie to learn how prairies grow, and find the plants and animals that call it home. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/naturenights or call (847) 835-6801 for more information.
Little Diggers Thursdays: 9/8, 10/13, 11/10 & 12/8 Fridays: 9/9, 10/14, 11/11 & 12/9 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Saturdays: 9/10, 10/15, 11/12 & 12/10 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. SOLD OUT 11 a.m. to noon $56 Garden Plus Member per child $64 Nonmember per child
Drop by the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden for hands-on activities related to Japanese arts and culture. Practice using chopsticks, rake miniature dry gardens, make Japanese kites, and more. The free activities vary each time.
Learn about flowers, discover animals, experience the changing seasons, and more! These four-class series for children ages 2 to 4 and their caregivers meet mornings, once a month. Each program includes group activities, time for free play, and a planting project.
Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/familyprograms/ dropin for more information.
Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/littlediggers to register or call (847)835-6801 for more information.
Sukkot Family Activities Sunday, October 16 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. Celebrate the Jewish harvest holiday Sukkot! Families are invited to help decorate the branch-covered sukkah, which will be on display from October 13 to 19. These activities are provided by the National Council of Jewish Women, Chicago North Shore Section. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/calendar/sukkah for more information.
Participants enjoy a tasty treat after making vanilla ice cream at a Weekend Family class. See page 62.
$22 Nonmember per child Garden Plus members receive a 20 percent discount Together, adults and children ages 4 to 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.
New! Bathtub Botany November 5 Mix up a bag of fragrant tub tea using dried flowers and herbs and create your own handmade soap using plant materials for the color, scent, and texture.
New! Play with Plants November 19 Design toys from all different kinds of plant parts! Explore seeds and use them to make an ancient board game, and examine leaves from corn and turn them into people or animals. Joyful Gingerbread December 3 or 17 Explore all the different plants and plant parts needed to make gingerbread. Take home a future ginger plant, decorate cookies, and stir up a batch of gingerbread to bake at home.
Youth & Family Programs
Family Programs
Youth & Family Programs
Weekend Family Classes continued
Japanese Dry Gardens March 3
Youth Programs
Pizza Gardens January 7
Cross bridges and count lanterns as we visit the Malott Japanese Garden. See the large dry garden and take home your own miniature dry garden designed with sand and rocks.
Scouts
Sample some of the different plants used to flavor pizza, learn to mix and knead pizza dough, and plant a special Italian herb garden to make tasty pizza treats at home!
Homemade Ice Cream March 17 or 31
Gumballs & Superballs January 21 or 28
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.
Find out how people use the sap of rainforest trees to make chewing gum and rubber. Create your own bouncing ball and flavorful gum to take home.
Critter Crew April 7
HOT Chocolate February 4 or 18
Discover habitats in the Garden and learn how important natural spaces are to our finned, feathered, and furry friends. Explore materials animals use in building their homes and construct an insect habitat.
Examine the cacao tree, learn how bitter beans make delicious desserts, mix up an ancient Aztec chocolate, and take home chocolate mint and chocolate pepper plants.
New! Deserts & Dinosaurs February 25
Walk through our greenhouses to see special plants that grow in hot, dry places and ancient plants that shared the planet with dinosaurs. Create your own plant fossil and take home a desert plant and a dinosaur plant—a fern cupcake!
Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/familyprograms or call (847) 835-6801 for more information.
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.
Scout Badge Programs $10/student for 90-minute programs (ages 6 – 8) $15/student for 2-hour programs (ages 9 – 12) Scouts can complete badge requirements with challenging activities. Our wide range of scout programs take children throughout the Garden and can be scheduled after school Monday through Friday, and on Saturdays between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/scout or call (847) 835-8239 for more information about these programs.
Scout Seasonal Workshop: Winter Wonders Saturday, December 10 1 – 3 p.m. $12 per child Scouts can discover the magic of nature in winter through hands-on activities that combine art and science. Take a winter wildlife hike through the Garden. Make a fragrant evergreen swag, a snowflake journal, and a beeswax candle. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/scout/seasonal or call (847) 835-6801 for more information.
Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/birthdays or call (847) 835-8275 for more information.
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Webelos identify ginkgo leaves as they work to earn their Forester badge.
Youth & Family Programs
Winter Break Camp December 19 – 22 9:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
$275 Nonmember per child Garden Plus members receive 20 percent discount Children ages 5 to 8 can engage in exciting hands-on indoor and outdoor activities while discovering the Garden in winter. They’ll investigate weather, explore seasonal adaptations of plants and animals, and enjoy a visit to our Wonderland Express holiday exhibition. Our DoNorth partner Writers’ Theatre will provide campers with activities for developing their creative expression. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/winterbreakcamp to register or call (847) 835-6801 for more information.
Winter Break campers enjoy exploring McDonald Woods.
Camp CBG Camp CBG provides exciting and enriching learning experiences for your child, with programs for children ages 2 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 to August.
Camp CBG: Important Information Complete class descriptions, fees, age divisions, and a schedule with dates and times will be available online at www.chicagobotanic.org/camp in early November. Online registration is available at www.chicagobotanic.org/camp on December 5, 2011, at 9 a.m. Register by February 29, 2012, to receive the Early Bloomer discount. Registration fees are per camp.
New in 2012 are two-week, full-day camps for Green Thumbs & Explorers campers.
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Teacher & Student Programs 64
Teacher and Student Programs The Garden is a living laboratory, an ideal setting for learning about plants, ecology, conservation, and the natural world. From school field trips to teacher workshops and student internships, educators and students encounter fresh ideas, innovative teaching techniques, and meaningful science content that supports Illinois learning standards.
Curriculum rooted in conservation As this edition of Keep Growing reaches mailboxes, a cohort of 20 energized K – 12 teachers are returning to their classrooms with fresh ideas, tools, and a new way to teach about conservation. They are alumni of the Earth Partnerships for Schools (EPS) program, an annual weeklong summer training institute focusing on native ecosystems. The program is held at the Chicago Botanic Garden in collaboration with the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County, Lake County Forest Preserves, and the McHenry County Conservation District. Ecology and native plantings are the program’s focus, but teachers also gain skills to teach an interdisciplinary curriculum and to oversee a student-created prairie garden on the school grounds. Those completing the program receive 45 CPDUs or three Lane Credits, plus three graduate credits. Please visit www.chicagobotanic.org/teacherprograms or call (847) 835-8253 for information about how to register for the summer 2012 program. 64 www.chicagobotanic.org/ctl
During their week participating in Earth Partnerships for Schools, teachers explore prairie garden models, investigate their own site, conduct soil testing, and assess sun exposure.They also take a field trip to examine other successful school gardens in the region.
We invite you to expand your knowledge, enrich your teaching techniques, and enliven your grades preK – 12 classrooms, while earning professional development and graduate credit. Visit www.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.
2011 Fall Programs New! Soil Studies:
A Local Look at the Underground
October 15 & 22 at the Chicago Botanic Garden Saturdays $150 (20 percent discount for Educator Members) Grade level: 6 – 12 CPDU credit: 15, CPS Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit (additional fee): 1 Soil studies examine the complex ecological network of organisms that are essential for plant life. Join soil scientists in the field and in the lab at the new Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center, featuring cutting-edge research labs and LEED-certified architecture. In this workshop, we will explore the many soil organisms, their role in decomposition and nutrient turnover, and their vital role to plants. This workshop will prepare you to explain issues of scientific inquiry and the interconnections of abiotic elements and biotic organisms.
New! Cycles of Life: A Workshop for Preschool Teachers
November 5 at Erikson Institute November 12 at the Chicago Botanic Garden Saturdays $150 (20 percent discount for Educator Members) Grade level: PreK – 2 CPDU credit: 15, Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit (additional fee): 1 The cycle of life is an amazing yet difficult concept to understand, especially for young children. In this workshop, learn how to help children come to an emotional understanding of caring for other living things and the natural process of loss. Through hands-on activities, singing, and movement, learn how to use the plant life cycle as a way to help children experience empathy, nurturing, and change. This workshop is appropriate for anyone working with preschoolers to second graders.
New! Island Life: Evolution of Island Plants & Animals
December 3 at the Chicago Botanic Garden December 10 at the Brookfield Zoo Saturdays $150 (20 percent discount for Educator Members) Grade level: K – 12 CPDU credit: 15, CPS Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit (additional fee): 1 Learn about the evolution of amazing plants and animals that live nowhere else on earth but their island homes, and how we can protect them. Discover how invasive species have affected these islands. We’ll explore the greenhouses of the Chicago Botanic Garden and meet some special Brookfield Zoo animals. This workshop will prepare you to explain issues of interdependence and evolution.
2012 Winter Programs New! Natural History & Cultural Connections January 21 at the Chicago Botanic Garden January 28 at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum Saturdays $140 (20 percent discount for Educator Members) Grade level: K – 12 CPDU credit: 15, CPS Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit (additional fee): 1 Study the natural history of the Chicago region, and the interaction of people and plants in Illinois and across the Midwest. Learn about the local connections to the land and cultural uses of plants while enjoying hands-on activities. Investigate multiple perspectives and environmentalism through children’s literature, and explore the Garden’s plant collections and the Nature Museum’s exhibits.
New! Recycle for Art & Nature for Science: A Workshop for Preschool Teachers
February 18 at the Chicago Botanic Garden February 25 at Kohl Children’s Museum Saturdays $150 (20 percent discount for Educator Members) Grade level: PreK – 2 CPDU credit: 15, CPS Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit (additional fee): 1 The Chicago Botanic Garden and the Kohl Children’s Museum are excited to partner for the first time to offer this workshop for preschool teachers. This workshop will focus on creating art using repurposed materials and incorporating science in your classroom using objects from nature. This class is designed for preK educators but is adaptable for grades preK through 2.
New! Year-Round School Gardening March 17 at the Chicago Botanic Garden March 24 at Arturo Velasquez Institute Saturdays $150 (20 percent discount for Educator Members) Grade level: PreK – 12 CPDU credit: 15, CPS Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit (additional fee): 1
Teacher and Student and Youth and Family Programs are generously supported by the Guild of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The Chicago Botanic Garden’s Teacher Programs are supported in part by grants from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration, State Farm Companies Foundation, HSBC – North America, The Hearst Foundations, The Brinson Foundation, and the Kemper Educational and Charitable Fund.
Greenhouses and cold frames help you extend your fruit- and vegetable-growing season past the summer months in your school garden. Gain the resources to restore greenhouses or build simple low tunnels, hoop houses, or cold frames for your school garden. Outcomes include developing a crop plan, learning about organic gardening techniques, and observing successful working models at Dyett/Washington Park Green Youth Farm.
Teachers will discover that there is more to soil than meets the naked eye in our new Soil Studies workshop.
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Teacher & Student Programs
Teacher Professional Development
Teacher & Student Programs
2012 Spring Programs Illinois Department of Natural Resources ENTICE Workshop: Effects of Climate Change on Illinois Plants April 28 at the Chicago Botanic Garden Saturday 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Fee: $10 Grade level: 6 – 12 CPDU credit: 6, CPS Lane credit: NA, Graduate credit: NA The Chicago Botanic Garden is a national leader in collecting and analyzing data relating how changes in our climate are causing behavioral changes in plants. Scientists from the Garden will lead this workshop for educators of grades 6 through 12 and discuss their work. You’ll receive Illinois-specific resources and learn about how you and your students can participate in Project BudBurst, a national citizen-science initiative that contributes to research on the impacts of climate change on ecosystems.
Plant & Animal Interactions May 12 at the Brookfield Zoo May 19 at the Chicago Botanic Garden Saturdays Fee: $150 (20 percent discount for Educator Members) Grade level: PreK – 12 CPDU credit: 15, CPS Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit (additional fee): 1 Come explore the amazing interactions among plants and animals in this two-day workshop. One day will be spent at the Chicago Botanic Garden and another at the Brookfield Zoo learning how plants and animals have evolved together. Learn how local plants have adapted to attract animals to pollinate their flowers and disperse their seeds. This course will assist in the teaching of interdependence.
Other Teacher Programs Custom Workshops Education staff can develop custom workshops to be delivered at your site. 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. Please call Teacher Programs at (847) 835-6801 for more information about scheduling and pricing for custom workshops.
Green Teacher Network The Chicago Botanic Garden, Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance, and Openlands have teamed up to form the Green Teacher Network. This collaboration encourages Chicago-area schools to adapt plant-based education activities, and supports teachers’ efforts to build and use school gardens as curricular tools. For more information or to become a member, contact Jaime Zaplatosch at Openlands at (312) 863-6270.
Free Classroom Resource Kits for Loan The Center for Teaching and Learning offers a variety of resource kits of learning materials for educators to use in the classroom. Borrowing a kit requires a $50 deposit, which is refunded upon the return of the complete kit. For kit availability and/or to arrange for kit pickup call (847) 835-6801.
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 www.chicagobotanic. org/ctl/fieldtrips for complete program information and to schedule your visit. New this fall: School buses will use our new driveway turnaround to drop off groups at the Children’s Learning Center. 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, target Illinois learning standards, and knowledge base.
Guided Programs for Children with Special Needs K – 12 Monday through Friday $120 (includes all materials) Maximum number of children: 15 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 while meeting educational goals. 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.
Bringing Up Bookworms: Using Children’s Literature to Teach Plant Science June 2 & 9 at the Chicago Botanic Garden Saturdays Fee: $150 (20 percent discount for Educator Members) Grade level: PreK – 8 CPDU credit: 15, CPS Lane credit: 1, Graduate credit (additional fee): 1
Self-Guided Field Trips
The Garden brings you the latest techniques for fostering literacy through science and science through literacy. Learn how to develop practical lesson plans that inspire kids to read, write about, and discover science and nature. We will look at some of our favorite books and learn a number of bookmaking techniques. Award-winning children’s book author Cheryl Bardoe will discuss hallmarks of excellent science literature and share her own techniques to pass on to your students for writing about nature with clarity and creativity.
Year-round Monday through Friday 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. $25 per classroom (maximum 30 students); no additional parking fee required
Green Teacher Network engages participants in hands-on, plant-based educational activities they can duplicate in their classrooms.
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School Field Trips
Self-guided field trips allow students to explore while you lead them through the Garden. Register in advance and Garden staff will be happy to discuss areas suited for any curricular topic, and distance to gardens.
Age Group
Program
PreK – K
Discovering Plants Discovering Trees Trains & Trees Surprising Seeds Garden Groceries A Walk in the Woods Garden Inquiry Insect Investigations Flower Lab Plant Propagation Pondering the Prairie Forest Fundamentals Science Sleuths Water Quality Ecosystems & Adaptations Photosynthesis Journey Through Rare Books Green Buildings
PreK – 2 K–2
3–5
K–5 6 – 12
Early Fall 9/6-10/14/11
Late Fall 10/31-11/11/11
Holiday 11/28-12/16/11
Winter 1/23-3/30/12
Guided Field Trips
Guided Programs PreK – 2
Insect Investigations
Unless otherwise stated, programs cost $115 per class of 30 students. Available dates and times vary with the program.
Unless otherwise stated, all grade preK – 2 programs are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and the cost $115 per class. A 1:5 ratio of chaperones to students is required.
Early Fall
Guided programs are led by trained facilitators who will engage your students with hands-on activities to learn about plants and habitats found at the Garden. Field trips include outdoor exploration activities, so please dress for the weather. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/ctl/fieldtrips for more detailed grade-specific program descriptions, applicable state standards, and to schedule your visit.
Guided Programs PreK Unless otherwise stated, all preK programs are from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. or 10 a.m. to noon and are $115. The maximum number of children is 25, and a 1:5 ratio of chaperones to students is required.
Discovering Plants Early Fall, Monday through Friday Students will become junior botanists as they learn about the roles of plant parts. To experience plant parts in action, students will either explore the new Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden or ride the tram to the main island. Students will pot a plant to take home.
Discovering Trees February 6 – February 10, 2012 March 19 – March 30, 2012 To investigate the world of trees, students will either explore the new Grunsfeld Children’s Growing Garden or take a trolley ride to the main island. Students will take home a special token to remember their Garden experience.
New! Trains and Trees Holiday season, November 28, – December 16, 2011 Explore the enchanting Wonderland Express exhibition and learn more about evergreen trees and their adaptations to the change in seasons. Students will take home a special holiday craft.
Guided Programs K – 2 Unless otherwise stated, all grade K – 2 programs are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and the cost $115 per class. A 1:5 ratio of chaperones to students is required.
Surprising Seeds Early Fall and Winter What is inside a seed? As junior botanists, students learn about seed parts and how they work together to produce a new plant. Students will pot a seed to take home and also look for seeds in the Garden.
Garden Groceries Early Fall 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.
A Walk In the Woods Late Fall (9:45 – 10:45 a.m. or 11 a.m. – noon) During this one-hour nature walk, students will survey the Garden’s woodland habitat and use a field book to record observations. Woodland programs take place outdoors in McDonald Woods.
Spring 4/16-6/1/12
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.
Garden Inquiry Winter Using the process of inquiry, students will choose an age-level winter garden research question. As scientists using available tools, they will also find the answer to their question.
Science Sleuths Spring ($100) Students will be immersed in hands-on adventures relating to plants and their role in the ecosystem. Discovery stations in diverse Garden areas facilitate an exciting outdoor, garden-based experience with plants and the environment.
Guided Programs 3 – 5 Unless otherwise stated, all grade 3 – 5 programs are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and the cost $115 per class. A 1:7 ratio of chaperones to students is required.
Flower Lab Early Fall and Winter 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 seed to take home and also look for flowers in the Garden.
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Teacher & Student Programs
School Field Trips at a Glance
Teacher & Student Programs
Pondering the Prairie
Green Buildings
Model Railroad Garden
Early Fall
Spring (Tuesdays and Thursdays)
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.
Visit the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center to learn about the state-of-the-art conservation features of this remarkable building. Grades 6 through 8 will investigate the Rainwater Glen and build a model to test which materials are best for water conservation. Grades 9 through 12 will experiment with different building materials to learn about green roofs.
May 13 through October 28 $3 per person (Opens in 2012 on May 14)
Forest Fundamentals Late Fall (9:45 – 10:45 a.m. or 11 a.m. – noon) During this one-hour nature walk, students find evidence of seasonal change, food chains, and nutrient cycles. They record their observations in a field journal. Woodland programs take place outdoors in McDonald Woods.
Plant Propagation Winter 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.
Science Sleuths Spring ($100) Students will be immersed in hands-on adventures relating to plants and their role in the ecosystem. Discovery stations in diverse Garden areas facilitate an exciting outdoor, garden-based experience with plants and the environment.
Guided Programs 6 – 12 Unless otherwise stated, all grade 6 – 12 programs are available Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to noon and cost $115 per class. A 1:10 ratio of chaperones to students is required.
Water Quality Early Fall 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.
Ecosystem and Plant Adaptations Late Fall 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.
Photosynthesis Lab Late Fall and Winter Students will explore photosynthesis, investigating how and where it takes place, how plants obtain the materials necessary for it to occur, and its products. Students will use scientific equipment to measure gas exchange in plants.
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A Journey Through Rare Books
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. For more information, visit www.chicagobotanic.org/railroad.
Wonderland Express
Winter
November 25, 2011 – January 1, 2012 $3 per person
Investigate the history of books and botanical illustration. With group research projects as the focus, students will explore the Lenhardt Library’s rare book collection and see books dating back to 1483. This program incorporates plant science, library research skills, exposure to rare books, and Garden exploration.
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. For more information about Wonderland Express, visit www.chicagobotanic.org/wonderland.
Additional Field Trip Experiences Guided Walking Tours Spring: April 16 – June 1 Tuesdays and Thursdays 30 minutes $80 classroom (maximum 30 students); 1:7 ratio of chaperones to students is required. 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.
School Tram Tours Spring: April 16 – June 1 Summer: June 4 – September 2 Fall: September 4 – October 26 $2.50 per person Grades PreK, K – 2, or 3 – 6 30 minutes 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. 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.
Community Outreach Chicago Public School Teachers: Do You Know Students Interested in Science? Science First
Science First is a summer program that enables approximately 40 students from Chicago Public Schools to spend four weeks every day during the week at the Garden immersed in a free, nature-based science enrichment program that engages students in a unique hands-on experience. The month-long session includes transportation. Students who are currently in grades 7 through 9 and are enrolled in a Chicago Public School may apply (teachers are encouraged to fill out the recommendation form). Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/sciencefirst for more information.
College First
College First is a dynamic, paid eight-week internship program for approximately 20 eligible Chicago Public High School students consisting of career mentorship, field ecology and conservation science, and college prep and assistance. The primary focus is on active engagement in conservation science and ecology. The program includes transportation. Students who are currently sophomores or juniors enrolled in a Chicago Public School may apply (teachers are encouraged to fi ll out the recommendation form). Visit www.chicagobotanic.org/collegefirst for more information.
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 www.budburst.org. Project BudBurst is supported by a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Organic Farming for Youth Green Youth Farm
Each year, up to 70 students ages 13 to 18 work from mid-May through mid-October at four sites, earning their summer pay the old-fashioned way. The Green Youth Farm program offers students the opportunity to learn all aspects of organic farming; by the end of the season, participants have learned how to work together as a team, gained valuable job skills, discovered a whole new way to look at the food they eat, and grown their support system. Students from Waukegan High School, North Chicago Community High School, North Lawndale College Prep, Manley Career Academy, Farragut High School, and Dyett High School in Chicago are eligible to participate. The program also includes Jr. Green Youth Farm, which serves middle-school students and is located at Reavis Elementary School. The Jr. Green Youth Farm of Reavis School is conducted in collaboration with Elev8 and Quad Cities Development Corporation (QCDC). For more information, visit www. chicagobotanic.org/greenyouthfarm. Major support for the Green Youth Farm is provided by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Polk Family Charitable Fund, Steans Family Foundation, After School Matters, Inc., The Bank of America Charitable Foundation, The Grainger Foundation, and the McKenna Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Chicago Department of Family and Support Services, Midwest Foods, Grace Bersted Foundation, Starbucks Foundation, The Crown Family, Charter One Foundation, Walter S. Mander Foundation, Sheridan Foundation, SARE-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, Alvin H. Baum Family Fund, HSBC-North America, The Brinson Foundation, and Kemper Educational and Charitable Fund.
Cultivating Health and Well-being Horticultural Therapy
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 greenhouse and enabling garden design, sensory landscaping, and horticultural therapy program planning. Visit www.chicagobotanic. org/therapy for more information. Horticultural Therapy is supported by an endowment from the Buehler Family Foundation. Additional support is provided by the Albers/Kuhn Family Foundation, Blowitz-Ridgeway Foundation, Grant Healthcare Foundation, Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, Tawani Foundation, and the Edmond and Alice Opler Foundation as well as endowments established by the estate of Florence Rantz, the Kenilworth Garden Club, and Julien H. Collins and Bertha M. Collins Fund at The Chicago Community Trust.
Windy City Harvest offers Positive Change, Future Careers 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 The cornerstone of Windy City Harvest is a nine-month college credit certificate in organic vegetable production that enrolls 15 to 20 students annually through the City Colleges of Chicago. Delivered by Garden staff at the Arturo Velasquez Institute, a Daley College campus, Windy City Harvest trains students in best practices for year-round growing and sales of high-value vegetables and offers a paid three-month internship. Graduates are now working in a range of full-time and seasonal jobs in the local horticulture and urban agriculture industry. Visit www. chicagobotanic.org/windycityharvest for more information.
Cook County Sheriff’s Boot Camp Windy City Harvest has been active at the Cook County Sheriff’s Boot Camp (CCBC) since 2009 with a garden program on a one-acre farm within its grounds. An alternative-sentencing facility for nonviolent young male offenders, the CCBC offers approximately 70 young inmates the chance to grow, maintain, and learn about organic vegetable production and basic environmental concepts. The vegetables are used in the camp’s mess hall and donated to local food pantries. Following the program’s initial success, the Garden received funding to establish a compost operation on adjacent land, where CCBC food scraps and garden waste create high-quality compost for expanding the farm. Program graduates are now employed at the compost operation and at the Chicago Botanic Garden as landscape crew. Three graduates are enrolled in the 2011 Windy City Harvest certificate training program. Native Seed Garden This project, another initiative of Windy City Harvest, in collaboration with the Garden’s plant scientists will test whether native seed is a viable production crop for urban farmers. While employing Windy City Harvest students and CCBC graduates, the Native Seed Garden project will grow Midwest prairie species that are becoming increasingly rare due to habitat loss and deterioration. The combined expertise of the Garden’s native seed scientists and Windy City Harvest educators and trainers offers the possibility of an exciting new angle on “urban farming.” The first site is in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood and was made possible by a collaboration among Commissioner John P. Daley, Alderman James A. Balcer, the Chicago Botanic Garden, Cook County Sheriff’s Boot Camp, and Archeworks, which designed the garden’s layout. Major funding for Windy City Harvest is provided by an anonymous donor, the Cook County Environmental Control Department, Leo S. Guthman Fund, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, Institute of Museum and Library Services, Polk Bros. Foundation, SARE-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education, and United States Department of Agriculture NIFA. Additional support is provided by the Alvin H. Baum Family Fund, The Crown Family, George and Amanda Hanley Foundation, Hoehn Family Charitable Trust, Sara Lee Foundation, and the Steans Family Foundation. Also contributing to Windy City Harvest are NeighborSpace as well as the Stuart and Marcella Bernstein Philanthropic Fund, Scott & Patrice Brickman Family Foundation, Pritzker Traubert Foundation, Wedner Family Foundation, Wilson Family Charitable Fund, and 24 individuals who responded to a challenge grant. The following foundations and corporations support all community education programs: The Brinson Foundation, Helen V. Froehlich Foundation, HSBC – North America, and Kemper Educational and Charitable Fund.
The Albers/Kuhn Family Foundation, Inc., Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, North Shore Garden Club, NeighborSpace, Urban Outfitters, UnitedHealthcare of Illinois, Kathy Richland Pick, Janice Becker, and Michelle Polk also contribute to Green Youth Farm.
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Teacher & Student Programs
Science First and College First are made possible by the generous support of Discover Financial Services, the Lloyd A. Fry Foundation, the Trillium Foundation, the Sheridan Foundation, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Leo S. Guthman Fund, the Harold M. and Adeline S. Morrison Family Foundation, the W.P. & H.B. White Foundation, the Bertha Lebus Charitable Trust, and the Stiles-Levy Family Fund.
This Season in the Garden
This season in the Garden Kris Jarantoski, executive vice president and director Fall is always such an exciting time at the Chicago Botanic Garden. This year, fiery reds, oranges, and yellows of chrysanthemums will greet visitors as they emerge from the Visitor Center and approach the Crescent Garden. Chrysanthemums will also brighten the Heritage Garden, and the Rose Garden will bloom with a resurgence of flowers and fragrance in the cooler weather until a hard frost ends the show. The second week in October is usually when peak fall foliage color occurs at the Garden. Because we have collections of plants from around the world, our fall color season is long (starting in September and lasting into November) and is probably the most colorful in the Midwest. The Crescent Garden, along with the Esplanade and the Native Plant Garden, is taken care of by Liz Rex, who has been horticulturist of this area since spring 2005. In 2007, Liz was named an Employee of Distinction, an award honoring employees whose combination of attitude, effort, commitment, and initiative best serve the Garden’s mission. Like other Garden horticulturists, Liz chooses annual displays for her areas that create seasonal “wows” appearing throughout the Garden—such as the gorgeous Gudoshnik tulips in the Crescent Garden last spring. This fall, watch for her choice of orange and red mums in the Crescent Garden and asters, sunflowers, and goldenrods in the Native Plant Garden. Fall is the time to plant spring bulbs in the garden. The Garden’s Fall Bulb Festival, from September 30 to October 2, is the perfect place to buy quality bulbs—and knowledgeable staff can help guide you in your selections. Bulbs should be planted when they are received. Roots begin to grow as soon as the bulbs are planted, and this root system will launch the bulb on its early growth cycle next spring. Bulbs should also be watered right after they are planted. Hardy bulbs bloom just when we’re desperate for flowers and color in the landscape. The Garden’s horticulture staff walked through our display gardens last spring, evaluating where new permanent bulbs should be planted this fall for next year’s display. It’s something every gardener should do: each season, critique your garden and make notes for a plan to transplant, plant, or remove when the time is appropriate. Camassia is a bulb that will grow in wetter soil than most bulbs, and its blue flowers can be seen in the Landscape Garden. This fall we will plant 2,000 of the white-flowered form on the south side of Evening Island. Altogether, we will be planting more than 100,000 bulbs throughout the Garden this fall. In the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden, chrysanthemums trained all summer in the Production Greenhouses cascade over the stone wall. The bush clover (Lespedeza) in the dry garden on Keiunto (the largest of the garden’s three islands) is one of the seven official fall flowers of Japan. It emerges late in spring but grows to fill a large space, and is very striking with its magenta flowers. Japanese anemone and monkshood (Aconitum) are found in the English Walled Garden. The Japanese anemones are charming yet refined, and come in shades of white to purplish/pink, single or double. Monkshood adds an electric blue color to the garden that combines well with all the warm colors of autumn. Enjoy the cooler, crisp air, the smells of autumn, and the beautiful flowers and foliage that this exciting season provides. Every year, horticulturists choose annual displays that create new seasonal “wows” throughout the Garden. 72 www.keepgrowing.com
Antiques & Garden Fair 29 www.chicagobotanic.org/antiques
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The Chicago Botanic Garden is one of the treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.
Fall Bulb Festival September 30 – October 2 With more than 200 varieties of daffodils, tulips, alliums, and other specialty bulbs, the only difficulty is deciding which to bring home. The Garden’s Fall Bulb Festival is a celebration of local goods and the Midwest harvest, with the annual bulb sale presented by the Woman’s Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society.
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