Planting the sun and the moon
A Y.O.U. afterschool group from Edison Elementary joined us Thursday to plant wildflowers and grasses around the Harbert Park overlook....
Messiness is beautiful
Habitat gardens may look messy, but hidden among the browning vegetation are seeds and berries and bugs that are part of a complex web of life....
A perfect day for planting
Community members came out today to help plant wildflowers and grasses in the Ladd Arboretum's new sun garden, an area behind the Ecology Center where non-native and invasive trees have been cleared to create a sunny patch where prairie plants will t...
A time to plant: Oaktober at the Ladd Arboretum
Oak Awareness Month each October is a statewide effort to raise awareness of the value of the region's native oak ecosystems. Oak trees are not only beautiful and long-lived—they also are the most important tree for birds and butterflies....
Take a tour of the Civic Center bird garden
We created the bird habitat garden in Spring 2017 as the North Shore Channel Habitat Project kicked off as a vivid demonstration of the attractions of gardening with plants native to this region—and of the City of Evanston's commitment to expanding...
Black walnuts
It seems to be a mast year for the black walnut tree in this area, and the squirrels have been taking advantage of the abundance. Squirrels help to spread walnuts, and several can be spotted along the channel banks where we are working....
Finding inspiration in the Civic Center Demonstration Garden
Home gardeners and landscapers looking for inspiration will find plenty in the garden that is now coming into its own in front of the Morton Civic Center. The garden demonstrates landscaping principles that take into account the timing of migratory b...
More habitat for water-dwellers
Friends of the Chicago River planted water willow and lizard's tail along the North Shore Channel banks in mid-July, to provide habitat for aquatic life and reduce impacts of flooding and erosion....
Getting ready to order trees and shrubs
Site stewards have begun sourcing trees and shrubs for fall planting in the Ladd Arboretum and Twiggs and Harbert Parks, working with bird conservation expert Judy Pollock and a master plant list for the channel-side sites developed by Living Habita...
What are those plants in front of the Civic Center?
The new garden in front of the Civic Center demonstrates principles of bird-friendly landscape design. Plantings are layered—including tall trees, understory trees and shrubs, and wildflowers—and plant selection takes into account the timing of m...