Lurie Garden

Join us August 27th from 9:30am-11am for a one of a kind plein air painting event in Lurie Garden! Let the beauty of the late-summer garden inspire you as you paint alongside Leslie Baum and fellow artists. Garden staff and volunteers will be onsite to answer questions and contextualize the landscape for those interested. We hope to see you there!

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An Instrument in the Shape of a Women – on view at the Chicago Cultural Center - features paintings and animations by Leslie Baum, Diane Christianson, and Selina Trepp. Baum’s contribution to the exhibition, the Plein Air Project, offers a fresh spin on plein air painting – the act of painting outdoors from the landscape. All the work on display comes out of her ongoing practice of hosting plein air painting dates, in which she invites others to paint alongside her in the open air. In the spirit of this project, we invite you to invite a friend to join you for a self-directed outdoor painting experience. Gather in Lurie Garden of Millennium Park on August 27th from 9:30am-11am. Bring your own materials and a blanket or chair to sit on. Leslie Baum will also plein air paint in the park with a friend. Instruction is not provided -- this is simply an opportunity to paint outdoors with a partner, and to share that experience with many others doing the same. After this collective plein air painting experience, Baum will host a brief walk-through of her exhibition.

Good morning 🌟

Rattlesnake master (Eryngium yuccifolium) + flowering spurge (Euphorbia corollata) delivering the morning light.

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GGN has been delighted to partner with the Lurie Garden in Chicago for the sixth year to sponsor the 2022 Public Horticulture Apprentice. Casey Beidelman has built upon her degree from Northwestern to gain practical experience balancing design intent with garden realities and climate shifts. Her affection for native Midwest plants drove her research on plants that reflect current climate and weather patterns, that have conservation value, and aesthetically complement the original planting design. Thank you, Casey, for your sharing your passion with garden visitors and the GGN team! As always, we are in awe of the Lurie Garden horticultural team who provide support, teaching, and infectious ardor for the plants and design in their care.⁣
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Silphium laciniatum is stretching skyward! This Illinois native can reach up to 12 feet in height with leaves up to 2 feet in length. It is commonly referred to as the ‘compass plant’ because its leaves usually orient themselves north and south to avoid the heat during the peak of the day – making it possible to navigate based on leaf direction!

While potentially useful as a compass, Silphium laciniatum is not recommended in small spaces as its mature size can be overwhelming – see last slide for an example.

A favorite view of the Light Plate.

The phlox in the dark plate is looking 🔥 Please enjoy a phew of our phavorite phlox pairings.

Phlox paniculata + Sanguisorba officinalis ‘Red Thunder’ + Veronicastrum virginicum ’Diane’

Phlox paniculata ‘Sweet Laura’ + Bistorta amplexicaulis ‘Firedance’

Phlox paniculata ‘Sweet Laura’ + Sanguisorba canadensis

A few fluttering friends! These snaps captured four butterfly species spotted in Lurie Garden this week, grabbing a nectar drink and enjoying this urban oasis.

1. Papilio polyxenes, Eastern black swallowtail
2. Vanessa atalanta, Red admiral
3. Danaus plexippus, Monarch
4. Junonia coenia, Common buckeye

Plants pictured:
Echinacea ‘Pixie Meadowbrite’
Echinacea purpurea ‘Green Edge’

This week Lurie Garden staff traveled to visit our sister garden, Oudolf Garden Detroit, located on historic Belle Isle. Now in its second full growing season, the garden is establishing beautifully thanks to the tender loving care of the devoted staff and volunteers. Besides feeling some serious plant envy, we love seeing the garden take on a character all its own, and we are so happy to have neighbors to learn and grow with. We highly recommend a visit!

Wild quinine (Parthenium integrifolium) displays clouds of button like flowers above a rosette of large, rough leaves. Native to North America, deer resistant, and attracts pollinators!

In the early 1900’s, quinine from the bark of the cinchona tree was important for treating malaria. During World War I, supply of the cinchona tree was disrupted and wild quinine served as a substitute (Birmingham-Southern College).

Shown intermingling with giant hyssop ‘Blue Fortune’ (Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’) and coneflowers (Echinacea sp.).

Aster yellows is a systemic disease that affects more than 300 species of broadleaf plants.

Here you can see it’s effects on Echinacea which have stunted growth, green coloration, and distorted flowers.

Aster yellows is caused by the aster yellows phytoplasma which infects the plants after being carried by the aster leafhopper (Macrosteles fascifrons), a common insect.

The only way to eradicate this disease is to remove infected individuals so it does not spread. Keep an eye out!