Is that a bonsai?

Frequently horticulture staff and volunteers hear visitors ask a lot of the same questions. Today we will answer one of the questions heard frequently in the Japanese garden.

A lot of visitors ask if the short scotch pine in the Japanese garden are bonsai. Although the conservatory houses a large collection of bonsai, there are no bonsai in the Japanese garden. The trees in the Japanese garden have some similarities to bonsai but one obvious difference. Bonsai trees are grown in pots, whereas Japanese garden trees are grown in the landscape. Trees in Japanese gardens are pruned similar to bonsai but the root growth is not restricted resulting in larger trees of a similar style to bonsai.

The scotch pine and mugho pine in the Japanese garden are pruned similarly. In spring the new growth or candles on the trees are shortened to reduce growth and stimulate the development of buds on the trees for future growth. The trees are otherwise pruned to remove verticle growth within the pads of foliage to maintain definition between each branch or foliage pad. The branches at the tops of the trees tend to be shorter so that lower branches should have more foliage than the top of the tree. The resulting branches could be reminiscent of steps toward the top of the tree. The shorter branches have a functional purpose in addition to the aesthetic appearance. Shorter branches at the tops of trees allow more sunlight to get to lower branches. In pine trees, when lower branches do not get enough sunlight they die. Again evergreen trees and shrubs grown as bonsai can be pruned similarly but are grown on a different scale.

Japanese garden trees are grown on a human scale. The trees tend to be shorter but not so small as to compare to bonsai.

Keeping cool in the greenhouse

In hot weather like this the horticulture staff is trying to stay cool. Greenhouse crops can also suffer from heat stress. The greenhouse is equipped with a pad and fan cooling system to mitigate the heat in the greenhouse. Pad and fan cooling is an evaporative cooling process. Fans on one end of the greenhouse pull the greenhouse air outside while on the opposite end of the greenhouse, water pours through the pads. Air coming into the greenhouse through these wet pads evaporates the water in the pads and cools the greenhouse. Other circulating fans and vents in the top of the greenhouse called ridge vents are also used to cool the greenhouse.

In this hot weather the greenhouse staff will try to stay cool by caring for ourselves, as well as the plants.

Skipper Garden

The Skipper Garden was created by horticulture staff in 2005. It is an AZA Zoo Conservation Project that was created to raise awareness of endangered and threatened butterfly species. The Dakota Skipper was once widely distributed across Midwestern United States. It has experienced significant declines in the last 150 years.

The Skipper's primary reason for decline is the conversion of native prairie to cropland as well as urban development. The Dakota Skipper depends on high quality prairie habitat for survival, and is an important indicator of prairie health. The last remaining stronghold of the Dakota Skipper is in western Minnesota, northeast South Dakota, and most of North Dakota. We have not specifically seen any Dakota skippers in our garden. Minnesota does have more then two dozen other skipper varieties that are native.

Specific plants attract certain kinds of butterflies and moth species. Adult butterflies choose their favorite nectar plants to feed at, and along with the caterpillars that also eat their favorites. Shelter is important to butterflies too. They like a sunny location and away from prevailing winds. Color is a factor to attract them to the garden also. An example, Monarchs use milkweed as a caterpillar food as well as a nectar source when they are adults, they also lay their eggs on underside of the milkweed leaf. Swallowtail larva feed on parsley and lay their eggs on carrots, parsley and dill.

A little bit of winter in the summer

Over the past week, the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory has received its annual shipments of poinsettia plugs and chrysanthemum cuttings for our Fall and Holiday shows. The horticulture staff have planted the chrysanthemum cuttings and will soon plant the poinsettias. We will be patiently awaiting their successful growth into the mature plants they will become this fall and winter. Suprised that we start them so early? These rooted and unrooted plants come in at a miniscule two to four inches tall!

Anticipation is over!!

The Blooming Butterfly Exhibit will be opening this Friday June 18th. There is a variety of tropical butterfly plants and butterflies are coming as I write this blog. You have to come see the new topiary, Bertha the Butterfly! It was installed almost a month ago. The horticulture staff used Yellow and Burgundy Threadleaf Alternanthera, Samba Hot Rose Purslane, and Wooly Thyme. It looks amazing! Horticulture staff also have hanging baskets all around for some extra nectar for the butterflies. Please come and check out this captivating and educational living exhibit. Its Dynamite!!!!

New orchid additions to the conservatory collection

The Marjorie McNeely Conservatory has acquired 12 new orchids to add to the orchid collection. Currently there are about 850 species orchids and almost 120 genera. The majority of the orchids in the collection are native to South America. The new orchids were acquired with funds from a $400 conservation grant awarded by the Mid-America Orchid Congress. The MAOC is an organization of orchid societies that works toward the conservation of orchids by preserving natural habitats and by propagation of orchids.

Victorias, Butterflies and Gates!

The Victoria Waterplatters are in the heated pool in front of Tropical Encounters. They are looking small at the moment but by the end of the summer, some of the leaves can reach five and a half feet in diameter! The spread of an individual plant can be up to 20 feet! The water temperature in the heated side is held above 80 degrees as these plants are native to the Amazon River.

The pool on the other side of the sidewalk is unheated and is being filled with marginal plants--plants that can tolerate moist to wet growing conditions.

Horticulture staff planted Bertha, the big butterfly form, on Monday in the high temperatures!

A sketch was used to help with plant placement. The same tool used for this planting is also used in the Gates Ajar planting.

Horticulture staff and a dedicated volunteer finished the planting in one day. The ground bed plantings will start next week so that they will look fabulous for the opening of the Blooming Butterflies exhibit on June 18th!

Planting at the Gates Ajar still had a way to go earlier this week!

The symbols represent faith, hope and charity. The Gates have been planted in this location for more than 80 years.

The interns have been working daily to get this planting completed by this weekend!

The plantings on the structure have been completed this week! Now the ground bed plantings need to be finished and then Gates Ajar will be ready for the season!

Come and visit all the beautiful plantings in Como Park!!

Planting at Gates Ajar

Gates Ajar is being planted!!! This is a sure sign that Memorial Day is just around the corner.....

Horticulture staff and interns have been working very hard at getting everything ready to plant the "Gates" by Como Lake. Cuttings have rooted and now it is time to plant!

The "Gates" frame has been mudded----a soil mixture was pressed into the holes of the wire frame and smoothed. Patterns were traced around and then the interns started planting!

The soil mix must be kept moist or it will crack and fall off the wire frame. The plantings are watered two times a day until they are rooted into the wire frame.

The work is slow and most years it takes about 100 hours to complete the design.

Two of the main plants used for the design are Hen and Chicks (Echeveria) and Joseph's Coat (Alternanthera).

Stop down by Como Lake off Lexington Avenue and watch the progress of the Gates Ajar plantings!

New planting for Blooming Butterflies!!

There will be a giant topiary butterfly in the exhibit this year! The wire form is filled with New Zealand sphagnum moss.

The interns and volunteers are taking 5000 cuttings of Alternanthera to be planted into the butterfly form the week of May 24th!

The cuttings are placed in the propagation house to grow roots. Once they are well rooted, the horticulture staff will plant the huge butterfly form that is located in the butterfly exhibit. The exhibit opens June 18th!!

Changing the Sunken Garden from spring to summer!

Look at all the activity in the Sunken Garden as the spring show came to an end last week.

Volunteers, interns and horticulture staff deconstructed the Sunken Garden in a matter of a few hours.

The koi had t0 be captured and placed in the waiting tubs. The koi were then moved outside to the Japanese Garden pool.

The bulbs that were removed from the Sunken Garden are saved. They are packaged and offered for sale in the Gift Shop!!

Then the summer show plant material is loaded up on carts and wheeled out to the Sunken Garden. Geraniums, roses, lilies, statice and numerous other heat tolerant annuals are used for this show.

Pots are sunk into the loose soil mix, awaiting the roses! The pot system is used as each rose plant in the Sunken Garden summer show is rotated numerous times between the Sunken Garden and the outside growing areas. The roses are pruned back after they are removed from the Sunken Garden and allowed to regrow and bloom again up to four times during the duration of the summer show!

Plants for the summer show are installed over the course of the week. The entire room must be cleaned, swept and scrubed. The plants must be fed and straightened. Then the room can be opened for all to see! Come and see the finished summer flower show!!