By Layne Knoche, RORG Landscape Designer The cold, short days of December are upon us. However, on the occasional sunny day, there is still plenty to observe at the Red Oak Rain Garden at this time of the year. The Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) and female Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) shrubs are loaded with bright redContinueContinue reading “In the Garden: Early December”
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RORG’s Edible Plants
By Nina Jurko, RORG Student Team Member The Red Oak Rain Garden hosts a variety of plants and shrubs. Over 50 species, most of which are native to Illinois, can be found in the garden. These beautiful plants are not just functional and pleasing to look at, but many of them are also edible. FromContinueContinue reading “RORG’s Edible Plants”
Giving Tuesday
By Kate Gardiner, RORG Communications Manager The Red Oak Rain Garden will celebrate GivingTuesday with our Bridge Building campaign, joining millions around the world participating in the global generosity movement on December 1, 2020. GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement, unleashing the power of people and organizations to transform their communities and their world. GivingTuesdayContinueContinue reading “Giving Tuesday”
10 Ways to Help the Garden
By Kate Gardiner, RORG Communications Manager There are many ways to help the garden – and not all of them involve getting on your hands and knees in the dirt! Here are ten ways to help the garden: Get in the garden! We are always looking for more people to tidy, prune, weed, and admireContinueContinue reading “10 Ways to Help the Garden”
Student Spotlight: Songbirds in the Garden by Noah Horsley
By Kate Gardiner, RORG Communications Manager Noah Horsley was our second student to be featured for a spotlight series! Noah graduated in May 2020 from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with an M.S. in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. For his thesis, he researched nest success and post-fledging survival of the Common Grackle inContinueContinue reading “Student Spotlight: Songbirds in the Garden by Noah Horsley”
Student Spotlight: Why Rain Gardens are the Best by Keegan Thoranin
By Kate Gardiner, RORG Communications Manager Keegan Thoranin was our first student to be featured in a spotlight series back in April 2020! We met Keegan while presenting to Allen Hall students about the Red Oak Rain Garden at the start of the 2019 – 2020 school year. For his spotlight, he chose to createContinueContinue reading “Student Spotlight: Why Rain Gardens are the Best by Keegan Thoranin”
In the Garden: Late-November
By Layne Knoche, RORG Landscape Designer Fall colors at the Red Oak Rain Garden are coming to an end, but there are still some plants showing off. ‘Rozanne’ Geraniums and Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) are still blooming with bright pops of color against the blanket of fallen Red Oak and Sycamore leaves. As the RedContinueContinue reading “In the Garden: Late-November”
In the Garden: Early-November 2020
By Layne Knoche, RORG Landscape Designer Early November might be one of my new favorite times at the garden. I’m loving the pop of color from the late-blooming ‘Rozanne’ Geraniums and the still-green sedges that peek through the blanket of fallen oak leaves. Red Chokeberry is still putting on a stunning show of brilliant redContinueContinue reading “In the Garden: Early-November 2020”
Hail to the Orange (Tulips)
By Layne Knoche, RORG Landscape Designer As an Illinois native plant fanatic, I typically stick with native plant species to make up most of my planting design palette. However, every once in a while, an opportunity arises where I simply can’t ignore the fact that a design may benefit from a non-native, non-invasive species. ‘Rozanne’ContinueContinue reading “Hail to the Orange (Tulips)”
How-To: RORG Monster Friends
By Ariel Gomez, RORG Student Team Member Follow along as we show you the general steps to making your own Rain Garden Monster! We encourage you to use your imagination and have fun making these natural companions. BlackbeardBroomhildaBattyistella For a print version, click here. To see a video of the Monster Friends at RORG, clickContinueContinue reading “How-To: RORG Monster Friends”
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