Chicago Flowers

Site visitors dazzled by the plethora of plants and also the aura of beauty that surrounds them can select to see any of the 23 gardens that make up the composition of the Chicago Botanic Garden. The Rose Back garden, Waterfall Garden, Woodland Trail, Fruit and Vegetable Island, Bulb Garden, Heritage Garden, display greenhouses, English Garden and serene Japanese Back garden beckon.

But it's both the changing seasons and unique events that bring repeat site visitors. "The peak color season is spring," said Horticulture Director Tim Johnson, "It takes your breath away." When 800,000 flowering bulbs open, waves of yellow and white daffodils sparkle on the hillsides. Scillas bring the sky-blue color down to earth under flowering pear trees and forsythias, as hyacinths under planted with pansies welcome visitors. Tulips riot everywhere, somehow escaping deer's appetites, and Tulip Mania reigns for a month.

Chicago flowers in Summer time brings abundant, sweetly perfumed flowers, specialty flower shows, (such as the popular Bonsai Display), and eight model trains roll through replicas of our national parks. In fall, tinted leaves, golden swaying grasses and a myriad of berries suggest the autumn harvest season. Winter's short days culminate in a joyous festival of lights when the garden takes on a magical atmosphere to chase the gloom. "No matter the season, you'll find surprises," said Kathy Judge of Glenview, IL, who strolls via the grounds often.

The best back garden overview begins with a tram ride exactly where you are able to glimpse dry and wet prairies, woods, the waterfall and dwarf conifer area, sensory garden, Skokie River Back garden and production greenhouses. Visit the plant evaluation area, and in summer time, the Children's Garden.

Most from the Chicago flowers gardens are compactly located near the Education Center. To reach it and other major demonstration areas, begin by ambling via the Heritage Garden, where beauty and education meet. Here, classification of plant families by example from simple to complex and their continent of origin, become painless scientific study serving as a formal introduction towards the plant world. A much larger-than-life statue of Carolus Linnaeus, mounted on steps and surrounded by humble plant material, designed by sculptor Robert Berk, dominates the area. It depicts him bending on 1 knee to examine a flower and is most likely the most photographed site in the garden.

The Fruit and Vegetable Island opens in spring and continues until October harvest is completed. Gardeners, cooks and veggies mix in a celebration of education, spectacle, fun and food samples. Each weekend features special menus with gourmet chefs cooking in a model kitchen surrounded by arena seating with Chicago flowers.

Take-home ideas abound. The salad back garden grows colorful lettuce, basil, tarragon and trellised peas. Edible flowers are especially appealing, along having a bed devoted solely to sunflowers. Small demonstration gardens, from a easy container to a balcony-sized garden, could be reproduced by the apartment dweller. Grapes hang from a pergola, apples are espaliered and ripe berries tempt the visitor. Peach, Asian pear, plum and apricot trees manage to survive in appropriate microclimates. This summer, 15 varieties of corn grew in celebration of being named to the Chicago flowers National Garden Bureau's Vegetable of the Year.

The perfectly maintained Chicago flowers Japanese Garden casts its spell of quiet enchantment. 1 from the first places developed, Sansho-En's serene group of three islands appear to be almost floating within the water that surrounds them. Crossing on an arched bridge transports visitors to a spiritual realm. Here, they wander through a moss garden, admire the carefully-pruned shrubs and Scotch pines, marvel at the fine gravel raked to represent waves and touch the big field stones. The Shoin Building, a noble summerhouse constructed in Japan and reassembled on the island, enables for some interesting viewing. Following the path and crossing the zigzag bridge brings you towards the highest point at the "island of clear pure breezes," and from there, one gazes longingly at Horajima, the "garden of everlasting happiness," exactly where no mortal might step. This tranquil back garden remains beautiful in all seasons, but especially when snow drifts onto the cloud-pruned pines in an undisturbed stillness. One can truly appreciate Chicago flowers when looking around our scenic areas.

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