Chicago Botanic Garden

Flower & Garden Magazine, Sept, 2000 by Adele Kleine

The Chicago Botanic Garden, a living museum, links the city and its suburbs to the world of nature in all its aspects, from the informal tall grass prairies to the prim formality of boxwood at the English Walled Garden. It is both a haven of beauty and a center for learning. The 385 acres of lagoons and islands were literally carved out of marshy wasteland belonging to the Cook County Forest Preserve District almost forty years ago and opened to the public under the management of the Chicago Horticultural Society in 1972.

Now, as a mature garden, the trees, mere saplings when planted, are fully grown. The buildings have tripled in size, research and production facilities are first-rate, demonstration gardens show every type of landscaping, and its aim to become the premier botanic garden in the country is right on target. With the opening of the Buehler Enabling Garden in 1999, it now leads the country in horticultural therapy.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is currently the second most-visited garden in the United States with a yearly attendance of 800,000, according to Barbara Whitney Carr, President. "With the Garden's growing number of public activities and programs, we expect the attendance to reach more than one million in the next few years," stated Carr.

The Garden is heavily visited, not only for its scenic location but for its user-friendly environment as well. A corps of 800 enthusiastic volunteers in every department help to keep the Garden (consisting of nine islands on 75 acres of water, including six miles of shoreline) in tiptop shape.

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

But it's both the changing seasons and special events that bring repeat 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 underplanted with pansies welcome visitors. Tulips riot everywhere, somehow escaping deer's appetites, and TulipMania reigns for a month.

Summer brings abundant, sweetly-perfumed flowers, specialty flower shows, (including the popular Bonsai Show), 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 will find surprises," said Kathy Judge of Glenview, IL, who strolls through the grounds often.

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

Most of the gardens are compactly located near the Education Center. To reach it and other major demonstration areas, begin by ambling through 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 to 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 one knee to examine a flower and is probably the most photographed site at 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.

Take-home ideas abound. The salad garden grows colorful lettuce, basil, tarragon and trellised peas. Edible flowers are especially appealing, along with a bed devoted solely to sunflowers. Small demonstration gardens, from a simple container to a balcony-sized garden, can 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 National Garden Bureau's Vegetable of the Year.

The perfectly-maintained Japanese Garden casts its spell of quiet enchantment. One of the first areas developed, Sansho-En's serene group of three islands appear to be almost floating in 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 large field stones. The Shoin Building, a noble summer house constructed in Japan and reassembled on the island, allows for some interesting viewing. Following the path and crossing the zigzag bridge brings you to the highest point at the "island of clear pure breezes," and from there one gazes longingly at Horajima, the "garden of everlasting happiness," where no mortal may step. This tranquil garden remains beautiful in all seasons, but especially when snow drifts onto the cloud-pruned pines in an undisturbed stillness.