Monday, April 6, 2015

Early Spring at The Chicago Flower and Garden Show

One of the things I look forward to every March is going to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show with my friend Beckie.  It's a welcome breath of spring, especially when winter has dragged on too long, and it's a good way to get inspired for the coming garden season.


Being "country girls," we enjoy the sights and sounds of the Big City.  The show is held every year at Navy Pier, giving us a chance to see the the expanse of Lake Michigan as well.  I suppose seagulls are a common sight to locals, but not to us living in land-locked Downstate.


But as much as I enjoy visiting the Windy City, I don't enjoy the traffic, so Beckie and I travel up the evening before just south of the city to spend the night and take the train into Chicago the next morning.  It also gives us a chance to talk and catch up with each other--except on the train ride home, when we accidentally got into the Quiet Car at rush hour.  I don't think the two of us have ever refrained from talking for a whole hour ever before!


Going up a day before also gives us a chance to be refreshed and raring to go for a day of nonstop garden viewing.  This year a friend of Beckie's met us at the show; it was her first time attending the show, so it was fun to see everything through the eyes of a first-timer.  The entry display above did not disappoint as we walked through the doors.


Surrounding the entry display was a tall trellis filled with flowers.  We debated at first what they were, but my guess was camellias.  Apparently we weren't the only ones who were confused; later in the day, I noticed a handwritten sign someone had stuck in front of them reading, "Yes, these are camellias."  It did seem a little strange that designers had chosen a plant, lovely as it is, that we can't even grow in the Midwest!


The theme of this year's show was "Do Green, Do Good." This display garden called "A Little Bit of Ireland" showed a different kind of "green."


It included several authentic, if rather different, garden accessories.  I don't think any of us would add this to our garden!


An interesting part of the display that drew everyone's attention was this round stone hut.  It reminded me of a very small Hobbit house.


One feature of the show each year is called "Tablescapes," different dining area tableaus created by local floral designers.  This one was rather over the top, but we enjoyed seeing all the succulent arrangements.


Most of the table displays were rather elaborate, but this designer decided to appeal to a different audience.  I wonder if any of the visitors turned to their spouse and said, "Honey, we could do this on our patio!"


Another yearly exhibit is by a group of female textile artists, Women's Journeys in Fibers.  This year the assignment was creating a mask as a self-portrait, and each work was accompanied by an explanation by the artist.  This piece was entitled "Ma Bell Transformed."


My favorite, though, was this garden-themed piece entitled "Maia, Goddess of Spring."



We have gone to the Chicago show for the last six or seven years and have developed a little more critical eye, I suppose.  No longer are we those garden innocents who walked around oohing and aahhing in wonderment as we did our first year.  But the truth is, the exhibitors have downsized since the first two years we attended.  There was the usual creative and large waterfall pictured above.


And one company which specializes in water features had its customary large exhibit of ponds and small waterfalls.


They include a lot of stone as well in their designs; not sure what this was supposed to be--a mini-Stonehenge?


But this exhibitor was the exception, rather than the rule. I remember one year talking to a representative at one of the exhibits who told us about the tons of stone they brought in just for the week-long exhibit.  Most of the displays now are much smaller and less elaborate.


One interesting display garden highlighted the plight of the Monarch and was designed to educate visitors on how to create a butterfly-friendly garden.  But as I looked around, I noticed the plantings were mostly annuals with no natives or specific host plants for the butterflies.  Plant selection throughout the whole show seemed less imaginative in past years with few that caught our eye and sent us scrambling for an i.d. tag.


But enough with the criticism!  There is still so much to see at the show that it is well worth the trip. One exhibit that was different from any I've seen in past years was simply called "A Classic Rose Garden."   Filled with a variety of roses, it was a rosarian's delight.  I don't have many roses in my garden, but I've heard so many good things about 'Julia Child' (above) that I might have to find room in my garden for this one.


The Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences always has an interesting display.  This year to follow the theme of "Do Green," their exhibit was called "Tiny House, Big (Little) Garden."  The focus of the exhibit was the tiniest house I've ever seen, showing how one could live in a much smaller space reducing our ecological footprint.  The gardens around the house showed how one could make the most of limited garden space, too, including many compact plants and several miniature gardens.


Note the pine cones used to build this miniature house.  I never got the chance to ask if the students had built this themselves, but it certainly was creative.


Another display garden also included some miniature gardens with lots of attention to detail:







Certainly plenty of ideas for any fairy-garden lover!



After seeing all the different exhibits, we always make sure to leave an hour or more to visit the vendors before having to leave.  I made a beeline for my favorite vendor, the bulb company, where you can purchase any of the bulbs seen in their gorgeous tulip exhibit.  This year I succumbed to the charms of 'Mata Hari,' pictured above.


Although I didn't buy any more of these, I was happy to see 'Patrick's Mix' in their display garden.  I purchased these bulbs last year and am looking forward to seeing them blooming in my own garden very, very soon!

We spent the better part of the day at the show, but still didn't see everything.  Somehow we missed the window box exhibit this year and didn't take time to go through the photography exhibit.  There are also cooking demonstrations, activities for kids, and different gardening seminars throughout every day of the show.  The Chicago Flower and Garden Show is well worth visiting, and yes, we do plan to go back next year!

27 comments:

  1. I love the miniature gardens, so detailed. It is something I would love to have here but they would never survive with the rabbits.

    It was strange to see the fox with the pheasant. When we first moved here, I got up early one morning only to see a fox with a pheasant in its mouth.

    For the first time this year I have tulips. Planted in pot,s it appears to have stopped the rabbit cropping them.
    I cannot tell you how pleased I am.
    I would prefer them in the border but that is never going to happen. I realise that now.

    Native wildflowers and host plants are a must if we want to keep our butterflies. I have noticed a dramatic decline here.....very worrying.

    Lovely post Rose......sounds like you and Beckie had a fun time.

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    1. Cheryl, I have one miniature garden, and I'm thinking about adding another one, but my problem is more with the dogs--the little pieces are just too tempting for them:) Congratulations on the tulips! Ironically, I planted some in a container last fall, but those are the ones that aren't coming up. I have seen more and more publicity about the plight of butterflies, especially the Monarchs here, and I'm hoping it has convinced more people to plant natives and host plants for them. Beckie and I haven't had a lot of time for getting together this winter, so this outing was a great time to catch up.

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  2. Wow! Very interesting. Your pictures are terrific. My favorite is the 'Julia Child' rose which is just beautiful.

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    1. All of the 'Julia Childs' were so healthy and beautiful, Dorothy. I've heard so many good things about them, but it's nice to actually see the blooms in person.

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  3. Informative post, thank you. Excellent photos--shows are so difficult to photograph. Demonstration gardens seem to be scaled back everywhere but at Chelsea. Always love seeing what's going on at garden shows, and those tulips are so gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks, "Hoover Boo." The lighting at this show really makes it hard to get good photos. And I think I was talking so much I didn't get as many pictures as usual:) I'd love to see the Chelsea show some day!

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  4. Beautiful photos, Rose! Looks like you guys had a great time. :) One of these years, I'll make it to that show.

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    1. Yes, Beth, if you're not in Florida next March, you will have to join us! You know Beckie and I enjoy road trips:)

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  5. Your photo's shows how wonderful the gardenshow must have been. I hope you came home with a lot of idea's.
    Have a wonderful day Rose

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    1. That's one of the things I enjoy about garden shows, Marijke, I always come home with lots of ideas I'd like to try.

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  6. Great photos! I'd love to try a miniature garden in a pot this year. I'd also love to have roses, but the last few times I've tried, the Japanese beetles have decimated them.

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    1. My friend has a couple fairy gardens in pots, and they work out really well. Her granddaughters enjoy helping her and changing all the little accessories around. I'm not a rose grower either, but I've heard 'Julia Child' is an easy one to grow. But Japanese beetles can certainly ruin a beautiful rose! We didn't have as much of a problem with them last year, so I'm hoping this is another "down" year for these nasty pests.

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  7. I know you ladies had a good time. I love the miniature gardens. I am always fascinated with them. I know what you mean about the camillias. I wish there were some that survived here. Remember the big garden I took you to? He had camillias planted there one year. I haven't been back to see how they have fared after the past two winters.

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  8. What a wonderful trip through a big and beautiful show. It is quite large compared to Nashville's show. I enjoy all various artwork because folks are just so creative. The fish are really a standout too!

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  9. What a marvelous way to kick start spring! We still have snow in Maine so thanks for sharing these tulips.

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  10. There's nothing like one of these "Really big shows" (as Ed Sullivan would say) to get gardeners even more excited about spring. Looks like you had a good time. Because we live close to Seattle, I'm able to attend their flower and garden show for several days. The vendors are always a favorite part of the show for me. Going in on the train is a good idea but it limits your purchases to what you can carry. (Rats!) Happy Spring!

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  11. I'm so sorry I missed this, but your photos are the next best thing. I love that entry display!

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  12. So much whimsy and beauty at this show....so glad you shared it.

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  13. Beautiful photos. Keep meaning to visit but something always comes up. Enjoyed the miniature scenes and the bulbs you chose are gorgeous. Have you ever visited the botanic gardens? That's a nice trip if you ever get the chance. Love the English Walled garden.

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  14. Some of the designs and objects do seem a little odd, but those are the ones that do capture the most attention, like the one with the fox and pheasant. I was thinking that I might have to employ something like it here in our yard as a scare tactic, what with all of the squirrels and rabbits inhabiting the neighborhood, and then about a week ago a pair of hawks started landing on and scouting the area from our giant ginkgo tree. I can't say that I'm sorry to see them. The aforementioned garden pests have all but vanished!

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  15. My daughter would love those fairy gardens!

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  16. Some of those designs were right over the top but others I liked immensely! The little fairy gardens & the hobbit house were lovely. The tulips in particular made a good display. I hope yours look as good when they flower.
    seagulls are never far away from here! Get used to their screeching after a time.
    You were lucky to go to this show.
    Maggie x

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  17. What a great show, thanks for the tour. I love that colour combination of tulips at the end of your post. I bought one that was similar colours but i like the striping that this group has. The waterfall exhibit with the elephant ears and weeping cedar is gorgeous. Very impressive when you think of all that stone and plants they have to move to put that together.

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  18. Oh so fun! It's so great to go to a garden show after a long winter and get a breath of spring, isn't it? I just adore all those little miniature gardens. And I love the waterfall and all those water features! I wonder if the economy is hitting garden shows, too. I've only been to the show in Boston for the last two years, but just from last year to this year it seemed like they didn't do as much. And a good amount of it was recycled as well, so I felt like I had seen part of it before. I do hope they can rev it back up, both here in Boston and there in Chicago!

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  19. Lovely to wander round and imagine planting all this in your own back garden .
    Well , perhaps not all of it ... but I'd certainly like the Mata Hari tulips .

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  20. The fairy gardens are adorable.

    I would take a real live fox in a hot minute! I've often seem gray foxes here in the past, and I desperately wish them on the neighbor's guineas.

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  21. Flower shows are fun, but not always that useful for garden ideas. I find them a little too far out of the ball park most times. That really is a pretty selection of tulips though, even in all those candy colors.

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