Sunday, April 2, 2017

Springtime in Chicago

Last week my friend Beckie and I hit the road and drove up to Chicago for the Chicago Flower and Garden Show.  This has become somewhat of an annual tradition for us the past several years, a welcome breath of spring, especially in years when it seems winter will never end.  Because we weren't able to make it last year, we were especially excited to see the show again this year.


The show is held each year at Navy Pier, a popular attraction in downtown Chicago that is celebrating its 100th birthday this year.  The entrance display highlighted this birthday and introduced the show's theme, "Chicago in Bloom" with replicas of famous landmarks in the city, including "The Picasso," the iconic sculpture in Daley Plaza.


As we entered the huge exhibit hall, Beckie and I mapped our course, making sure we didn't miss any of the exhibits.  I'm always drawn to the water features, and sure enough, there were some waterfalls.


And, of course, a koi pond.  Every year I say that if I ever win the lottery, this is going to be my first extravagance--building a pond area with lots of big boulders and a waterfall.  Since I rarely buy lottery tickets, I don't think this is going to happen any time soon:)


Another interesting water feature that is much more "do-able" was this simple water spout in front of drainage tiles filled with gravel.  I'm not sure if the tiles had any purpose, but it was interesting and eye-catching.


Another way to incorporate water was this display containing the ultimate in rain chains--a wall of actual chains of different sizes with water flowing down them to decorative receptacles below. The sight and sound of the streaming water made you feel as if you were in the middle of a gentle rainstorm, a nice effect, I would think, on a hot summer day.


But a flower show is all about flowers, right?  One exhibit featured dozens and dozens of different roses.  My only complaint with this exhibit is that the roses were not marked with i.d. tags, so that if you found one you especially liked, you had to dig around the soil where you might find the original tag if you were lucky.


Another criticism of this year's show is that there wasn't much variety in the types of plants used.  Hydrangeas were everywhere as were Senetti.  I love hydrangeas, but these were all either a variety of 'Endless Summer' macrophyllas or the type of hydrangea usually found at a florist shop.  If you're not familiar with Senetti--as I wasn't--they are a cool-weather annual.  Although the bright pinks and purples of these plants certainly pop, I don't like to plant too many cool-weather annuals because they don't last long in our typical Illinois summers.  It seems to me the different exhibitors could have been a little more imaginative in their choice of flowers.


One flower display I won't criticize was the tulip exhibit provided by Doornbosch Bros., a wholesale bulb company.  First of all, I love tulips, and secondly, I really enjoy seeing the actual blooms rather than looking at photos in a catalog.  Each stand of tulips was clearly marked, so that visitors could note the ones they especially liked and then order them later from the vendor's booth---which, of course, I did:)


One of the things I enjoy about any garden show is finding new ideas to incorporate in my own garden.  This exhibit featured ways to re-purpose old items.


A broken shovel?  Don't throw it away--turn it into garden art!


This year's theme of "Chicago in Bloom" was carried out in much more subtle ways than in past years, when exhibitors often were more imaginative in bringing out the theme.  This display was more elaborate than most of the others with a replica of the Chicago "L" perched above the plantings.  In the background you can see another exhibit, this one created by the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences.


The Chicago School for Ag Sciences is a magnet high school located on the South Side of the city.  I didn't take many photos of their exhibit other than this display of plants and cute ideas for planters.  But their exhibit is always impressive, and this year was no exception.


The exhibit is manned by students from the high school, and we talked to a very articulate senior who explained the school's mission and curriculum.  He also explained that the hundreds of plants on display would be taken back to their greenhouse and would be sold later to provide funding for their studies.  Chicago City Schools often take a bad rap, but this high school's students show that this public school system is also doing something right.


Celebrating the city of Chicago in this year's theme wouldn't be complete without a tribute to the World Champion Chicago Cubs, a simple display of hundreds of chrysanthemum blooms.  You know I would have to take picture of this:)  And because I like saying it so much, I'll just repeat that--the World Series Champs Chicago Cubs.


Ok, back to flowers--another simple water feature with a pot I just loved.

One example of the Tablescapes exhibit, an annual exhibit at the show.
The Chicago show has become much more downscaled than six or seven years ago when Beckie and I first started attending.  The exhibits are much smaller and less elaborate than they were back then, and we were disappointed that one of the usual exhibitors wasn't there, a suburban nursery that specializes in unusual conifers.  We were also disappointed that we didn't see an exhibit this year by the Women's Journeys in Fiber, who in the past have created some interesting and creative works in fiber revolving around a theme, including one year in hats and another in shoes.  But when I looked again at the booklet on our way home, I discovered that there had indeed been an exhibit.  I'm not sure how we missed it, but it must have been smaller than usual or we surely would have seen it.

Still, despite the shortcomings, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and finished our afternoon visiting the many vendors' booths.  I've learned to ignore the massage chairs, the miracle face creams, and anything non-related to gardening.  But I did make a few purchases; besides the tulips and other bulbs, I was happy to find a booth for the Seed Keeper company where I bought some burlap "girdles" for planters as well as some of Annie Haven's Moo Poo Tea.  I can't wait to try both in the garden this year.


Besides enjoying the show, I always enjoy a trip to the "big city," and we couldn't have picked a more beautiful day.  Temperatures were in the 70's, and there were throngs of people walking down Navy Pier.  We took a few breaks from walking around the Exhibit Hall to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and marveled at the number of people there.  I'm not sure if people were simply enjoying the first truly spring day in the city, but I am pretty sure that most people in Chicago had taken this day off work:)

A beautiful spring day, garden inspirations, and time spent with my best friend--what more could you ask for?!

26 comments:

  1. It sounds like you and Beckie had a great day. Spring fever is in the air. What in the world is a 'burlap girdle'?? Sounds like a torture instrument. ha... I too love those water features. I would love to have a small pond. Yes, when that lottery pays off. :) I can't wait to hear Beckie's view of the flower show and what inspirations were invoked.

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    1. Haha, I knew I should have explained the "girdle," Lisa:) It's like a shaped burlap bag with a liner that you can use as a container. What sold me, though, is that it can be shaped to fit inside other containers, like a wire basket. I have a couple of those and have had trouble finding liners that work well. I'll have to show a photo when I use one and fill it with flowers. Have fun this week!

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  2. Wonderful pictures. I love the exhibit of repurposed items and the purple of the Senetti is just amazing. Thanks for sharing the show with us.

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    1. Every time I see some of these rusty items used in the garden, Dorothy, I want to rummage through our sheds to see what I can find:)

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  3. I envy you Rose having visiting to such interesting Flower show in Chicago, I'd love to. Your pictures show us many ideas for gardening as old thing second life, flowering old jeans, spade and other gardening tools. I found senetti in garden wiki it said they are enough hardy, will try to buy. Your purchases are good choice!

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    1. I look forward to this show every year, Nadezda. The Senetti have such vibrant color; I hope you can find some and that they do well for you.

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  4. Fun! One of these years I'll make it to the Chicago show. I didn't make it to the Madison one this year, either. That tablescape exhibit is special. And you gotta love the stuffed jeans! I don't think I'd ever do that type of arrangement, myself, but it sure is fun!

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    1. Beth, I do hope you can join us for this show one year; that would be so much fun! The stuffed jeans were cute, but there was something a little creepy about a headless torso:)

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  5. What a delight that must have been! Wow, just wow. I'd be in seventh heaven at such a show.

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    1. We do enjoy seeing this show, Sally; there is nothing like it anywhere nearer to us. It's especially enjoyable when winter drags on forever, and you can step into a spring wonderland for awhile.

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  6. Moo Poo tea? Yuk - I hope you don't inadvertently sip a cup while gardening! LOL! I too was curious about the burlap girdle - thanks for the explanation.
    So glad you and Beckie had such a beautiful day. It was cold earlier in the month and I wondered how the Flower Show would survive.

    Love, love, love the water features - particularly the koi pond and yup, I'm with you - next lottery winning (if I ever buy a ticket) will be spent on a huge waterfall, koi pond, landscaped gardens…

    Thanks for the tour - I can't say I like the stuffed jeans, but I can see where high school students would think of something a little off the beaten track. It's nice to be creative!
    Hugs

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    1. There are some stories I've heard, Wendy, about "brownies" made with sheep manure being misidentified, but I won't go into that here:) I thought of you while we were at the show and how I had told you Chicago is usually cold and windy in March, but we couldn't have picked a more beautiful day. One of these times we will have to get together...

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  7. We are having April showers but the temps are finally hitting 50. I always wondered about this show so thanks fot the tour.

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    1. It's a great show, Linda, although as I said here, it has really gotten smaller since the first few years we went. Still, it's such a fun day of garden inspiration. There are also all kinds of gardening seminars each day, but we usually don't have time to attend those.

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  8. All in all it sounds like you had a nice day. Our local show here in Toronto seems to have suffered a similar fate. Once upon a time it was an impressive show, but each year it seems to get a bit smaller and the floral displays a bit more budget. Still a day with your best friend and getting a bit of inspiration is always nice. Thanks for sharing some of the highlights.

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    1. We did have a good time, Jennifer. The first time the show seemed smaller to us, we were really disappointed, so I have lowered my expectations the last couple years. Consequently, I've enjoyed the show regardless.

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  9. I enjoy your annual visit to this Garden Show due to your whimsical photos. How disappointing that it has downsized.

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    1. I enjoy the bits of whimsy and creativity I find in the exhibits, Sarah. It seems as though most of the big garden shows have gotten smaller over the years.

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  10. Rose, thank you so much for sharing. You know, I have never been to the Chicago Garden Show, even though I live in Chicago. But now I feel like I've seen it.

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    1. I can't believe you haven't been to the show, Jason! But I guess for me, it's an opportunity for a road trip to Chicago at a time when I really need to get away, so Beckie and I always plan on this every March.

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  11. Always nice to spend a day with a friend at a garden show.
    I enjoyed your photographs and I like the garden art too. Flowers first in a garden, but you can add that little bit more with some imagination! Using a broken shovel, and turning it into garden art ... I quite like it.

    Good wishes for April

    All the best Jan

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    1. I agree, Jan, visiting a show like this with a friend is so much more fun! I do like getting ideas, too; I never would have thought of turning a broken shovel into something creative:)

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  12. It's so great to see all those flowers after winter, isn't it? I love the one where they repurposed old tools and whatnot. Very creative! The pant planters were so fun, too! I think in general the trend of flower shows all over has been getting smaller, unfortunately, with more emphasis on vendors. Less money to spend on such things, I guess. Still looks like a wonderful day, though!

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    1. It does seem that all garden shows are getting smaller, Indie. I think there were more exhibits sponsored by paving or stonework companies than by any garden groups. I guess the money is in building huge patios and outdoor spaces, not bigger gardens:(

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  13. That sounds like a perfect day out to me Rose. I think that you do notice changes when you visit a garden show over the course of a few years and sadly not always for the better. I will keep my fingers crossed that you do win the lottery one of these days and can then have the fountain of your dreams :)

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  14. Oh, such a beautiful place !!!
    Rose, I wish you a Happy Easter !!

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