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?!

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!

Ready for Spring, But First a Few Lessons From Winter

Hooray! It's Spring!  My favorite season of the year.  The snow has melted, and a little garden clean-up has revealed some emerging bulbs and even some crocus blooming this week.  But those of us who have lived in the Midwest all our lives, like me, know that Mother Nature might still have some unwelcome surprises in store for us.  Before I get too excited and while I wait for the perennials to start showing some new growth, it's a good time to reflect on the past season and participate in Beth at Plant Postings' seasonal meme, Lessons Learned in the Garden.

I have to admit gardening was pushed to the back of my mind for the last few months, so I'm not sure how much I actually "learned" this past winter.  Still there were a few little lessons worth remembering next year:

• I can grow orchids!  Well, actually time will tell if they survive through another season.
• Don't bring succulents indoors to over-winter, only to forget about them and leave them in the garage.  (Enough said.)
• You can kill air plants.  I guess I should have read the instructions on these little freebies I got last summer at the Portland Fling.  Apparently, they need air and some weekly water.
• Plan ahead for forcing bulbs.  Waiting till mid-January to plant them means they probably won't bloom till the outdoor bulbs are blooming anyway.

Every winter is different.  This year we didn't have nearly as much snow as some years, and as a result, I've noticed some heaving of a few plants as I have been cleaning up the garden.  Most of the garden was covered with a thick layer of leaves as mulch over the winter, but most of the leaves on my shade garden expansion apparently blew off.  I won't know for a few weeks if I lost some plants there, but it's a good reminder to make sure I mulch this area better before next winter.

There is something so beautiful and pristine about the garden covered in a fresh blanket of snow.

This may surprise some of you, but I actually kind of like winter.  You probably wouldn't have heard me say that last year, but this winter wasn't nearly as bad as 2013-14.  Sure, we had some very cold days, but the really cold stretches didn't last too long.  And we certainly didn't have as much snow as last year, meaning I could get out most days I had to without facing treacherous roads. The most snow we had all season was on March 1, late enough in the season that I didn't really get tired of it. 

Tulip Display at this year's Chicago Flower and Garden Show.
 Of course, I had to order more tulips for this fall after seeing these:)

Winter gives me more time to relax and complete some indoor projects.  I mean, who wants to clean out the basement on a sunny June day??  It's also a good time to look through garden books and magazines and plan that elusive perfect garden for the coming season.  A great escape as winter draws to a close is the Chicago Flower and Garden Show held last week at Navy Pier.  My friend Beckie and I have attended for several years now and find it a perfect way to get our spring "fix" and find new ideas for our own gardens. (More on this in a later post.)


But the best part about winter is simply this:  it makes me appreciate Spring so much more!

I don't think I could live in a climate without the four seasons.  Unless you have suffered through endless days of cold and a garden either muddy brown or buried under snow, I'm not sure you could appreciate a scene like this.  As the snow melts, it's so exciting to find little surprises like this.  And I'm not just talking about the emerging daffodils--Sophie is so excited, too, to find some of her favorite toys that have been buried under the snow all winter:)

The winter has held other secrets, too.

After a dull landscape all winter, tiny blooms are so much more appreciated.  An update on my snowdrops, by the way--they have multiplied a little, after all.

Tiny crocuses that would get lost in the riot of colors in late spring and summer are objects of wonder and happiness as they herald the end of winter.

It doesn't take much to make me happy--and a sight like this is one of them.

Yes, the best part of winter is that it is followed by Spring!

I'm linking this post to Beth's Lessons Learned and also to  Donna's Seasonal Celebrations at Gardens Eye View.  I hope that Spring has arrived in your garden, too!