The Chicago Botanic Garden

is a true jewel of an institution. With more landscaped grounds than any person could possibly see in a day and the ever changing nature of a living display, this is a place that should be visited often by those who can. It was the first official stop of the garden bloggers Chicago Spring Fling.

A drift of bloom in the Heritage Garden's Asteraceae bed.



A field of poppies. Somewhere over there should be the Emerald City.



A bonsai collection was in the court yard of the Regenstein Center, the gardens education building.



A roaring well landscaped water fall separated the conifer collection and the Japanese garden.



I did enjoy the Japanese garden. My own new garden at home seems to be leaning naturally in this style direction some what. The high maintenance pruning and shaping of the trees and shrubs will never happen with me, but there are design elements worth mimicking.



A gate and wall frame the view into a garden.



The view into this garden from another vantage point. This garden was for viewing only and could not be entered.



The larger Japanese gardens were three islands connected by bridges.






Front garden at the Shoin Building, a recreation of a 17th-century samurai’s retreat.



The woodland gardens planted throughout were reminiscent of the high mountain forests of NC. Many of the same plant species we have here were growing as the understory plantings.



Though they were mass planted and heavily edited for better effect.



A veritable river of hosta flowed through one bed.



In sunnier locations, similar mass plantings created the same kind of plant drama. Amsonia blooms with a white crabapple (I think).



Alliums bloom before the daylilies and after the daffodils. Now where have I seen this planting strategy before?



The entrance to the fruit and vegetable gardens shows what the home gardener can do with edibles when they have too much time on their hands or a well paid staff.



For most of us though this portrait of the gardener, "The Sower" is more realistic. We tend to work alone and are lucky to be able to afford clothes.



People gawk at the roadside vegetable garden and Uncle Ernie enough as it is. They don't need to see anymore.

The Chicago Botanic Garden however is worth another look should the opportunity ever come again.