Garden calendar

Clubs

• The Garden Club of Lake Zurich invites Shirley Remes, field editor for "Better Homes and Gardens," to discuss creating Gardens with Personality at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Meetings are at St. Mathews Lutheran Church, 24500 N. Old McHenry Road, Hawthorn Woods. Open admission. Call (847) 438-2989.

• The Garden Club of Inverness holds its fundraising Holiday Luncheon called "Sing a Song" at 11 a.m. Thursday at the Medinah Country Club, 6N001 Medinah Road, Medinah. Raffle baskets and silent auctions are included. Call (847) 381-2727 for more information.

Shows and exhibitions

• The Garfield Park Conservatory gets a jump on its 100th anniversary in 2008 with "Let it Snow, Let it Grow." It's a flower show running through Jan. 11 featuring a display of predominantly white plants in the Horticulture Hall and Show House at 300 N. Central Park Ave., Chicago. No extra charge for this exhibit. (773) 638-1766.

Garden demo

• The Growing Place invites designers to help you make your own wreaths, swags and containers at 1 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m. Tuesday in Aurora at Montgomery Road, and three miles west of Fox Valley Mall. Call (630) 820-8088.

Chicago Botanic Garden

The Chicago Botanic Garden hosts a series of workshops this week: decorative outdoor winter garden containers are built 7 to 9 p.m. Monday; gift wrapping with elements from nature is 10 a.m. to noon Monday; building vertical wall gardens is taught 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday; learning about the healing capabilities of food is 7 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday and winterizing garden tools and equipment is 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday. Workshops run $24 to $99. Call ( 847) 835-8216 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org/school.

The Wonderland Express returns with almost 750,000 lights sprucing up the Esplanade and the Regenstein Center with a special holiday horticultural exhibit through Jan. 6 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily (closes early around holidays and closed all day on Dec. 25). Tickets are $10; $8 for seniors and kids.

The garden is at 1000 Lake-Cook Road, just east of the Edens Expressway in Glencoe. Hours are 7 a.m. to dusk. daily. Admission is free. Special-event fees apply. Parking is $15, $7 on Tuesdays for seniors 62 and older.

For more information, call (847) 835-5440 or visit www.chicagobotanic.org.

Morton Arboretum

Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus are on hand for "Breakfast with Santa" on Saturdays through Dec. 22 at 9:30 to 11 a.m. Tickets are $22.50 for adults and $21.50 for kids. Call (630) 725-2066 for reservations.

See a display of professionally designed and decorated Christmas trees through Jan. 6.

The Ginkgo Restaurant hosts the dinner theater show "Solstice Feast" with song, dance and stories about different traditions surrounding the shortest day of the year. The shows are 6 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 23. Tickets are $55 for members and $65 for nonmembers. Reservations are required. Call (630) 725-2066.

The arboretum is open from 7 a.m. to dusk daily. The entrance is on Route 53 just west of I-355 and north of the Reagan Tollway.

Admission is $9 for ages 18-64, $8 for those 65 and older, $6 for children 3-17. Children 2 and younger are admitted free. On Wednesdays, admission is $6 for adults, $5 for seniors, $4 for children 3-17. For information, call (630) 968-0074 or visit www.mortonarb.org.

-- Scott C. Morgan