There's a twist at Spring Flower Show in Elmhurst

Ask any gardener and they'll tell you there's only one certainty when it comes to plants: Nothing is ever certain.

It's a lesson David Price, a horticulturalist with Elmhurst Park District for the past 18 years, probably learned a long time ago.

But he got another reminder earlier this year when all his careful plans for the district's annual Spring Flower Show at the Wilder Park Conservatory suddenly wilted in a most unexpected fashion.

There usually aren't too many surprises in the spring show, which opens Saturday, April 8, and continues from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through the end of the month at 225 Prospect Ave. near downtown.

If you're one of the hundreds who regularly check out the display, you pretty much know what to expect: 300 Easter lilies and a bunch of spring bulbs - hyacinths, daffodils - in full bloom.

That's what spring is supposed to look like and, over the years at the conservatory, that's exactly what it did look like.

And then it didn't.

First, the conservatory's usual shipment of 300 Easter lily bulbs never showed up. Then, spurred by the unusually warm winter, other spring bulbs started popping way ahead of schedule and actually bloomed out weeks ago.

So instead of a nice, relaxing couple weeks preparing for the traditional spring show, Price and his team have been scrambling to come up with a new plan.

In place of getting their usual 300 Easter lily bulbs for $300, they had to spend $600 for 100 plants. And instead of daffodils, they're filling in around those plants with an assortment of colorful Asiatic lillies and regal geraniums - otherwise known as Martha Washingtons.

So Price says visitors this month will see a "multicolor, multi-plant" display that's different from any of the conservatory's previous spring shows.

"It's just been kind of nerve-racking," Price says, "to see what we can get in compared to what people are used to."

A quick history

The park district built the Wilder Park Conservatory in 1923, adding it to an existing greenhouse at the site as the first capital project in the district's history. It was built by the American Greenhouse Manufacturing Company for $6,950.

A second greenhouse was added in 1926 and the district later would add a storage area and a third growing house.

The conservatory and greenhouses were refurbished in 2013 with the help of a $1.84 million state grant.

As part of that project, the district upgraded the conservatory's vestibule, built new interior walkways that are ADA-compliant, and updated its heating, plumbing and electrical systems.

The koi pond, waterfall and rock sculpture were restored and new light fixtures were installed. The refurbished building was dedicated in April 2014.

It's a small building and most visitors to the six to eight flower shows held there each year spend a relatively short amount of time checking out the plants.

But Price says some linger to take family pictures - especially if they remember visiting the conservatory as a child.

He remembers seeing a grandmother taking pictures of her grandchildren and then showing them a photo her grandmother took in the same spot.

The spring show is usually the shortest of the year because it's so weather dependent. If it gets too warm, many of the spring plants quickly give up the ghost. The horticulturalists try to use light and temperature to time the plants' blooming cycle, but it doesn't always work.

This year is a perfect case in point. Price gives you kind of a nervous laugh when you ask what visitors can expect because, you know, there is no certainty when it comes to plants.

The only guarantee is that, despite the challenges, visitors will be greeted by a colorful display.

"I don't know what the highlight is going to be this time," Price says. "It'll be different for everyone."

If you go

What: Spring Flower Show

When: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily from April 8 through end of the month

Where: Wilder Park Conservatory, 225 Prospect Ave., Elmhurst

Cost: Free

Info: epd.org