Area's public gardens share their delights

It's spring - time to gaze upon your acres of flowering trees and lounge beside one of your ponds or stroll through your beds of flowering bulbs.

But, you protest, your garden consists of a few pots of impatiens or a row of tomato plants. "Acres" of anything is only in your dreams, and how would you find time to maintain them anyway.

That's why we celebrate Public Gardens Day Friday, May 8. For modest admission - and no garden work unless you want to volunteer, you can visit gorgeous places such as the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe and Cantigny in Winfield.

And beauty is not just flower deep here.

People who grow up surrounded by trees are not as aggressive and don't have behavior problems exhibited by those bereft of landscaping, said Kunso Kim, assistant director of the plant collections program at the arboretum.

He based the statement on a 2001 article from University of Illinois researchers called "Aggression and violence in the Inner City: Impacts of Environment Via Mental Fatigue."

And public gardens help rescue plants and prevent their extinction, sometimes before we know their importance for medicine, food or landscaping, he said.

"We maintain some of the critically endangered plants in our collections, try to educate the public why those are important and participate in recovering native habitat," said Kim.

Every time you drop into your favorite garden you chance an experience like one enjoyed by Paul James, host of HGTV's "Gardening by the Yard" and spokesman for National Public Gardens Day.

He planned to spend an hour at the Huntington Garden in Pasadena, Calif. But he became so enthralled with just one section - the cactuses and succulents in the desert garden - that six hours later at closing time the staff had to ask him to leave.

That brings up one benefit of public gardens. Usually you'll see plants that are well adapted to our climate. And you can examine how they look in different seasons and how large they might grow.

"Public gardens are great places to learn without the pressures of the retail nursery environment," said James. "You don't feel compelled to buy anything, and you can extract all kinds of ideas for your own place."

Besides the abundant beauty, public gardens provide information for home gardens and landscapes, said Kristie Webber, director of interpretive programs at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

They educate visitors about everything from conserving water and avoiding invasive plants to perking up a drooping tree.

One way is by example. Invasive plants like winged euonymus or burning bush are being removed from the botanic garden.

"You can start to see things in different ways," said Webber. "Purple loosestrife chokes out other things that could be pretty as well."

Events at the botanic garden include the American Flower Show Series - celebrations of different types of flowers now and then during the year, including roses, rhododendrons and orchids.

"That's what's nice in the garden, said Webber. "Each weekend there's something going on. Often you don't even have to plan ahead, you can just join in."

The scientific side of the garden deals in plant testing, breeding, evaluation and conservation.

Visitors will be able to see more of these endeavors when the Rice Plant Conservation Science Center opens at the end of September. And it will have a green roof where different types of sedums can be studied.

For issues with your own plants and designs, there is a plant information office, Lenhardt Library and all kinds of classes through the Regenstein school.

Morton Arboretum has 4,000 different species of plants from the temperate region as part of its mission to preserve, collect and document.

And we just don't know what issues like climate change will mean to important plants, said Kim.

He mentioned a medlar shrub from Arkansas, and said the arboretum is working with another garden to find the best way to reproduce the plant and ultimately restore the habitat.

"The botanic garden has something for all ages," said Webber. "You can't come here and not have a good time."

If you go

Here is information about public gardens in the suburbs. All offer memberships or annual passes.

• Morton Arboretum is just north of the Reagan Expressway (I-88) on Route 53 in Lisle. Admission is $11 for adults, $10 for seniors and $8 for youth, with lower fees on Wednesdays. Parking is included. Visit mortonarb.org or call (630) 968-0074.

• Cantigny Park is at Winfield and Roosevelt Roads in Wheaton. Parking is $5 regular or $2 off-peak (before 10 a.m. and after 5 p.m.). Visit Cantigny.org or call (630) 668-5161.

• Chicago Botanic Garden is on Lake Cook Road, 1/2 mile east of the Edens Expressway (I-94). Admission is free, but parking is $20 per car; some events carry fees. Visit Chicagobotanic.org or call (847) 835-5440.

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