Indoor flower shows springing up
The weather outside is chilly and the trees are bare, but you can still get a taste of spring. Free indoor flower shows offer relief after a long and snowy winter, whether you're looking for ideas or plants for your own garden or just a place to relax and enjoy the sights and smells.
American Flower Show Series at the Chicago Botanic Garden: 1000 Lake-Cook Road, Glencoe, (847) 835-5440, chicagobotanic.org
Hours: Noon to 4:30 p.m. April 30; 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 1; 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. May 6-8
The Chicago Botanic Garden hosts a full schedule of flower shows each year in its Regenstein Center. The Midwest Daffodil Society Annual Show will be Saturday and Sunday, April 30-May 1, where you can see hundreds of blooms in both common and rare varieties. The flowers are all grown outdoors, so the displays are always different year to year depending on the weather.
“It's all based on Mother Nature and what looks beautiful at the time,” said Stephanie Lindemann, manager of flower shows.
The Glenview/North Shore African Violet Show & Sale and Central States Dahlia Society Sale run Friday and Saturday, May 6-7, and the American Rhododendron Society-Midwest Chapter Show & Sale is Saturday and Sunday, May 7-8. Lindemann said the shows give visitors the chance to see the wide variety of different types of flowers and buy hand-picked blooms from trusted vendors.
“The people who run the shows have been experienced gardeners with these particular plant materials for years and have really taken the time to educate themselves on what works,” Lindemann said. “You can ask more pointed questions, and it's a great way to get really excited about a plant that you didn't know about before or learn more about something you already did have an interest in.”
GreenhousEffect at Cantigny Park: 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton, (630) 668-5161, cantigny.org
Hours: 10 a.m. Sunday, May 1
Cantigny opens its greenhouse to the public only twice each year, once in spring and once in winter. GreenhousEffect gives visitors a preview of all the annual flowers that will be placed in the park for the summer and a chance to buy some plants from the packed greenhouse. The park's entire horticultural staff will be present to answer questions about your yard and representatives from environmentally friendly organizations will discuss beekeeping, rain barrels, recycling and more.
“It's a really wonderful educational opportunity for people to see what Cantigny does behind the scenes and also to take what they learned here and incorporate it into their own homes,” said Joy Kaminsky, director of horticulture.
Spring Flower Show at Garfield Park Conservatory: 300 N. Central Park Ave., Chicago, (312) 746-5100, garfield-conservatory.org
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Tuesday and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, May 8
Open since February, thousands of plants are used in the annual show as staff changes out plants with spent blooms and replaces them with varieties that thrive later in the season. The show is currently dominated by pink, purple and white azaleas, but as temperatures rise, they'll give way to red, blue, pink and white hydrangeas that have been growing in the conservatory's production house.
The room hosting the spring flower show is kept at 45 degrees to 50 degrees, a dramatic temperature shift from the tropical warmth of the neighboring palm room. The show is especially popular on cold, gloomy days and is often used as a destination for wedding photos, said floriculturist foreman Matthew Barrett. Many of the varieties are native to Chicago, but the conservatory packs more blooms and trees in than you'd be likely to find anywhere else.
“One of the huge benefits we have is all this sun, this controlled environment and no wind,” Barrett said. “We can grow things tall and really big and we don't have to worry about the outside environment.”
Towers of Flowers at Macy's: 111 N. State St., Chicago, (312) 781-1000, macys.com
Hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Sunday, April 10
Flowers tower over visitors at Macy's annual flower show. The centerpiece of this year's show is a three-story tall replica of the Hancock building decked out in planted troughs, the largest structure ever created for the show. Throughout the flagship store, you can see thousands of plants with more than 90 varieties of trees, bulbs, perennials, orchids and more. Just make sure to dress warmly as the store is kept at 65 degrees throughout the show.
“We have to keep it alive,” said John Jones, visual director of Macy's State Street. “The sales associates really hate us throughout the process because it's really a chilly environment to work in.”
Bamboo stretches up to the ceiling, mushroomlike domes have blooms at the tops, planters sit atop displays and willows produce a canopy-like effect.
If you want to learn more about the plants, you can take a free guided tour with a University of Illinois Extension Master Gardener or just stop by the Plant Information Booth Fridays through Sundays. You can take a break from the gawking and shopping at the Walnut Room, which is offering a special menu of spring dishes like fried asparagus and floral drinks including a glass of sparkling wine poured over an edible hibiscus flower in syrup.
Jones said the flower show is his most challenging project each year.
“For us it's kind of our gift back to Chicago,” he said.