Spring in Chicago

Chicago  Botanic  Gardens

Spring was late in Chicago this year, but last Sunday was the perfect spring day, 70 degrees

and sunny, so we went out to the Chicago Botanic Gardens, where the flowers were at

their absolute peak of perfection.  Cool, rainy weather allowed them to develop fully before

 opening and then kept the flowers full and intact.

There were hundreds of thousands of tulips and daffodils and hyacinths and ranunculus, etc.

all over the hundreds of acres of gardens.  These were along the Woodland Trail.

For the first time this year, I hit the Flowering Crabapple Festival just right.  There were

300 flowering crabapple trees in white and pink all around the lake.  It was breathtaking

and as beautiful as the flowering cherry trees in Washington.

A model along the Flowering Crabapple Allee.

Close-up of the white blossoms; not a single petal had fallen, but all were in full bloom.

White Glory-of-the-Snows / Chionodoxa  bloomed beneath them.

There was also Blue Chionodoxa.

Double Cream Daffodils and Purple Violas were all over.

A pot of brilliantly colored ranunculus.  These marvelous Persian Buttercups were  found

all over the gardens this year.  They look like a combination of rose and peony.

Single Red and Double White Tulips made a beautiful bed along the Woodland Trail.

Allium formed a backdrop for many of the beds.  These large colorful balls are part of

the onion family.

A large Allium ball flower; these are about 10" in width.

Towers of Jewels  /  Echium  were at the entrance.

But the tulips were the jewels of the displays.  The Gardens did not mass large numbers

of a single color, but created marvelous variations with three or four colors in many parts

of the garden.  These were at the entrance to the Dwarf Conifer Garden.

Bright yellow Scottish Broom was planted in many areas.

Stock Flowers and Primrose of various colors were in the Heritage Garden.

Harlequin Snapdragons and Yellow Toadflax were in the Enabling Garden.

Orange Tulips, Yexas Bluebonnets, Yellow Pansies, and Daffodils were also in the

Enabling Garden, which shows how to grow flowers even if you are handicapped and

cannot bend over or lift.

But the piece de resistance for tulips had to have been the Crescent Garden with its fountains

and dozens of beds of tulips of various colors.  These white, pink, and purple tulips were

immediately around the fountain.

But then, on the other side of the path, were huge beds of Easter Egg Tulips.  As you can see,

they were all in perfect condition and just opening fully for us.  The visual sensation was almost

overwhelming.

Beautiful Rhododendron bushes were found around the Regenstein Building and

in the Azalea Garden.

Rhododendron Bush along the Esplanade by the Farmers' Market.

Daffodil bed on the Woodland Trail.

A clump of daffodils.  These days they have hybridized daffodils/narcissus in many varieties of

white, yellow, and orange petals and contrasting throats / trumpets.  This is a beautiful variety/

Fothergilla was new to me, but there were several varieties growing.

Close-up of Fothergilla blossoms.

Lupine is a hardy and colorful flower and was used in a number of gardens.  These pink

lupine were in the Heritage Garden.

Beautiful little Grape Hyacinths were used in many beds below taller flowers and for contrast.

This is a Weeping White Crabapple Tree, which I had never seen in bloom before.

It is right across from the Rose Gardens.

Iceland Poppies are now one of my favorites.  They were planted individually in many beds

as well as in mass plantings all over a hillside.

Beautiful Multicolored Spurge appeared frequently.  Each week the Gardens publish a

"What's in Bloom?" list on the web, so you can get an idea of what you can see and

then print it out and use it as a check list as you walk through the gardens.

Tulips beds at the beginning of the Woodland Trail.  We noticed that tulip beds will look

completely different when seen from different locations.  The sun shining ON these tulips

made them look flat, but the sun shining THROUGH them in this photo is a

totally different experience.

Tulip bed on the Woodland Trail, with sun shining THROUGH the flowers and

blue violas below.

Pale Yellow Lupine, Iceland Poppies, Sorbet Violas, and Calendula (Pot Marigolds).

There were also pink Flowering Crabapple Trees all over the Gardens.

Close-up of Pink Flowering Crabapple Tree.

Orange Fritillaria / Crown Imperial with their flowering hanging down were an
interesting contrast to the upright tulips.

Queen of the Night Tulips and Pretty Princess Tulips made a beautiful bed.

Sorbet Violas in lavenders, blues, and purples could be found everywhere.

Two toned tulips filled a large bed near the fountain in the Crescent Garden.

A pot of orange and pink ranunculus / Persian Buttercups.

Peach and red ranunculus / Persian Buttercup.

I hope you have enjoyed this spring virtual walk through the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

JB



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