{"id":2123,"date":"2026-06-08T17:57:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T14:57:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/?p=2123"},"modified":"2026-06-08T17:57:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T14:57:49","slug":"chicago-botanic-garden-visit-a-city-in-a-garden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/?p=2123","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Botanic Garden: Visit a City in a Garden"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1300\" height=\"850\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/1-20210710_RJC_5955.jpg?auto=webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11870\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Chicago Botanic Garden epitomizes the Windy City\u2019s motto: \u201cUrbs in Horto.\u201d <em>Photo: courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The history behind Chicago Botanic Garden<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019ve ever seen Chicago\u2019s official city seal, you might have noticed a Latin phrase in a banner along the bottom. \u201cUrbs in Horto,\u201d the motto for the city, translates to \u201cCity in a Garden,\u201d and represents the commitment to green spaces that Chicago has maintained since its incorporation in 1837\u2014long before we scientifically understood the importance and impact that this greenery has on urban environments and our greater ecosystem. This motto was also established over 100 years before the idea to build a public botanical garden in the Chicago area got real momentum.<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chicago Horticultural Society<\/h3>\n<p>This motto had a more utilitarian translation in the early days of the city\u2014the swamps, barren sand dunes and sparsely settled prairies needed to be planted with crops for food and trees for lumber\u2014but the more modern interpretation of the phrase began taking shape when the Chicago Horticultural Society was founded in 1890. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, the city needed to be rebuilt, and that included landscaping. What has become known as The Great Rebuilding reshaped the city with new parks, the first forest preserves and radiating, tree-lined avenues rather than the homogeneous city grid that existed before. <\/p>\n<p>The creation of the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagobotanic.org\/about\/chicago-horticultural-society\" rel=\"noopener\">Chicago Horticultural Society<\/a> was an integral part of this process, and the society was quickly put to work organizing and hosting flower and horticultural shows in the city. With just two successful shows under their belt, the society was given the monumental task of hosting the World\u2019s Columbian Exposition Chrysanthemum Show world\u2019s fair in 1893. The horticultural elements in and around the White City put Chicago on the map and upheld its \u201cUrbs in Horto\u201d motto.<\/p>\n<p><em><\/em><em>Related Article:<\/em> <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/celebrate-trees-at-the-morton-arboretum\" rel=\"noopener\">Celebrate Trees at The Morton Arboretum<\/a><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1300\" height=\"820\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/2-4-06_Maloney.jpg?auto=webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11871\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A souvenir postcard from the Chicago Horticultural Society\u2019s 1904 Flower Show. <em>Photo: courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About Chicago Botanic Garden:\u00a0\u00a0<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Location:<\/strong> 1000 Lake Cook Rd. in Glencoe, Illinois<\/li>\n<li><strong>Size: <\/strong>385 acres<\/li>\n<li><strong>When to visit:<\/strong> 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., daily<\/li>\n<li><strong>For more information visit:<\/strong> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagobotanic.org\/\" rel=\"noopener\">chicagobotanic.org<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1300\" height=\"1050\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3-2-15_Maloney.jpg?auto=webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11872\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The 1965 groundbreaking for the Chicago Botanic Garden. <em>Photo: courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The birth of a botanical garden<\/h2>\n<p>After a period of inactivity during World War I and the Great Depression, the Chicago Horticultural Society was reinvigorated by the victory gardens that gained popularity during World War II. Volunteers across the city and in neighboring suburbs came together to teach thousands of families about horticulture and gardening, which resulted in one of the most successful networks of victory gardens in the nation. With this momentum of gardening well underway, leaders of the horticulture society officially reinstated the group in 1945. A garden center was established for classes and exhibitions at the old Chicago Public Library, but it wasn\u2019t long before the need for a large-scale, permanent public garden was evident.<\/p>\n<p>In 1962, the society agreed to work with the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/fpdcc.com\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Forest Preserves of Cook County<\/a> to manage and create this new public garden in an area called the Skokie Marsh, and on September 25, 1965, they broke ground for the Chicago Botanic Garden. The renowned landscape architecture firm of Simonds and Simonds was commissioned to create a master plan for the new gardens, which took inspiration from the eighteenth-century Chinese imperial gardens of present-day Beijing. When Chicago Botanic Garden opened its doors in 1972, it consisted of only a small greenhouse, one outdoor garden area, and around 30 staff. The internationally recognized botanical institution that we know today was just getting started.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1300\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4-regenstein_RJC6818.jpg?auto=webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11873\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Regenstein Center, one of the first major buildings constructed at Chicago Botanic Garden, designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes. <em>Photo: courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A living museum in the making<\/h2>\n<p>From its inception, Chicago Botanic Garden enlisted some of the best and brightest architects to craft their living museum. Under the mission statement \u201cWe cultivate the power of plants to sustain and enrich life,\u201d the garden centered education and state-of-the-art ideas in its additions and endeavors. Edward Larrabee Barnes, who championed simplicity and site sensitivity in design, designed the Regenstein Education Center in 1976. Dr. Koichi Kawana, who was a pioneer of using an area\u2019s native plants in traditional Japanese garden designs, designed the Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden in 1975. One of the most influential garden designers of the late twentieth century, John Brookes, MBE, designed the Helen and Richard Thomas English Walled Garden in 1991. A more recent addition, the Plant Science Center, was designed by Booth Hansen, a leading architecture firm in Chicago.<\/p>\n<p><em>Related Article: <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/ecological-gardening-tips-from-blithewold\" rel=\"noopener\">Ecological Gardening Tips from Blithewold<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1300\" height=\"700\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/5-Chicago_Botanic_Gdn_English_Gdn_daisy_garden_180723_508_Leucanthemum_Daisy_Duke_Artemisia_Valerie_Finnis_Coreopsis_Permathread%E2%84%A2_Red_Satin_Buxus_Green_Mountain.jpg?auto=webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11874\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The English Garden designed by the famed British landscape architect John Brookes. <em>Photo: cultivar413 via <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Chicago_Botanic_Gdn,_English_Gdn,_daisy_garden_180723_508_Leucanthemum_%27Daisy_Duke%27,_Artemisia_%27Valerie_Finnis%27,_Coreopsis_Permathread%E2%84%A2_%27Red_Satin%27,_Buxus_%27Green_Mountain%27.jpg#\/media\/File:Chicago_Botanic_Gdn,_English_Gdn,_daisy_garden_180723_508_Leucanthemum_'Daisy_Duke',_Artemisia_'Valerie_Finnis',_Coreopsis_Permathread%E2%84%A2_'Red_Satin',_Buxus_'Green_Mountain'.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>, <strong>CC BY-SA 2.0<\/strong><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4 signature plants to spot at Chicago Botanic Garden<\/h2>\n<p>As a living museum, Chicago Botanic Garden strives to collect and maintain a wide array of plants that includes trees, shrubs, vines, hardy perennials and tropical plants. Currently, that equates to a total of more than 14,000 taxa, with over 2.4 million perennial plants and propagules alone. With such massive and wide-ranging collections, it can be hard to pick out just a handful of plants that are \u201csignature\u201d to this institution. However, Chicago Botanic Garden is also a <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/members.publicgardens.org\/plant-collections-network\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Plant Collections Network<\/a> (PCN) member, which means they have agreed to put extra initiative behind conserving specific plant populations, and four genera at the garden are nationally accredited collections in this network.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/6-FG151NOBaptisia-Twilite-Prairieblues1-MG.jpg?auto=webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11875\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Twilite Prairieblues<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/core\/emoji\/16.0.1\/72x72\/2122.png\" alt=\"\u2122\" class=\"wp-smiley\" \/> false indigo (<em>Baptisia<\/em> x <em>variicolor<\/em> \u2018Twilite\u2019) is one the baptisia bred by Jim Ault that can be found at Chicago Botanic Garden. <em>Photo: Michelle Gervais<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1.<strong> <\/strong>Baptisia<\/h4>\n<p>Chicago Botanic Garden takes special care in selecting and cultivating plants that thrive in their Midwest climate, which always includes species that are native to the region. One of those marvelous natives is <em>Baptisia<\/em>, or false indigo. With about 56 individual taxa represented by more than 2,000 plants on display, you will encounter a wide range of blue, purple, yellow and white blooms if you visit the gardens in spring or early summer. Some particularly eye-catching specimens to keep an eye out for are the cultivars bred by Jim Ault in the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagobotanic.org\/collections\/ornamental-plant-research\/chicagoland-grows-plant-introduction\" rel=\"noopener\">Chicagoland Grows\u00ae breeding program<\/a>: <em>Baptisia<\/em> x <em>variicolor<\/em> \u2018Twilite\u2019 (pictured above) and <em>Baptisia<\/em> \u2018Lunar Eclipse\u2019.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/7-FG145HA-0048879-_GAP-PhotosRichard-Bloom.jpg?auto=webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11876\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Geraniums are one of the many perennials that are not only displayed at Chicago Botanic Garden but have also been through their rigorous plant trials. <em>Photo: Richard Bloom\/gapphotos.com<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2.<strong> <\/strong>Hardy geranium<\/h4>\n<p>You won\u2019t need to go out of your way to enjoy a sampling of the garden\u2019s hardy geranium collection. Naturally occurring on every continent except Antarctica, this is a wide-ranging genus, and Chicago Botanic Garden has the largest number of Geranium taxa in the United States (160 identified\/known taxa, which includes 118 different cultivars). You can catch their blue, purple, pink and white flowers in bloom from May to October and in both sunny and shady spots in the garden. Geraniums are also one of the many plants that have gone through testing in the garden\u2019s plant trials, with more than 180 varieties evaluated over the years (check out the results of these trials published by <em>Fine Gardening<\/em> magazine: \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.finegardening.com\/article\/geraniums-the-best-of-the-best\" rel=\"noopener\">The Best of the Best Geraniums<\/a>\u201c).<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1300\" height=\"850\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/8-20210529_RJC_0978-20210529_RJC_0980-spiraea-nipponica-Snowmound.jpg?auto=webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11877\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">There is never a bad time during the growing season to see Chicago Botanic Garden\u2019s spirea collection, but June is the prime time to see these multi-season shrubs covered in blooms. <em>Photo: courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3.<strong> <\/strong>Spirea<\/h4>\n<p>Like the other plants on this list, spireas were selected as a specialty collection for their adaptability to the soils and climate of the Midwest while being drought-tolerant and low-maintenance. The compact size and multi-season interest of these shrubs also makes them excellent selections for both suburban and urban gardens, and easy to incorporate into many different areas at Chicago Botanic Garden. Visit in the late spring or summer to enjoy these shrubs covered in white and pink blooms or plan your trip for fall to see their wide range of fall foliage color. The garden\u2019s current collection consists of 27 species and 49 cultivars, but they are continually working to expand the collection and increase its diversity.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-full\" data-dimension=\"landscape\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1300\" height=\"850\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/uploads\/2026\/06\/9-20260409_lakeside_jsc_387.jpg?auto=webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11878\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">One of the many gorgeous areas you can spot a variety of oak trees at Chicago Botanic Garden is the English Oak Meadow, which peaks during summer blooms. <em>Photo: courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4.<strong> <\/strong>Oak trees<\/h4>\n<p>The last category of plants in one we have determined to be \u201csignature\u201d to many botanical gardens in the United States: oak trees. As one of the most iconic and essential native plants found across North America, it is no surprise that so many botanical institutions strive to conserve and celebrate these garden behemoths. Chicago Botanic Garden is currently home to 81 taxa of <em>Quercus<\/em>, but it is impossible to support a complete collection of oaks in any one garden. So, in 2007, the garden took part in establishing a multi-institutional <em>Quercus<\/em> collection with 20 institutions across the country, including the Missouri Botanical Garden and the <a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/have-a-festive-fall-at-denver-botanic-gardens\" rel=\"noopener\">Denver Botanic Gardens<\/a>. These majestic trees are stunning to witness any time of year, even when their large crowns are bare in winter, but plan a visit in fall for their most vibrant display.<\/p>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/my.hortmag.com\/pubs\/WS\/HCT\/horticulture_digital.jsp?cds_page_id=264499&amp;cds_mag_code=HCT&amp;id=1776695258154&amp;lsid=61100927381072254&amp;vid=1&amp;_gl=1*j1ta9b*_gcl_au*MTY5MDY0ODQuMTc3MDMwMzUxMA..*_ga*NTg0NTQ4NDExLjE3NjI0NTkyMzA.*_ga_YTZE0E72K0*czE3NzY2OTQ5MDAkbzEwMyRnMSR0MTc3NjY5NTIxNyRqMjIkbDAkaDA.\" target=\"_self\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Subscribe to Horticulture Magazine<br \/><\/em><\/a><a target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/gardens\/public-gardens\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Read More Public Garden Profiles<br \/><\/em><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/store.gardengatemagazine.com\/collections\/vintage-horticulture-magazine-collection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>Shop Vintage Horticulture<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/chicago-botanic-garden-visit-a-city-in-a-garden\">Chicago Botanic Garden: Visit a City in a Garden<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hortmag.com\/\">Horticulture<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Chicago Botanic Garden epitomizes the Windy City\u2019s motto: \u201cUrbs in Horto.\u201d Photo: courtesy of Chicago Botanic Garden The<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2124,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2123"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2123\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2124"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tapyom.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}