2011 Chicago Flower and Garden Show Part 2--The Expected and the Unexpected

One of the things I expect, and enjoy, at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show is the use of tropical plants in landscape settings. This is something that can be done here in Chicagoland, I suppose, if you don't care if the plants die come the first frost, or if you are willing to dig them up to overwinter indoors. But the exhibitors do it to make a for a colorful and visually appealing show. Here are some of my favorite examples from this year:

Three views of the Meditation Garden, which included rows of braided Pachira aquatica with a Buddha sculpture at the far end. I also loved the rows of tall planted urns.

Display using Guzmania, Neoregelia, Asparagus, and Echeveria in a landscape with a bridge. This also something that could be done indoors, I suppose, if you have a conservatory.

Philodendron, Chlorophytum, and Hypoestes

Urns with Sansevieria, Calathea, Alocasia, Cordyline, and other tropical plants

Begonia

Anthurium and Guzmania among the pines

Okay, those were expected. Here is what I don't expect to see at the show:

Chickens! I know urban farming and chicken-keeping are all the rage, but I don't think I've ever seen livestock at the garden show before.

Koi (not totally unexpected in an exhibit promoting water features, I suppose) and a Turtle, which I found enchanting. I'm kind of weird that way. I always notice the plants at the zoo, and the animals at botanic gardens and garden shows.

Garden sculpture is not unexpected at a garden show, but I found this exhibit more captivating than many such displays that I've seen:

Bird Sculptures (but no chickens) in the exhibit called Silent Poetry: The Confluence of Stone and Plants, which also included the Anthurium pictured above.

Overall, I find it interesting that the three of the exhibits I enjoyed the most (the vertical gardens from the last post, the meditation garden, and the sculpture garden above) had nothing to do with the sports theme.

2011 Chicago Flower and Garden Show Part 1--First Impressions and Particular Favorites

I always manage to have a good time at the annual Flower and Garden Show, even if it doesn't always live up to my expectations. I had found last year's show a major improvement over 2009, and I had hopes that the trend would continue this year.

When I entered the show last Friday, and realized that the theme was "The Sport of Gardening," I was a bit concerned. I'm not at all into sports, and I thought it was a bit of a stretch to extend sports metaphors to plants, flowers and gardening techniques. So I pretty much ignored the theme, and just enjoyed the show for what it was.

I did think this was kind of cute, though:

Croquet display complete with giant mallets and balls of white Phalaenopsis orchids, from the Illinois Orchid Society

I've noticed that every year, there is some kind of vertical gardening display, and I always respond to those in a strongly positive way. I posted a photograph of a vertical garden done by the Arthritis Foundation in one of my garden show posts last year, and this year, I probably took more pictures of the "Growing Vertical" exhibit, designed by Growing Power Inc., than of anything else in the show. For one thing, vertical displays tend to have a cool urban gardening vibe to them, which makes them a great fit for Chicago. For another, the exhibitors tend to make good use of tropical houseplants or succulents in them. I live way out in the sprawling suburbs, so space-saving techniques aren't a necessity for me. But I am a city girl at heart and there is something about a small, efficient and unexpected garden that thrills me, and of course, I am houseplant lover first and foremost.

One of several ladder-shaped vertical gardens, set in a field that included orange flowered Kalachoe blossfeldiana mixed inwith conventional outdoor plants.

More vertical plantings, which included Epipremnum, Calathea, Scindapsis, Hoya, and various ferns.

One thing I was particularly happy about this year was that the Horticultural Competition seems to be making a strong comeback. It had returned last year with a few entries after not being held the previous two, if I recall correctly. Displaying plants by grown by local plant enthusiasts and gardening societies makes the show rise above being a mere commercial venue for gardening services. In fact, in keeping with the theme, it makes the show more than just a spectator sport.

Above: Two of the competition tables.

An entrant in the miniature garden category, which includes a miniature baseball diamond.

Two of the entrants in the Design-a-Window Box Competition

Part 2 of 2011 Chicago Flower and Garden Show will be coming soon. Expect the unexpected!

New Plants: From the Chicago Flower and Garden Show

Last Friday, my husband and I made our traditional trip to see the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. I will be posting about my overall impressions of the show, and a couple of features I particularly enjoyed, in the next couple of days. In the meanwhile, here are the plants I purchased at the show.

From the top left, according to their accompanying tags: Monadenium aff. schubei; Aloe harlanii; Crassula 'Buddha's Temple;' and front and center, Dyckia 'Burgundy Ice.'

A closer look at Monadenium aff. schubei. I love the color. This is my first plant of this genus, and I'm looking forward to learning how to grow it.

This plant was labeled Aloe harlanii. I am more familiar with the name Aloe harlana, and even more familiar with the idea that plants sold as such are usually Aloe hemmingii. It's a pretty plant though.

Crassula hybrid. This 'Buddha's Temple' is quite different from the 'Buddha's Temple' I purchased at the show last year (from the same seller), as can be seen in the shot below:
Two Crassula, old on the left, new to the right

Dyckia 'Burgundy Ice,' a very nice succulent Bromeliad.

The plants are all from Ted's Greenhouse in Tinley Park, IL, which always has a nice, and busy, booth at the Garden Show.

Chicago Flower and Garden Show 2010, part 2

In Part 1, I mentioned that the emphasis on tropicals in many of the exhibits might have been perplexing to those who garden outdoors in Chicagoland's USDA zone 5. Well, this was not to say that temperate climate gardening was ignored entirely. One thing that was demonstrated very well was the seasonal use of containers in the garden.

One of the nearest exhibits to the entrance was Shakespeare in the Garden which utilized plants referenced in his plays. Here is an example of herbs in pots from that exhibit:

Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary), Ocimum basilicum (Basil), Petroselinum crispum (Parsley), and Thymus vulgaris (Thyme) in square containers. Every year, I say I'm going to make some decorative herb plantings, and never do. I'm not much of a cook, but I love the idea of an herb garden. Seeing them right in front of me at the show just might have been the inspiration I needed.

The Chicago Botanic Garden's Great Performances: The Art of Bonsai exhibit also included containers with ferns and other shade plants. Some of the ferns used in the containers were non-hardy types, but still gave an idea of what a lovely outdoor shade planting might look like with hardier ferns substituted. The troughs were made of hypertufa, something else I want to try. Luckily, Bob is on board with that idea. I need someone to hoist the Portland cement, which never seems to be available in less than gargantuan bags around here.

Pyracantha angustifolia bonsai

Above, and immediately above: Hypertufa planters with Davallia, Nemesia, Ajuga and mosses

Another couple of containers from the Broadway in Bloom--Four Seasons of Gardening boulevard I mentioned in Part 1.

Ornamental cabbage (Brassica spp), Hedera canariensis, and Chrysanthemum in an urn make a decorative fall planting, while the copper pot with Solenostemon, Primula, and Buxus was pretty but puzzling--as far as I know, it's a little cool for Coleus when Primroses are at their best.

One of my favorite exhibits every year is the enabling garden sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation. This year's was called Our Town: Your Garden. I love this vertical garden, not least because it uses succulents as well as garden plants in the display:

Primula, Impatiens, Viola, along with Echeveria varieties and Kalanchoe orgyalis planted vertically, with Tulipa at the base.

From the exhibit Spring Awakenings:

A spiral garden meant to evoke the French potager or kitchen garden.

Last, but not least: I don't remember which exhibit the container below is from, but I wanted to include it because it looks so spring-y and fresh.

Primula, hedera, Hydrangea, Tulipa and more.

I regret that I didn't get pictures from what could have been the most inspirational exhibit in the show for those of us who love the outdoors here in Illinois: Jeckle and Hyde: Prairie Restoration. It works through the stages of identifying invasive plants in the natural landscape, eradicating them, and encouraging the regrowth of natives in their place. My stepson Dave is involved as a volunteer with our local Conservation District, and spends several Saturdays a year helping clean up natural areas. I'm very proud of his efforts, and I was so pleased with this exhibit, which emphasized the importance of this work.

Chicago Flower and Garden Show 2010, part 1

Well, this has taken me longer than I had anticipated when I first mentioned posting about the show. There were a lot more ideas to digest, and a lot more photographs to organize than I thought. Let me begin:

Last Monday, my husband Bob and I attended the Chicago Flower and Garden Show, at Navy Pier in Chicago. It is a bit of a tradition with us. We attended our first one together in March 2003, while we were engaged, but still in a long-distance relationship. I was living in New York and he was established here in Illinois. This was the sixth show we've attended together. We did skip the two years it was held in Rosemont, IL, as opposed to Chicago.

A container from the Broadway in Bloom--Four Seasons of Gardening boulevard which stretched for most of the length of the show. This year's show had a theatrical theme, entitled: "Cultivating Great Performances.".

I was very happy with the 2010 show, after being seriously disappointed last March. In 2009, there were some cool-looking exhibits. But few of them made me feel connected to plants and gardening. It was more like an art exhibit that made use of green materials, and at times, seemed a bit hastily thrown together. (Greening Up and Paradise in a Parking Lot, are two of the exhibits I did like a lot from 2009. I'm grateful for MrBrownThumb's posts about last year's show, which I used to refresh my memory. )

Alocasia amazonica cvv, Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii' and Nephrolepsis surround a fountain near the entrance. This was part of the Cultivating Great Performances Garden, which set the stage (hah) for the show. All photos benefit from being seen in their larger versions, so click away.

Actually, now that I think about it, one of the things I liked most about the 2010 show had the potential to make it a bit disappointing for some other show-goers: There was extensive usage of tropicals and houseplants in the exhibits, but at least, as it seemed to me, not as much space devoted to climate-appropriate garden plants as in the past. I know that while many people come to the show just to enjoy the spectacle, many others come in search of practical gardening ideas. I know, from reading the show guide, that there are classes, seminars and presentations at the show that generously cover these topics. But I'm not the sort of visitor that these appeal to. I prefer to come to wander through the exhibits, enjoy the visual impact of it all, and take photographs and a few notes, rather than sit in a classroom. I'm sure I'm not alone in that preference.

On to some show highlights:

The next three pictures are from the Sun & Moon--Miss Saigon: A Garden for the Day and Night exhibit. There were a variety of lighting styles to simulate different times of day, and several water features. Most of the exhibit used tropical plants in the landscape.

Peniocereus greggii

More Sansevieria and Ferns

Dracaena, Yucca, and Ananas (variegated Pineapple) species, along with Aechmea fasciata. There are also pink Hydrangea plants visible.

The next two photos, of epiphytes hanging from the show hall's ceiling, are from the Lincoln Park and Garfield Park Conservatories' Best in Show exhibit:

Bromeliads, Phalaenopsis orchids, and an impressive Hoya kerrii variegata

More hanging loveliness, along with a glimpse of some of the Palms on the ground.

My darling Bob, taking a little break, as I ran around taking pictures like a madwoman.

Part 2 will contain more photographs from those exhibits that did feature more Illinois-friendly garden ideas, as well as more tropicals, and more of my thoughts on the show.

New Plants Again, This Time from the Chicago Flower & Garden Show, 2010

My next post (or maybe even two) will be devoted to my annual visit to the Chicago Flower and Garden Show. In the meantime, here are the new plants I purchased at the show.

Top row, left to right: Stapelia hirsuta, Graptopetalum hybrid, Crassula 'Buddha's Temple'
Bottom row, left to right: Parodia haselbergii, Aichyrson bethencourtianum, Astrophytum myriostigma.

These are the IDs of the plants as given on the very informative labels. They included a common name, a botanical name, a brief description of growth habit, and growing instructions, all in a very small space. I do think the "Graptopetalum hybrid" is a Graptosedum though, maybe Graptosedum 'Bronze.'

Proper labeling: It can be done!

The plants were all purchased from the Ted's Greenhouse/Cactus and Succulent Society of Greater Chicago booth(s).