A trip to this Chicago landmark is a great way to get your plant fix any time of the year
Thewinterdoldrums are a reality in the Midwest , especially for gardener , but an immersive plant dangerous undertaking at your local conservatory is a sure way to lift your strong drink . Fortunately , midwestern cities and towns are bless with many gardens under glass where visitors can experience the warmth and people of colour of the grow time of year any metre of the year . For me , an annual winter trip to theGarfield Park Conservatoryin Chicago , just a two - 60 minutes drive from my home in southerly Wisconsin , is the perfect way to get my plant fix and keep my sanity .
While I ’ve been to dozens of conservatoire throughout the United States and abroad , Garfield Park Conservatory continues to be a favorite . With its mission “ to change lives through the power of nature , ” this conservatory ticks all the boxes as a welcome winter destination , and the surrounding landscape painting is olympian in every time of year .
Nestled within the 184 - Akko Garfield Park on Chicago ’s West Side , Garfield Park Conservatory has two acre of naturalize landscape painting gardens under glass and 10 Akko of outdoor spaces that include a centripetal garden , a manifestation garden , and a play - and - acquire garden for kids .
The indoor garden , which opened in 1908 , was designed by the famous landscape architect Jens Jensen to be the world ’s largest conservatory under one ceiling . Still one of the princely glass houses in the world , it has persisted through trials , tribulations , and weather harm over the years , with the most recent restoration in 1994 . fund by the Park District of Chicago and the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance , the conservatory ’s mission is to exhibit “ landscape art under spyglass . ” access is free .
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places , the Garfield Park Conservatory features eight indoor show houses and is open to the world throughout the year . The Palm House is the largest room at 65 feet marvellous and 90 feet wide of the mark , but the Fern House and the Desert House are my favorites . Over 250,000 yearly visitors , including many schoolchildren , enjoy the hothouse and its surrounding gardens .
The conservatory typically lay out five active flower showing per twelvemonth , as well as wide education opportunities , events , programs , cultural performances , and demonstrations . check off out the website , garfieldconservatory.org , for directions , hours , and more info on this awing destination . reserve are encouraged in advance of arrival . I ’ll be making my next trip soon , and I hope you will also attempt out conservatories in your area this winter . It ’s deserving it !
Mark Dwyer is the garden director for the Edgerton Hospital Healing Garden in Edgerton , Wisconsin , and he operate Landscape Prescriptions by MD .
pic : Mark Dwyer
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The sights, sounds, and scents of a naturalistic tropical landscape are especially soothing in the depths of winter, and Garfield Park Conservatory delivers on all counts.
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With two acres of indoor gardens, Garfield Park is one of the world’s largest conservatories under one roof.
TheDesert Housedisplays a gracefully arranged collection of water-wise plants from around the world.
TheFern Roomimmerses visitors in a landscape designed to evoke the plant communities that could have existed in prehistoric Chicago.
“Persian Lillies,” an installation by glass artist Dale Chihuly, is part of the conservatory’s permanent collection in theAroid House.
Flower shows bring in beautifully curated layers of seasonal color that enhance the permanent collections.
Picture-perfect palms grace the largest room in the conservatory, thePalm House.
