May Highlights at the Chicago Botanic Garden

The Chicago Botanic Garden is a magical place in May with hundreds of crabapples in bloom in the Gardens of the Great Basin and throughout most of its 23 display gardens. Peak bloom is predicted around May 9 and 10 and should continue through the week of May 11, weather dependent. There are also many other reasons to visit in May, including such popular events as the opening of the Model Railroad Garden on May 10, “A Bloomin’ Sale” on May 17 and 18 and the Malott Japanese Garden Children’s Festival on May 17 and 18.

Final preparations are underway for the opening of ninth season of the Model Railroad Garden: “Landmarks of America” exhibition at the Chicago Botanic Garden. On Saturday, May 10 visitors will first see new landmarks in Seattle, the Pacific Northwest and San Francisco, including Telegraph Hill. A family favorite, this enchanting outdoor exhibition takes visitors from coast to coast with model trains, miniature representations of America’s best-loved landmarks, and colorful small-scale gardens. Visitors of all ages get the feeling they are traveling across the country, evoking childhood memories of family vacations and nostalgia.

The expanded San Francisco area features depictions of Telegraph Hill, Coit Tower, a California mission style church, cable cars, Lombard Street (America’s most crooked street) and the Golden Gate Bridge. The Pacific Northwest area features Mt. St. Helens and Seattle’s waterfront, including Pike's Place Market and its signature red neon coffee cup sign. Completing the Seattle scene are Mt. Ranier, the Seattle Space Needle and the Hammering Man sculpture at the Seattle Art Museum. In all, there are more than 40 historic landmarks in the exhibition.

The Model Railroad Garden is sponsored by American Airlines. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with special hours until 8 p.m. daily from Saturday, June 7 through Monday, Sept. 1 (weather permitting). Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for children ages 3-12. Members receive $1 off these rates. For more information, visit ChicagoBotanic.org/railroad.

Plant aficionados, wagons in tow, will be first in line for A Bloomin’ Sale, the Midwest’s premier plant sale, which returns to the Chicago Botanic Garden on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18. The Womanąs Board of the Chicago Horticultural Society planned this 42nd annual sale with the theme "Success with the Best." More than 30,000 plants in 900 varieties will be available, including many that are hard to find, easy to grow and reliably hardy. Shoppers can learn about invasive plant species and their landscape alternatives, environmentally-friendly gardening and lawn care, xeriscaping and ways to teach children to care for the Earth. Public hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, May 17 and 18. Special members-only sale hours are from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, May 16, and from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 17. A catalog is available online in April.

Learn about children's celebrations in Japan during the Malott Japanese Garden Children's Festival on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Listen to musical performances, including shakuhachi flute by Michael Gould and koto music (Japanese harp) by the Chicago Koto Group. Enjoy traditional folktales told by storyteller Anne Shimojima and watch a tea ceremony. On Sunday, learn how to make suminagashi prints with artist Milena Hughes. Kids of all ages can make projects to celebrate Girls Day and Boys Day, such as designing a kimono paper doll, creating a miniature carp kite, constructing an origami kabuto (paper samurai helmets) at family-friendly hands-on stations. All programming takes place at the McGinley Pavilion until 3 p.m. except the sumingashi demonstration, which occurs in the East Greenhouse Gallery. A guided tour of the Malott Japanese Garden occurs at 3:30 p.m.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is home to the American Flower Show Series, a growing national horticultural program, bringing together amateur and expert gardeners and educators with floral exhibits and programs that focus on Americaąs favorite flower groups. Juried flower shows, floral displays, complementary workshops, demonstrations, lectures and plant sales occur regularly. The Glenview/North Shore African Violet Society Show & Sale is on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4 and features a display of designs and plants, an educational exhibit and plant sale. Miniatures, standards and trailers, as well as gesneriads, soil mix and fertilizers, are sold. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Central States Dahlia Society Sale on Saturday, May 3 and Sunday, May 4 features dahlia bulbs in a wide array of sizes, shapes and colors. Society members are available to answer questions about the culture of dahlias. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The American Rhododendron Society Show & Sale on Saturday, May 10 and Sunday, May 11 is a display and sale of more than 100 varieties of this popular shrub, grown locally by gardening enthusiasts. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Midwest Bonsai Society Spring Show & Sale on Saturday, May 17 and Sunday, May 18 featured spring-blooming trees, vendors, demonstrations, workshops for all skill levels including a children’s workshop, a Q&A table and other educational opportunities. Registration is required for workshops. Information about workshops can be found at the Midwest Bonsai Society web site. Show and sale hours are from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The American Flower Show Series is sponsored by JULIE, Inc. For a complete schedule of the American Flower Show Series, visit ChicagoBotanic.org/flowershows.

More Opportunities to Learn

Discovery Program volunteers stationed throughout the Buehler Enabling, Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable, Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese and English Walled gardens offer information and hands-on experiences on a variety of topics from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from May 14 through October 5.

In the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden, volunteer interpreters share information about the featured plant, which changes monthly, and encourage visitors to plant seeds or seedlings to take home to their own gardens. A free flyer with care information and recipe is available. Plant Giveaways are held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Friday; and 11 a.m. to 4 .m. Saturday and Sunday, from May 14 through September 28.

Beginning April 5, visitors can climb aboard to explore the wonders of the Chicago Botanic Garden on 35-minute narrated Tram Tours. The Grand Tour winds its way around the 2.6 mile perimeter of the Garden, providing a breathtaking overview of the Garden’s 385 acres. The Grand Tour has three drop-off sites, encouraging visitors to stroll through the Dixon Prairie and Evaluation Gardens. The Bright Encounters Tour provides an intimate view of the gardens of the main island. Trams run weekends only, weather permitting, from April 5 through 13 and daily from April 18 through October 26. Tickets are available at the Tram Tour Ticket booth in front of the Visitor Center. Cost is $5 for adults; $4 seniors; $3 children. Members receive $1 discount on each ticket. Trams are wheelchair accessible.

On weekends, beginning April 18, ride the Metra to the Glencoe station, then enjoy a ride on the Chicago Botanic Garden Trolley, providing direct service to the Garden. Roundtrip tickets are $2; Garden members and children 5 and under ride free.

Visitors are encouraged to use the Lenhardt Library’s rich collections to research their latest gardening project or thumb through inspiring garden journals and magazines. The libraryąs new 5,000-square-foot home in the Regenstein Center allows visitors greater access to the Gardenąs priceless rare book collection with rotating rare book exhibits. Through May 18, the exhibit, "The Language of Flowers" will show charming examples of the Victorian fascination with floral symbolism. The library's latest acquisition, Temple of Flora, an exceedingly rare book from 1799, is featured in an exhibit by the same name from May 23 through August 17. With its thirty-one botanical and allegorical illustrations, this work is considered “the single most famous of all florilegia.” On Saturday, June 21 at 2 p.m., a free library talk features “Dr. Thornton’s Folly.” Library hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Tuesday hours are from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday hours are from noon to 4 p.m. For an online catalog, visit ChicagoBotanic.org/library .

For information about caring for yard and garden, stop by the Garden’s Plant Information Service in the Visitor Center or call (847) 835-0972. Staff horticulturists and trained Master Gardeners are available to assist with identification, diagnosis and “Best Plants for Illinois” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday through April 5. Spring hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Information about plants also is available on the Gardenąs Web site at ChicagoBotanic.org/plantinfo .

Adult learners — from beginning to advanced gardeners, naturalists, botanical artists and green industry professionals — can choose from many general interest courses being offered by the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden this spring. The Regenstein School is organized into five academic departments, including Horticulture; Plant Biology, Ecology and Nature Studies; Garden Design; Botanical Arts and Humanities; and Plant and People Interactions. Students enrolled have access to the Lenhardt Library, brimming with resources, as well as 2.3 million plant specimens in the Garden”s 385-acre ‘living classroom,’ which includes 23 display gardens, 81 acres of water, and three native habitats. Pre-registration is required for all classes. For a course catalog describing programs and classes in more detail, or to register, call the School of the Chicago Botanic Garden at (847) 835-8261, or visit ChicagoBotanic.org/school .

The Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden will host free public lectures in 2008 to give potential students a chance to discover the School’s offerings. Lectures will be held in the Alsdorf Auditorium of the Regenstein Center. Spring free lectures include Galen Gates, “Plant Exploration: China and Beyond” on Monday, May 5 at 7 p.m., a free lecture on his recent trip to China to study and collect plants which tolerate conditions similar to our own Midwestern climate. Pre-registration is suggested. Call (847) 835-8261, or visit the Garden’s Web site at ChicagoBotanic.org/school.

Visitor Services

Take a break in the Garden Café and enjoy their new menu, which uses locally-grown produce when items are in season. You’ll find fresh flat bread pizza’s, healthy wraps, crisp salads, tasty soups, sweet pastries and organic coffee. Starting April 1, hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and until 5:30 p.m. on weekends. Unique and beautiful gifts inspired by nature are available for every member of the family in the Garden Shop, open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and until 5:30 p.m. on weekends.

Those pondering a gift for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, teachers, graduations or weddings might consider a gift membership to the Chicago Botanic Garden. Year-round benefits include free parking and discounts on classes, tram tours and shopping. Gift memberships can be purchased by calling (847) 835-8215, or by visiting ChicagoBotanic.org/member.

Admission to the Garden is free. Select event fees apply. Parking is $15 per car. For information about any of the Chicago Botanic Garden’s programs and events, call (847) 835-5440, or visit ChicagoBotanic.org.