Chicago Flower & Garden Show

By Kari Geltemeyer in Miscellaneous on Mar 10, 2005 7:32PM

On your mark, get set, go: starting Saturday, you’ve got exactly eight days to pretend it’s Spring with the 2005 Chicago Flower & Garden Show at Navy Pier. Yeah, it may not be the Spring you’ve been waiting for, but now’s not the time to get all fussy with the particulars—and if you’re anything like us, you’re total whores for a sure thing.

Thankfully the agenda's chock full of sure things, from helpful how-to’s, freebies, and famous person appearances to “tablescape” tips, seminars, and kid-friendly activities. Presumably there will also be more than a few carefully targeted opportunities to drop some major coin with participating exhibitors. Should you fancy yourself a floral artist, you can even partake of a Horticulture & Flower Arranging competition, although the rules and specifics on that are a wee Byzantine for our tastes.

And did we mention there will be gardens galore, filled with fresh flowers and the like? Approximately twenty-five major theme gardens, that is, blooming with blossoms from all corners of the world, with stops in ancient Egypt, merry olde England, and Holland, home of the mighty tulip. You can also wander past handcrafted miniature Chicago landmarks, courtesy of the Chicago Botanic Garden; explore a Cirque du Soleil-inspired cut flowers display under a circus tent; learn some “colorology” from the good folks at Flora Scape; and attend a wine tasting on a terrace with a vineyard view.

Then you can dig your car out of a snowbank and head on home.

Chicago Flower & Garden Show
Navy Pier
March 12 – 20
Mon.-Sat 10:00 a.m. – 8:00 p.m.; Sunday 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.
Tickets weekdays: adults $11.00 / children $5.00
Tickets weekends: adults $13.00 / children $6.00
Call 312-222-5086 for more info.

Image from chicagoflower.com