Although it was gloomy and rainy outside it was bright, cheerful and even inspirational inside at the 2010 Chicago Flower and Garden Show. I attended on a weekday morning avoiding the crowds and allowing me to take photos and linger at the displays.
Azalea - 2010 Garden Show
The floor plan was a little different this year. It had the feel of walking down paths in a park rather than looking at different exhibits. The only problem I had, and it really wasn’t much of a problem, was that I wandered off and missed few exhibits and needed to double back to see everything.
There were 27 exhibits, definitely something for everyone. The designers used a lot of greenery this year: trees, shrubs, bushes and grasses; one even used wheat grass. Another had a border done with spider plants, something I have been doing for a few years now. Herbs were used in several gardens mixed with flowers. I also noticed a lot of ponds and waterfalls and few small, bubbly self-contained water fountains that I would like to use for my own garden.
Some photos from a few of the exhibits I liked:
This was called Sun and Moon and represented a surburban backyard. This was the largest exhibit and had lots of different landscape ideas including waterscapes, BBQ area and lots of shrubs and trees.
Something a bit different. A spiral kitchen garden planted around a bricked path. It used herbs and lettuces and mixed in a few flowers.
This exhibit was a prairie restoration where invasive species were replaced with native plants.
My favorite was Bye Bye Birdie, a garden considerate of our wildlife. I loved the entryway made to look like a giant birdhouse.
A few of the waterscapes. These were self-contained ponds and fountains.
Herbs used as a border and below, spider plants used as a border. I like this look a lot. I have used spider plants in the garden for the past few years. I cut them from my indoor plants. They root quickly and grow fast.
They don’t mind the heat and are forgiving if you don’t water them everyday.
And that’s it for this year’s show.
