While on vacation last week, I had the pleasure to visit the Chicago Botanic Garden. Coming from California where the summers are long, hot and dry, I especially loved seeing the plants that thrive with regular summer rainfall. Vast plantings of hosta, impatiens, begonias, and ferns, to name a few.
A mass planting of hybrid hostas in bloom under white birch trees.
Gryphon begonias planted with Divine New Guinea impatiens.
I found the extensive vegetable garden and fruit orchard inspiring and full of great design ideas, like a vertical planting of culinary herbs.
Many sculptures dot the gardens and pathways, including my favorite one of Carolus Linneaus. He was the 18th century Swedish physician who created binomial nomenclature: the two-part (genus and species) structure of Latin names of plants and animals.
I highly recommend visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden if you find yourself in the area. Due to flooding from a recent storm, some of the gardens were inaccessible, so a future trip is definitely on my list.
