The Chicago Botanic Garden is a

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

situated on nine islands in the northern

Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40 percent of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. ...

Forest Preserves. It features 27 display gardens and five natural habitats including Mary Mix McDonald Woods, Barbara Brown Nature Reserve, Dixon Prairie, the Skokie River Corridor, and the Lakes and Shorelines. The garden is open every day of the year. An admissions fee was first charged in 2022. The Garden is owned by the

Forest Preserve District of Cook County The Forest Preserve District of Cook County is a governmental commission in Cook County, Illinois, that owns and manages land containing forest, prairie, wetland, streams, and lakes. These land holdings are primarily managed as undeveloped nat ...

and managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972, and is home to the Joseph Regenstein Jr. School which offers educational classes and certificate programs, and participates with the botany staff in research and conservation programs. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the

American Alliance of Museums The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), formerly the American Association of Museums, is a non-profit association whose goal is to bring museums together. Founded in 1906, the organization advocates for museums and provides "museum professionals w ...

and is a member of the

American Public Gardens Association The American Public Gardens Association, formerly the American Association of Botanical Gardens and Arboreta, is an association of public-garden institutions and professionals primarily in the United States and Canada. Over the last six decades, ...

Architecture

The architectural design for the Chicago Botanic Garden began with the creation of the master plan by

John O. Simonds John Ormsbee Simonds was born in Jamestown, North Dakota on March 11, 1913. He was a visionary landscape architect, planner, educator, and environmentalist. Simonds was an original modernist landscape architect and one of the most influential and ...

and Geoffrey Rausch. Several famous buildings have been designed by well-known architects since 1976. * 1976, Education Center, Edward Larabee Barnes * 1982, Japanese Garden, Koichi Kawana * 1983, Heritage Garden, Geoffrey Rausch * 2004, Esplande, Dan Kiley * 2009, Conservation Science Center, Booth Hansen

Conservation

The Chicago Botanic Garden opened the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center on its ground on September 23, 2009. In September 2010, the Plant Conservation Science Center earned a Gold LEED (

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...

) rating from the

U.S. Green Building Council The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a private 501(c)(3), membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of t ...

for its sustainable design. The building features a green roof garden. Scientists working at the Chicago Botanic Garden contribute to rare plant species conservation research and are active in regional, national and international organizations that promote plant

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manage ...

. The garden is a partner in the Seeds of Success project, a branch of the

Millennium Seed Bank Partnership The Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (MSBP or MSB), formerly known as the Millennium Seed Bank Project, is the largest ''ex situ'' plant conservation biology, conservation programme in the world, coordinated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, ...

managed by the Royal Botanic Gardens,

Kew Kew () is a district in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. Its population at the 2011 census was 11,436. Kew is the location of the Royal Botanic Gardens ("Kew Gardens"), now a World Heritage Site, which includes Kew Palace. Kew is ...

. The goal is to collect 10,000 seeds from each of 1,500 native species of the Midwest for conservation and restoration efforts. The garden also leads the Plants of Concern initiative to monitor rare species in northeastern and southern

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Sustainability

The first generation of

sustainable Sustainability is a social goal for people to co-exist on Earth over a long period of time. Definitions of this term are disputed and have varied with literature, context, and time. Sustainability usually has three dimensions (or pillars): env ...

gardens at the Chicago Botanic Garden were the

victory garden Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit, and herb gardens planted at private residences and public parks in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and Germany during World War I a ...

s of World Wars I and II. Today's gardens incorporate food and paper scrap composting, sustainable irrigation, and a minimal use of fertilizer and pesticides. The Chicago Botanic Garden also encourages others to garden sustainably by composting

food waste The causes of food going uneaten are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during food production, production, food processing, processing, Food distribution, distribution, Grocery store, retail and food service sales, and Social clas ...

, installing backyard rain barrels, using

native plants In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equi ...

, removing

invasive species An invasive species is an introduced species that harms its new environment. Invasive species adversely affect habitats and bioregions, causing ecological, environmental, and/or economic damage. The term can also be used for native spec ...

, and establishing

perennials In horticulture, the term perennial ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the year") is used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. It has thus been defined as a plant that lives more than 2 years. The term is also ...

. The Windy City Harvest program offers workshops in sustainable urban horticulture and urban agriculture. In 2010, the Corporate Roundtable on Sustainability was established to encourage companies to act sustainably.

Honors and awards

In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the 'Award for Garden Excellence', given yearly by the APGA and ''Horticulture'' magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices. In 2012, the Chicago Botanic Garden was chosen as one of 10 "Great Place" (Public Space) for providing food locally, excellence in design, education and outreach, and sustainability by the

American Planning Association The American Planning Association (APA) is a professional organization representing the field of urban planning in the United States. APA was formed in 1978, when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Pla ...

, which selects "Great Places" in the United States annually to highlight good places for people to work and to live, representing a "true sense of place, cultural and historical interest".

Gallery

CBG 067.JPG, One of the many fountains in the gardens. 190908 161 Chicago Botanic Gdn - Regenstein Center, Lenhardt Library, Pollinators in Print Exhibit (48861559336).jpg, Regenstein Center, Lenhardt Library CBG 0042.jpg, A flower in bloom. CBG 0073.JPG, Overlooking part of the gardens. Carillon through the trees, Chicago Botanic Garden.jpg, Carillon as seen through the trees. "Fringed Tulips" -- ChIcago (IL) Botanic Garden April 2012 (7146888429).jpg, Fringed tulips. A Drink of Water -- Swan Chicago (IL) Botanic Garden 2012 (7161225626).jpg, A swan on one of the lakes. CBG 0076.JPG, View of a waterfall. 190908 021 Chicago Botanic Gdn - Visitor Center, the Garden Grille (48861640952).jpg, Garden Grille, one of the eateries at the gardens.

References

External links

*
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
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Botanical gardens in Illinois {{Commons cat, Botanical gardens in Illinois Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the ...

Parks in Cook County, Illinois Birdwatching sites in the United States Gene banks Glencoe, Illinois Buildings and structures in Cook County, Illinois Japanese-American culture in Illinois Japanese gardens in the United States Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Tourist attractions in Cook County, Illinois Greenhouses in Illinois 1972 establishments in Illinois