Glencoe, Illinois – On April 25 and 26, the Chicago Botanic Garden hosts the American Daffodil Society’s national show and conference, featuring more than 1,000 daffodils on display. The show includes cut blooms and photography competitions, as well as floral designs inspired by the display gardens at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Daffodil growers of all skill levels are invited to participate. There is no fee for entering daffodils in the competition. Show hours are from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturday, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
The Chicago Botanic Garden has 18 specialized collections of distinction, one of which is Narcissus. As an American Daffodil Society (ADS) Display Garden, the Chicago Botanic Garden displays currently contain more than 500,000 Narcissus bulbs in 206 varieties. Many of these bulbs will be in bloom outdoors in the garden’s 23 display gardens at the time of the show. In addition, the garden is forcing daffodil bulbs in containers and will display as many divisions as possible outside the Visitor Center.
John Reed, a hybridizer and president of Oakwood Daffodils, named a new daffodil for the American Daffodil Society in honor of this year’s show to be unveiled at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Narcissus ‘Glencoe’ is a Division II daffodil with white petals surrounding a pink cup. This past fall, the garden planted 65 bulbs outside the Visitor Center for bloom during the show this spring as well as 100 more bulbs that have been added to the permanent collections in the pink and silver bed of the Regenstein Fruit & Vegetable Garden.
Conference lectures are open to the public and are held in the Alsdorf Auditorium.
Lectures for Saturday, April 25, include Carol Salome, “Daffodils in Art” at 2 p.m., and Trudi Temple, “Green Gardening” at 3 p.m.
Lectures for Sunday, April 26, include Tom Stettner, “Before & After the Photo: How to Get Your Best Digital Daffodil Picture” at 9:30 a.m., and Keith Kridler, “Growing $50 bulbs in 5 cent soil” at 2 p.m.
Visitors to the show will also want to stop by the Lenhardt Library to see its rare book exhibition, A Host of Golden Daffodils: Selections from the Rare Book Collection, on display through May 10. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, from noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and by appointment; closed on holidays. On Sunday, April 26, Leora Siegel, Lenhardt Library director, will give a talk, “Narcissus as Harbingers of Spring,” at 2 p.m. in the library. She will discuss books selected for this exhibition from the rare book collection of the Lenhardt Library.
Admission to the Chicago Botanic Garden is free; select event fees apply. Parking fees apply; free for Garden members. The American Flower Show Series is endowed in honor of Louise Durham Mead and Walter Langworthy Mead. Burnstein Hall is made possible by a gift from Harriet Kay and Harold R. Burnstein. For more information, call (847) 835-5440 or visit the website. Click here for registration and convention information.
The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year, except December. 25. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking fees apply; free for Garden members. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Illinois. Visit the website, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.
The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden’s Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. A program of the Chicago Botanic Garden, Windy City Harvest is an organic vegetable and plant production enterprise that provides instruction in sustainable horticulture and urban agriculture to residents of Chicago’s North Lawndale and West Side neighborhoods. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). The Chicago Botanic Garden is also host to Botanic Gardens Conservation International-U.S., and a member of the Center for Plant Conservation. 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.
