We recently toured the Greenhouses with Boyce Tankersley, director of living plant documentation, to see what’s in bloom and take in the different climates visitors can enjoy.
In the Arid Greenhouse, we saw a number of species of aloe from South Africa just coming into bloom as well as cacti and succulents.
In the Tropical Greenhouse, we were surrounded by palms and cycads while we admired the many orchids in bloom. Tankersley pointed out the acanthus cultivar (Aphelandra sinclairiana ‘Panama Queen’) native to Panama and Costa Rica, as one of his favorites.
The Semitropical Greenhouse was filled with blooms like pinkball dombeya (Dombeya wallichii). Native to East Africa and Madagascar, the genus is a highly sought-after ornamental in USDA Zones 9 and warmer.
One of the rarest plants in our collections is Deppea splendens. Native to the mountains of western Mexico, this plant is extinct in the wild.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hUGioICTIU]
Visit our What’s in Bloom highlight page each week — twice a week during the summer bloom season — to learn more about the different plants in bloom. Then, come out to see them in person for their fragrance and the humidity of the warmer greenhouse climates.
©2013 Chicago Botanic Garden and my.chicagobotanic.org
Absolutely love The Botanic Gardens! It’s a gardner’s paradise! Thanks for all you do!
You’re welcome, Cindy! Thanks for the support.
Hi Julie, I am considering a trip to Chicago with my daughter the weekend of March 29th. I’m guessing there will be other beautiful plants in bloom for us to see then? Where can I get more information on the tour.
Hi Karolynn,
Yes, there should be bulbs blooming outdoors and certainly will be something interesting in The Greenhouses. Visit http://www.chicagobotanic.org/inbloom/ soon before your visit and you will know which gardens have the most in bloom. My guess would be The Bulb Garden, English Walled Garden and the crocuses on Evening Island. Here’s a video from that time of year — http://youtu.be/RS2-JlAOuPA
Beautiful flowers and beautiful pictures of those flowers. I think I visited the gardens for an outdoor tour many many years ago when I lived in the Chicago area.
Enjoyed your video of your plants that are in full bloom. I have to visit your greenhouse the next time I’m in Chicago. Keep up the good work!
Cheryl
Thanks Cheryl! Can’t wait til we can make a spring blooms video! We do have witch hazels in bloom now, but we’ll wait until some bulbs start coming up.