Chicago Botanic Sp

Chicago Botanic Gardens



 

 

This year, spring came very late to Chicago, so we got to experience the

flowers of early spring at the Chicago Botanic Gardens.

These are some of the 500,000 daffodils planted all around the gardens.

 

 There were lots of "English Daisies" in many parts of the gardens.
These were in the Heritage Garden.

 

Pink and white English daisies. 

 

 Pink English Daisy

 

Pocketbook Plant

 

 Yellow Pocketbook Plant

 

Jewel of Madeira / Echium - gorgeous, glowing, iridescent blue

 

 Blue Chionodoxa / Glory of the Snows

White Chionodoxa / Glory of the Snows

Waterfall Tulips - hundreds of these were growing along the waterfall

Waterfall Tulips

Very pale pink / white Gerbera Daisies
Behind the Regenstein Exhibition hall and Conservatories is a large covered
terrace overlooking the lake.  It is used for wedding receptions, and all the
flowers around the terrace are always white.

"Mona Lisa" Poppy Anemone

Painted Tongue / Salpiglossis

Pink Painted Tongue / Salpiglossis

Yellow Painted Tongue / Salpiglossis

Pale Blue Scilla / Squill
Masses of these beautiful little blue flowers covered hillsides.

Daffodils

Hillside of daffodils and broom flowers in yellow.

Double yellow and white daffodils.

Yellow Primrose / Primula

Pink Primrose / Primula

Cretan Snow Crocus

Yellow Ranunculus / Persian Buttercup
The Botanic Gardens specializes in ranunculus, and the spring show always
displays hundreds in amazing brilliant colors.

Pink Ranunculus

Orange Ranunculus

Blue Greek Anemones make a great contrast.

Bed of Pansies

Lavender Hyacinths

Red Tulips

Red and White Parrot Tulips



I hope you are enjoying a colorful spring also.




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Ginter Garden

Lewis Ginter Garden

in Richmond, Virginia

Lewis Ginter Botanic Garden just outside Richmond, VA, is a splendid 55 acre

oasis of conservatory and gardens.  We were there on the annual festival day and

enjoyed a delicious lunch in the lovely dining room and then wandered around

the gardens as musicians played and a barbershop quartet serenaded visitors.

It is well worth a visit.  This is the view of the conservatory as you leave the

dining room.

They have more than a million bulb flowers in their spring show,

especially tulips and pansies and daffodils.

A bed of yellow pansies and white daffodils.  Their beds all had interesting

combinations of flowers, in forms and color.

Tulips and pansies.  Different combinations of colors filled the whole garden.

This is what Spring should look like.  The blue and white pansies serve as

ground cover, while the yellow, peach, and orange tulips provide vertical emphasis.

An English cottage with pink "May Day" hydrangeas.

Lavender "Aunt Bess Hydrangeas" with "White Icing Geraniums" and

pink and white "Martha Washington Geraniums."

  

Double "White Crinolines" Tulips

Blue and white pansy courtyard.  The arrangement of buildings, furniture, low beds

of flowers, taller standing flowers, and bushes made a very impressive garden.

The building in back is the Horticultural Library, with books and magazines for anyone

to consult and enjoy.

Pansies in every color are very popular in the mid-Atlantic states.  I found many at the

National Airport in Washington, all over the city, and in Maryland, as ell as

here in Virginia.

Double Yellow "Mme de Pompadour" Tulips. Closer to the ground are

white and yellow pansies.

"Siren Call" Large Cup Daffodils, along with with white,  yellow, and orange pansies.

Large white "Cinderella Daffodils" with smaller "Thumbelina Daffodils" with

"Delft Blue" pansies close to the ground.

"Honeycomb Orchids" in the conservatory

 Pink Orchids in Conservatory

"Firebrand" yellow and red tulips

A planter with yellow and orange taper tulips and Blue and White Pansies.

"Franz Hals"  Orange  Tulip

"Mary Tyler Moore"  Peach  Tulip

 Fountain and Circular Garden

 Yellow and Red  "Dutch Painter" Tulips

 Barbershop Quartet Wandering through the Garden

 Pink  "Majesty" camellia on a large tree covered with camellias

 Blue Poppy Anemones

 Pink Poppy Anemones

 Lilac and White  "Grace Kelly" Tulips

Double Orange Tulips and White Pansies

Red Poppy Anemones

Red and Yellow Double "Sunburst"  Tulip

Daffodils and Pansies

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *

I hope you have enjoyed this walk through the beautiful Ginter Gardens.

JB

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