If you’re longing to take the kids outside to smell the roses, the Chicago Park District has 120 annual gardens and 30 perennial gardens.
And each year the planting revolves around different themes. Features for this year include the Lochness Monster Garden in Lincoln Park, the Umbrella Garden at Roosevelt and Michigan avenues (Museum Campus Welcome Garden) and the Blue and Orange Garden on South Presidents Court just off Columbus Drive and Congress Parkway.
If you look at the gardens, by the numbers, you’ll see:
500,000 Total number of flowers
7,300 Number of acres managed by the Chicago Park District
50 Number of workers needed to install all of the flowers throughout Chicago
1 Month, the time it takes to complete the planting
397,845 Number of annuals planted in the gardens
9,887 Number of perennials that bloom in the gardens
10 Number of bird and wildlife gardens
175 Number of welcome pots on display across the city
32 Number of beach pots on display across the city
35 Feet, the height of the world’s largest flower head, grown on the Puya plant
3 Feet, the diameter of the world’s biggest flower, the Rafflesia
.012 Inches, the size of the world’s smallest flower, which grows on a tiny floating duck weed
40 Percent, the portion of modern medicines originally derived from wild plant extracts
11,700 Years, the age of the creosote bush, the oldest known plant
1986 The year Congress voted the rose as America’s national flower
1907 The year the carnation was selected as the symbol for Mother’s Day
— Nicole Caputo
