Chicago Botanic Garden facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chicago Botanic Garden
A zig-zag bridge at the Chicago Botanic Garden
Type	Botanical
Location	1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, Illinois
Area	385 acres (156 ha)
Owned by	Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Visitors	953,846 (2011)
Status	Open year-round
Plants	2.5 million
Parking	Paid parking, free to Garden members
Public transit access	UP-N  Braeside station Pace

The Chicago Botanic Garden is a huge living plant museum! It covers about 385 acres (that's like 290 football fields!) and is built on nine islands. You can find it in the Cook County Forest Preserves. This amazing garden has 27 different display gardens and five natural areas. Some of these natural spots include the Mary Mix McDonald Woods and the Dixon Prairie. The garden is open every single day of the year, so you can visit whenever you like. Starting in 2022, there's a small fee to get in, but it won't be more than $35.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County. It's managed by a group called the Chicago Horticultural Society. The garden first opened its doors to the public in 1972. It's also home to the Joseph Regenstein Jr. School, where people can take classes and earn special certificates about plants and gardening.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums. It's also a proud member of the American Public Gardens Association.

Cool Facts About the Garden

The Chicago Botanic Garden has over 60,000 members! That's more than any other public garden in the United States. It's one of Chicago's biggest cultural places and a top tourist spot.

The Green Roof Garden on top of the Plant Science Center.

The Rainwater Glen and Footbridge, a peaceful spot in the garden.

The Heritage Garden looking beautiful in spring.

The Circle Garden in spring, a perfect place to relax.

The English Walled Garden, a cozy and charming area.

Evening Island, especially pretty as the day ends.

The peaceful Japanese Islands.

The Linden Allee, a long path lined with trees.

The Great Basin, full of water plants in spring.

A fun model train display at the garden.

The Krasberg Rose Garden, bursting with colorful roses.

The garden has many different areas to explore, including:

Garden Buildings and Design

The overall design for the Chicago Botanic Garden was first planned by John O. Simonds and Geoffrey Rausch. Since 1976, some very famous architects have designed special buildings here. For example, the Education Center was designed by Edward Larabee Barnes in 1976. The beautiful Japanese Garden was created by Koichi Kawana in 1982.

Helping Plants and Nature

The Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center, where scientists work to protect plants.

The Chicago Botanic Garden has a special building called the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center. It opened in 2009. This building is super eco-friendly! In 2010, it earned a Gold LEED rating. LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, and it means the building was built in a way that helps the environment. It even has a green roof garden on top!

Scientists at the garden work hard to protect rare plant species. They are part of big projects that help save plants all over the world. One important project is "Seeds of Success." The goal is to collect 10,000 seeds from 1,500 different native plants in the Midwest. These seeds are stored to help with future conservation and restoration efforts. The garden also leads an effort called "Plants of Concern" to keep an eye on rare plants in Illinois.

The garden is also part of "Chicago Wilderness," a group of over 200 organizations working to protect and restore natural areas around Chicago. They are also members of the "Center for Plant Conservation," which includes 30 other gardens dedicated to saving rare plants in their regions.

Learning at the Garden

Daffodils blooming on the Garden Bird Island.

The School of the Chicago Botanic Garden offers many ways to learn about plants and nature. You can even earn special certificates in different areas, like:

• Photography
• Horticultural Therapy (using gardening to help people)
• Midwest Gardening
• Professional Gardener
• Garden Design
• Botanical Arts (art inspired by plants)
• Healthcare Garden Design
• Ornamental Plant Materials

The garden also has other cool programs. The Green Youth Farm teaches young people about growing food. Windy City Harvest helps people learn about urban farming.

There are also classes for adults in many topics, such as:

• Online Classes
• Botanical Arts: Painting, Drawing and Photography
• Cooking
• Garden Design
• Horticulture (the science of growing plants)
• Nature and Birding
• Yoga, Tai Chi, Wellness and Fitness
• Teacher Programs

You can find more information about these classes on their website.

And guess what? The garden has camps, field trips, and even a nature preschool for younger kids!

World Environment Day (2008)

In 2008, the Chicago Botanic Garden was chosen by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to host World Environment Day for North America. The theme was "CO₂—Kick the Habit!: Towards a Low Carbon Economy." This means they focused on how to reduce carbon pollution and live in a way that uses less energy.

More than 30 groups, like non-profits and schools, set up displays at the garden. They shared ideas on how to make homes greener, use carpools, volunteer for conservation, and even use special light bulbs that save energy. They showed how to make popcorn using solar power!

The garden also hosted its first International Climate Change Forum that day. Experts from around the world talked about climate change and how to create a "low carbon economy."

Every year on June 5, the garden and other places worldwide highlight ways to live more eco-friendly lives. This includes using less energy, finding new energy sources, protecting forests, and making smart choices about what we buy.

Being Sustainable

The Chicago Botanic Garden has always cared about being sustainable. This means using resources wisely so they last for a long time. In the past, they had "victory gardens" during World Wars to grow food. Today, they compost food and paper scraps, use water carefully, and try to use very few fertilizers and pesticides.

The garden also teaches visitors how to be sustainable at home. They encourage people to compost food waste, collect rainwater in barrels, use native plants (plants that naturally grow in the area), remove invasive species (plants that don't belong and can harm other plants), and plant perennials (plants that come back every year). The Windy City Harvest program even offers workshops on how to grow food in cities in a sustainable way.

Budburst: Citizen Science Project

BudBurst is a cool project that helps scientists understand how climate change affects plants. People all over the country can help by recording when plants start to grow leaves, flower, or produce fruit. This is called "phenology."

The project started in 2007. Since then, thousands of students, gardeners, and other "citizen scientists" have shared their observations. When this information is combined with studies on insects and birds, it helps scientists see how climate change might be changing the timing of plant growth and how it affects the animals that depend on them.

Awards and Recognition

In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the "Award for Garden Excellence." This award is given to gardens that show the best ways to care for plants and have high standards in gardening.

In 2012, the garden was named one of 10 "Great Places" (Public Space) by the American Planning Association. They recognized the garden for its excellent design, educational programs, and efforts to be sustainable. It's truly a special place for people to visit and learn!

See also

In Spanish: Jardín botánico de Chicago para niños

• List of botanical gardens in the United States
• List of Museums and Cultural Institutions in Chicago
• North American Plant Collections Consortium
• American Garden Rose Selections