I was at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show today with my family, and the exhibit that I would nominate for “best of show” was “All Aboard, Chicago”, an O-scale garden layout done by/for the Chicago Botanic Gardens. The trains themselves were nothing spectacular, but the replicas of the buildings and other Chicago landmarks were amazing–made entorely out of natural materials, such as twigs, acorn caps (the lights at Wrigley Field), fungi (the terraces of the Marina City towers), bark, and other such materials. The large bridges were not pure Chicago, but certainly were eye-catchers. There were 30 or so Chicago landmarks portrayed in the layout, and I had little problem identifying any of them. Of course, the main scenic elements were live plantings. The exhibit was roughly circular, probably better than twenty feet in diameter, and extending from floor level to well overhead.
The Flower Show is at Navy Pier through March 20. After that, we were told, the layout will go into storage and it will reappear at the Chicago Botanic Gardens sometime in 2006. Admission to the show is $11 per person; the viewing of a layout such as this is almost worth the price of a ticket by itself!
BC - This is a nice time of the year to see any flowers! I am always amazed at the way the Rose Parade manages all those flowers. Of course, I have no creative talent, so things like this always intrigue me!
I’ve been looking for this…has it shown up at the Chicago Botannical Gardens yet (as noted above)??? I ASSUME it would have to be put up somewhere inside.