foodie's » Glencoe, IL

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With 23 gardens and 3 native habitat areas, the 385-acre Chicago Botanic Garden can be a little overwhelming — but it’s a good kind of overwhelming. Crossing a flower-decked wood bridge, you find yourself in a wonderland of lakes, islands, trees, and blossoms. At a large, bronze sculpture of Canada geese, you have to make your first decision: turn left into the Heritage Garden, with its pools, planters, and surrounding bald cypress trees, or follow the lake shore toward the bulb garden. But don’t worry; there are no wrong decisions. Stone walls, tightly trimmed hedges, trees, hills, and water are used to divide up the many gardens, so each seems almost intimate — though the prairies offer wide, open spaces. The English Walled Garden (dedicated by Princess Margaret) is like a brief trip to Merry Olde. The Japanese Garden sprawls across three islands reached by a bridge hand built in Japan, its manicured greenery interrupted by stone lanterns, a teahouse, and two Japanese rock gardens. All the gardens are remarkable, but several are practical. In the Enabling Garden, learn how to garden despite handicaps. On Fruit and Vegetable Island, you can find home gardening ideas, shop for seeds and gourmet delicacies, and, on summer Sundays, see demonstrations by local chefs. And don’t forget to stop in the gift shop for garden-themed gifts, from flower-inspired jewelry to field guides to gardening implements.

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