Wednesday, March 11, 2009

'Our World in Bloom'

This past Sunday and Monday, I experienced many 'firsts' in my life. In other words I had quite an adventure. And who best to share an adventure with than your best friend! Rose and I made our way to the Flower & Garden Show at Navy Pier in Chicago. We rode a commuter train(a personal first), we rode a city bus (another first), saw and experienced Navy Pier(a first) and rode a trolley-you guessed it also a first. But the best first was actually getting to take in the Garden show!


Our World in Bloom is the theme for this year's Chicago Flower & Garden show. All of the feature gardens were excellent at portraying this theme.

This is the entrance to the show. Through out we saw many metal works depicting the world and blooms. This fountain was especially neat as they had dry ice in each corner that gave off a misty fog.


We saw many of the usual sights of spring. Forsythia was in bloom in all directions. I had many opportunities to try out the 'super macro' setting on my new camera.


Lots of spring colors! These cyclamen and daisies were stunning and in colors I rarely see.


Of course the hyacinths were in full bloom and smell. Every time we came to a new grouping I had to take a whiff! Although these show as blue, they were a deep purple and paired with white cyclamen were gorgeous.

This Victorian 'bedroom' was an eye-catching display. The living bedspread and the twig headboard were beautiful. There was also a twig rocker and a trunk filled with blooming flowers.


The bedspread was made up of simple everyday plants, but oh how beautiful!


I loved the iron works and this dinosaur really was unusual.



Mr. McGregor's Daughter showed some of this 'garden on her site. Done as an archaeological dig of the future, it was amusing but also thought provoking. To get a better idea of what they are saying click to enlarge.

One of the 'found' objects!

Foxgloves gave me another chance at super macro.



As did this wonderful hellebore.


I found this fascinating. A wall of plants. It looked like they had planted a flat with different plants and then simple turned it up and hung it on a lattice. But they are special planters that are sloped to keep the dirt , water and plants from falling out. Very simple but at the same time I found it so appealing.



Lots of the flowers we knew or could find an identifying sign. But not for this one. Does anyone know what this is? Besides beautiful that is. :}



One of my favorite garden colors is pink. And there were lots and lots of pink. ( I just love my new camera!)


These are a bi-colored snap dragon. We were told the name, but I have forgotten it. They are hard to find yet this year, though.



And of course hydrangea. These are grown mostly for florists. But wouldn't I love to have a bed like this!



More pink. Pinks and daisies in shades of pink. I am not usually a fan of 'gaudy' but fell in love with this lighted mosaic garden ball. Probably because of the color. But I can definitely see it in my garden in the future.

There were waterfalls galore. Rose and I were amazed at the sheer tonnage of rock it took to make this one. We decided there had to be some pretty big freight elevators to get all of these rock up to the second floor!


And fountains of all sizes and shapes. This was perhaps my favorite.

Lunch in a great sidewalk cafe-of course it was enclosed. But the warmth of the dim sun could be felt and enjoyed. Our waiter was kind enough to take our picture so we could have another reminder of our day.
I know Rose is going to post about the show as well. I am sure she will have many of the things I missed, so be sure to catch hers. It was a wonderful time made all the better because of the companionship of a dear friend who shares a passion for gardening. Thank you Rose for so many firsts and for such delightful company. And remember, 'What happens in Chicago-stays in Chicago!'

31 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

This looks like you had a wonderful time Beckie. The only bad thing about taking the train is that you can't bring back anything very big. Not that I would do something like that. tee hee... Your pictures have lots of fun ideas for the garden. It is good to see that you two had such a great time.

Susie said...

Don't you just love garden show?!?!? That's one thing I miss about Atlanta. They have several and I tried to go to as many as possible. So did you find any new plants to add to your "I want" list?

It's amazing what they can do with plants isn't it? That bed was cute.

Thanks for posting yours and Rose's picture. Nice to put a face with words.

Robin's Nesting Place said...

That looks like a wonderful flower and garden show! Ours starts Sunday, I'm not sure which day I'll be going, but I can't wait!

tina said...

Nice to see the faces of two wonderful bloggers! I am glad you posted that picture last, because I like it very much. You all look very happy and content. I also, weirdly enough, like the first picture of the world in bloom with the fountain. What a super day!

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Thanks for the shout-out. I'm glad you & Rose had a good time at the show. I can see the difference the new camera is making. You got a good shot of the black fountains. I couldn't seem to get one, and I really liked them. The mystery pink flower looks like a Kniphofia. I've never seen one that color - I want it!

Rose said...

We did have a great day, didn't we, Beckie? And I'm glad you didn't include all that happened:) But we managed very well for a couple of country girls in the big city. I'm glad you posted first; I'm at school at the moment so I may not get up a post for another day or two, but will try to use different photos. Thank you for driving and sharing this adventure with me--I just wish I'd smiled for the picture:)

Corner Gardener Sue said...

Hi Beckie,
I am having trouble keeping up. I'm glad I made it here to see your great pics and hear of all those firsts! It's good you and Rose were able to get out and have some fun.

I hope things are going OK with your dad.

joey said...

You gorgeous gals are back in action ... yea, for Thelma & Louise (hum...curious what stayed in Chicago)! Thanks for the lovely tour, a Flower & Garden Show I'd love to see and feel as though I have, thanks to your new camera and great photos :)

Cheryl said...

Hi Beckie.....how lovely to see a photograph of you and Rose....the waiter made a good job, he took a good photograph (or maybe it is your new camera!!)

Can't help you with the mystery plant....it is lovely and looks tropical.....I have personally never seen anything like it here....

Some beautiful displays.....they give you ideas, don't they? I always want to rush home and start a project......

Did you bring anything home??

Tku for sharing...I love your new camera to.....

Gail said...

Hi Beckie, What a fun day.....I really like several of the ideas you did share! The vertical wall planting would be fantastic...and I have a great wall for it! Your favorite water feature is wonderful and all the pink flowers are delightful. The best part would be spending time with you both! I can't wait to see you you in Chicago at Spring Fling.

Gail

Anonymous said...

How great you got to do this Beckie, especially with your dear friend. Sounds like perfect timing too since you've been so busy being a caregiver lately. I love the metal sphere with flowers on it in the opening photo. That's beautiful. Garden shows are great places to get good/new ideas. The bed and wall of plants are both so cool. I wish I knew what your unidentified flower was ~ it's breathtaking. I am a pink lover too tho so maybe that's why I like it so much! So glad you were able to go and enjoy yourself.

Wendy said...

Where do I start? Eveything looks sooooo special and pretty and wonderful! I love all the pink blooms. I really like the waterfall. Your photo turned out well. I am glad you shared your adventure with us.

Looks like you are having fun with your new camera. Yippeeeeee!
I'm looking forward to some more spring flowers (when you have time, of course).
Hugs

beckie said...

Lisa, takng the train kept our spending to a minimum. But it was such fun to see all the beautiful gardens.

This was my first real garden show and I loved it. I found several plants that I wish would grow in my gardens. I hope the picture of me didn't scare anyone. :}

beckie said...

Robin, we had fully intended to take a day and go to the Indy show, but I can't now. I am really disappointed. Hope you have a great time, though.

Thanks Tina. I hesitated about posting a picture of me-I don't take good pictures. I too, loved the 'world' with the flowers on it. Thought it fit the theme perfectly.

beckie said...

MMD, I did some research on the kniphofias. The pink one does look like them, but couldn't find anyplace that had a pink one. Maybe it is a new color not yet available. I'm with you though and want one so will be keeping an eye out for them. Thanks for the info.

Rose, we did mangae very well. Of course you had some experience and did all the research on train and buses. The adventure was such fun and just what I needed. Thanks for the enjoyable time.

beckie said...

Sue, it was a great time and oh the gardens were beautiful. Dad is doing some better-even if he won't admit it. :)

Joey, we'll never tell!! The garden show was really a great time and we so enjoyed all the spring flowers. I am having fun with the camera when I can figure out how to use all the buttons.

beckie said...

Cheryl, we brought very little home other than ideas and dreams. :) But we really enjoyed ourselves. The camera is such fun but I am still in that long learning curve. MMD says it might be a type of red hot poker plant. And it does look like one only pink. It might be a new color that just isn't available yet. Have a great weekend!

beckie said...

Gail, isn't that wall great. I would love to have that right by my back door. I'm going to look for those types of containers. After this adventure we are both really looking forward to Spring Fling and seeing all our graet gardening friends.

Kathleen, it was a good get away. refreshed the body and the soul. :) I would love to have a 'pink' garden, especially after seeing so many beautiful pink flowers there. All of the metal work there was very interesting. I wish I had taken pictures of more.

beckie said...

Wendy, glad you like the waterfall. They had a lot of 'water' features there and I keep thinking where and how I can get one in my gardens. It was so great to get a good dose of spring. Made me really start to get in the mood for planting season!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

I'm a total mass transit geek and that's one of the things I love about Chicago, esp. the Metra rail trains (choo choo!). Even the free (car, not real) trolley is cool! It's interesting how everyone posting about the show has very different photos. I love the flower wall and rock fountain. And thanks so much for including the photo of you and Rose--but who is who? Now I feel as though I may be able to recognize you in May!!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

LOL, speaking of being a country girl int he city, I wrote a post about my first real experience in Chicago (I'd gone once as a kid and once only very briefly a few years back) here!

garden girl said...

Hi Beckie, I'm so glad you and Rose got to see the show! You got some great macro shots with your new camera, and lots of wonderful 'big picture' shots too. It's been a lot of fun seeing the show from everyone's different perspectives.

So nice to see a picture of you and Rose - now I'll recognize you both when we get to meet at the Fling in May!

I hope your dad is doing better.

beckie said...

Monica, loved your story of you in the big city! Rose and I moticed all the high heels and 'dress for success' looks when we were downtown. :} So glad you liked the photos. I am really enjoying the new camera. The show was wonderful, but I know were we to go back we would see things we missed.

Rose is the one with sunglasses. We were looking into the light and her eyes kept watering. I am the old woman in the photo! :}

beckie said...

Thanks Linda. It was great fn taking photos of such beautiful flowers. The show has me looking forward to Spring Fling eeven more now!

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Ah ha! You actually remind me a little of my friend Carole, so that's cool! And, now things are slowly clicking, I DO sort of recognize Rose from a photo she had in her blog of her in Phoenix with her daughter's dog (I think!!).

beckie said...

Monica, that's right, she did have a photo of her and the grand dog in Arizona. Poor Carol if she looks like me. :} Just don't enlarge this one!

Anonymous said...

How lucky are you to have a best friend like Rose to experience all these wonderful "firsts" with. Did I ever tell you my best friend's name is Rose too. ;) The Garden show was fabulous and I loved all the beautiful photos you shared today. Thanks for taking us along on the tour.

Naturegirl said...

I was into Rose's blog this a.m. and saw her post about your grand day touring this garden display!
So many ideas..so exciting after a long cold winter! I love the glass ball..I just posted Chuhly's creative garden glass balls featured here in AZ.
In Canada near me Toronto hosta a similar show called Canada Blooms..I'd be there if not in AZ..
Thank you for sharing this wonderful day touring this display!

Pat said...

So glad you went to the show so I could see what I missed. It had to be fun. Love all the water features,stone work and spring flowers.

joey said...

... a mini-pop over to wish you a Happy St. Patrick's Day, dear Beckie!

Sweet Home and Garden Carolina said...

Hi Beckie,

Just discovered your wonderful blog. Thanks for your splendid coverage of the Chicago Flower and Garden Show which I missed this year.

I look forward to meeting you at the Spring Fling.