THINK SPRING post-pandemic 2022

Wow, has it really been two years? Have we finally graduated from a pandemic to an endemic? I will remain cautiously optimistic. Slowly but surely, I think we are finally entering the new normal we’ve been hearing about for the last year. Though the mask mandate has been lifted at the end of February in Illinois, I will continue wearing a mask in large groups and continue getting updated vaccines as they become available.

Spring seems especially welcome this year. Mother Nature is helping us emerge from a pandemic and the cold, dark winter and easing us into Spring with the inevitable promise of more sunshine & flowers. Did you know Chicago’s motto is Urbs in Horto? Latin for City in a Garden.

I was a tour guide with Macy’s (Marshall Fields on State Street) for many years giving group tours to students and seniors. One of my favorite tours I always looked forward to giving was the Flower Show tour. It was a new, creative story every year, accompanied by spectacular flower arrangements that guide you through the story line. Did you know it started back in 1946 in San Francisco as a perfume promotion in the cosmetics department? Sadly, it will not take place in Chicago this year, but will at Macy’s Herald Square in New York City. Click here to read my past Flower Show posts.

Fear not, fellow winter-weary Chicagoans, here are a few options to help you get your Spring flower fix and to get you through the last part of winter.

Chicago Botanic Garden – The Orchid Show: UNTAMED

I highly recommend the Orchid Show UNTAMED at the Chicago Botanic Garden. I took my Mom a couple of weeks ago and it was wonderful. Both of us really needed a field trip, so we braved a white knuckle ride (thanks to the nasty weather) to Glencoe, IL.

Four glorious spaces filled with every imaginable variety of orchids. It’s mind-blowing just how many colors, shapes & sizes of orchids there are.

No matter what, nature finds a way

This year’s Orchid Show celebrates the unexpected verve of wild orchids. See what happens when sweeps of orchids take over an old secret garden, twine around abandoned pillars, and break through the whimsical spaces of our imagination. In the quiet of winter, you’ll soak up the color and fresh blooms of thousands of orchids and other tropical plants. You should go check it out! It runs from February 12 through March 27. Click here to get tickets. – chicagobotanic.org/orchid

the go-to Chicago conservatories

Knock Knock! Who’s there? The 2022 Spring Show!  

The Garfield Park Conservatory’s 2022 Spring Flower Show “Knock Knock” is a fun, playful reprieve from the long Chicago winter. Beautiful blooming flowers, including tulips, hydrangeas, daffodils, and hyacinth, will be featured this year. Doors from the Rebuilding Exchange will hang among the blooms and there will be an abundance of knock knock jokes throughout the Show House.

The Spring Flower Show: Knock Knock runs February 26 through May 8, 2022.
Reservations required.  Click here to book a visit. – garfieldconservatory.org

The Lincoln Park Conservatory

2022 Flower Show Calendar 

The Lincoln Park Conservatory’s Spring Flower Show, “Pillars of Spring” invites visitors to imagine gardens in a different way – vertically. The show demonstrates that plant lovers can engage in their passion by planting from the ground upwards. Vertical elements include walls and more than a dozen free-standing pillars covered in cool-season flowers such as geranium, dianthus, larkspur and stock. Azaleas and camellias fill the room with beauty and elegance and visions of spring.

From February 26, 2022 10:00 AM – May 08, 2022 3:00 PM. Click here for details. – lincolnparkconservancy.org/projects/conservatory-garden/

Chicago Flower & Garden Show at Navy Pier

Starting in 1847, the Chicago Flower & Garden Show at Navy Pier draws in over 40,000 gardening enthusiasts. Whether you are an accomplished gardener, just looking to learn how not to kill your houseplants or looking for a great family outing this festival has it all. Click here for details. March 18, 2022 – March 22, 2022 – tripster.com/travelguide/event/chicago

Fleurs de Villes – flowers of the cities

Head over to the shops at 900 North Michigan Avenue to check out Fleurs de Villes – flowers of the cities. In each city, working with top local florists, designers, growers, and nurseries to showcase that city’s world-class talent and create stunning displays of art. 

FLOWERS MAKE US HAPPY 💐

FLEURS DE VILLES is a bespoke floral event that blooms with happiness. This year’s theme is FEMMES, celebrating remarkable women. This stunning showcase of floral talent will be freely open to the public from March 30 – April 3 and will feature more than 15 floral installations created by some of Chicago’s favorite florists.

Join us on this fresh floral trail through 900 North Michigan Shops March 30 – April 3. For real time updates on this event, follow up on instagram @900shops – photo/900 North Michigan Shops

Here is a link to a past show in Chicago. Click here for more dates in other cities.

praying for peace in Ukraine

In keeping with the SPRING theme and praying for peace in Ukraine, this photo is from a fascinating story I saw on Facebook about the Motanka, a traditional Ukrainian guardian doll. Click here to read about it. FB Photo

I was supposed to be heading to Costa Rica for a 2-week trip in mid-March but it looks like it’s just not going to happen. Between flight cancellations and COVID blowing up there, I pushed the trip to the end of the year when things slow down and its starts turning cold again. And my idea of a vacation is NOT being stuck in quarantine. Besides, tours are ramping up & I’m working hard on marketing my blog. Honestly, summer in Chicago is like a staycation with so much to do.

Are you thinking about getting away for a long weekend? Click here for the perfect 3-day travel guide to help you plan your trip to Chicago. Think Spring & safe travels!