Oak Park Conservatory

Situated on the southern part of Oak Park is the Oak Park Conservatory. Small in scale in comparison to the Garfield Park Conservatory yet the Oak Park Conservatory has it's own wonderful collection and interpretation of plants and flowers. My favorite feature of the Conservatory were the large ponderosa lemon trees that were ripening when John and I went to visit. The small gift shop also displayed maidenhair ferns and pondersoa seedlings to purchase. The intimate scale of the Conservatory in some comparison to the Garfield Park has made me realize the great capacity and diversity of plants and also how appreciative people are of gardening here in Chicago.

Garfield Park Conservatory

Heading directly west from Chicago's downtown Loop, there is an outstanding garden oasis called the Garfield Park Conservatory. Having arrived in Chicago during the middle of winter the Conservatory was a welcomed retreat away from the cold. The conservatory is comprised of several large glass atriums filled with an abundant variety of plants, trees, and flowers. Several unique features to the conservatory at Garfield Park included a special atrium for children and a 'show' atrium filled with hanging inverted yellow umbrellas and special blooming plants featured by the Conservatory. For a suggested donation for $5 for adults a visit to the Conservatory was definitely worth it and I hope to go back very soon.