Chicago Botanic Garden

Explore the Garden

PHOTO: heritage garden center

Heritage Garden

The Heritage Garden pays tribute to the botanic gardens of the past and the manner in which they organized and displayed plants.

The Heritage Garden is modeled after the first botanical garden in Padua, Italy, and is dedicated to Carolus Linneaus, who established binomial nomenclature as the system of naming plants we still use today. Modeled after Europe's first botanical garden in Padua, Italy, it is a circular space, divided into four quadrants. A large status of Linneaus presides over the garden.

PHOTO: purple mums

Seven perimeter beds display plants according to their geographic origin; 14 additional beds display the major plant families grouped according to their scientific classification.

In the center is a signature water feature with cascading sheets of water and a classic physic garden, which is planted with medicinal plants from around the world. In the summer, three aquatic pools contain water lilies, lotus, and other tropical water plants.

Find out what's in bloom now.

Download a guide for the Heritage Garden. (PDF 328K)