for immediate release

Dwarf Conifer Garden Gets Spruced Up

Currently under renovation, opening in June, 2008

Media Only:
Julie McCaffrey
(847) 835-8213
jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org

GLENCOE, Ill. (Sept.25, 2007)—Work will begin this fall on a redesign of the Dwarf Conifer Garden, due to open in June, 2008. Included will be an inviting new entrance stairway with planting pockets, terraces that allow for stunning garden views, and enhanced top-of-the-hill vistas.

Funded through the generous support of Georgiana M. Taylor, the garden will be much like an outdoor living room. Visitors will enter off the Rose Garden Terrace through a spacious stone staircase. "Walls" of evergreens provide enclosure and "windows" provide views of the gardens below and beyond. Low rock outcroppings double as natural furniture where visitors can warm themselves in the sun. Stone troughs showcase the many mini- and micro-conifer varieties available. The highest point of the Dwarf Conifer Garden offers a magnificent view of the nearby Elizabeth Hubert Malott Japanese Garden.

Dwarf conifers are either naturally small or a mutation of a regular conifer species. They are called “dwarf” because of their small size relative to that of other species. Conifers generally bear their seeds in cones. Many mature and beloved dwarf specimens will be strategically repositioned to fit the redesign and dozens of new evergreen species will be added. Careful attention was paid to plant selection to include fantastic shapes of globes, buns, columns and pyramids in unexpected colors like blue, gold, emerald and chartreuse.

The Dwarf Conifer Garden originally opened in 1988. It contains several rare species such as one of the largest weeping Norway spruces in the Midwest, a 30-year-old thread leaf false cypress, and a Horstmann’s Silberlocke Korean fir, all of which will not be moved as part of the project. The renovation was designed by Douglas Hoerr Landscape Architecture.

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The Chicago Botanic Garden, one of the green treasures of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 distinct display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and woodlands. With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is open every day of the year, except Dec. 25. Admission is free; select event fees apply. Parking is $15; free for members. On Tuesdays, senior citizens age 62 and older pay just $7 for parking. The Garden is located at 1000 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.chicagobotanic.org, or call (847) 835-5440 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter transportation information.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the public in 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the Chicago Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant science, landscape design and gardening arts. Through the Division of Plant Science and Conservation, Garden scientists work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives that have global impact. The Center for Teaching and Learning brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and teachers. The Garden's Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening programs provide nationally recognized community outreach and service programs. The Garden is also breaking new ground in urban horticulture and jobs training through a 15-acre project in the North Lawndale neighborhood of Chicago called Windy City Harvest. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by the American Association of Museums and is a member of the American Public Gardens Association (APGA). In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden received the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and Horticulture magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards of horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting and demonstrating best gardening practices.