Spring Walk of the Great Basin
Map

Your spring visit to the Garden should include a sojourn to the spectacular new Gardens of the Great Basin. This 14-acre collection of three display gardens is the largest development project in the Garden’s history, and clearly affirms the Chicago Botanic Garden’s distinction as a leader in garden design and natural resource conservation.

Evening Island shines as an important example of the New American Garden style pioneered by its designers, preeminent landscape architects James van Sweden and Wolfgang Oehme. Broad sweeps of perennials and ornamental grasses combine with distinctive trees and shrubs to give a dramatic and artistic feel to this five-acre garden. In spring, a grand carpet of cheery daffodils lights up Evening Island’s graceful and expansive hillside.

Lakeside Gardens curve along the land surrounding the Great Basin, their exuberant spring blooms reflected in the water. Hundreds of flowering crab apple trees blush and burn in shades of pink and red, while daffodils and tulips brighten the shoreline below.

Pedestrian walkways encircle the Great Basin and traverse Evening Island, ushering visitors from one gorgeous vista to the next. Follow paths to find a stone council ring, the Butz Memorial Carillon tower, and the Nautilus, a seashell-shaped terrace.

The Arch footbridge connects the eastern Lakeside Gardens to Evening Island, and provides a breathtaking panoramic view of the Gardens of the Great Basin.

The Serpentine footbridge forms a curving link, right at water’s level, to the western lakeside Gardens. Pause here to enjoy another dramatic landscape view.

Water Gardens ringing the Great Basin extend gardens into the water in a way never before seen at a botanic garden. In spring, shoreline vegetation is just starting to fill in. Look closely to see shallow-water planting shelves extending into the waters of the Great Basin. These specially designed planting spaces have been lined with special materials to prevent erosion, improve water quality and stabilize shoreline plants.