GWA Chicago Story Tours - day one

Today I'm excited to finally start blogging about the trip I took to Chicago a few weeks ago, where we worked two, count 'em two, shows at once!

Invincibelle Spirit display

In August, the Independent Garden Center show and the GWA Annual Conference & Expo both converged on Navy Pier and they definitely kept me, and my coworker Adriana on our toes.

Our journey began at Navy Pier on August 13 when we hauled materials to set up booths for the IGC and GWA shows.

We have been working hard to get the word out about reaching the $1 million donation goal for breast cancer research through the Invincibelle Spirit Campaign for a Cure. To that end, we set up a display in the outer lobby and I made the announcement prior to the Charlie Hall keynote address.

We also set up a pretty pink booth a the GWA show, where we gave away nearly 300 plants! It was great meeting new people and reconnecting with friends I have met over the past few months, and I'm eager to become more involved with this fun new family of plant lovers.

So when I was approached on Tuesday to help with day two of the garden tours, I was all in! Apparently one of the bus docents couldn't make it and I had experienced the tours in Austin not long ago - so I felt confident I could read the script prior to each stop and make sure we didn't leave anyone behind. How hard could it be, right? (Hint, see next week's post, "Day two of the Story Tours and the saga of Bus 3."

But let's not get ahead of ourselves...

Day One of the garden tours began at 12:30 on August 16 when we boarded one of the four big tour buses at Navy Pier and set out for our first stop, the Garfield Park Conservatory. Constructed between 1906 and 1908, the conservatory has seen many renovations and has changed hands over time. Now owned and managed by the Chicago Park District, it remains an urban oasis in "Chicago's backyard" serving its community as a free resource that they can access 365 days a year.

I was with a group that chose the guided tours led by one of the park district volunteers, I was completely in awe of all the unique and interesting plants that were housed in this historic site. Here are a few of my favorites:

Show House

Scheelea Palm

The largest room the in the conservatory, the Palm House, held many beautiful surprises such as the Scheelea Palm (Attalea phalerata) which is the biggest, oldest palm in the conservatory. The palm dates back to 1926, when it was sprouted from a seed collected on an expedition to Brazil. The tree, which would be much larger in nature, has survived two major room renovations but now that its tallest fronds are brushing the ceiling we were told it won’t last much longer. The good news is a baby Scheelea sits just north of the original that can take its place once the larger one is gone.

Nymphaea thermarum

Moving from largest to smallest, the conservatory is also is home to the Nymphaea thermarum - the world's smallest water lily. The pads (leaves) of N. thermarum can measure less than 1/2" across, which is less than 10% the width of the next smallest species in the genus Nymphaea. Also known as the pygmy Rwandan water lily, this plant is extinct in the wild and only grows in damp mud rather than water. You can see we were a little early for the flower, but it is about the size of a nickel when fully open.

Garfield Park Conservatory

The next stop on our tour was the Farm on Ogden, which is a project of the Chicago Botanic Garden and the Lawndale Christian Health Center. Where do I begin... this project does everything. From sustainable growing to education programs, to a place where the community can get affordable (and sometimes free) organic produce, this place is the epitome of how to do a community program right.

Seedlings in sprouting beds

Aquaponic system

In the food production program, seedlings are sprouted in coconut husk on a rock bed under purple LED lights. They are then transferred to a 50,000-gallon aquaponic system which can grow up to 2500 heads of lettuce at a time in raft beds. Big barrels of tilapia produce waste that feeds the produce, so the entire system is organic and self-supporting.

Other programs include the North Lawndale youth farm, complete with raised beds bursting with produce, an onsite bee pod from which beeswax products are made, a commercial teaching kitchen and an aggregation kitchen where produce can be cleaned and prepped for retail sale in the farm stand, or provided free to those who have a fresh food "prescription" from the Lawndale Christian Health Center through their Veggie RX program.

But we're not done yet! This 'little farm that could' also runs a job training initiative for Chicago Public School students, ex-offenders, and future urban farmers. Participants get hands-on experience in farming, food safety, and cooking and nutrition through Windy City Harvest's urban agriculture and certificate programs.

There is a lot of action taking place in this relatively small city lot!


Finally, we visited Ping Tom Memorial Park. The park's 17-acre site was originally a Chicago and Western Indiana Railroad yard located along the edge of the South Branch of the Chicago River in the Armour Square Community. In 1998, the Chicago Park District began transforming the old railyard into a beautiful rolling green space, taking full advantage of the impressive river views.

Today, Ping Tom Memorial Park holds a children's playground, community gathering areas, and Chinese landscape design elements.

The park was named in honor of the leading force behind its creation, Chinatown's most noted civic leader, Ping Tom (1935-1995). A lifelong resident of Chinatown, Ping Tom formed the Chinese American Development Corporation in 1984.

The park is home to 2.9 acres of native prairie and wetland habitat, supporting local wildlife, birds and other pollinators.

A pagoda offers a fantastic space for picnics and other leisure activities, and spaces that may otherwise be an eyesore have been beautified with art that is a collaboration of artists and the community, with the goal of bridging different cultures.

So that's day one of the GWA story tours in a nutshell! Click here to see all my photos from day one, and I'll be back next week with my account of the Day 2 Story Tours, otherwise known as The Saga of Bus #3. 

Until next week...never stop growing!

Natalie