Forest Preserves District of Cook County

In 1965, the Forest Preserve District of Cook County signed over 300 wet acres of lowland marsh at the north end of the Skokie Lagoons to the Chicago Horticultural Society. Soon, a herd of backhoes and dump trucks would shape the land into the lagoons and nine islands that are now one of the country’s most-visited public gardens. “Few of the 950,000 people who visit the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe each year likely realize that they’re enjoying part of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County,” said District President Toni Preckwinkle. “Not only is the Garden built on Forest Preserve District land, but the District also provides about $9 million each year for the Garden in support of its world-class operations and programs.”
 

Do North

Four of the Chicago area’s most acclaimed cultural attractions—Chicago Botanic Garden, Kohl Children’s Museum of Greater Chicago, Ravinia Festival and Writers Theatre—have joined forces to bring awareness of the rich artistic, cultural, environmental, community and family activities that make the northern suburbs of Chicago a unique place to live, work, and visit. Visit www.donorth.org for information and special offers.
 

Lake County, Illinois, Convention & Visitors Bureau

Lake County, Illinois, is the perfect place to kick off your vacation, with fantastic events for everyone.
 

Plants of Concern

This Garden program engages citizen scientists to monitor the Chicago Wilderness region’s rarest plants, assess trends in their populations, and provide important data used to conserve our rapidly declining floral heritage.
 

Chicago Wilderness

The Garden’s partner, Chicago Wilderness, is an alliance of organizations that champions biodiversity and its contribution to the quality of life in the urban, suburban, and rural areas of the Chicago Metropolitan region.
 

Chicagoland Grows

Chicagoland Grows is an innovative plant introduction program developed to promote the use of new plant cultivars that are well adapted to the growing conditions of the Upper Midwest. While regional in focus, the program’s plants can be grown successfully in all zone-appropriate regions of North America, Europe, and around the world. Chicagoland Grows® is a corporate partnership among the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Morton Arboretum, and the Ornamental Grower’s Association of Northern Illinois (OGA), a network of wholesale nurseries located in northeastern Illinois.