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SHOW HOUSE
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House History:
First in Bloom
On the 8th of April, 1908, even before other rooms of
the Conservatory were planted, the Show House was open to an eager new
public. The start of an important spring flower tradition that is in
swing to this day, the first flowers planted in the Show House consisted
of tulips, azaleas, hyacinths and rhododendrons. The following year, the
Conservatory hosted three flower shows in the Show House. The midwinter
display celebrated the Christmas holidays with poinsettias, Glore de
Lorraine (a rare begonia), the daisy-like cineraria, and Christmas
peppers; the autumn Chrysanthemum show featured hundreds of specimens of
mums; the spring show provided a profusion of blooming Easter lilies,
golden daffodils and Persian violets.
(Source for this section: Inspired By Nature, page 68.)
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The Special Plants:
Flower Shows for the Centennial Year
The tradition of using the Show House as a changing
landscape throughout the year is as old as the Conservatory itself. With
a nod to the past, the 2008 Centennial Flower Shows will include a
number of historical plants and themes that reflect a century of
American culture and horticulture. Each unique show will pay tribute to
the Conservatory’s long, illustrious past, and will include some plants
from the time-honored All-American Selection list of hybrids.
Spring 2008 • The Age of Azaleas
• February 2 - May 11, 2008
The first half of the spring show will feature azaleas,
some of whom are descendents of those individual plants used in
Chicago’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. The second half will feature
hydrangea. In addition to the flowering shrubs, the display will feature
more than 5000 bulbs, including tulips, daffodils, and hyacinths.
Summer 2008
• Flower Power • June 7 - September 28, 2008
Our summer tropical show will feature showy flowering
plants in addition to those selected for colorful foliage. The theme
“Flower Power” will be enriched by a soundtrack of hit 1960’s and 70’s
songs that reference plants and flowers.
Autumn 2008 •
Mum’s the Word • October 11 - November 9, 2008
The autumn season will feature a re-creation of the indoor
Chrysanthemum Show that was so popular at the Conservatory in the
1920’s. In addition to the indoor display, the outdoor City Garden will
feature hardy mums, ornamental kales, and other fall botanicals.
Winter 2008 • Holiday
Traditions • November 28 - January 11, 2009
The culminating centennial show will use
traditional poinsettias (mainly reds) that were popular at the turn of
the century, as well as flowering plant materials in reds, oranges, and
whites. Holiday decorations reflecting diverse traditions will also be
featured.
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As a tribute to the Conservatory’s historic role as
Museum of Botany (a name bestowed on us by the West Park Commission in
1931), this centennial year, a section of the Show House will become a
miniature botanical museum. This living time capsule will not only
display important plants of past decades, but will also address
botanical concepts that bring, to the forefront, the role a conservatory
plays in the enduring connection between people and plants.
(Source for this section: Inspired By Nature, page 74.)
Plants Have Ancestors •
February 2 - May 11, 2008
Cultivars of the Past & Present
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June 7 - September 28, 2008
The Making of a Hybrid
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October 11 - November 9, 2008
Holiday Hybrids
• November 28 - January 11, 2009
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