DEMONSTRATION GARDEN

Garden History:
Outdoor Classrooms  

In 1915, the Chicago Park District planted “school gardens” in Humboldt, Douglas and Garfield Parks to teach the public the most practical means of vegetable gardening. Later, during WWII, tending “war gardens” (also known as Victory Gardens) was a popular way to help out the nation during a time of crisis. The Conservatory’s own large victory garden was located just south of the Conservatory, where the Sensory Garden and parking lot now are. In the spirit of these garden traditions, the Alliance planted the outdoor Demonstration Garden in 2001 to help educate city dwellers on urban agriculture. It features seasonal food crops like tomatoes, peppers and greens, as well as  an array of garden flowers, composting bins, and a working beehive.

(Source for this section: Inspired By Nature, pages 73, 74.)

A Special Place:
Compost Alley  

At the far south end of the Demonstration Garden, you’ll find composting containers of all shapes and sizes that are working to recycle the season’s plant waste into new soil. Time, bacteria, insects, and worms all play a large part in breaking down this dead organic material into healthy organic soil for the next growing season. You might say the Demonstration Garden is a time capsule in itself, recording each passing season with the recycling of nutrients back into the soil for future growth.

A Special Place:
Honey's Historic Home  

For millions of years, bees have been adapting and changing right alongside flowering plants. In fact, over time, honeybees have developed such a close relationship with flowering plants that one can hardly survive without the other. The earliest record of beekeeping dates from around 2400 B.C.; this was when people first figured out how to take advantage of the good things bees produce, while not interfering with their livelihood. The working beehive you see in the Demonstration Garden is home to over 50,000 honeybees. Most are female “workers” with a life span of three to four months, who spend long summer days gathering nectar and pollen from Conservatory flowers. The queen, who can live up to four years, survives multiple seasons in order to keep the hive alive. The Demonstration Garden hive, as well as several other hives on the grounds, is maintained by our team of volunteer beekeepers. A good portion of the honey produced by the bees is harvested and bottled for retail sale. To purchase some of this sweet urban honey, visit the Conservatory Gift Shop!

Special People:
Many Helping Hands — Conservatory Volunteers  

Like many areas of the Conservatory over the last 100 years, the Demonstration Garden would not be possible without the hard work and dedication of volunteers. Each year, with the guidance of Conservatory staff, dozens of people donate their time and energy to plant seeds, weed beds, water plants, harvest crops, build trellises, turn compost and bottle honey. These volunteer “Gardeners at Work” often work in the public eye, so visitors have the opportunity to inquire about the tasks at hand or ask questions about their own gardens. Historically, the Demonstration Garden is a great place to get both hands dirty and questions answered- a tradition that continues in earnest today.