Chicagoland orchid festival: opinions please
 

Hi, I was just wondering from those of you who have been there, how is the Chicagoland Orchid Festival?

I want to go, but I have been disappointed by shows/sales before. Normally I would get in the car and drive five hours and enjoy the experience even if the festival wasn't great, but currently, to go it requires a lot of effort (small kids, pets and orchids).

So what I want to know from those of you who have been there is, will it be worth my efforts? There is nothing like picking out your own plants and talking to other people who are interested in the same things you are, but I have been to sales where I have left empty handed and been disappointed by the sale/show overall.

Thanks in advance for you opinions!

Hi Nikkik,

We've driven up maybe 4 times in the last 10 years, as we could manage it. We enjoyed every trip, and came home each time with many plants.

I'm not sure our experiences will have much relevance to this year as things have changed so much. Klehm's hasn't been on the tour for several years, Windsong's last year was a couple of years ago (the last time we were there), and of course Oak Hill (Orchids Garden Centre & Nursery) will now be a guest grower rather than a host so you'll see only what they bring rather than being able to prowl through every greenhouse.

On the other hand, they still have a great bunch of guest growers who will offer a wide range of plants, and having only two sites will mean less driving to get to everything. It took hours of driving around the west side of Chicago when there were 5 or 6 host sites. I expect we will still go, if our schedules permit.

Steve

Steve,

Thanks so much for the input! We might just be preparing for a road trip after all!

Just a heads up for anyone in Puerto Rico now. The Jardin Botánico de Caguas, the Botanical Garden in Caguas, has just opened an orchid garden section. The Botanical Garden is open Thursday thru Sunday, 10 am to 4 pm. I'm hoping to visit this weekend. They also are on FaceBook if anyone is interested.

Thanks for the suggestion, Paul. Sadly, we weren't able to go this year, but if we decide to go next year, I'll keep it in mind.

We were able to go to cranbrook on Friday and see the dinosaurs, but our favorites were the bats, sloth, skunks, owls and flying squirrels in the nocturnal exhibit.