The City of Chicago's motto is "Urbs in Horto", which means city in a garden. Our city is home to a vast number of beautiful gardens, and many of those are located in Chicago's parks. Since the development of Chicago’s earliest parks, gardens have been an integral part of the Chicago Park District and are a top tourist attraction.
The Chicago Park District’s Community Gardens in the Parks program provides guidance, support and resources to dozens of community garden groups across the city. From helping maintain beautifully landscaped perennial beds to managing your own plot of vegetables, there are a wide range of opportunities available for those who wish to become involved in Chicago’s vibrant gardening movement.
The District's Floral Gardens are planted for the summer by June 15th, and most hold their color well into October. Earlier in the year, look for spring plantings at a few parks, including Grant Park. These gardens are at their peak mid-April to mid-May. With close to 25-acres of gardens currently enhancing Chicago’s parks, visitors will get a colorful display of flowers throughout the spring, summer and early fall seasons.
Our Nature Gardens are smaller planting beds that contain only native plants. Visits to these gardens, with species often planted in clumps, are a great opportunity for patrons to learn how to identify native flowers that they may also find in some of the larger natural areas that can be found throughout our parks.