The Chicago Botanic Garden boasts of having an average of four gardens for every mile traveled. These gardens are located on three miles of lakefront property between the 55th and Clark Road area. The Botanic Gardens of Chicago is open year-round and can be visited any time of the day. They are operated on an annual basis, except for the summer months, when the gardens are closed to visitors. In addition, some of these gardens have signed contracts with local hotels to provide their customers with free admission to their gardens.
The gardens are located in an area that offers plenty of scenic beauty, including views of the Chicago skyline, the Michigan Avenue Bridge, the Chicago River and the beautiful lake system. In addition to the scenic beauty, the Chicago Botanic Garden has a very rich history. It was founded by Dr. Max Kiehne after he realized the potential of using the landscaped areas around his house as a means of providing a habitat for birds and other wildlife. The idea was that the plants and trees would attract a wide variety of animals, including birds, butterflies and other insect species. This was a major breakthrough in agriculture, which at the time was a relatively new field in Chicago.
Today, the Chicago Botanic Garden has developed a few different features based on the wishes of its customers. For example, the southern end of the garden has what is called an entry gatehouse. This gatehouse offers an easy, pedestrian-friendly way to get to and from the various parts of the Botanical Garden. On the southern end of the garden, a pedestrian bridge has been constructed that links the southern end of the park to a new office building. At the southern end of the park, a connector sidewalk has been constructed so that people walking to and from the Botanical Garden can utilize this connection. All of these improvements were initiated by the Friends of the Chicago Botanic Garden in an effort to increase patronage by the general public.
Chicago Botanic Gardens is also home to three affiliated gardens - Lincoln Park, the Central Park neighborhood garden and the South Shoreline/Harding Park garden. All three of these gardens are managed and operated by a dedicated board of directors. The board does not sell or rent any of its property. Instead, it holds annual meetings and selectmen's meetings where the various gardens are voted upon and new strategies for expansion are recommended. The board members are generally a group of prominent residents of Chicago.
As part of their plant conservation efforts, Chicago Botanic Gardens is involved in implementing several programs that benefit the surrounding community and contribute to Chicago's greening efforts. One such program is their Invasive Plant Control Program. This program is designed to help Chicagoans avoid planting invasive species in their natural areas. Invasive plants can prove to be harmful and dangerous to surrounding neighborhoods. The program works to restrict the planting of various non-native plants that have been known to cause problems in nearby neighborhoods.
Another Chicago Botanic Gardens program benefits Chicago's arable land. The arable land encompasses over 40 conservation areas which are used for growing a variety of food products including cotton, wheat, corn, soybeans and blueberries. Illinois Department of Agriculture's Center for Food Quality and Management (CFQM) helps implement Chicago Botanic's Invasive Plant Control Program by working with local municipalities and stakeholders to plant cotton and wheat in locations not prone to plant diseases. CFQM's Invasive Species Specialist Team includes an extensive range of specialists including botanists, soil specialists, geneticists, ecologists, wildlife managers and farmers. The Chicago Botanic Garden collaborates closely with the Illinois Department of Agriculture's Center for Food Quality and Management.
The Chicago Botanic Garden has also established strategic alliances with other institutions and organizations in the region such as the Better Business Bureau and the American Society of Agriculture Extension. Through these alliances, Chicago Botanic has been able to increase its outreach program which has resulted in the participation and support of hundreds of outside partners and has led to the growth of more than 50,000 members. Chicago has grown into a world-class tourism center and the Botanic Garden has expanded into other cities including New York City. Through its work in Chicago, the world-class botanical gardens of Illinois have been able to save and sustain many threatened plants and habitats.