Media Preview Chicago Flower & Garden Show

Update: These are my posts on the Chicago Flower & Garden Show (pictures and video).
Chicago Flower & Garden Show 2009-My roundup of the garden show
Dancing Stones
Hope for a Healing Planet
Greening Up
Reflections: An Asian Inspired garden
Rooftop Garden of the Future
Garden Marketplace
Paradise in a Parking Lot

Today I attended the media preview of the Chicago Flower & Garden show. It has been a number of years since I attended the Chicago Flower & Garden show so I wasn't sure what to expect. Below you'll find a few pictures to give you an idea of what the show looks like. I'm going to do something different than when I went to the Independent Garden Center Show. I'll take suggestions on what I should cover in this blog. Some of the displays left me scratching my head and some wowed me. The show stealer (IMO) is the light and sound display by Nathan Tomlinson from Chicago-based Sound Investment. It is a 24 minute show that starts off with birds chirping early in the morning and takes you through a Chicago thunderstorm and ends with a sunset. If you're attending the show make sure to look up. It shouldn't be missed-MrBrownThumb.

Paradise in a Parking Lot is one of those pieces that people are either going to love or going to hate. I loved it. This is a photo of one side of the display.

Reflections: A Spirited Garden of Asian Inspiration. I had a religious experience at this garden when I bumped into Rich of Rich's Foxwilliow pines. I hadn't seen him in many years and I'm glad I came across him. I'll create a post on that later.

I believe this garden is called Dancing Stones. The photo on the left is a view from the top floor and the one on the right is the view you see from the show's floor.

Rooftop Garden of the Future. View from above and view from the floor.

This one is called Greening Up and it is suppose to display the several garden themes around once structure each quadrant is different garden.

If you love the way the light and sound show interacts with this installation.

A smaller installation titled Victorian Vogue. The garden bed is planted with several annuals. The headboard and chair that you'll see at the show were still under construction while I was taking photos.

Tables in Bloom. A series of tables capes.

If you can't attend the Chicago Flower & Garden Show look over the floor plan for the Chicago Flower & Garden Show and you can make suggestions in the comments section on what I should cover. I'll post larger pics, plant details (where I can) if one of these installations really interests you and you'd like to borrow the ideas for your own garden. There is more on display at the show than what I posted here. After spending the last two hours looking over pictures I decided to only post a few. The Chicago Flower & Garden Show runs March 7-15 2009.