The ninth annual Chicago Flower & Garden Show presented by Ace Hardware sets the stage for spring with this year’s theme, ‘Theater in the Garden.’ In the spotlight are 30 themed gardens, 200 garden product and educational booths, and ongoing lectures and demonstrations. The curtain rises on this garden in the city Saturday, March 8 and takes its final bow on Sunday, March 16. In full bloom on Chicago’s Navy Pier, 600 E. Grand Ave. in Festival Hall, the show is open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Adult admission is $10 weekdays and $12 weekends; $4 weekdays and $5 weekends for children (ages 4-12). For info visit www.chicagoflower.com or (312) 321-0077.
For the first time in its nine-year history, the Chicago Flower & Garden Show is introducing an annual Individual Class Competition. This year’s competition provides an opportunity for gardeners to showcase their own creations with entries in three skill levels: amateur, professional and student. Individual gardeners must adhere to this year’s ‘Theater in the Garden’ theme by titling their container gardens with allusions to favorite movies, operas or plays. All Individual Class Competition exhibits will be presented on the Chicago Flower & Garden Show floor.
A ‘container garden’ is defined as a single pot containing two or more species or cultivars. Containers must not exceed 100 lbs. and all plant materials must be natural and rooted. All entries must include a final, numbered listing of plants used based on accepted references such as The American Horticultural Society A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, Hortus Third and The Royal Horticultural Society Index of Garden Plants. See www.chicagoflower.com.