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 Community Programs
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| Local Chicago Public Library branches offer a range of free gardening programs in cooperation with the Chicago Botanic Garden. Blooming Branches features gardening topics of interest to urban gardeners. Branch libraries across the city use the Garden's materials for special programs.
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To create these community gardens, the Chicago Botanic Garden works with diverse community organizations, including neighborhood development associations, AIDS agencies, domestic violence shelters and churches.
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Since 1980, the Garden has been involved in more than 200 community gardens, and 22 more were developed or enhanced in 2001. With the support of Senator Richard Durbin, Neighborhood Gardens is funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. See a map of community gardens (view with Acrobat Reader). |
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| As a collaborator in the School Garden Initiative, the Garden
is working with 21 schools to develop teaching gardens on their
campuses. New gardens this year include Williams School at 2700
S. Dearborn, with beds that feature certain geometric shapes,
colors, letters or numbers.
Another new garden at Hawthorne School, 3300 N. Clifton, will have a berm planted with prairie and butterfly plants, a meandering path, a weather station and bean tepees. Several other schools are adding new spring plantings, pathways, prairies or bird feeding zones. |
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| Each school garden evolves differently to meet an individual school’s
needs. Educators are asked what they want to teach in their garden,
and their ideas for environmental science, art and creative writing
are incorporated into the garden design.
The Garden’s partners in the School Garden Initiative are the Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Schools, City of Chicago Department of Planning and Development, Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance and Openlands Project. The Garden helped several Chicago public schools to plant trees on their school grounds in response to national tragic events and in memory of victims of the September 11 attacks. See a map of school gardens (view with Acrobat Reader). |
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Through the Garden’s College First program, a number of city high school students interested in attending college can receive mentoring, paid summer apprenticeships and other support. Three Chicago public high schools are participating in the program: Amundsen High School, Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences and Hyde Park Academy. These schools were selected either because of their horticultural focus or their need for programs to serve at-risk students. |
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Participants are selected during their sophomore year. College First works with one group of students from sophomore year through high school graduation. Students receive one-on-one mentoring from a Garden staff member; a paid, eight-week summer apprenticeship at the Garden – including round-trip bus transportation; exposure to various colleges and careers; and advice on applying to colleges. Since 1994, 35 students have completed the program and entered college or other post-high school programs. Twelve additional students plan to begin college in 2001. |
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Click here for a brochure. You will need Acrobat Reader to view this pamphlet. |
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1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022
The Chicago Botanic Garden is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.
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The Neighborhood Gardens program brings beauty and cohesiveness to neighborhoods from Pullman to Edison Park. 
