A Fascinating Day: Chicago Flower and Garden Show Set-Up

On the morning of Friday, March 4, when I walked outside in the misty rain, it smelled earthy. Birds were chirping happily and I spied a flock of geese flying and chortling overhead—they all seemed happy spring is around the corner. And, with the harbinger of spring comes one of my favorite events: The Chicago Flower and Garden Show at Navy Pier, which I attended March 4, in a sneak peek before the show opened the next day.

In its 17th year, the Flower and Garden Show is a salve for the senses after the winter we have had this year. The colors, the scents, the designs—they are not to be missed. My friend, Stella Catalano, of Addison, and I have gone together to the show for the past ten years. Stella—Realtor by trade, flower enthusiast by avocation—loves the creative side of gardening. She is presently taking Floral Design 2 at College of DuPage with instructor Gail Gregor. This year, I received a special invitation to travel to Navy Pier for the set-up of the show and not only observe, but also help Stella’s class construct the COD booth, which is the only college with a booth in the show this year.

While I was waiting for Stella to meet me at the entrance, I was watching gardeners, exhibitors and workers carrying boxes marked “live plants” into Festival Hall—along with ladders, fabric, wheelbarrows of dirt, and many decorative items—the uses left up to the imagination of the designers. Upon entering the venue, we were bombarded with noise from every corner. There were actual street cleaning machines riding around, the drivers spraying the floor surface, which is cement, to clear it of dirt and then cleaning it with their machines. They ride around continuously to ensure the floor is clean. We also saw front loaders delivering a load of dirt to exhibits and workers on cherry pickers up near the ceiling making sure all the light bulbs worked. As I gazed around, I could see glimpses of what the final booths would look like, some in more advanced stages of readiness. Everyone I saw was working—digging, planting, arranging. I heard someone say, “Everything has to be done today.”

This year’s theme is “The Sport of Gardening” and each of the 30-plus gardens has a sports theme. The College of DuPage booth is “General Admission” featuring a tailgating party utilizing flowers depicting food appropriate for the party. A wooden wall surrounds each exhibit and the exhibitors are not allowed to put nail holes into the wood, so any fabric or decoration must be fastened with either tape or straight pins. At the COD booth, we put up sky fabric and also camouflage netting for the grassy area along with an orange plastic fence around the “field.” We stuck paper cups in the fence with flowers in them spelling out “GO TEAM.” The booth and all design ideas were collaborations from the Floral Design 2 class.

In addition to her adjunct instructor position at COD, Gail Gregor is the owner of the wedding and event floral design company Stylish Stems, Inc., with shops in Lombard and Oakbrook.  Her students all feel fortunate to have her teaching them the fine art of floral design. The fact that she is a business woman with hands-on experience lends credibility to the craft, as she can instruct them not only on how to do things, but also can share her knowledge of what it is like to work in the field—or garden, as it were. Just as the students value her, she also appreciates them.

 “I love teaching. I have been with COD for four years and it is so much fun for me,” said Gail.

At the COD booth, Gail was in the process of designing and building a tablescape. She has displayed at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show for 11 years. When we were at the show last year, Stella snapped a photo of her favorite tablescape and discovered this year in class that it was Gail’s!

As I left Festival Hall, I left the preparation stage behind—looking forward to the event in all its grandeur. Chicago at its best—the beginning of spring. See the photos attached to this column for a glimpse behind the scenes at the show, as well as for pictures of the completed COD booth.

The Chicago Flower and Garden Show runs from March 5 – 13 at Navy Pier. Show hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tickets are available through the Website www.chicagoflower.com or by calling 773-435-1250. Tickets are $15 for weekdays for adults and $17 on weekends. Also, there is an after work special from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday for $13. Check, too with www.goldstar.com to see if they have any discounted tickets.