Chicago Weekend Fun!

It’s springtime in Chicago again and the conversations at family events have turned to garden projects and where to find the best flowers and bedding plants for the season. But, I am kind of an armchair gardener right now since I live in a condo and there is no land where I can plant flowers or have a patio. I still relish spring though because I end up helping  my mom out with planting annuals and perennials every year and get to still experience the fun of planting season in Chicago after a cold winter. Also, around Mother’s day is the perfect time to take mom to the garden center and buy her a trunk full of plants to use in the garden, in pots and on the patio. It’s a functional gift but it is fun too.

We used to shop for all our plants at a small family owned garden center in Downers Grove called “The Potting Bench” owned by the Wingren Landscape Company of Willowbrook and Wingren family. It was on Fairview Rd for years until they sold the location for a housing development about 2 years ago. Since then we have been using a mixture of cheap annual flats (like petunias, impatients and marigolds) and basic potting soil and pots from Jewel Food Stores and/or Home Depot.

Then to make a bigger impact we go to Vern Goers in Hinsdale, IL (seen in picture) for the showy and unique stuff to mix in the garden. Vern Goers has an entire greenhouse of just geraniums in all colors. These geraniums are twice the size of the tiny ones you find at Home Depot and they bloom more also. (they also raise impatients in house and have a greenhouse full of clancho, violets and poinsettias at Christmas) We also find more unusual perennials and more interesting, unique and colorful annuals for the pots that will be on the front step or more visible. Its a way to still do cool things with the garden but not spend an arm and a leg on plants.

The cost of a flowering flat of annuals (impatients, verbena, alyssum, petunias or marigolds) at Jewel or Home Depot is usually about $12 bucks. At Vern Goers it might be closer to $20. Plus they have individual pots for small interesting annuals and perennials that we usually pick out that can range from $3 to more than $10 dollars each plant (stock, wildflowers, coreopsis, clematis, coleus). Rose Bushes, trees and shrubs can be even more. So, it can get expensive fast. If you get a hanging geranium or any hanging pot plant at a Chicagoland Jewel Store expect to pay around $15 dollars. At Vern Goers expect it to be bigger and more beautiful but cost from $17-$30 dollars depending on how many plants it contains.

There is also a well known Naperville, IL plant center called “The Growing Place” that many people have recommended. I have not been there yet, but I plan to check it out this spring. I am curious about where other people have found good quality plants and good prices plant shopping in the Chicago Area. Post a comment below and let me know your thoughts.

I think that in general the big-box retailers like Home Depot have good prices but not always good quality plants. They can be small, buggy or damaged in shipping. Plus if the shipment has been there a few days many plants start to wilt because they may not be getting watered or enough sun. These Home Depot, Lowes, Menards or Jewel stores usually only offer the most common plants and colors that they can sell in mass quantity. If you get there when they are fresh from delivery you can get some healthy plants at great prices. Some of these places even offer some basic vegetable plants like Tomatoes also.

In contrast, small family owned garden centers or green houses (like Vern Goers or The Growing Place) usually have much stronger plants to choose from and if they cater to the upscale neighborhoods in Hinsdale and Naperville they grow interesting annuals beyond the standard petunias, geraniums, marigolds and impatients. They have real gardeners working there that you can ask questions of and you can get good advice about what plants are best for your sunny or shade garden. I like these places better but they are much more expensive, almost double the price of the big-box retailers sometimes.

So, many of us end up making twice as many trips, and getting plants each year from 2-4 different places. It’s not the most efficient way to plant your garden, but you can save some serious money on your garden. Let me know your favorite garden centers and plants and your least favorites also. I always enjoy the comments and feedback.