This was a glorious week in Chicago. The weather was fantastic and I got to visit so many different gardens! As an attendee of the Perennial Plant Conference I visited private home gardens, the Chicago Botanic Garden, and the illustrious Lurie Garden in Millennium Park!
I found a new appreciation for the work of Piet Oudolf, the Dutch designer of the Lurie Gardens and the High Line in New York City. This is the second time I've visited the Lurie, the first being in fall 2017, when the garden was honey brown and in it's "winter interest" stage (that is to say seedpods and grasses galore!) Seeing the Garden in it's full summer flush was so different in it's sheer aliveness. I spent hours in the garden walking around, finding an empty bench, practicing being still for 20 minutes and then getting up again to take in another view. I even met a guardian angel there - a human woman who, when she sat down, I immediately recognized as kindred. We talked about life and the similar trials we're walking. Truly a magical place.
