While the palm trees, the Fern Room, the glass Chihuly installation & the Spring flower show are all very eye-catching… I’m always drawn to the Cactus Room full of crazy-cool textures, colors & patterns. Amazed by how the tough terrain & arid conditions can have all of these amazing plants, flowers & new Spring growth all under one glass roof at the Garfield Park Conservatory.

Yesterday afternoon was a great time to play hooky! With my college friends Kel & Kelly in town with some kids… and the Mimi too! They asked if I could join them at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Turns out… I COULD!!! So we had a great time touring the greenhouses seeing lots of beautiful plants & flowers under the landmark conservatory glass ceilings.

Making me even more anxious for Spring to finally catch-up & make some plants start growing in my yard!!! I’m tired of gray & brown… I want some GREEN in my life!!!

And while the floral beauty was indoors, Spring is in the air & it was perfect for a stroll through the mostly dormant gardens at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Sure, there was still snow on the ground… but that’s just Spring in Chicago! I was just happy to be outside playing in nature again!

And while the Orchid Show was the main reason I went to the Chicago Botanic Garden… you still can’t miss the arid cactus room. So many cool textures, patterns & symmetry going on in there. Impressive every time!

Not quite sure what plant this was… but I think it was my favorite one there! Not part of the Orchid Show per se… but this huge vine is growing up & over a large doorway with these humongous dangling clusters of flowers… in the coolest color ever. A greenish-bluish-seafoamyish color I felt I might have never even seen before?!!!

Two days ago it was literally snowing in Chicago. Today it’s warm & sunny… like 70-degrees… and I have “green things” coming through in my garden! Spring officially begins in two days… and we have a forecast for more snow & rain! Welcome to Springtime in Chicago!!!

Bright & sunny… with the Sunday sunshine playing nicely on the orchids in my dining room!

Another “floral surprise” today… my Thanksgiving Cactus has decided to bloom all over again?! This is the exact same cactus plant that was in full bloom for my Holiday Home Show back in November!!! Guess it got tired of just sitting around being green? Time to show off a bit!!! And again… I think it’s all about the handmade flower pot that keeps the plant happy. Just sayin’…

Look who decided to pop open & greet the day today! My first re-blooming orchid of the season! Hopefully a few more orchids will start blooming in the weeks to come. Always fun to have an old orchid re-bloom at home… I’m sure it’s the handmade flower pot that makes the difference!

Christmas may be over… but Winter goes on forever! And here’s a cute little snippet of holly & berries from the bush in my front porch. A cutie-patootie vase with a little Winter freshness.