I’m usually not a spring person, but this year I am hungry (hungry!) for spring flowers and vibrant colors, and so yesterday I took myself on an Artist’s Date to the Garfield Park Conservatory.
Today is the official start of spring but outside the world is grey and ugly. The ground is muddy, the grass the color of wet straw, the trees black and bare. Except for a few stubborn icy patches, the snow has melted and revealed the trash from three months of the city not being able to send through the street sweepers and the picker-uppers.
Yesterday was also my Aunt Herta’s birthday (I portrayed her in my story “The White World“). She loved to photograph flowers, so I felt I was paying tribute to her by taking these pictures. And today is my mother’s birthday; all through my childhood her flowerbeds were true showpieces. It all came together with this visit to the Conservatory: memories of two important women in my life, photography and flowers.
Currently, a good number of the Conservatory’s greenhouses are closed for glass roof repairs, but still, color was to be found. There wasn’t much more to the Spring Flower display than these bright azaleas, but the Palm House offered deep greens and refreshing yellows:
When I was about 4 yrs old, I had my picture in the newspaper. I was standing among a huge display of mums at the Garfield Park Conservatory. Sadly, that newspaper clipping was lost somewhere over the years.
Nancy, yes, that's too bad that you don't have that clipping anymore!
Such a splash of colours! Thanks for sharing, Annette!
You're welcome, William!
Yes, those of us in Chicago are searching every avenue for signs of spring and color. Your photos help remind me that winter will eventually end.
I went to a dinner party this weekend and brought cala lilies as a hostess gift. With more snow in the forecast for this week I thought my friends would enjoy a bit of spring in their home.
Jennifer, I did the same thing last weekend! Brought a pot of daffodils to a dinner party. Can't wait for flowers outside!