The Chicago Botanic Garden is celebrating connections of all kinds, including deep relationships humans have with nature, and essential interdependence between plants and their ecosystems with Love in Bloom. Now through September 24, visitors will be inspired by the plant-people connection on how to thrive in a world that cuts across generations and cultures.

“Love is universal and whether expressed for others, ourselves, animals, or plants, connections are found and formed throughout our lives,” said Jodi Zombolo, associate vice president, Visitor Events and Programs. “Love in Bloom showcases the ways in which humans connect with each other and nature, and uncovers the complexity of plant relationships.”

Love in Bloom features different experiences throughout the Garden. Love Seats in the style of tête-à-tête furniture—French for head-to-head—dressed with site-specific poetry and plantings are viewable at nine different locations across the main campus and Windy City Harvest’s Farm on Ogden. Playful stories and displays, some of which are interactive, showcase how plants connect with each other and their ecosystems, including co-evolution of plants and animals and the underground network of fungi and roots. Additionally, there are classes inspired by love, Poems While You Wait, personalized poems typed out on manual typewriters, evening jazz, a library exhibition titled “Literature in Bloom,” and After Hours Buzz, a series of cocktail events with Garden scientists and experts.

Love in Bloom is open daily during the Garden’s general hours, which change seasonally. Visit chicagobotanic.org/love for more information. An image gallery is available for media download here.

About Chicago Botanic Garden
The Chicago Botanic Garden provides the opportunity for people and planet to thrive, showcasing the power of plants through its leadership in plant conservation science, community engagement, and learning, and the beauty of its 385-acre living museum. Every year, more than one million people visit the Garden’s 28 gardens and four natural areas. The Garden’s urban agriculture initiative, Windy City Harvest, helps build healthy communities through its 15 urban farms and programs in Chicago and nearby counties. The Garden is a nonprofit organization run as a public/private partnership with the Forest Preserves of Cook County.