Saturday, January 24, 2026
 

Special Hours: The Garden is open until 4 p.m.
Regenstein Center

Hear from experts, explore behind the scenes, swap seeds with gardeners

13th Annual Seed Swap
2 – 4 p.m. | Burnstein Hall & Krehbiel Gallery

Gardeners come together to share/swap seeds and to learn more about starting seeds, saving seeds, and related topics. (Guests are not required to bring seeds to share or swap. ) Chicago Botanic Garden staff and volunteers will have displays and will be available to answer questions.

Programs

Presented by Sarah Hollis
Tour the Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank 
10 – 11 a.m. | Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center

Did you know the Chicago Botanic Garden has a seed bank? Take a rare behind-the-scenes tour of the Dixon National Tallgrass Prairie Seed Bank, located in the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center with Dave Sollenberger, Seed Bank manager, and learn more about this crucial work. See the state-of-the-art lab—including all the unique seed prep equipment—and learn the multiple steps to seed banking from their arrival to long-term storage. Limited to 12 participants.

Seeds of Yesteryear: Selections from the Rare Book Collection
11 a.m. – noon | Lenhardt Library

Presented by: Dona Herendeen, Lenhardt Library manager of public services. Go back in time through this viewing of seed catalog selections from the Lenhardt Library’s Rare Book Collection. See a variety of colorful seed catalogs from the late 1800s – early 1900s.

Lecture by Peg Davis
1 – 2 p.m. | Alsdorf Auditorium

Presentation: "Low-Water, High-Yield Gardening for Any Space" with Peg Davis 
Join Peg Davis—farmer, retired agriculture teacher, and heirloom tomato enthusiast—for a hands-on workshop on sub-irrigation plantings (S.I.P.s), water-saving systems that help plants thrive in any space. Creator of the heirloom “Peg O’ My Heart” tomato, Peg shares practical, organic methods for growing abundant, flavorful produce with minimal water use.