Chicago Botanic Garden - Carillon Press = Release

Orchid=20 Extravaganza Returns to the Garden

Chicago=20 Botanic Garden, April 28 and 29

GLENCOE, Ill.=20 (Dec. 13, 2006) = =96 The Chicago Botanic = Garden will=20 host the Mid- America Orchid Congress (MAOC) in conjunction with = the=20 Illinois Orchid Society (IOS) Spring Show & Sale on April 28 = & 29=20 in the Regenstein Center. Fifty-eight sister orchid societies have = been=20 invited to join in this major celebration of orchids. The Garden = and the=20 IOC last hosted the MAOC in 2002, attracting approximately 15,000=20 visitors.

MAOC = conference=20 registrants can attend lectures by internationally recognized = orchid=20 experts at the Renaissance Hotel. The public will have the = opportunity to=20 view orchid displays and shop from vendors from around the world = at the=20 Garden. Forty displays of the =93queen of flowers=94 =96 from the = rarest orchid=20 species to cultivated hybrids from the world=92s most renowned = orchid=20 growers =96 will be artistically arranged among ferns and moss in = Nichols=20 Hall. Individual orchids in 128 classes will vie for red, white = and blue=20 ribbons. Twenty-five entries will receive =93best of class=94 = purple ribbons,=20 and the best appointed plant in the show will receive the Chicago=20 Horticultural Society Award from American Orchid Society judges. = The MAOC=20 also will award six special gold ribbons.

More = than 35=20 orchid growers and vendors from the United States and exotic lands = such as=20 Equador, Mexico and the Phillipines, will sell elegant, graceful = orchids=20 in many varieties. Other items available for purchase include = supplies and=20 equipment, books, pins, clothing and the society's custom bark mix = and=20 fertilizer. Michigan State University's Horticultural Sciences = Department=20 formulated the fertilizer specifically for orchids grown with = Chicago tap=20 water.

A = repotting=20 service to help get plants back on the right track is available = for a $5=20 fee. Tours of the orchid show will be offered and professional = growers=20 will be on hand to answer questions throughout the show. Other = activities=20 include an auction of plants, pots and prints to benefit the MAOC, = and a=20 corsage-making demonstration and sale at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on = Saturday=20 and Sunday.

The show will be open to = the public=20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, with a special hour = for=20 photographers on Sunday at 9 a.m. Admission to the Garden and the = Orchid=20 Show is free. However, the IOS will welcome donations to support = its=20 charitable and educational programs. Parking is $12; free for = members. For=20 more information, call the Chicago Botanic Garden at (847) = 835-5440 or=20 visit http://www.chicagobotanic.org/.

The MAOC is an = organization of=20 orchid societies from 38 states and two Canadian provinces, = dedicated to=20 the preservation of orchids in their natural habitats, the = propagation of=20 orchids by seed and cuttings, the development of new and better = plants=20 through breeding, and providing information to growers who = subscribe to=20 their principles. The MAOC holds a meeting and show each spring = and fall=20 sponsored by one or more member = societies.

Editors, please=20 note: The = Chicago=20 Botanic Garden=92s newsroom is online at www.chicagobotanic.org/pr. = For=20 digital images, contact Julie McCaffrey at (847) 835-8213 or at=20 jmccaffrey@chicagobotanic.org.

The = Chicago=20 Botanic Garden is a 385-acre living plant museum featuring 23 = distinct=20 display gardens surrounded by lakes, as well as a prairie and = woodlands.=20 With events, programs and activities for all ages, the Garden is = open=20 every day of the year, except Dec. 25. Admission is free; select = event=20 fees apply. Parking is $12; free for members. On Tuesdays, senior = citizens=20 age 62 and older pay just $7 for parking. The Garden is located at = 1000=20 Lake Cook Road in Glencoe, Ill. Visit www.ohwow.org, or call = (847) 835-5440=20 for seasonal hours, images of the Garden and commuter = transportation=20 information.

The = Chicago=20 Botanic Garden is owned by the Forest Preserve District of Cook = County and=20 managed by the Chicago Horticultural Society. It opened to the = public in=20 1972 and is home to the Joseph Regenstein, Jr. School of the = Chicago=20 Botanic Garden, offering a broad array of adult classes in plant = science,=20 landscape design and gardening arts. The Center for Teaching and = Learning=20 brings the wonder of nature and plants to children, teens and = teachers.=20 Horticultural Therapy and Community Gardening provide nationally=20 recognized community outreach and service programs. Through the = Institutes=20 of Plant Conservation and Ornamental Plant Research, Garden = scientists=20 work on plant conservation, research and environmental initiatives = that=20 have global impact. The Chicago Botanic Garden is accredited by = the=20 American Association of Museums and is a member of the American = Public=20 Gardens Association (APGA). In 2006, the Chicago Botanic Garden = received=20 the Award for Garden Excellence, given yearly by the APGA and = Horticulture=20 magazine to a public garden that exemplifies the highest standards = of=20 horticultural practices and has shown a commitment to supporting = and=20 demonstrating best gardening practices.