Saturday, August 23, was a picture-perfect day for a visit to Cantigny Park in Wheaton. My husband and I joined 23 FOPCON members for a “behind-the-scenes” tour of the Cantigny greenhouses. Cantigny is well-known for its historic McCormick Mansion tours and its collection of U.S. Army tanks. But its beautiful grounds and impeccably designed flower gardens are well worth the visit.
Our Membership Committee has been exploring ideas for a “members-only” field trip. We wanted to utilize the reciprocal garden privileges available to our members through the American Horticultural Association. (Cantigny’s grounds are free to the public, but parking rates vary from $6 to $16 depending on day and season.) We got free parking by showing our FOPCON membership cards at the entrance, saving $16. Cantigny’s greenhouses are not normally open for tours, but FOPCON staff negotiated a private tour for our group.
Cantigny’s congenial Greenhouse Supervisor Bob Carr was our tour guide. Bob has worked at Cantigny’s greenhouses for 28 years. He partners with Cantigny’s horticultural and landscape design staff to grow the plants they need for each season. He seems to have an amazing knowledge of each plant’s likes and dislikes. He applies new research into organic practices, and over the years, he has developed his own best practices. For example, he and his staff use beneficial insects (like tiny wasps invisible to the eye) to control pests. An intricate drip system lets staff tailor the amount of water each plant needs. They monitor temperature and light throughout the day with moveable stands and ceiling shades.
Our tour included three greenhouses, two hoop houses, and several outside flower beds. One greenhouse had over 7,000 poinsettias growing for the Christmas sale. We saw a wide variety of perennials, cacti and succulents, and familiar and exotic plants ready for the floral designers. The outside beds held hundreds of chrysanthemums, almost ready for autumn planting.
After the tour, I came away with a new appreciation for the Oak Park Conservatory. Though our Conservatory operates on a much smaller scale, the challenges seem similar. Our staff and volunteers also have to contend with temperature swings, insects, soil conditions and ever-changing seasons to meet the demands of the FOPCON Plant Sale, our seasonal sales, the village parks, and the Conservatory’s 3,000 plants. Amazing work!
Kathy FioRito, FOPCON Membership Co-chair
Enjoy reciprocal benefits at participating gardens by joining the Friends now. For more information click here.
