Hidden Landscape Gems

Lincoln Park Conservatory Conifer Garden

2391 N Stockton Dr, Chicago, IL https://lincolnparkconservancy.org/ Hours: The conservatory: Wednesdays through Sundays from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm; check website for timed ticketing. The gardens are open anytime.

by Heather Prince

One of the gems of the Chicago lakeshore, the Lincoln Park Conservatory sits quietly just outside the west gates of the Lincoln Park Zoo. Surrounded by 14 acres of lushly landscaped park, the conservatory itself was constructed between 1890 and 1895 by Joseph Lyman Silsbee with M.E. Bell. It features orchid, palm, and fern collections within its elegant glass walls.

However, while the tropical plant collections are a stunning respite on a freezing January day, the grounds are not to be missed. The primary entrance faces south to a large panel of lawn, anchored by the Eli Bates Fountain, installed in 1887 and features sculptures of storks, reeds, boys, and fish frolicking in a pool.

As you walk around the conservatory, you’ll find a complex and intriguing collection of about 150 varieties of conifers. Installed more than 20 years ago, the conifer garden was a gift of Rich and Susie Eyre of Rich’s Foxwillow Pines. They worked closely with Bryce Bandstra, the acting Director of Lincoln Park and Garfield Park conservatories at the time as well as with the Chicago Park District and conservatory staff. “They had a problem with homeless folks sleeping in the lilac bushes. They’d also climb in through the low windows and bathe in the koi pond in the conservatory,” remembered Rich Eyre. “We planted a nice grouping of Picea chihuahuensis under those windows and it was never a problem again.” The gardens were a labor of love. “We had such great relationships with Bryce and the teams at the park district and conservatories. We are so grateful to call them friends,” commented Eyre. “Bryce was the driving force behind the gardens, and I loaded them with some of the biggest specimens available. They have taken loving care of the garden since its installation.”

As one of the most visited conifer collections in the country, its layered textures and colors are particularly showy in winter months when ice rimes the cones and snow is clasped in the needles. They provide a foil for the shimmering domes of the conservatory and anchor the structure in the landscape. From large spruces and arborvitae to diminutive pines and cypress, spend some time exploring. Lawn and mulched paths wend their way through the fragrant needles. A wonderful hosta collection is a tapestry of greens in the growing season. Perennials and annuals carpet the beds beneath the branches of the trees. An occasional redbud sends sprays of pink flowers to hover overhead in the spring. A number of dwarf conifers have now matured into elegant specimens and selected weeping varieties provide a touch of whimsy to the glass conservatory. These gardens are a great place to gather inspiration for weaving conifers through a landscape to provide myriad textures and colors, no matter the season.