Chicago’s Lurie Garden
After the Chicago Botanic Garden, the Lurie Garden should be the next must-see item on the agenda of any avid gardener visiting Chicago.
It is a five acre garden in the heart of downtown, designed by Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel. Truly a garden in a city.
The Lurie Garden has a prairie-style design, but it is not a prairie. It is a mix of native and exotic – bulbs, perennials, and grasses, with a few shrubs and small trees.
This is a garden that is beautiful throughout the growing seas0n. In my opinion, though, it is at its most glorious right now, when the salvia are in bloom.
Judy came out and took some of these pictures during her lunch hour, when it was quite overcast. She came back after work as well, when the clouds had cleared and the sun was starting to set.
On most days the garden is full of awe-struck visitors, tourists and native Chicagoans, taking pictures with cell phones and fancy cameras.
Anybody who works in the Loop has no excuse for not visiting the Lurie Garden. And no serious gardener should leave the city without spending some time here.
gardeninacity 
I have never seen the garden so stunning as it was today. Drop everything and rush right over, if you are anywhere near.
I was there yesterday. You have captured it well. I love the Prairie Smoke, I look forward to seeing it every year.
The Prairie Smoke is wonderful but it needs to be surrounded by low plants or it gets overwhelmed.
Aha. Thanks for the advice. I’m still bushwacking my way through finding things I actually planted…
Wow! That is truly lovely. Love the “River of Salvia.”
Isn’t it great?
Piet Oudolph is the maestro of texture, harmony and color. He is the thinking man’s landscaper and prophet. How I wish I could visit the High Line and now I can add this destination to my wish list. Thanks for the heads up.
The High Line is also on my wish list of gardens to see. I do agree that Oudolph is definitely a genius.
What a lovely garden in the middle of Chicago. I love the way they play with the colours. The salvias are fantastic. Piet Oudolf is a master of gardens.
After I first saw the River of Salvia, I bought about 15 and pulled out some other plants so I could do my own miniature imitation.
I have heard this is a gorgeous garden! Your photos prove it. It would be so wonderful to have all that space to play around with, to create a whole river of color. I have to be content with measly skinny ribbons of plants.
I know, life is so unfair, isn’t it? To have five acres to play with … of course, someone would have to pay me to work on it full time.
I’m so jealous that you live so near to this park. Thank you for the wonderful photos!
You’re welcome! You will have to come to Chicago some time and see it for yourself! Lots of other fun stuff to do here.
Breathtaking. Once you’ve seen it you never forget!
I agree, I would place it up there with Giverny.
It’s really beautiful.
One of my favorites, absolutely.
This is a garden I definitely hope to visit one day. It is the perfect example of the power of mass planting.
I do hope you get to see it! And you are right, this garden takes the concept of drifts to a whole new level.
I have been to Lurie and it is amazing. Lucky for you, you can see it in all the seasons. Glorious photos Judy!
Judy says thanks. We were thinking of doing a monthly feature on Lurie Garden through at least September.
I want my salvia to look like that, darnit! (stomping foot) Mine never get that deep blue even though it says it will. What a beautiful place to have in a big city!
Brenda
Yes, as I wrote above, this garden inspired me to go out and buy around 15 salvia and plant them in a drift. Looks nice, but not quite the same.
This is a garden I always wanted to see. You might consider hosting a Fling in Chicago again. Like Buffalo, it could use a second go with all that there is to see there. I would love to see one in Philadelphia too. Not many more places with such beautiful gardens in such close proximity.
The Chicago fling was 2009, three years before I even know about garden blogging. 2014 and 2015 are already scheduled, but it would be a blast to have one here in 2016. Only thing is, I don’t know that many garden bloggers here.
Jason, The Lurie is a splendid garden…I am so glad I’ve seen it in several seasons, but, I must admit the rivers of salvia are stunning.
The river of salvia always leaves me speechless, it is so magnificent.
Unfortunately I can’t leave more than one ‘like’ to this page or maybe a ‘love’ or better an ‘adore’. So you don’t live far from this place, do you? You shall go there regularly and report any change with a post, you that? For example on the second-last picture I can see allium leaves and oregano clumps that will be a wonderful sight in one month or so… I love this garden and you took beautiful pictures of it, I’d drown in that River of Salvia…
Good idea, Alberto, I think we’ll do a monthly feature on the Lurie. It changes so wonderfully through the seasons.And there’s a white flower there that reminds me of ‘Darlow’s Enigma’ …
Lol!
Wow!!! Utterly HEAVENLY. A place I could totally lose myself in. Gorgeous pics!xxxx
It is absolutely heavenly. Romantic, too. I’ve seen a few marriage proposals take place there.
What a gorgeous garden. I saw it in person when I visited a few years back, but it was September and didn’t look this way. That salvia is amazing. Yet another thing I would want to try to copy if I had the space.
As I wrote above, I had to try to make my own little creek of Salvia. Nice, but not the same.
Spectacular! You’re right about that salvia…it’s positively dreamy! 🙂
Dreamy is a good word for it.
I want a field of purple and green! This garden is beautiful and so peaceful. I love the flower combinations, well done!
Many of the flower combinations are really brilliant.
This ‘River of Salvia’ does make a dramatic statement. A gorgeous garden indeed. I can spend the whole day here and feel totally contented.
It does feed the soul.
the Lurie Garden is on my bucket list. For now I must be a grateful armchair/blog visitor.
That’s what is great about the internet, isn’t it?
Wow! Truly beautiful. The salvia is amazing. I would be one of those awestruck visitors taking photos, too!
Thankfully I have Judy to do that for me.
Jason, monarda bradburiana,, salvia blue are the simplest and nicest plants, those decorate well this garden.
Thank you for sharing and have a nice weekend!
Thank you, Nadezda! They are great plants, I have lots of salvia but no M. bradburiana, just the bigger Monardas.
I love the textures and I adore that sweep of salvia.
Wow! Gorgeous! The purple hue is so striking!!!
Stunning photographs of a wonderful garden Jason – thank you for putting this on my ‘must visit’ list (I can dream!) Kind regards, Ursula
I have always wanted to see Chicago, mainly for the architecture, but when pictures started come out showing the Lurie, I then had another compelling reason to plan a visit.