Orchids – Chicago Theater and Arts

Orchids

Last opportunities to pick up orchids at the Chicago Botanic Garden: Market Place \Weekend with venders is March 25-26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Post Orchid Show Sale filled with plants from the show is March 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid show is through March 26 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Garden is at 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, just east of Edens Exp. For tickets and more information visit Chicago Botanic Garden Orchids Magnified. Related: Up close with orchids.

Unusual opera opportunity

A chance to see a groundbreaking multi-course opera at the Lyric opens March 24 but ends April 8. “Proximity,” a 2 and 1/4 hour production that presents three short operas together, “The Walkers, “Four Portraits” and “Night,” are at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on only four dates from March 24 to April 8, 2023. “Walkers” deals with gun violence while “Four Portraits” connects to technological impacts and “Night” looks at the natural world’s fragility. For tickets and information, call 312.827.5600 or go to lyricopera.org/proximity.

Penguins

Now is a great time to visit the Shedd Aquarium because the Rockhopper and Magellanic penguins are in their annual nest-building season. Viksit Penguins | Shedd Aquarium. Shedd Aquarium is at 1200 S. DuSable/Lake Shore Drive on Chicago’s Museum campus.

Chicago Botanic Garden Orchid Show (J Jacobs photo)

A one-time walk-through at “Brilliance,” the Chicago Botanic Garden’s orchid show, had lifted the mood when the show opened on a cold, winter day. But going back for a second, more leisurely stroll meant finding delightful orchids clustered low under and along the garden’s regular greenhouse inhabitants and orchids seeminly glowing in the March sunlight.

How the orchids look in varying sunlight, but also the artificial light turned on during Orchids After Hours, (Thursdays March 5-19) is no accident. Called “Brilliance’ this year, the show is about color.

Bright bromeliad complements delicate orchids in entrance to the Chicago botanic garden show. (J Jacobs photo)

To complement the orchids’ hues, the garden has added bromelads in the entrance walkway, blue pipe-like glass forms in the center greenhouse’s shady walk, a bright magenta chandelier-like glass over that greenhouse’s water feature, hanging metal circular planters outside the greenhouses’ walkways and chrome-style reflecting ball-halves along a walkway.

The effect is stunning day or night. But a good way to see the show is to return at night when river-like blue stone is lit from below and the greenhouses’ lights pick up other colors and reflections.

Blue glass paths hardly noticed during the day light up at night as blue pipe like glass seems to drip down from above. ( J Jacobs photo)

To enjoy the orchid nightscape with special beverages, consider coming for Evening With Orchids March 11 that features beer and spirits tastings.

If you are a morning person, Tuesdays and Thursdays feature Morning Music in the Nichols Hall that range from guitar to jazz to classical.

For orchid advice and orchid displays visit on March 14-5 when the Illinois Orchid Society Show is at the garden.

The Chicago Botanic Garden features color and form in its 2020 orchid show. (J Jacobs photo)

However, if after seeing the gorgeous array of color inspires some home plant décor, know that many of the orchids in the show are available to members and the public at reduced prices during the afternoon of the Post Show Sale March 26, four days after the show closes on March 22.

The Chicago Botanic Garden is at 1000 Lake Cook Rd., Glencoe, just east of Edens Expressway. For Garden ticket and other information call (847) 835-6801 or 835-5440 or visit Chicago Botanic.

Jodie Jacobs

Tag: Orchids

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