The Orchid Show Provides a Blast of Color and Beauty During the Cold Winter Months in Chicagoland

BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND BLOG

Please note: This article was written and published in 2025, but the Orchid Show is held each year with a different theme. The 2026 theme is Feelin’ Groovy (1960s/1970s). The show runs through March 22, 2026. Here are four photos from the 2026 Orchid Show, courtesy of the Chicago Botanic Garden.

Last Monday—on the coldest February 17 (9-degree high) in 67 years—my wife, son, and I decided to leave the warmth of our home and travel to the Chicago Botanic Garden to soak up the indoor warmth of greenhouses and exhibition spaces and the estimated 10,000 orchid plants and blooms that were on display. 

We were not disappointed.

I must be honest. I have a beautiful native plant garden in my back and front yards and probably 40 houseplants, but I’ve never grown an orchid. And maybe never will.

But amidst bitter-cold winter temps and a blanket of snow coating the area, I was very content to immerse myself in the views of beautiful orchid blooms and the warmth of the greenhouses at the Chicago Botanic Garden (CBG). If you love nature and hikes and strolls through flower-filled meadows, English and Japanese gardens, forests, and much more, you could easily spend an entire day touring the CBG’s 27 gardens and four natural areas, which are situated on 385 acres on and around nine islands, with six miles of lake shoreline. But this short article is about orchids. So, if you’d like to learn more about the garden, click here for my article.

Until I visited The Orchid Show: India Blooms at the garden, I had no idea that India has one of the major orchid habitats in the world. According to the CBC, “India is home to more than 1,200 orchid species, nearly 300 of which are endemic. Native orchid hotspots include mountainous areas such as the Western Ghats, the Himalayas, and northeastern India.” In its 11th year, the show includes “blooming displays inspired by national symbols and celebrations of India such as a floor-to-ceiling peacock, a towering banyan tree with cascading roots, and the vivid hues of Holi in bursts of colorful powders.” The Orchid Show runs through March 23, 2025.

My son, wife, and I enjoyed the Orchid Show. We weren’t fans of the crowds, but occasionally found small areas of crowd-less solace in some of the greenhouses. We spent time together (including lunch at the Garden View Café and a visit to The Garden Shop) away from technology (except for photos). We marveled at the different types of orchids and some of the India-inspired architectural and design elements on display. As my 14-year-old son gets closer to college, I savor these simple expeditions and adventures with him and my wife. That’s enough for me right now in a world that seems upside down in so many tragic ways.

Before You Go

Where: 1000 Lake Cook Road, Glencoe, IL 60022

Learn More: 847/835-6801, Web

Cost: Orchid show tickets include Chicago Botanic Garden admission, but parking is not included. Click here for the latest prices.

Hours: Regular daily hours for the garden are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Orchid Show is open on select evenings from 5 to 8 p.m., and for Photographers’ Hours.

What You Can Do at the Garden:

• Bicycling (in certain areas)
• Birdwatching
• Educational and Self-Enrichment Opportunities and Classes
• Hiking
• Nature Center
• Photography
• Picnicking
• Restaurant
• Shopping
• Tram

Nearby Nature Destinations: Captain Daniel Wright Woods Forest Preserve, Edward L. Ryerson Conservation Area, Fort Sheridan Forest Preserve, Harms Woods, Mellody Farm Nature Preserve, Middlefork Savanna Forest Preserve, Potawatomi Woods, River Trail Nature Center, Skokie Lagoons, Somme Woods

Copyright (text) Andrew Morkes

Copyright (photos) Andrew Morkes and Liam Morkes (as credited); EXCEPT top right and bottom left photos in the main photo, copyright Chicago Botanic Garden

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Looking for some other great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $19.99.

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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES

I have been a writer and editor for more than 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of “The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends” blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I also served as a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school for five years.

In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 70 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, the Vault Career Guide to Accounting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series) and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades and Cool Careers in Science series).

Here’s a list of the environmental-focused titles that I’ve written:

• Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit
• Wind Turbine Technicians (Great Careers Without a Bachelor’s Degree series)
• Environmental Scientists (Cool Careers in Science series)
• Renewable Energy Careers (Cool Careers in Science series)
• Environment (Getting Started series)
• Solar Power Technicians (Careers in Infrastructure series)