Lurie Garden is a leader in landscape architecture and garden design in an urban environment, evidenced by the diverse gardens, which provide cheer and vibrancy to the city. The garden also honors the city’s motto, “Urbs in Horto”, a City in a Garden, and represents Chicago’s metamorphosis from its flat and marshy origins to the bold and rich environment it has today, embracing its past, present and future. This splits the garden into two “plates”, the Light Plate, and the Dark Plate.

All four seasons have something different to offer, with sun-loving perennials stretching in the sun, and butterflies and birds fluttering about in summer and fall. In winter, the ornamental grasses form alluring shapes in the snow and ice. Truly, it can be likened to living art. Something you definitely can’t miss while here is the “shoulder” hedge, a 15-foot-high depiction of Carl Sandburg’s description of the city as a “City of Big Shoulders”, enclosing the garden on two sides and consequently protecting the green nestled within. The majority of the garden is home to species that are native to North America, and the perennial beds are chemical-free, drawing migratory birds and insects. You just might catch honeybees buzzing about, and hear the lilting tune of songbirds.