CHICAGO — Tucked between two Cook County forest preserves, the Forest Glen neighborhood has carved out an identity as a botanical enclave secluded from the glass and concrete that envelope the rest of the city.
And from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, neighbors will take their annual chance to showcase what the city's leafiest neighborhood has to offer.
Organized by the Forest Glen Community Club, the Forest Glen Garden Walk will guide visitors through 17 private gardens and three community gardens, each with its own exotic jolt of color. This weekend was targeted to give outsiders the best possible window into the jungly world, club member Mary K. Bourke said.
"In June not everything was really in bloom yet, but the hot July sun still hasn't baked anything to death," Bourke said. "Now is really the optimal time to see it all — annuals, perennials, trees in bloom — just vibrancy all around."
Organizers will staff a "welcome center" at 5303 N. LaPorte Ave., where they'll hand out brochures mapping out each garden along the self-guided tour.
Gardening experts will host three brief workshops at the center throughout the day, Bourke said. They include a landscaping session at 10:30 a.m., a composting talk at 11:30 a.m. and a presentation on "perennial shade gardening" at 12:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, a raffle will offer the chance to win gardening supplies and gift certificates to Gethsemane Garden Center in Edgewater and the Chicago Botanic Garden.
A pedicab will also be on hand to shuttle spectators from one garden to the next, Bourke said.
Visitors can buy tickets in advance for $8 by emailing president@forestglenchicago.org. They are $10 at the event.
