January / February 1997

As the garden takes its winter hiatus, we cower down indoors and pursue things that keep us busier than ever as we start our third year of publishing Chicagoland Gardening. One measure of that is the number of projects we're pursuing. In this issue, we report on one of last summer's events-the Gardening in Small Spaces Contest. Our winners are profiled beginning on page 22. Visiting with more than 25 gardeners helps us focus on what's important in the Chicagoland garden.

Two projects make their appearance in this issue. The Chicagoland Gardening Series of houseplants, beginning on page 43, is a collaboration with Florida growers to help introduce new varieties similar to so many other plant types. And then there is the travel project. We've been fascinated for years by the group travel plans that take gardeners to the far corners of the world, so we are introducing a trip to England this spring to coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show. And since Managing Editor Carolyn Ulrich has twice lived in England where she visited many of the most famous gardens, she seemed like the perfect person to act as the resident expert on such a trip. We hope you'll consider joining her for this 8-day May excursion. An advertisement about the program is on page 2.

Although it is early in the year, we are already working hard on the Official Show Guide for the Chicago Flower & Garden Show. Last year was our initial venture with this project and we've put several new ideas in place to make this year's guide a must-have for visiting the show. If you haven't made plans to attend, see the preview story in our Calendar section on page 48 for complete dates and prices. And plan to stop by our booth to say hello.

Back to the issue at hand, Annette Roos goes behind the scenes of the Brookfield Zoo to present an angle you may never have considered-that a zoo can also be a botanic garden. We welcome back Adele Kleine and her look at greenhouse gardeners and noted chef Michael Foley's ideas on winter-warming soups. Extension educator Vernon Bryant tells us how to take care of houseplants while Dana Cleary introduces us to a way to make compost even while it is freezing outside. Coping with a Chicago winter can take many forms-for us, it's staying busy trying to make Chicagoland Gardening an indispensable resource for gardeners and those who appreciate nature's beauty.