Wild in the City: Chicagoland's Urban Ecology

Sprouting Ideas

Between the World Wars, the Society suspended operations. It restarted in 1943 with WWII raging. In an effort to reduce pressure on the national food supply, people planted herb, fruit and vegetable gardens known as Victory Gardens in public parks or at private residences. Society members helped educate people about Victory Gardening and held their first Victory Garden Roundup exhibition under the south end of Soldier’s Field Grandstand in 1945.
In the 1950s, gardening for the blind, which came to be called Horticultural Therapy, was a new innovation, and the Society was well respected for its enabling gardening programs.
In 1959, the Chicago Horticultural Society hosted the Chicago World Flower and Garden Show at McCormick place and once again brought to the city the most innovative gardening concepts.
Through the 1960s and 1970s, contemporary issues like the dangers of water and air pollution, and innovative concepts on pollination and ecology, were featured at the flower show through poster sessions and exhibits.


Use the cards at the bottom of each page to explore various parts of the "Seeds of Change" chapter. There will always be a card to take you back to the chapter introduction or you can go back to the Wild in the City overview.

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