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Most visitors arrive at Chicago Botanic Garden to find the beauty one might expect — lavish backdrops for the perfect snapshot, chef-led cooking demos filling the air with delicious aromas and serene outdoor yoga at sunset. But like a richly planted landscape, the Garden’s diverse initiatives do more than delight the senses. They inspire people to connect with plants to grow a stronger, more resilient world.

Much like a biodiverse forest depends on countless species working in concert, the Garden weaves together three core programs to nurture lasting benefits: urban agriculture that builds healthier communities, lifelong learning that cultivates curious minds and plant conservation science that supports healthy habitats.

Urban Agriculture: Windy City Harvest Takes Plant Power Directly to Chicago’s Neighborhoods

Windy City Harvest, the Garden’s urban agriculture program, manages 10 urban farms and gardens that deliver over 200,000 pounds of produce. For 40 weeks out of the year, their VeggieRx program allows patients with diet-related diseases and a prescription to eat more fruits and vegetables to receive weekly shares of fresh produce grown on Windy City Harvest-managed farms. Participants can also attend cooking demonstrations and receive nutrition education. The program was developed in partnership with Lawndale Christian Health Center, Good Food is Good Medicine and the University of Illinois-Chicago’s Chicago Partnership for Health Promotion.

Chicago resident Ketaurah James first discovered Windy City Harvest at 13 years old through its Youth Farm Program and stayed involved throughout high school. She initially joined with a friend, not even realizing there was an actual farm in her North Lawndale neighborhood. She was surprised and quickly fell in love with the program. 

“People think of food and plants as separate things sometimes,” says James. “When we’re thinking about plants, we’re thinking about gardens and the farms. When we think about food, we’re thinking about eating. But they all serve so many different purposes. Green spaces can also help mental health. They can be a place to build community and support your overall well-being.” 

After college, James returned to the program in 2018 as a VeggieRx assistant, where she embraced the “food is medicine” ethos — especially meaningful as her own mother used the program to manage diabetes through their local health center. Deeply invested in her community’s well-being, James has since become Program Manager of VeggieRx, and after seven years, she remains committed to expanding the initiative’s reach and impact.

“We create a safe space for participants to learn and to show them that they’re not the only ones dealing with a diet-related illness,” says James. “Once they come here, it’s like we form our own little community within VeggieRx, which is really great because people are discussing recipes and making friends.”

Beyond filling individual produce prescriptions, Windy City Harvest offers urban agriculture education and hands-on job-training that teach urban residents how to cultivate, harvest and market their own food. These urban farms are more than green patches — they are classrooms, economic engines and symbols of neighborhood pride. As soil microbes churn nutrients, residents forge new connections and strengthen local food systems one small action at a time.

Lifelong Learning: Education at the Regenstein School Mirrors a Layered Landscape

The Regenstein School offers a spectrum of experiences that span generations, from toddlers exploring during a day at the nature-based preschool to retirees mastering native-plant gardening. Each class, workshop and event plays a unique role in nurturing curiosity for nature lovers and training the next generation of plant scientists, educators and land stewards.

“Many of our students enjoy the community aspect of taking a class or workshop in one of the largest blended indoor and outdoor learning environments in the Chicagoland area.  The Outdoor Walking Workout for example is one of several classes that is well attended because students enjoy both the exercise and socialization aspects” says Beth Pinargote, Adult Education Director at Chicago Botanic Garden.

The School’s state-of-the-art campus centers on a 26,700-square-foot Learning Center and 1.5-acre Nature Play Garden, featuring rolling hills, multisensory plantings, raised beds and discovery zones designed to encourage open-ended exploration. Sustainability underpins every aspect of the campus — from 90% natural lighting and 83 rooftop solar panels to an extensive rainwater capture system and the use of recycled or low-carbon construction materials.

The Science Career Continuum is a multiyear, summer pipeline for Chicago public school students starting in seventh grade. All stages include hands-on fieldwork, group projects, presentations, free transportation and stipends. The Regenstein School also operates a teacher development program with grade-specific, nature-based workshops including inquiry-driven field studies across the Garden, lesson modeling in the Learning Center and turnkey resources.

These programs transmit information and spark transformation. A teenager who learns vermiculture may discover a career in sustainable agriculture. A grandparent and grandchild bonding over bird-friendly planting may carry new traditions home. In this way, the Regenstein School’s curriculum enriches individual lives and fuels a more personal relationship with plants and the environment across Chicago and beyond.

Plant Conservation Science: The Negaunee Institute Operates as a Genetic Stronghold against Biodiversity Loss

Researchers here collect and preserve native seeds and pollen from rare and threatened species, studying how plants respond to climate stressors and collaborating on restoration projects both locally and globally. 

“Currently, there is not enough seed, and we’re working to increase the capacity,” says Dr. Andrea Kramer, Senior Director of Restoration at Chicago Botanic Garden. “Without enough seed, we’re not able to restore habitats, build green infrastructure or grow urban green spaces in an effective way.” 

In Chicago woodlands, an invasive species now accounts for more than one-third of all trees. Native to Europe, common buckthorn forms dense thickets that block sunlight, hinder native plant regeneration and alter soil chemistry through toxic root secretions.

“When the Garden took over stewardship of McDonald Woods about 35 years ago, there were beautiful old oak trees that were being choked out by a layer of invasive buckthorn,” Dr. Kramer explains. “There was so little light reaching the forest floor that hundreds of plant species had been replaced by one or two primary species that themselves didn’t provide any resources for pollinators or all the other wildlife.”

The Chicago Botanic Garden’s core programs offer an integrated approach that provides opportunities for people to connect to the natural world. In sowing seeds for healthier communities, knowledge, and plant diversity, the Garden inspires us all to grow a better world.

The Garden then hired its first ecologist, who began systematically removing the buckthorn and collecting seeds from nearby remnant populations of native plants. Those seeds were propagated in a small nursery to bulk up native stock before being transplanted back into the woodland. Today, this restored area ranks among the highest-quality natural habitats in the region, supporting more than 500 plant species and a rich array of wildlife. A dedicated team cares for the site and uses it as a living laboratory for the Negaunee Institute’s career-pathway program in stewardship and ecology of natural areas. 

The Chicago Botanic Garden’s core programs offer an integrated approach that provides opportunities for people to connect to the natural world. In sowing seeds for healthier communities, knowledge, and plant diversity, the Garden inspires us all to grow a better world.

Ready to grow? Discover the vital role plants play in creating a more resilient world by joining the Garden as a visitor, member, or donor at ChicagoBotanic.org.

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