In three years, the Olympics of the botanic world will be descending on the Chicago region. The Morton Arboretum in Lisle and the Chicago Botanic Garden in Glencoe have been selected to joint host the Global Botanic Gardens Congress in summer 2027, the institutions announced last week. Held every three to four years in different choice cities, the congress is a gathering of the world’s botanic gardens to discuss and share best practices for plant conservation, education and research.
The week-long conference draws in delegates from some 3,000 gardens across the globe. It is put on by Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI), a 37-year-old membership organization representing botanic gardens in more than 100 countries worldwide. The Chicago congress will be the first time the event will take place in North America since its launch 27 years ago.
“This is really a monumental event that’s happening,” said Abby Meyer, executive director of BGCI’s U.S. office.
The inaugural Global Botanic Gardens Congress was held in North Carolina in 2000. Since then, the congress has been held in Spain, China, Ireland, New Zealand, Switzerland and Australia. Most recently, the conference was held just last week in Singapore.
The Chicago event will be the congress’ 9th installation. Meyer, speaking Monday after a long flight back from this year’s Singapore congress, said the conference is primarily an opportunity for institutions to connect and learn from each other as they .